PMS Symptoms List and Timing

Even though there are over 150 symptoms classified under PMS, each woman’s experience is different.

It is important to identify your own PMS symptoms, especially those that affect your quality of life and relationships in a significant way.

List of PMS Symptoms

Generally, PMS symptoms fall under the following four major categories:

Mood-related Symptoms

There are two types of mood in general:

The Turmoil Symptoms

These include anxiety, nervousness, restlessness, anger, tension, mood swings, impatience, irritability, oversensitivity, or feeling overwhelmed.

The Blue Symptoms

Or feeling depressed or sad, crying easily, loneliness, a lowered desire to talk or move, feelings of unattractiveness, low self-image, or sleeping more than usual.

Pain/Discomfort Symptoms

These include bloating, swelling in the hands or feet, breast tenderness, abdominal or pelvic pain, headaches, joint aches, backaches, or muscle stiffness.

Somatic/Cognitive Symptoms

These include fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, gas, acne, skin itching, weight gain, night sweats, hot flashes, forgetfulness, confusion, or poor judgment.

Behavioral/Functional Changes

These include increased appetite, food cravings, overeating or bingeing, feeling out of control, acting compulsively, poor coordination or clumsiness, distractibility, being disorganized, sleep disturbances, decreased sexual desire, or lowered work performance.

Most women experience a combination of mood and behavioral changes, along with some physical or cognitive symptoms.

Research has found that the mood symptoms and behavioral changes are generally the most distressing for women.

How about you? Which category do most of your symptoms fall under? Which ones are most distressing to you?

Timing of PMS Symptom

PMS may be a disguise for other health-related issues. To be diagnosed as PMS, symptoms must meet the following criteria:

1. Recurring

They must be present every month for at least the previous two menstrual cycles.

2. Premenstrual

They must occur during the premenstrual phase (the second half of the menstrual cycle) and cannot start before ovulation.

3. Absence after Menstruation

There must be a complete absence of symptoms after menstruation for a minimum of seven days.

So, do you indeed have PMS symptoms? If so, which symptoms present most challenges for you in your daily life and relationships?

How to Reduce PMS

To enjoy a healthy and harmonious menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone need to maintain a specific ratio at the various phases of the cycle.

PMS is typically caused by an elevated estrogen level  relative to progesterone during the second half of the cycle (a term called estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency).

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