"PMS" redirects here. For other uses, see PMS (disambiguation).

Premenstrual Stress Syndrome (PMS, also called Premenstrual Stress, Premenstrual Tension, PMT, Premenstrual Syndrome, Periodic Mood Swing) is stress which is a physical symptom prior to the onset of menstruation. PMS should not be confused with dysmenorrhea, which refers to pain or cramps during menstruation. The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... Possible meanings: package management system power management system (such as CoolnQuiet and SpeedStep) Pantone Matching System, see Pantone parallel mergesort pattern matching and substitution personal message system phenazine methosulphate Pleasanton Middle School policy management service Popn Music Script POS management system potassium metabisulfite premenstrual stress syndrome process... Stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by Hans Selye in the journal Nature. ... The menstrual cycle is the periodic change in a womans body that occurs every month between puberty and menopause and that relates to reproduction. ... Dysmenorrhea (or dysmenorrhoea), cramps or painful menstruation, involves menstrual periods that are accompanied by either sharp, intermittent pain or dull, aching pain, usually in the pelvis or lower abdomen. ...

PMS is exceedingly common, occurring in 75% of women of reproductive age during their lifetime. A more severe form of PMS is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This occurs in about 5% of women. Both are characterized by symptoms of mood swings, depression, anxiety and irritability that occur prior to menses, usually in the two week period between ovulation and menses. It is often accompanied by physical symptoms bloating and cramping. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is an illness associated with the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. ... A mood swing is an extreme change in mood. ... Depression, or, more properly, a depressed mood, may in ordinary English refer to a state of melancholia, unhappiness or sadness. ... Ovulation is the process in the menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum (also known as an oocyte, female gamete, or casually, an egg) that participates in reproduction. ... Bloating is any abnormal general swelling, or increase in diameter of the abdominal area. ... This article is about muscular pain. ...

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis of PMDD differentiation from clinical depression and anxiety disorders. Clinical depression is a state of sadness or melancholia that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal anxiety, fear, phobia and nervous condition, that come on suddenly and prevent pursuing normal daily routines. ...

Treatment usually begins with lifestyle modification. Reducing caffeine, sugar, and sodium intake may help. Supplements of vitamin B6 and calcium carbonate have been shown to help alleviate some symptoms; calcium carbonate should be taken in doses of 1200 milligrams a day. Exercise will help reduce depression and anxiety symptoms. Keeping a symptom diary will help cue sufferers to exacerbating and relieving strategies. Flash point N/A RTECS number EV6475000 Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Caffeine (sometimes called mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea) is a xanthine alkaloid found in the... Pyridoxine The three major forms of vitamin B6 are pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine, which, in the liver, are converted to pyridoxal 5-phosphate (PLP) - a cofactor in many reactions of amino acid metabolism. ... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ...

Prescription treatments include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa). While commonly described as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, several drugs of this class (such as fluoxetine) have been demonstrated to increase the bioavailability of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone by altering the metabolic favorability of the reaction. Fluoxetine hydrochloride is an antidepressant drug used medically in the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and panic disorder. ... Sertraline hydrochloride (Zoloft®, Sertralin®, Lustral®, Apo-Sertral®, Asentra®, Gladem®, Serlift®, Stimuloton®, Xydep®, Serlain®, Concorz®) is an orally administered antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) type. ... Paroxetine or paroxetine hydrochloride (sold as Paxil® in the United States and Canada; Seroxat® in Austria, Poland, the UK and China; Aropax® in Australia, New Zealand and Brazil; Pondera® in Brazil; Deroxat® in Switzerland and France; Paroxat® in Germany, and Cebrilin in Latin America) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor... Citalopram or nitalapram is an antidepressant drug used to treat the depression associated with mood disorders. ... Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants for treating depression, anxiety disorders and some personality disorders. ...

Traditional herbal treatments include Vitex (Chasteberry), Evening primrose (Oenothera Biennis), red clover and black cohosh^{[citation needed]}. There is some clinical evidence that these do indeed remedy the symptoms of PMS.^{[1][2] [3]} Herbal treatments may work by stimulating the pituitary gland, or by effects on dopamine or opioid receptors. Species About 250 species, including: Vitex altissima Vitex agnus-castus Vitex capitata Vitex cofassus Vitex divaricata Vitex doniana Vitex incisa Vitex leucoxylon Vitex lignum-vitae Vitex lindenii Vitex lucens Vitex negundo Vitex parviflora Vitex peduncularis Vitex quinata Vitex rotundifolia Vitex trifolia Vitex zeyheri Vitex (also called Chasteberry or Monks... Species About 125, including: Oenothera acaulis Oenothera albicaulis Oenothera argillicola Oenothera biennis Oenothera brachycarpa Oenothera caespitosa Oenothera californica Oenothera coryi Oenothera deltoides Oenothera drummondii Oenothera elata Oenothera erythrosepala Oenothera flava Oenothera fruticosa Oenothera glazioviana Oenothera jamesii Oenothera kunthiana Oenothera laciniata Oenothera longissima Oenothera macrocarpa Oenothera nuttallii Oenothera pallida Oenothera perennis... Binomial name Trifolium pratense L. Flower close-up Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a plant belonging to the Fabaceae, that is, pea family. ... Binomial name Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt. ...

Controversial views

In a 1989 study of menstruating women, Cathy McFarland and colleagues discovered that study participants recalled feeling worse during the two weeks preceding ovulation and menses than the intermenstrual period or during menstruation. However, the daily record of the women's moods suggested that their actual mood varied very little over the course of their cycle. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other studies have shown that for many PMS sufferers, placebo drugs work just as well as pharmaceuticals in providing relief. A controversial and not widely-accepted theory holds that PMS may be a socially constructed disorder. A placebo, from the Latin for I will please, is a medical treatment (operation, therapy, chemical solution, pill, etc. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... Social scientists and literary scholars have claimed that many things are social constructions or social constructs, or that they have been socially constructed. ...

Four major explanations have been proposed to explain the existence of PMS:

1. The feminist perspective proposes that PMS is the result of patriarchal forces.
2. The social constructionist perspective proposes that social forces (but not necessarily the patriarchy) result in PMS.
3. The psychosomatic perspective proposes that there is a cognitive interpretation of bodily signals that, perhaps due to social or biological forces, results in PMS.
4. The biomedical perspective proposes that PMS is the psychological result of biological changes associated with the menstrual cycle.

Most new research on PMS is biomedical in nature, with feminist research following as the second largest source of new research. Little new research comes from other perspectives. Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ...

Researchers from each of these fields have accused the other field of poor methods. It may take some time to resolve this conflict, as feminism and biology stem from different domains of knowledge (humanities and sciences, respectively), and the researchers are therefore in a poor position to critically evaluate the others' claims, though both sides try.

References

External links

• NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopaedia: Premenstrual syndrome