Pms: Women’s Friend and Foe Alike

PMS: Women’s Friend and Foe Alike

Cramps, grumpiness, irritability, anxiety, emotion, and hunger are few of many symptoms for PMS. When a female expresses mood swings and cravings, she begins ovulation. What does PMS stands for? PMS is a premenstrual syndrome that occurs in all females during maturity .The premenstrual syndrome is a collection of symptoms with or without physical symptoms related to a woman’s menstrual cycle. The premenstrual syndrome history, functions, mood swings, and treatment are necessary when experiencing the monthly cycle.

Spotting, bloating, constipation, and acne are signs of the menstrual cycle. Between the seventeen and nineteen hundreds, the flowing of blood was seen as a taboo in many countries. During this time, bleeding from the vagina was deemed as inappropriate. How could this be when it is a natural development of a female’s body?  Men were only allowed to wear pants during this period. Ladies could not wear pants or panties because they would be seen as powerful.  When bleeding occurred, the only way a woman could treat it was to allow the blood to run. Woman in European countries did not have much either. Clothing was simple rags. Germany and France wore shirts from shoulders to calves. Since men were the authority figures in early times, ladies were not allowed to wear pants. During menstrual cycles, they had to find a way to catch the blood. Also, they wanted the man to help them find solutions and be aware of the cause.

  To understand how premenstrual syndrome works, one must first understand the menstrual cycle. The beginning the cycle begins on the first day of the period until the first day of the next period. This is the menstrual cycle. It lasts around twenty eight days in adults and twenty one to forty five days in teens. The average age in American girls to experience their first period is twelve years old. The first period starts two years after the breasts begin to develop. The purpose is to prepare the body for a pregnancy. For the first years after the first menstrual cycle, it is normal for it to last between two to seven days. However, as females grow older, it will begin to shorten from two to five days.

The cycle begins with rising estrogen levels. This causes the lining of the uterus to become thick. Hormones start to work on the egg and prepare its release from the ovary.  In order for the egg to get there, it travels through the fallopian tube. The fallopian tube extends from each side of the uterus allowing the eggs to move and get to the uterus. A pear-shaped organ, in its non-pregnant state, is collapsed. It is located between the bladder and the lower intestines. The lower third of the uterus is called the cervix. The cervix has an opening into the vaginal canal and permits the period to flow out. This is also where the egg is met with the sperm. If no sperm is present, the egg breaks down one to two days after it enters the tube. After, hormones drop and the lining surrounding the uterus breaks down. This causes bleeding.

Symptoms include cramping, bloating, sore breasts, water retention, pelvic pressure, backache, food cravings, difficult concentration, mood swing, irritability, headache, and fatigue. The symptom most girls face is cramping. Menstrual cramps affect more than fifty percent of women.  Fifteen percent of women describe their menstrual cramps as severe. Surveys of adolescent girls show over ninety percent of girls report having menstrual cramps.

Irregular periods are also a problem. One example of irregularity is amenorrhea. This is the absence of periods for longer than three months. It is diagnosed in two different ways. It can either be seen as primary, meaning the female never started a period by the age of sixteen. Next, it can be secondary, meaning the girl had a menstrual period but was absent for three cycles. Some of the factors include stress, excessive exercise, drug use, and hormonal changes. Signs may be present, which are variable and depend upon the cause of the amenorrhea. Symptoms of hormonal imbalance or male hormone excess include irregular menstrual periods, unwanted hair growth, deepening of the voice, and acne.

Also there are also to different kinds of PMS. The first type of PMS is characterized by symptoms such as anxiety, irritability and mood swings, which last until the beginning of the bleeding. Estrogen and progesterone levels play a key role in this type of PMS. If there’s a higher level of estrogen, anxiety occurs while progesterone dominance can lead to depression. The second type of PMS is characterized cravings, fatigue and headaches. Women may crave food such as chocolate, white bread, white rice, pastries, and noodles (refined carbohydrates.) These cravings are probably caused by the increased responsiveness to insulin related to increased hormone levels before menstruation. Causing women experience symptoms of low blood sugar and their brains are signaling a need for fuel. A consistent diet with balanced amount of carbohydrates will enable a steady flow of energy to the brain. This will discontinue the ups and downs of blood sugar variations.