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.

The medical approach, which includes hormonal therapy, is suggested for women who find that PMS is affecting the quality of their lives by creating symptoms that harm their personal relationships and prevent them from functioning normally. When the results of a woman’s blood tests are evaluated, a doctor might find a hormonal imbalance that may prompt him to advise the medical approach for a woman. There is also the possibility that a woman has begun self-treatment and found no relief. Her case might be so severe and her suffering so terrible that a doctor might start the medical approach even before all the blood tests are completed. Then, when the results of the blood tests are reported, he might modify the treatment accordingly. The decision to proceed with immediate medical treatment is often made when a doctor is faced with a health problem that he thinks might worsen during a wait for test results. For example, when a woman has a bladder infection, a doctor will begin treatment immediately if he judges that it would be detrimental to her health to wait for the urine culture and sensitivity test. When the urine analysis finally is reported, he might change her medication if test results show that she is not receiving the most effective therapy. In relation to PMS, the natural approach should be continued even if the medical treatment is altered. In fact, the natural approach should always be the first method chosen when an attempt to relieve PMS is made.

A woman should scrutinize the symptoms on her menstrual calendar and review the four categories¬PMT–A (anxiety, irritability, nervous tension), PMT–H (weight gain, abdominal bloating, fluid retention), PMT–C (food cravings, hypoglycemic symptoms), PMT–D (depression, withdrawal, lethargy, confusion, suicidal feelings)—to determine which division best describes her particular group of symptoms.

By understanding her individual syndrome, she will see that in her case certain treatments should be emphasized more than others. For example, if she feels that her problem is PMT—A (anxiety, irritability, nervous tension), methods of stress reduction may have greater priority than the lessening of her salt intake. For a woman with PMT—H (weight gain, abdominal bloating, fluid retention), salt reduction would be especially important. Still, no matter what form of premenstrual syndrome a woman is trying to control, all facets of the natural approach should be included in her treatment program. PMS is a systemic condition that can only be overcome with a mind/body treatment in which the entire woman is considered, not just individual symptoms.

However, it is important that the whole family understand whatever treatment is instituted and that they participate and help her stay on her course of recovery. The support of a woman’s loved ones is essential to her triumph over PMS.

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.

While a woman is trying to control and cure herself, her man’s loyalty and love are extremely important. It may also rest upon the husband/father to help his younger children gain insights into their mother’s health crisis and join in mutual supportiveness. Teenage girls should be approached a little differently than the youngsters. These young women might have menstrual cycles timed with their mother’s and they might have coinciding, hard-to-manage monthly symptoms, too. During this treatment interval, a mother and her teenage daughter should strive for a loving friendship to enrich their parent/child relationship and to help them conquer what may be a common problem that they share. A teenage boy may not be as attuned to a mother’s PMS as his teenage sister is, but he too should be informed and encouraged to show his concern and affection.

Once a woman accepts the knowledge of her condition, she must teach her loved ones about PMS through books such as this one, by arranging a private counseling session, or by inviting her family and friends to join her at a PMS support-group meeting, which a number of PMS clinics and women’s health organizations sponsor. If a woman’s family resists believing that her symptoms are physically based and real, there is no way that she is ever going to improve. Like women who have the postpartum blues, women with premenstrual syndrome need the support, understanding, and encouragement of their loved ones. It is the concern of family and friends that makes treatment effective.

If a woman suspects that her premenstrual syndrome is especially severe, she should visit a physician or a PMS adviser at a reputable PMS clinic. On the first appointment, she should bring her husband, or someone close to her, so that he or she will be involved in her discussion with the doctor and hear his evaluation of her condition and his advice about treatment.

During the initial consultation or a special counseling session, a partner, family member, or friend can ask questions that might not occur to you as a patient. For instance, a husband may want to know how your treatment is going to affect your home life, your lovemaking, and other areas of your partnership. A doctor should provide explanations that, while helping to untangle the complexities of this condition, serve as a bridge between two people.

When a woman and her family fully realize that she is suffering from PMS, she must begin to help herself by altering her lifestyle and changing habits and activities that might be heightening her symptoms. With awareness and an understanding of PMS, a woman can take many steps on her own to subdue this syndrome that at times may have seemed to overpower her.

It is hoped that through women’s networks and the distribution of educational material and books employers and employees will become informed about the many facets of PMS. Businesses should be encouraged to provide health information to all supervisors and workers about how PMS may affect women in the workplace. The goal is to create awareness among all people so that no one who is suffering is left untreated. A woman should not be considered a less than ideal worker if she has PMS; instead, she should be commended for recognizing her condition and seeking treatment.

Everyone should aim to eliminate premenstrual syndrome as an issue in the workplace. Women workers might advocate that every woman and man be informed about the symptoms and methods of overcoming the condition. Employers might even conduct educational seminars about PMS and offer referral services through their health care facilities. There is often more understanding given to alcoholics or men who are under pressure or short-tempered on hot summer days than there is offered to women who are enduring PMS, a hormonally based physical condition.

PMS, which can be aggravated by stress, is likely to intensify when women are in highly charged working environments. Women may even quit in frustration and lose jobs that they desperately need. Yet, if a woman received compassionate support from her colleagues in the workplace, she might steadily improve and PMS might become one of those incontestable issues. Once there were debates about whether women should be allowed to wear pants in the office, but today, what was once controversial is totally accepted. PMS must be accepted, understood, and treated. It is hoped that in the future, women in the workplace will no longer be discriminated against because they have this cyclic, hormonal condition.