The Period And PMS

I am an extremely sensitive and emotional person. My emotions can very in a fraction of seconds that may land people into thinking what's up with her! Spoiler alert! If you ask me, "Is it that time of the month?" I would punch you right in the face. Well, stereotypes aside. Recently I read a piece about ignorance on the human female body. So I think I should shed some light on a small sect of the same issue. Let us talk about things related to periods and the "perks" of having the ability to make babies in your womb. If you are a woman you would most certainly be interested in knowing what is going on in your body. If you are a man well you probably live in a world you share with women so educate yourself.

PMS is one of those buzz words that everyone is pretty much aware of. It stands for Pre-Menstrual Syndrome. It is a big misconception the PMS is during the period, It is not true. As the name suggests, it is the set of symptoms that occur roughly two weeks before a woman starts menstruating and stops at the time of menstruation. (If the symptoms don't stop it may be some other issue). Medically, a condition is categorized as Syndrome when the symptoms vary from person to person. So every woman has her own set of combination and intensity of these symptoms. For some women, the PMS symptoms are very severe it starts to interfere with their normal daily life. This category of PMS is called PMDD (Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder). 75% of women do experience PMS to some extent and 8% get PMDD. Whether you need medical help or not, really depends on your symptoms and the effects it is causing your everyday life. You may find more information here.

When I started my period, during adolescence, I never paid attention to the symptoms. Adolescence was already too much to deal with. The thing that really got on my nerves was the CRAMPS! The detestable evil menstrual cramps. I got this medicine prescribed to me that would assuage the pain and put me to sleep. So no help if I had an exam to write while dealing with cramps. As I grew older I became more familiar with my body and the patterns of my menstrual cycle became more predictable. With Smartphones and menstruation tracking apps, I can now get a notification and can be ready for what may come.

There are basically three kinds of symptoms related to PMS. Namely Behavioral, Emotional and Physical.

Behavioral Symptoms: This basically deal with food cravings. I personally crave for carbs and chocolates. So a pizza with some chocolate truffle cake is perfect!

Emotional Symptoms: Extreme mood swings. The most versatile combination of all the emotions that you can think off occur. I find myself more sensitive than usual. People around me may find me fluctuating from happy to irritable and angry. This specifically hits the hardest if you are already dealing with anxiety and depression. It becomes the most vulnerable phase as it adds on to the usual consistent depression.

Physical Symptoms: This includes a number of things, Such as a backache, headache, insomnia, hypersomnia, upset stomach, bloating, tenderness in breasts, acne, nausea and muscle pain. The combination of these symptoms varies with person to person. 

So, why is it happening? We don't know exactly what causes it. However, the main reason attributed to PMS is hormonal mainly estrogen and progesterone. The level of hormones starts to crash right before the beginning of the period. This rapid change in the hormonal level leads to instability. Some women are more sensitive to the variation of hormones than others.

This variation in the hormones also affects the neurotransmitter in brains such as dopamine and serotonin. The level drops low and makes one feel depressed. As these neurotransmitters are related to depression and anxiety. Thus, someone who already struggles with depression may get to experience a heavy brunt of it. 

The good news is, it disappears with the start of the period. If it does not subside it may not be just the PMS. As someone who experiences this and started to notice the pattern, I get the sense of satisfaction when I acknowledge the start of my period. Alas, It feels like the dark clouds have lifted and the storm has passed and I get to see the sun shining! Hallelujah! For I survived it and didn't even kill anyone. The younger me would have never thought I would be anticipating and hoping for the cramps to begin because PMSing sucks! 

If you are a woman, do you experience active PMS or PMDD? If you are a man. you may be experiencing 'passive' PMS from your female friends and family? Also, cut them some slack! Be understanding and bring over a pizza or some chocolates. Feel Free to leave your thoughts in the comment section. 

Thanks for visiting my Blog, It's always good to see you here!

Thanks for visiting my Blog; it’s always good to see you here!

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