Symptoms
Nearly every woman at some point has some symptoms as menstruation approaches. For about half of these women, symptoms are mild and do not affect normal daily life. The other half report symptoms severe enough to impair daily life and relationships. And, between 3% and 5% of women report extremely severe symptoms.
In general, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that occur during the last week of the luteal phase (a week or two before menstruation) in most cycles. The symptoms should typically go away within four days after bleeding starts and do not start again until at least day 13 in the cycle. Women may begin to experience premenstrual syndrome symptoms at any time during their reproductive years. Once established, the symptoms tend to remain fairly constant until menopause, although they can vary from cycle to cycle. About 100 symptoms have been identified with the premenstrual phase.
Physical Symptoms
- Breast engorgement and tenderness.
- Abdominal bloating.
- Constipation or diarrhea.
- Acne.
- Headache.
- Alcohol intolerance.
- Fluid retention.
- Weight gain.
- Clumsiness.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Heart palpitations (rapid heartbeats).
Breast Pain (Cyclical Mastalgia)
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In one survey, 68% of women experienced breast symptoms associated with menstruation. According to studies, between 8 - 22% of women experience breast pain that is moderate to severe, a condition called cyclical mastalgia (also called cyclic mastopathy). (Some women experience breast pain that is unrelated to menstruation and so referred to as noncyclical mastalgia.)
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