new health education topic: PMS

[AuroraLily]

Okay ladies, let's talk about PMS

- how bad is it?
- what are your symptoms?
- how do you find relieve?
- for those on the pill, have you noticed a change in PMS symptoms?
- have your PMS symptoms changed as you've gotten older?
- should it be used as a defense for murder :)

[AuroraLily]

Another question: What do you wish males would understand about PMS?

[bethanie]

It depends really. If I'm treating myself well, I get through pms pretty much unscathed. Treating myself right means eating well and regular exercise...which it turns out is really important. If Im not exercising regularly I just get insane during pms. Scarey I mean. I think that's the worse part. The other stuff, like cramps and bloating are pretty mild. But the mental edginess and ups and downs I hit while pmsing can nearly do me in. But again, if I stick to an exercise program it's very mild and I'm basically okay.

What do I wish men understood? Well, pms can't be 'fixed', and it's best just to keep your mouth shut about it and be nice.

B

[catswym]

i don't get any symptoms at all--i am, very, very lucky, i know.

for the short time i was on BCP i actually started getting symptoms of PMS--mood swings, bloating, intestinal issues. it was horrible.

[Christy]

About 2 years ago, I started having severe depression (or something) during PMS. I would go from wanting to kill someone to crying and wanting to curl up in the fetal position for no reason at all. Now, I can be moody at any time of the month, but even my husband was worried and asked me what was wrong. I said I didn't know. I started supplementing B6, and that seemed to help. I also played around with L-Tyrosine and a few other things either during PMS or all the time.

I've never had bad periods (except for the above). I get maybe a twinge of some cramps, a little moodiness, bloating, and that was it. (I did have extreme breakouts at about the point of ovulation, but that's not PMS, right?) And I've been on the pill since 17, so I'm not sure how it would be otherwise. And now I don't have a period at all because I skip the placebos and go straight to the new pack.

I do remember that when I was omni and more prone to anemia, it was especially bad during PMS. I would get light-headed, dizzy, extremely and fatigued. I remember having to leave work a few times because I couldn't stand up without getting dizzy, and could barely hold myself upright.

[lijahbaby]

Ever scince I had a baby 3 years ago I have been getting really,really depressed for a week or 2 before my period. It is scary because the depression is so strong and it can be for 2 weeks which means about half of the time, I am really depressed. I have no other symptoms except breaking out.

Christy, what is it about B6 that helps? What other things helped you? I eat a lot of sugar and overall my diet is not very healthy so I have been trying to improve it to help with the depression.

[DuckThatWasn't]

My PMS affects my stomach more than anything else. I have a chronic stomach problem that generally hits me on and off throughout the month, but from anywhere from a week before my period to a few days, I'm incredibly sick regardless of what I do. I'm very bloated, too, for three days leading up to my period. Oh, and for a day or two during that time, my temper is incredible. Sounds drive me crazy and I sometimes get very upset about being touched. I get angry at everything!

What would I like men to understand about PMS? Mostly that it IS real. And I'd like women to understand that they aren't helping things by wearing dumb shirts that say "PMS Bitch" on the front. When women use their PMS as an justification for being rude, demanding, and just generally awful, it helps to perpetuate the idea that PMS is really nothing more than a conveniently fabricated excuse.

[Artichoke47]

- how bad is it?

Not too bad; bearable


- what are your symptoms?

Bloating, breakouts, excessive hunger, more emotions, inpatience, sleepiness, backaches


- how do you find relief?

I don't know. Sleep more and eat more. :D


-for those on the pill, have you noticed a change in PMS symptoms?

Yes, I barely ever get cramps anymore.



- have your PMS symptoms changed as you've gotten older?

I don't think so.



-what do you wish men would understand about PMS?

That just because a woman is upset at you for doing something wrong or acting like an idiot, it doesn't mean she has PMS. It means that you did something wrong or stupid.

[DuckThatWasn't]

-what do you wish would understand about PMS?

That just because a woman is upset at you for doing something wrong or acting like an idiot, it doesn't mean she has PMS. It means that you did something wrong or stupid.

:lol:

[Artichoke47]

Oops. I left the word "men" out. I fixed it now. :lol:

[Verbivore]

I act moodier than usual, which isn't saying much.

