Brief overview
- Symptoms: Physical symptoms such as lower abdominal pain, nausea, headaches; psychological symptoms such as sadness, mood swings, depressive moods
- Treatment: Sufficient sleep and exercise, balanced diet, relaxation and meditation exercises, hot water bottles; in severe cases, medication such as painkillers, antidepressants, dehydrating agents; possibly complementary healing methods such as herbal medicine and homeopathy
- Diagnosis: Anamnesis, physical examination, blood test.
- Course and prognosis: Symptoms subside with the onset of menstruation. After menopause, the symptoms usually disappear.
- Prevention: Hardly possible; possible improvement through exercise, healthy diet, sufficient sleep.
What is premenstrual syndrome?
PMS: What are the symptoms?
In women with premenstrual syndrome, various physical and/or psychological complaints announce themselves in the second half of the cycle, about two weeks to three days before menstruation begins. How severe the PMS symptoms are varies from individual to individual and also varies from month to month.
Physical PMS symptoms
Possible physical PMS symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen
- Diarrhea or constipation
- hot flashes, sweating
- Back pain
- unclean skin, pimples
In addition, some women experience changes in appetite due to PMS: some suffer from food cravings, while others complain of loss of appetite and bloating. Nausea before the period and a bloated belly are also possible. Some women also report weight gain before their period. This is due less to increased food intake than to water retention in the tissues.
Mastalgia is to be distinguished from mastodynia. This is breast pain independent of menstruation. They are caused, for example, by cysts, mastitis or breast cancer.
Headaches before the period are also not uncommon in premenstrual syndrome. Many suffer from pressure pains in the middle of the head before their period. In some sufferers, the headache progresses to a migraine.
Psychological PMS symptoms
In most cases, premenstrual syndrome is accompanied not only by physical but also by psychological complaints. For example, those affected are often irritable in the period before menstruation. They also get tired more quickly, need more frequent breaks and more sleep than usual. Other psychological PMS symptoms that are frequently observed are:
- Sudden fits of anger
- Depressive moods
- Increased anxiety
- Lack of interest
- Listlessness
- Inner restlessness
- Sleep disorders
- Hyperactivity
The sadness or depressive mood before the period often has no objective reason. It usually disappears again abruptly. These inexplicable mood swings often lead to problems with partners, family or friends.
PMS or pregnant?
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDS).
For some women, the stress of premenstrual syndrome is so severe that it interferes with normal daily routines and work and family life. These particularly severe cases are called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDS).
What is the treatment for premenstrual syndrome?
PMS treatment depends on how intense the symptoms are. In mild cases, sufficient sleep and regular exercise usually help. In addition, a balanced diet is recommended: make sure you eat a diet that is rich in carbohydrates, low in salt and easy to digest. Refrain from coffee, alcohol and nicotine, because these may aggravate PMS symptoms.
Sometimes dietary supplements, for example with magnesium, B vitamins or iron, also alleviate the symptoms. Discuss the use of such preparations with your doctor.
PMS: Homeopathy and medicinal plants
Many people rely on complementary healing methods for PMS. Even though their effectiveness is often not scientifically proven, many sufferers report an improvement in their symptoms.
For this purpose, it is best to seek the advice of an experienced therapist in the selection of suitable homeopathics.
The concept of homeopathy and its specific effectiveness are controversial and not clearly proven by studies.
Preparations with St. John’s wort help with mild depressive moods. Sleep problems and nervous restlessness can often be alleviated with medicinal plants such as valerian, lemon balm and passion flower.
Medicinal plants have their limits. If the symptoms persist over a long period of time, do not get better or even get worse, you should always consult a doctor.
What causes premenstrual syndrome?
The role of hormones
Hormones seem to be mainly responsible for PMS. The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are particularly relevant for menstruation. During ovulation, the estrogen concentration in the blood is at its highest. Many feel ovulation through a painful pulling sensation in the lower abdomen. In addition, prolactin is increasingly produced during this time. This hormone causes the mammary glands to swell, which sometimes leads to tightness in the breasts.
Other possible PMS causes
Other factors that may contribute to the development of premenstrual syndrome include:
- Low melatonin levels
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland)
- Disorders of the autonomic nervous system
- Stress
- Problems in partnership
- Unbalanced diet
- Nicotine consumption
- Little exercise
- Some hormonal contraceptives
In addition, a family history of mental illness, such as depression, is considered a risk factor.
How is PMS diagnosed?
If you suspect that you are suffering from PMS, it is best to discuss this with your gynecologist. The doctor will first ask you about your medical history (anamnesis) to get an accurate picture. Questions like these are possible here:
- How long before your period do you have symptoms?
- Do you have pain and if so, where exactly?
- Do the symptoms always occur before the start of your period?
To prepare for the interview, it helps to keep a PMS diary in which you note which symptoms occur when over several cycles. This detailed information is helpful in ruling out other causes for the symptoms.
In addition, the physician (possibly together with other specialists) will investigate whether the symptoms are possibly caused by hypothyroidism, endometriosis or depression. The onset of menopause must also be ruled out, as PMS-like symptoms often occur during this time as well.
What is the course of premenstrual syndrome?
An exact prognosis for PMS is not possible. Symptoms vary in intensity between cycles. Various treatment measures alleviate the symptoms in many sufferers, so that they live better and are less restricted in the “days before the days”. The good news is that by menopause at the latest, PMS will disappear on its own.
