Women's Health Blog

PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is the culprit that brings pain, discomfort and mood swings to millions of women each month during their menstrual cycles. There are many things that can cause these symptoms, including fluctuations in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, food intolerances, not enough exercise, poor eating habits, or too much alcohol or caffeine. Fortunately, there are many types of therapies out there providing for various remedies and lifestyle changes to help alleviate these problems.

PMS as a medical condition is finally being given credence, which is certainly a good step in the right direction. For so long Western culture has place negative connotations on PMS symptoms, with the widespread belief that such symptoms were purely psychosomatic and should be disregarded and eliminated from the mind to ensure a regular daily existence.

One potential danger that exists with so many ways available now to alleviate the symptoms of PMS is causing it to be unacceptable to experience in the first place. We risk going from one extreme – where society was simply in denial of the validity of this condition – to the other – where complete eradication is a must. This latter approach is a male-generated one, despite the fact that both men and women today are taking this approach. It is mostly men who sell health supplements and dole out dietary advice to alleviate PMS symptoms. How do we fix this new approach while preventing a return to the PMS stereotypes of old?

It is the key to keep in mind what the menstrual cycle represents. It is what enables human beings to create and bring new life into this world. As much as most women dislike having their monthly visitor, it is that visitor that is part of the amazing process of conceiving a child, developing it in the womb and ultimately giving birth. Perhaps if women attribute a more positive viewpoint towards the menstrual experience by being more attuned with their bodies, listening to what their bodies are telling them and responding to it in a positive way based upon what the body is trying to say, the whole experience will become a better one for women and society as a whole.

Western society is a male-dominated one. Male hormones carry a much shorter cycle, typically only 24 hours, versus the female cycle of 28 days. This tends to mean that men’s behavior is perceived as less erratic, more stable, more in control, whereas women are stereotypically perceived as a whirl of emotions, especially during her period. In other words, women are compared to men based upon the male behavior pattern.

In order to break this type of comparison and the societal perceptions towards PMS, it is important for women to become more in tune with their bodies and gain a deeper self-awareness so they are better able to accommodate the changes which occur during their menstrual cycle and make it a less disruptive and more positive experience. This will certainly help women cope with the discomforts and hormonal changes during their period, as well as assist in society’s views and handling of PMS.