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LIFESTYLE TIPS
Lifestyle changes for PMS sufferers
Some of the lifestyles changes recommended to treat premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may also be useful in preventing symptoms from developing or getting worse. Exercising vigorously for a minimum of 20 minutes at least three times a week or exercising moderately for a minimum of 30 minutes at least four times a week coupled with a balanced diet (with increased whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and decreased or no salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine) can help. It's also important to get adequate rest; the body may have different sleep requirements at different times during the menstrual cycle.
Eating right to fight PMS
To reduce your PMS symptoms, spread your normal caloric intake over three small meals and three small snacks per day, and avoid going for long periods of time without eating. Avoid or wean yourself off caffeine. Caffeine can worsen breast tenderness, and many women report that irritability and headaches decrease when they cut their caffeine intake. Reducing salt intake can relieve fluid retention. Snack suggestions: Plain yogurt, unsalted nuts, seeds and popcorn; whole-wheat bread with peanut butter, pumpkin, banana bread, graham crackers, unsalted whole grain crackers, bran or oatmeal muffin, raw vegetables, raw or dried fruits.
Calcium can help alleviate PMS symptoms
If you suffer from the cyclical pain, negative mood, fluid retention and food cravings that are so typical in premenstrual syndrome (PMS), calcium may solve your problem. Studies show that women who received 1,200 milligrams of elemental calcium per day enjoyed close to a 50 percent reduction in symptoms, compared with a 30 percent reduction in a control group of women who received a placebo. Calcium can be obtained through the diet or in the form of nutritional supplements, or antacids. Remember to talk to your health care professional before taking calcium supplements.
Medications for PMS
If a healthy diet, regular exercise and calcium supplements fail to improve mood swings or other emotional symptoms of PMS, you may want to talk to your health care professional about an antidepressant medication. Other prescription medications sometimes prescribed for severe PMS include the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam (Xanax) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist treatments that suppress estrogen production. A "combination" oral contraceptive containing drospirenone, a progestin and ethinyl estradiol, a form of estrogen was recently approved by the FDA. Known as "YAZ," this OC was shown to be clinically effective both for the prevention of pregnancy and for the emotional and physical symptoms associated with PMDD. Be sure to ask your health care professional about short- and long-term side effects of any medications recommended to relieve symptoms of PMS/PMDD, including the potential for dependence with the use of certain anti-anxiety medications.
Is it PMS or PMDD?
If your premenstrual symptoms are mild to moderate, you probably have premenstrual syndrome (PMS). But if the cycles of emotional and physical symptoms are severe enough to interfere significantly with work or relationships, you may have a more serious form of PMS, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which affects about three to eight percent of women of childbearing age. PMDD symptoms can include a markedly depressed mood, severe anxiety or tension and wild mood shifts as well as significant physical symptoms. However, severe mood-related symptoms are key to PMDD. If you suspect you have PMDD or PMS, consult your health care professional.
