What is PMS in women (transcript): photos and designations (is it menstrual or not)

Women's health is a serious and broad topic. Even scientific minds have not yet come to a consensus on many issues related to psychological and physiological disorders in women. At the top of all discussions on women's sites, forums and magazines is the question of what PMS is. Why do many women have this kind of ailment, what kind of therapy to take. Can PMS be called a disease, who is affected by it and how to deal with the consequences. All the most important things that will help you figure out how to make life easier for yourself and those around you will be discussed in this article.

PMS: what is it

Deciphering the abbreviation PMS means premenstrual syndrome - a condition in women that occurs after several days before menstruation and is characterized by a number of symptoms of a physiological and psychological nature.

This period in the life of many women is often accompanied by tearfulness, emotional destabilization with mood swings. The days of this syndrome are hard experienced not only by girls, but also by all their relatives, friends and people around them. In the people, PMS is jokingly deciphered as a period of male suffering.

Sometimes the signs of PMS are so obvious that it is simply impossible to hide from colleagues and relatives the imminent onset of these very days.

The situation itself is rather complicated and unpleasant: who wants to flaunt secret symptoms. But for many girls, keeping themselves in hand during PMS is beyond their strength.

PMS classification

According to their qualifications, PMS can be divided into 5 main forms:

1. The neuropsychic form occurs as a result of disorders of the central nervous system. It can be distinguished by tearfulness, irritability, depression and inadequate bouts of aggression.
2. Vegetovascular is characterized by attacks of nausea and dizziness. Often there are headaches, palpitations with noticeable pressure surges.
3. The edematous form is characterized by disorders of the endocrine system. It is accompanied by increased sweating. Fluid retention in the body, manifested by edema of the face and body. The body temperature rises, shortness of breath, diarrhea appears. Decrease in mental activity is possible.
4. Cephalgic form - expressed by headaches of a pulsating nature, radiating to the eyeballs. All these unpleasant manifestations are accompanied by vomiting, depression, pain in the heart, numbness in the hands, increased sweating. In this case, blood pressure remains normal.
5. Crisis is the most severe form, for the most part occurs at night or in the evening, provoked by stressful situations, general fatigue and various ailments of an infectious nature. It is accompanied by hypertensive crises with sharp increases in pressure, chest pains of a pressing nature, panic attacks.

Important! PMS manifests itself differently in different women. Some get used to it and just try to endure, survive, not attaching much importance. Others must necessarily throw out their state through aggression towards others, or fall into a depressive state.

Why does the syndrome develop

Scientists still have not fully determined what are the reasons for the development of premenstrual syndrome in women. There are only unproven theories that try to explain this condition:

1. Violation of water-salt metabolism.
2. Allergic reaction to endogenous progesterone.
3. Psychosomatic conditions in which the physiological changes in the girl's condition depend on the influence of mental factors.
4. The closest to the truth, scientists consider the theory of hormonal fluctuations. In accordance with it, the occurrence of PMS and its consequences are explained by strong jumps in the content of hormones in the female body in the 2nd phase of the menstrual cycle.
5. For the normal functioning of the body, women need a normal parity of hormones. The imbalance in their concentration makes serious adjustments to the girl's well-being. It is important to understand that each hormone in the female body has a specific role:
6. Estrogens maintain well-being at the proper level, participate in maintaining vitality and active mental activity.
7. Progesterone, has a sedative effect, its content and excess in the body in girls with hypersensitivity can provoke depression in the second phase of the monthly cycle.
8. Androgens affect the onset of sexual desire, have a positive effect on performance, and provide energy.

Thus, during the second phase of the female cycle, serious hormonal changes occur.

Important! Premenstrual syndrome is a cyclical syndrome that does not occur in all women and is genetically transmitted.

Risk factors

According to research by scientists, women are most susceptible to the effect of the syndrome, falling under the following factors:

1. Women of the European nation primarily suffer from premenstrual syndrome.
2. Girls living in big cities.
3. Most often, women who are engaged in mental work are exposed to the syndrome.
4. Frequent stressful situations, accompanied by depression.
5. Frequent or absent pregnancies.
6. The presence of infections of the pelvic organs.
7. Failure to comply with the rules of a healthy diet.
8. Physical inactivity.

PMS symptoms

The symptoms of premenstrual syndrome can be divided into psychological and physiological.

Psychological symptoms:

1. Depressive states, accompanied by a low emotional background, tearfulness and panic attacks.
2. Unmotivated aggression towards others and irritability "out of the blue."
3. Sleep disorder: sleeplessness at night and sleepiness during the day.
4. Weakness, accompanied by distraction and apathy.
5. Delay in mental activity: poor concentration, forgetfulness.

Physiological symptoms:

1. Swelling, induration and tenderness of the mammary glands.
2. Swelling of the face and body.
3. Headaches and dizziness.
4. Feelings of lightheadedness.
5. Pain and aches in the lower spine and joints.
6. Constant thirst.
7. Frequent urination.
8. Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
9. Fever, tachycardia attacks, pressure drops, shortness of breath.
10. The appearance of various irritations and acne on the face and back.
11. Attacks of hunger, accompanied by an increased desire to eat something sweet or salty (chocolate or pickled cucumber, and preferably all together).

Important! Stress, overwork, constant nervous tension are important risk factors for the development of PMS.

If you find only 2-3 symptoms from this list, then the form of PMS that you suffer from is of mild severity.