[Christy]

Here's a link about B6:
http://content.nhiondemand.com/dse/consumer/monoAll-style.asp?objID=100074&ctype=ds&mtyp=4

I also took Tyrosine (http://content.nhiondemand.com/dse/consumer/monoAll-style.asp?objID=100190&ctype=ds&mtyp=4), but I could not really tell if it helped or not. I could definitely tell with the B6. I also thought about St. John's Wort (http://content.nhiondemand.com/dse/consumer/monoAll-style.asp?objID=100093&ctype=ds&mtyp=1), but would not take the risk of it affecting the efficiency of my b/c pills. Not worth it. I took evening primrose (http://content.nhiondemand.com/dse/consumer/monoAll-style.asp?objID=100115&ctype=ds&mtyp=1), too. (Here's a link (http://content.nhiondemand.com/dse/consumer/HC1.asp?objID=100243&ctype=hc) on PMS.)

[Artichoke47]

This thread totally jinxed me! I started my period two days early. No change in diet or exercise was involved.

[rabid_child]

There are two answers to these questions for me. One is "pre birth control pills" and the other is "post birth control pills"
PRE:
1. How bad is it?
A serious disruption of my life

2. What are your symptoms?
Nausea and diarrhea starting about 4-5 days pre period, as well as cramps starting mildly off and on, then when my period came, cramps from my lower back to my knees, both back and front of my body so bad that I couldn't walk. Also still with the nausea and diarrhea, and also headaches and fatigue and bloating.

3. How do you find relief?
Imodium if the diarrhea got bad, Advil, either 3 advil every 3 hrs, or 2 advil then 2 hrs later 1 advil then 2 hrs later 2 advil etc... This did not relieve all the pain, but made me able to get out of bed.

POST:
1. how bad is it?
mild

2. what are your symptoms?
My stomach is still a little jumpy just before, and I get minor cramps either day 1 or day 2. Occasionally depression just before my period, alternately, much horniness just before :D. I prefer the latter. Sometimes neither.

3. How do you find relief?
Try to eat as normally as possible, take 2 advil once, and the cramps generally don't come back.

The pill absolutely made my life bearable. Beginning to end, the PMS before the pill lasted about 2 - 2 1/2 wks. Before I went on the pill, I was getting my period every 3 wks, leaving me, at most, one week a month when I wasn't sick from my period.

What do you wish men understood?
Its not just a bad mood, the bad mood is mostly just because i'm feeling horribly sick, and its not like you're easy to deal with when you have any minor discomfort! And I can be in a bad mood and be opinionated and argumentative any time of the month because thats how I am sometimes and it has nothing to do with my period.

[Starblossom]

- how bad is it?
Sometimes it's quite mild, but usually it's pretty awful and I have to spend a couple hours curled in the fetal position with a heating pad, waiting for the effects of my beloved pamprin pills to kick in.

- what are your symptoms?
It varies from month to month. Sometimes I have no symptoms except extremely sensitive breasts. Other times I have cramps, severe backache and major mood swings. I cry over EVERYTHING. I was fixing some crackers and things on plate once and dropped a cracker on the floor by accident and started crying...hehe...

- how do you find relieve?
Pamprin...wonderful stuff...I usually try heating pads or light exercise first, but if there isn't time or if those don't work, gotta use the pills.

- have your PMS symptoms changed as you've gotten older?
Not that I've noticed!

[catgirl67]

How bad it it?

Well, pretty bad! There are times when I have wanted to die.

Symptoms?

Severe depression, bloating, insomnia, excess gas, excess urination, asthma flare ups, anger, chocolate cravings, the list goes on!

What do I do to treat it?

I wasn't doing anything for a long time. Recently, I broke down and went to the doctor and got on Zoloft.

The Zoloft and the change in my diet have helped so much! I feel like a different person. Turns out, that I was depressed most of the time. PMS just magnified it.

I found that cutting down on sugar and caffeine helps too.

[Vicky]

i someties get really nauseous, like today. a thought of food makes me want to puke but i do have to eat something in order to take painkillers

[ynaffit]

i haven't noticed any symptoms of pms. i do seem to have dysmenorrhea of the dull, achey, nauseous-feeling type starting a couple hours before the blood comes, and generally continuing off and on for about a day, but i don't experience anything bad until my period is actually starting.