How PMS Symptoms affect me

 

According to the Mayo Clinic is estimated that 3 of every 4 menstruating women experience some form of premenstrual syndrome. Premenstrual Syndrome, also known as PMS, is a symptom that menstruating women experience days, even weeks before they start their periods.

PMS Symptoms:

· Headache

· Abdominal cramps

· Mood swings

· Fatigue

· Sore breasts

Every menstruating woman that experiences PMS symptoms has different symptoms and the pain or discomfort associated with these symptoms can vary in each woman. For me, my PMS symptoms vary and some months they are worse than others.

I always know that I am going to start my period because a week before my period I will start getting tender breasts. This last symptom lasts up until the last day of the period and sometimes even a few days after my period. Other symptoms that I experience are mood swings and abdominal cramping. My mood swings can be extremely bad. One second, I can be the happiest person alive, and then the next I can be crying as if I lost my most prize possession. There are days that I will not want to leave the bed and I just feel so sad, and I will think to myself “why am I so sad?” and then boom I start my period. It doesn’t always click why I feel sad one moment and happy the next until I start my period. Then I think to myself “Oooh no wonder I was having mood swings!”

I use to think that the only PMS symptom was abdominal cramping. I never knew that you could experience so many different changes in your body throughout your cycle. I believe most women experience abdominal cramps, but some women have more severe cramping than others. For me I experience very minimal cramping, it lasts for one day and goes away and it is always the first day of my period. It isn’t excruciating that I can’t work or barely move but it is uncomfortable.

Two other PMS symptoms I experience are increased appetite and headaches. These two are my least favorite symptoms which is why I saved them for last. A few days leading up to my period I eat anything in sight. I could eat a full meal and be full but will still find a way to eat something else. Anything that is placed in front of me, especially anything sweet I will eat. This only last until the start of my period and once I begin my period my appetite completely goes away as if it never existed.

The worst for last… HEADACHES! This is my worst PMS symptom and is one I wish never existed. Hormonal headaches can last up to two days for me, and they make me feel nauseous and leave me bedridden. I always try to power through them but the pain from these headaches can be so bad that I cannot leave the bed. The only thing that helps my headaches is sleep and a mixture of heat and ice. Pain reliever doesn’t help no matter what I take the headache doesn’t go away. The two days I have this headache are the longest two days of the month. No matter how much I prepare for my period I can never escape my PMS symptoms.

In-Conclusion:

Almost every menstruating woman worldwide experiences PMS symptoms but just because every woman experiences these symptoms doesn’t mean they affect each woman the same. Today I shared my PMS symptoms to shed light on how PMS can affect women. You may experience the same symptoms or only a few of the same symptoms but how your body reacts to the symptoms can be completely different than how yours reacts to them.

At Stetho Health Systems we are focused on producing science-backed healthy, sustainable, everyday essential products you can trust so that every menstruating woman can show up every day feeling amazing and not as if they are held back by the PMS symptoms.