Premenstrual tension is a health concern for many women. It is manifested by nervousness, decreased libido, mood swings, as well as breast swelling and pain. No wonder many jokes and cabarets describe “these days” as a time when it is better to avoid conflict with women. The most common causes of this condition are hormonal factors that occur most often in the second part of the monthly cycle. Although PMS does not threaten life and health, it is so annoying that many women report this problem to a gynecologist.
The very cause of such a feeling has not yet been precisely determined by modern medicine. In recent reports, specialists suggest that PMS is related to progesterone metabolites that affect the central nervous system. Few people know that premenstrual syndrome affects mainly people over 30 years of age, additionally intensifying a few years before menopause. After the menopause, the symptoms should subside, if they do not, they mean another somatic or mental illness.
The most common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome:
- Hyperactivity, nervousness and irritability – which become burdensome not only for the woman herself, but also for her environment.
- Low mood and depression – that is, ailments much more serious, requiring the advice of a specialist.
- Spade libido – that is, a lower desire for sex, as well as a deterioration in the quality of sex life during this period. It can be problematic for the patient and her partner, especially since it happens regularly every month.
- Breast engorgement – many women suffering from PMS also complain of mastodynia, i.e. the feeling of tightness and engorgement of the breasts, as well as the sensitivity of the nipples. There is also often swelling, weight gain, a feeling of fullness and heaviness during this period. This may be related to hormonal changes and water retention in the body.
- Increased appetite – can also be due to hormonal changes.
- Pain in the abdomen and lower abdomen before bleeding Half of the patients complain about it.
- Attack headaches, migraines, acne, heart palpitations.
If your symptoms are so bothersome that they interfere with your daily life, you should seek medical advice. Diagnosis in this case is based on the history and clinical treatment of the patient. The interview is very important due to the need to exclude symptoms of depression or other diseases related to the psyche. The gynecologist must also exclude organic pathologies of the reproductive organ.
What is the PMS treatment?
The most common treatment is oral contraceptives, i.e. gestagens. They are the only drugs currently available that can relieve most symptoms, although in some cases they increase depression in women. Bromocriptine is given to reduce the tightness and swelling of the breasts. Sometimes dehydration drugs are also used (in case of a feeling of heaviness in the whole body). If the patient is diagnosed with depressive symptoms, it is possible to prescribe pharmacological agents that improve mood.