If you were able to find out 5 or more of your symptoms, which begin to bother 2 weeks before the upcoming menstruation - this means a severe form of the syndrome, and you need a comprehensive examination and treatment.

For some women, premenstrual syndrome becomes a real problem at work and at home. Efficiency decreases, quarrels arise over nothing, they simply do not know what to do. There is a malfunction in the work of the whole organism.
For girls, their first menstruation occurs at the age of 12-14, plus or minus 2-3 years.

For a year or two before the upcoming menstruation, girls' appearance changes, the figure takes on feminine forms. The emotional background at this time is unstable, accompanied by aggression in relationships with people around. The secretion of the sebaceous glands increases, acne appears.

PMS in girls at the age of 14 is accompanied by symptoms before menstruation that are characteristic of any age:

• dizziness;
• attacks of pain in the lower abdomen;
• inability to cope with your emotions;
• nausea and vomiting;
• feeling of weakness and apathy.

2-3 months before the start of the first menstruation, vaginal discharge becomes thick, abundant and colorless, odorless.

Truth and fiction about PMS

There are many different opinions about such a common phenomenon in the female world as PMS, let's see which of them is true.

It is true that before menstruation, general well-being and behavior is influenced by:

• uterine endometrial contractions;
• a sharp expansion of the arteries.

On the myths about PMS:

1. The first myth is that PMS is always associated with inappropriate behavior and aggression. Far from always, more often these are personality disorders and a person's ability to social adaptation.
2. The second myth is that all women suffer from this disease. No more than 70% of women in the world have dizziness, abdominal cramps and weakness before their period.
3. The third myth is a cure for PMS - sweets and chocolate. Carbohydrates can disguise the problem and please yourself for a while.
4. The fourth myth - PMS and menstruation are one and the same. In fact, there is a difference: the manifestations of the syndrome are detected 2-4 days before the onset of menstruation (in especially severe cases, 2 weeks). But all the symptoms of the syndrome disappear on the first day of bleeding. That is, the difference lies in the concept of "premenstrual" period.

Important! If you notice that with the arrival of menstruation and after their completion, personal behavior changes dramatically in a negative sense, you need to seek psychological help.

Influence of PMS on the development and course of other diseases

Premenstrual syndrome can negatively affect a woman's health in the presence of such diseases:

• epilepsy;
• anemia;
• endocrine system diseases;
• bronchial asthma;
• allergies;
• IBS;
• inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs.

What is disguised as PMS

Under PMS in girls, some serious diseases can be disguised that are not. Therefore, if your PMS picture is similar to the manifestations described below, you should consult a specialist.

1. If you experience bouts of severe headaches accompanied by tinnitus, visual impairment, there are loss of consciousness, brain diseases are possible, the specialist will prescribe you a CT or MRI for the correct diagnostics.
2. To exclude the presence of epilepsy, it is advisable to undergo an EEG.
3. If you have swelling, have a kidney test.
4. Take a pregnancy test, maybe this is how your body talks about your condition.

When to see a doctor

For some women, premenstrual syndrome is becoming a serious problem that prevents them from living a normal life. For others, the opportunity to use a shield called PMS in their affective breakdowns in the expectation that everything will get away with it. In the event that the characteristic symptoms appear constantly and are cyclical, then you are probably suffer from PMDD - the name of this syndrome can be deciphered as premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

In this case, immediately contact your gynecologist and psychotherapist immediately. Especially if in this state you have thoughts of suicide.

In cases involving breast weight, nodules and lumps, get a mammogram. On what day of the cycle to do mammography find out in the article at the link.

Important! With premenstrual syndrome, women are examined by a gynecologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, nephrologist, cardiologist, therapist.

PMS diagnostics

In addition to the patient's words, doctors conduct an examination and a complete examination if the symptoms are cyclical and repeat constantly. PMS is not only gynecological problems in the body, therefore, cumulative studies are carried out for diagnosis:

• preliminary conversation with the patient;
• a blood test for hormones;
• Ultrasound or mammography of the mammary glands;
• daily urine analysis;
• monitoring the change in blood pressure.

How is the syndrome treated?

1. To relieve nervous tension, it is recommended to take sedative herbal preparations - Novopassit.
2. If there is a disorder of the hormonal background, then hormonal drugs are used — Utrozhestan, Duphaston.
3. For pain, you can use Diclofenac.
4. With edema, you can take diuretics - Veroshpiron, Lasix.

Alternative opinion

Wikipedia provides an alternative view of PMS as a social phenomenon. Apologists of conventional wisdom believe that PMS and PMDD are not related in any way. The difference between them is that premenstrual syndrome is a common hypochondria, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder is already the result of brain chemistry.
Peter Getsche, a renowned clinical research analyst, argues that PMDD is not a disease and should not be equated with depression.

How to help yourself

In addition to medical care, every woman in the period before the onset of menstruation can help herself, just take the following tips as a rule:

1. Sleep for at least 8 hours until you get enough sleep. Before going to bed, take a walk and ventilate the room.
2. You can try aromatherapy: before your period, about 14 days before your period, take aromatic baths with oils of geranium, juniper, lavender, rose, they will help to overcome irritability and migraine.
3. Exercise, light exercise in the form of yoga, dancing - will help cope with depression, improve mood.
4. It is useful to start taking magnesium B6 2 weeks before your period.
5. Be sure to eat vegetables and fruits.
6. Control yourself, try to think positively.
7. Don't avoid intimacy with your partner.