Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is real. It is a physical and emotional disturbance that causes pain, mood swings, and irritability, even depression in women after they ovulate each month. They endure the suffering each and every month, year after year for as long as they are in their reproductive years (usually ages 12 – 50). That is a lot of suffering!

Different women can experience a variety of symptoms and can even experience different symptoms one month to another. The usual range of symptoms are: acne, anger alternating with sadness, appetite changes, bloating, breast tenderness, crying, depression, fatigue, food cravings, irritability, mood swings and being emotionally overly sensitive. The symptoms are a combination of emotional ones and physical ones. They all feel like they are out of control “things” that are happening to the woman.

These symptoms can have an impact on her ability to function if they are at an extreme level. The physical symptoms especially (acne, bloating, breast tenderness and fatigue can make her feel physically ill to the point of not being able to function at work or at home. If these symptoms are to the extreme where the woman is unable to function she may be suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This disorder is also called late luteal phase dysphoric disorder.

Approximately 80% of menstruating women have premenstrual symptoms. Experiencing physical or emotional symptoms does not automatically mean that the woman is suffering from PMS. A doctor diagnoses PMS based on the severity of the symptoms and the inability of the woman to function normally because of them. Approximately 20% to 30% of the 80% of women who have PMS symptoms have moderate to severe intensity of symptoms and 2% to 6% of those women are believed to have the severe variant of PMS known as PMDD.

The disorder was officially recognized by the medical community in 1931 and the term “premenstrual syndrome was coined in 1953.