Today, you woke up extremely tired and bloated, when usually, nothing gets to you that much. You had a terrible time getting a sound sleep the night before; hence, you are late for school.
No jeans seem to fit right and you are yelling at your brother because he is bugging you to speed up. Everything is definitely going wrong, then you remember, your period is a week away.
PMS is premenstrual syndrome; it is different from PMT because the latter means premenstrual tension.
PMS is that set of both emotional and physical changes that women go through days or weeks prior to the menstrual period.
According to the Florida Hospital, 85% of women in America experience PMS during their childbearing years.
Approximately 5% of them are unable to fulfill daily duties because of the severity of the symptoms.
While the syndrome is mostly experienced by women who are in their 20 to 40 years old, anyone in who can still bear children may experience the symptoms.
In most cases, PMS worsens in those that are approaching menopause. PMS, however, is the most crucial in teenage girls as this age group is experiencing it with many other bodily changes.
With the fact that there is nothing much that women can execute to get rid of the syndrome in just a wink, it is still best to stop dreading it and instead, work the way out to efficiently deal with the matter.
For the record, doctors have not yet identified the exact cause why women experience PMS. However, most women believe that it is directly associated with the changing levels of hormones in a female’s body.
After a girl's menstrual period, both progesterone and estrogen increase in quantity. A week prior to the menstrual period, both hormones immediately fall.
The changing levels of hormones can lead to the surfacing of PMS symptoms. Why some girls experience PMS and some others do not is another unclear matter.
However, experts suggest that it is possible that women who go through PMS are those who are extremely sensitive to effects of the changing hormone levels.
While the cause is still unknown, factors that are thought to have contributed to the surfacing of PMS include stress, poor physical health, psychological state, overweight, and obesity.
Often, women who have a BMI that is higher than 30 are more likely to experience PMS than those who carry an ideal weight with them.
Moreover, smokers are reportedly more likely to have worse PMS symptoms than those who do not smoke at all.
The genetic makeup also has a lot to do with the precipitation of the syndrome, as well as the social and cultural environment.
A lot of women have concluded that there is not much that can be done about the monthly recurring PMS. Well, they are wrong.
For instance, Changing the diet to incorporate vegetable and vitamins can help lessen the probability of experiencing a few of the PMS symptoms.
When the onset of the symptoms of PMS is starting to surface, try to modify your eating habits, such as eating often in little amounts.
Perhaps a small snack or meal every four hours. Eating healthy, balancing the blood-sugar levels, and avoiding sugar-filled junk food are also great modifications to try.
Try to consume a balanced diet composed of leafy greens and eggs, fruits, fishes, nuts, lean meat, and pulses. Alcohol is not a great addition to the diet during PMS.
Aside from modifying the eating pattern, women may also try:
Having a menstrual period is literally a huge bulk of pain with PMS fronting the painful experience.
While the problems are normal and generally are nothing to worry about, it is still beneficial to be aware of why it happens, how it worsens, and how to manage the syndrome.
After all, being more comfortable is one of the best gifts that teens can have, especially with all the pressures that surround them.
