How Is Pms Diagnosed
There is no single test for PMS. Your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms, including when they happen and how much they affect your life.
You probably have PMS if you have symptoms that:12
- Happen in the five days before your period for at least three menstrual cycles in a row
- End within four days after your period starts
- Keep you from enjoying or doing some of your normal activities
Keep track of which PMS symptoms you have and how severe they are for a few months. Write down your symptoms each day on a calendar or with an app on your phone. Take this information with you when you see your doctor.
Amp Up Your Exercise Routine During The Week Leading Up To Your Period
Exercise is known to be helpful for symptoms related to the menstrual cycle, like severe menstrual cramps and low mood. It also gives you some much needed energy when youre feeling sleepy. Dr. Dweck says you should make time to move when youre menstruating. You dont have to go so hard that you completely wipe yourself out â even the simplest of workouts or a short run will get the job done, increasing energy levels and then helping you sleep at night.
Natural Ways To Reduce Pms Symptoms Including Period Cramps
The average woman experiences 450 periods in her lifetime. Thats triple the amount of our ancestors, who generally lived shorter lives and spent more time pregnant and nursing. And since more than 75 percent of women today deal with PMS symptoms during menstruation, its clear that a lot of women are experiencing the uncomfortable side effects of this natural biological process.
In fact, 30 to 40 percent of women reporting PMS symptoms say PMS impairs their daily activities, leaving many of them looking for natural remedies for PMS and cramps.
Still, you are not alone. PMS is one of the most common forms of hormonal imbalance for women of childbearing age, resulting in both psychological and physical period symptoms. If youre a woman who has spent years dealing with PMS symptoms then its probably very hard to believe that this monthly health phenomenon was barely recognized by medical doctors before the 1980s. For those of you who suffer from PMS, the symptoms are very recognizable and very unwanted.
PMS symptoms may start a week or two before you period and may be mild to severe. If you have dysmenorrhea then you experience painful menstruation, typically involving abdominal cramps .
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Can Dehydration Cause Fatigue
If you are feeling fatigued, it could be due to dehydration. Usually, you feel thirsty later than your body senses dehydration, making it hard to catch up on your water intake.
Try these tips to stay hydrated:
- Drink at least two glasses of water an hour before and an hour after vigorous physical activity.
- Sip water during your workout.
Speak To Your Doctor To See If Theres Something More Serious Going On
If youve done everything on your checklist and youre still exhausted, its time to chat with your doctor. Some women are so fatigued because they have an underlying problem, Dr. Dweck says. It could be an irregularity with your thyroid, a gland that controls your metabolism, which can cause fatigue, irritability, depressive symptoms, and weight gain.
You might be dealing with anemia, a blood disease that affects 3.5 million Americans, which is linked to women who have super heavy flows. Dr. Dweck even lists Lyme disease as a possibility, which would show up alongside joint pain and a rash. Heavy bleeding with a lot of clotting may also cause you discomfort, so its a good idea to see a doctor to help, Dr. Ross says.
Whatever the case may be, if your instinct is telling you to see a doctor about your ruthless fatigue, do it. You dont want to go through every period so tired you cant even get the smallest tasks done, and you definitely dont have to.
Experts:
Dr. Sherry Ross M.D., OB/GYN
Dr. Alyssa Dweck M.D., OB/GYN
Studies cited:
Cao, H., Pan, X., Li, H., & Liu, J. . Acupuncture for treatment of insomnia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine , 15, 1171â1186. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0041
Okamoto-Mizuno, K., & Mizuno, K. . Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of physiological anthropology, 31, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1880-6805-31-14ll
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Could Pms Really Be A Magnification Of An Existing Health Or Mental Health Condition
Brands that capitalize off of premenstrual syndrome spend a lot of money on sophisticated advertising that might lead people to believe certain symptoms can be attributed to PMS. Itâs important to know that some existing conditions can be amplified in the premenstrual phase . Blaming any uncomfortable symptoms that occur during the premenstrual phase on PMS could mask an underlying health issue. Anxiety and depression often get misdiagnosed as PMS . Other health conditions could also be misdiagnosed as PMS.
