PMS Guide |

A woman may be able to manage her PMS by herself, just as she is able to recognize and diagnose the condition. When symptoms are mild, “The Natural Approach to PMS Relief,” which comprises a change in a woman’s diet, vitamin regimen, and exercise routine, may provide her with an effective way to conquer PMS. In fact, no matter how grave a woman’s symptoms are—whether they are hardly noticeable or incapacitating—she should begin her cure with the natural approach.

A woman who suspects that she has premenstrual syndrome should consult a physician who treats PMS, or a counselor at a reputable PMS clinic. If a woman does not have access to a PMS specialist, she should visit her family doctor or gynecologist. An increasing number of physicians are making sincere efforts to understand the condition and a woman is very likely to find that her own physician can treat her with good judgment.

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A woman’s husband, family, and friends might be more crucial than any medical specialist in helping her to overcome PMS. The people with whom a woman lives and works can provide support and understanding, and reinforce her realization that she is not crazy, that her behavior is the result of a real, hormonally based problem. She should tell her loved ones everything she reads and learns about her condition, and perhaps schedule a special counseling session with her physician or PMS adviser. Modern treatment of PMS emphasizes compassion and rapport between a sufferer and her loved ones, and a physician or counselor should be delighted to answer your questions.

Often families need counseling as much as women themselves. A husband must be able to adjust to his wife’s hormonal fluctuations and changing symptoms as she proceeds through the treatment process. He has probably already lived through emotionally chaotic times when he did not know what was happening. Now that he and she both realize that PMS is the problem, he must call upon his patience, sensitivity, and understanding to make the home environment as serene as possible, to reduce the stress and the guilt that can often intensify symptoms.

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There is not a defined set of symptoms, appearing on a certain day of the month, that each PMS sufferer shares. Every woman with premenstrual syndrome has her own, personalized PMS profile that becomes apparent after she keeps her menstrual calendar and compiles her menstrual history.

Premenstrual syndrome is an extremely individualized condition. The only experiences common to all sufferers are that the symptoms become more intense during the time between ovulation and menstruation, and that there is a symptom-free interval during each menstrual cycle. A woman with PMS should not expect to find another woman with symptoms quite like hers.

Since the syndrome varies from woman to woman, and even from month to month in the same woman, a PMS sufferer can gain the best understanding of her condition when she forms a health partnership with a doctor or a counselor who cares. A woman’s symptoms should be evaluated by the woman herself in collaboration with her doctor. There is always a chance that a physical problem other than premenstrual syndrome may be causing her to feel out of sorts.

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