PMS

My daughter is asking me to help her do a research on the above-stated topic for her homework, she can't find any article on the magazine (our old cosmo, good housekeeping & working mom mags). We surfed the net and found this at ivillage.com. Since I have so many friends who have the pms, I thought of posting this in my blog.

PRE MENSTRUAL SYNDROME
Millions of women experience symptoms such as bloating, fatigue and breast tenderness during the days before their period. If these symptoms sound familiar, you could be suffering from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The following overview should help you better understand PMS.

Premenstrual syndrome is a term used to describe a wide range of symptoms that might occur in the two weeks before a woman's menstrual period. These physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms usually stop when a woman's menstrual period begins, or shortly thereafter.

PMS can appear at any time between puberty and menopause. A woman's symptoms usually recur in a predictable pattern but may worsen with age or stress. It is also common for PMS to increase during times of hormonal instability, such as puberty, the time after childbirth and the period after a miscarriage or an abortion. Changes in contraception may worsen PMS as well.
Most women experience some of the symptoms associated with PMS at some point in their lives, but not all women have the syndrome. While the exact number of women who have the condition is debatable, the National Institutes of Health estimates that 75 percent of menstruating women experience some form of PMS.

Some women have pre menstrual symptoms that are so severe that it disrupts their daily lives. This more severe condition is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Patients with PMDD are diagnosed under strict guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). While the symptoms are similar, PMDD is considered a separate disorder from PMS.

Causes of premenstrual syndrome

Although PMS was first identified more than 70 years ago, not much is known about the condition. While its exact cause isn't known, experts have identified several factors that may cause or contribute to PMS. They are:

Hormonal changes. During the second half of your menstrual cycle (the last 14 days of a 28-day cycle), levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone increase until approximately day 21 and then begin to fall. Tissues throughout your body are sensitive to these changes.

Chemical changes. Fluctuations in the levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood states, may be a cause. Insufficient serotonin levels have been linked to depression, while excess levels have been linked to anxiety.

Diet. Some PMS symptoms have been linked to deficiencies in calcium and vitamins A, E and B (which helps to produce serotonin). Certain foods and drinks have also been identified as possible contributors to PMS, including:

Salt. Eating salty foods can cause you to retain fluid.

Alcohol or caffeine. Drinking beverages containing alcohol or caffeine may cause changes in your mood or energy level.

Although stress has been credited with aggravating some symptoms of PMS, it isn't considered a cause. Researchers have also been able to identify a number of factors that might put you at higher risk for PMS. They include:

Depression. Women with a history of depression or postpartum depression have a higher incidence of PMS.

Heredity. Women with a family history of PMS are more likely to have PMS.

Children. Women with more children are more likely to experience more severe symptoms than women with fewer children.

Physical activity. Inactive women are at a higher risk for PMS than those that exercise regularly.