What To Do If Pms Persists
If you have intense PMS or PMDD that doesnt resolve after making diet and lifestyle changes, consider reaching out for professional support from a healthcare provider. Options include:
- A gynecologist who can diagnose more complex gynecological conditions that may contribute to your symptoms
- A functional health practitioner who can help with additional treatment options to improve gut health and balance hormones
- A health coach who can help you to stay on track with dietary and lifestyle changes
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Tips For Fighting Fatigue
What Are The Risk Factors For Pmdd
While any woman can develop PMDD, the following may be at increased risk:
- Women with a family history of PMS or PMDD
- Women with a personal or family history of depression, postpartum depression, or other mood disorders
Other possible risk factors include lower education and cigarette smoking
Talk with your healthcare provider for more information.
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Tips About Relieving Period Symptoms
Medication And Hormone Treatments For Pms
There are different types of medications and hormone treatments available to help you manage your symptoms.
Treatments that have been proven to relieve symptoms include:
- SSRIs : fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine and escitalopram these medications are mood stabilisers and antidepressants. They can improve PMS symptoms significantly by boosting brain chemicals . They may be prescribed just in the premenstrual phase, or taken continuously
- combined oral contraceptive pill preparations
- agents that suppress ovulation including GnRH analogues and danazol might improve symptoms, but it has not been shown to be consistently of any advantage but may help if there is fluid retention.
Treatments that have not been proven to relieve symptoms include:
- progesterone and progestogens
- intrauterine devices
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When Should I See My Doctor
If these physical and emotional symptoms start to affect your daily life, or if they dont go away with lifestyle changes, see your doctor or nurse.
Other conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid disorders or mood disorders like depression and anxiety might share common symptoms. Your health care provider might order extra tests such as a thyroid function test to help provide a clear diagnosis.
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Increase The Iron In Your Diet
Women are more at risk of an iron deficiency because we lose blood every time we have our period. Iron deficiency, or anaemia, is characterised by a lack of red blood cells in the body, which are responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues through the blood. Iron is also responsible for converting blood sugar to energy. So, you can see why fatigue is the most common symptom of iron deficiency.
If you find that youre still feeling fatigued despite taking my advice above, talk to your doctor about getting tested for iron deficiency. In the meantime, you can try to boost how much iron youre getting through your diet by incorporating foods like spinach and pumpkin seeds into your meals and snacks. To find out more about the importance of iron and good dietary iron sources, read this blog.
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How K Health Can Help
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K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.
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How Is Pmdd Treated
PMDD is a serious, chronic condition that does need treatment. Several of the following treatment approaches may help relieve or decrease the severity of PMDD symptoms:
- Changes in diet to increase protein and carbohydrates and decrease sugar, salt, caffeine, and alcohol
- Regular exercise
- Vitamin supplements
- Anti-inflammatory medicines
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Birth control pills
For some women, the severity of symptoms increases over time and lasts until menopause. For this reason, a woman may need treatment for an extended time. Medicine dosage may change throughout the course of treatment.
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Dealing With A Hormonal Imbalance
Unfortunately, correcting a hormonal imbalance is far more complicated than taking a pill or doing exercise. Medication can provide temporary relief, but it doesnt address the root of the problem, which is adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue is a lifestyle condition. There is no quick fix to the problem. Most likely, adrenal fatigue has developed over time, so the road to recovery is a long one. There are small adjustments you can make in your lifestyle to feel better over time.
One of the best ways to help adrenal fatigue is to change your eating habits. Overeating and poor diet dont help when it comes to your hormonal imbalance. Try eating a low-fat diet with some greens. This forces your body to work when digesting food, which helps moderate cortisol production.
Eating lots of greens will also help your liver! The liver is the bodys main detoxification system because it works to eliminate waste from the body. Leafy green veggies, grapefruit, lemons, and green tea are excellent ways to detox your liver.
Another way to help adrenal fatigue is to do moderate exercise, such as walking. This will help your fitness levels and your heart health! Dont shoot for working out three hours a day. Try starting slow and working your way up.
The relationship between adrenal fatigue and PMS is extremely complex. The hormones in a womans body are affected by stress which causes adrenal fatigue.
Indulge In Protein And Fat
PMS exhaustion and irritability might be making you crave donuts hard. But these and other empty-carb sugar bombs just make your symptoms a whole lot worse, causing your energy to spike and then crash and affecting your mood, cognition, and even bloat level. is often a time when we load up on the carbs, which is actually counter-productive and worsens our bloating,” says Nikki Walden, MD, ob-gyn at BodyLogicMD in Dallas.
Instead, swap the pastry for hearty, satisfying meals with lots of protein and good fatslike a veggie omelet, poke bowl, chicken on a bed of greens, or a yogurt and avocado smoothie. Protein plus healthy fats will decrease inflammation and reduce muscle cramps, while the whole grains have a good amount of protein and magnesium to relax your body and manage stress levels. The cleaner you can eat, the better you will feel, she says.
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Pop Some Pumpkin Seeds
When youre fighting PMS, Bauer advises grabbing a handful of pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are rich in a number of nutrients that have been shown to reduce PMS symptoms, serving up to 75 percent of the daily recommended amount of magnesium and 85 percent of the daily recommended amount of manganese, she says. Magnesium can help lift your mood and fight water retention, while manganese has been shown to reduce the irritability and tension that comes with PMS. With nutrition-rich pumpkin seeds in your diet, you also get iron, fiber, zinc, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
What You Can Do About It
Whether you experience odd days or ongoing weeks of low energy, its important to have natural ways to support your energy supplies, mood, concentration and general ability to do life.
Here are some of our favourite natural energy supports:
b-Vitamins
As mentioned above, B vits are essential for great energy. They work as catalysts in the body, converting the food you eat into energy.
Hormonally speaking, vitamin B2 also plays a role in hormone production by the adrenal glands , while studies show that vitamin B6 supports mood, brain health, PMS and more.
vitex
If you suspect that your fatigue is hormonal, we invite you to take a look at balancing your sex hormone levels. Vitex is the OG hormone-balancing herb, and has been used for centuries to balance and regulate the menstrual cycle by optimising ovulation. Happy ovulation = a happy period with less fatigue. Needless to say, we added a LOT of Vitex to Period Pal
panax ginseng
Our favourite thing about this herb is its ability to provide an immediate energy boost. 200mgs of a good quality Panax ginseng will feel much like your morning flat white, sans the jitters and adrenaline rush.
This well renowned, antioxidant-rich herb has also been used for centuries as a support for mental clarity, immunity and both physical and mental fatigue.
Rhodiola Rosea
This reduces occurrences of fatigue, exhaustion, brain fog, burnout and anxiety and also supports exercise performance, mental clarity, mood and vitality.
kava
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Ways To Combat Period Fatigue
Lifestyle changes can help with period fatigue, Mandal says. Here’s what she suggests:
Get extra sleep. It’s best not to fight your feeling of fatigue try to get the extra sleep your body is craving, Mandal says. “In general, getting some extra shut-eye always helps with feeling better,” she says. It’s important to block more time for sleep or a daytime nap since your sleep can be interrupted by PMS symptoms or the need to use the bathroom. Aim for more than the recommended 7 hours each night.
Try to destress. Irritability is a symptom of PMS, but managing stress levels can help keep period fatigue at bay, Mandal says. “Managing stress can help avoid high cortisol levels, which influences other hormones in the body and can lead to fatigue,” she says.
Exercise.Getting exercise can give you a boost of energy, Mandal says. A 2014 study found that, specifically, aerobic exercise like running can help with PMS-associated fatigue.
Snack smart. Eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods can help reduce symptoms of PMS, including fatigue. “Eating clean, natural foods helps to avoid further hormonal disruptions,” Mandal says. “You are what you eat.”
Your Plan For Relieving Pms Fatigue
In summary, your plan for relieving PMS fatigue and other symptoms should include stress reduction, dietary changes, and a simple supplement protocol:
- A high-quality herbal formula to help balance hormones
- A multi-vitamin formula that contains B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium and magnesium
Anyone struggling with PMS fatigue probably knows it can feel impossible to make changes to daily life when youre exhausted. So, I recommend using the days during your cycle when your energy levels are higher to start implementing your PMS relief plan. For many women, energy levels are highest the week or so after their period ends.
Ideally, youll start to see improvements in your PMS symptoms within the first few menstrual cycles.
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