It is customary to write about premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in an alarming way: they say, the reasons are clear, but not completely, there are many symptoms, the treatment is ambiguous ... And if you look at PMS from the point of view of benefits for women's health?
Suppose you are sitting at work and talking on Skype with a young man with whom you are terribly in love and with whom you plan to live happily ever after. But you are somehow worried that he probably does not love you, and you are trying to draw signs of attention from him. The young man honestly writes you a paragraph of compliments, but at the same time notices that he is annoyed by direct demands for them.
And then you start to really cry! Kill Skype! Text him that you should break up because you are not suitable for each other! Write a detailed letter about it! Refuse to meet! After two days, come to your senses, think: “What was that ?!” and you are trying to establish contact - and you are still very lucky if your interlocutor has not managed to rent an apartment by this moment, completely agreeing with you that yes, you cannot be happy together.
Not all women reach such tragic manifestations, but the risk of conflicts with others is very high. This is premenstrual syndrome, a completely officially recognized disease included in the International Classification of Diseases. The range of possible PMS symptoms is mind boggling. Women experience headaches and muscle pains, nausea, pain in the mammary glands, fatigue, inadequate hunger, they cannot concentrate, they experience anxiety, irritability, whining, etc.
According to Medical University in South Carolina, 85% of women experience at least one symptom of PMS—most commonly conduct disorder—on a monthly basis. About 5% suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, the most severe form of PMS, in which a woman is forced to take antidepressants because otherwise her poor health, combined with panic attacks and mood swings, makes it impossible for her to work normally and generally maintain social connections.
Progesterone: works as a sedative
Progesterone itself has no effect on the psyche. But on the other hand, it turns into allopregnanolone in the body. Products of progesterone processing, like alcohol, like benzodiazepine tranquilizers, act on the most important inhibitory system of our brain and have a tremendous anti-anxiety effect.
That is, as long as the body maintains high level progesterone and its metabolites, the woman seems to live on sedatives. If their concentration changed smoothly, the psyche would have time to adapt to the changes, and there would be no significant effect on mood. But before menstruation (and also around childbirth or abortion), progesterone levels drop sharply, and in this situation, the brain is quite sincerely convinced that everything is bad and life has failed.
And even if a biologically savvy woman realizes that a drop in progesterone increases anxiety, this does not help her much. normal woman on such days he thinks: "My husband does not love me, the children were born stupid and evil, the employer barely tolerates me, and I myself am some kind of fool and ugly." A biologist woman thinks: “Now, not only is the husband completely objective! - does not love me (and further in the text), so in addition to all the troubles, I also have PMS!
PMS Today, Healthy Pregnancy Tomorrow
The glass, as always, is not only half empty, but also half full. Yes, a drop in progesterone levels increases anxiety, and it's sad. But, on the other hand, a high level of progesterone reduces it, and this is very good. Experiments on rats confirm that in behavioral tests that assess the level of stress, pregnant animals with their increased level progesterone levels behave as calmly as animals given a dose of synthetic progesterone or a dose of standard anti-anxiety drugs - and much more balanced than normal animals, not pregnant and not receiving medication.
Being nervous during pregnancy is very, very harmful. Stress hormones suppress the production of sex hormones in the mother and can cross the placenta and directly affect the fetus. As a result, stress can lead to miscarriage, heart defects, low birth weight, developmental delays and a number of other disorders. This means that progesterone's ability to reduce anxiety is an incredibly important advantage that should have been strongly supported by natural selection, because it allows women, all other things being equal, to give birth to healthier children.
So, if you are a woman and experience severe anxiety during PMS, this means that it is your psyche that responds well to the presence of progesterone, which will allow you to survive pregnancy more calmly.
And if you are a man and every month you are brainwashed, take it philosophically and put a reminder on your phone for the appropriate dates: “She doesn’t hate me, she just thinks so.” And let the thought console you that you and this anxious young lady can have wonderful children.
Unfortunately, we are not talking about polymethylsiloxane oils, but about female premenstrual syndrome. And to be ready to meet the enemy, you need to arm yourself with nine facts about PMS.
How it all began...
For the first time, the term "premenstrual syndrome" was mentioned by the doctor of medicine Robert Frank in 1931, describing the cyclical instability of the psychological state in patients. And the pain that women experience during this period is called "algomenorrhea".
Mental work and PMS
Sad statistics: PMS occurs in 20% of women aged 18 to 29, and from 30 years this number increases to 60%. Most affected by PMS are women whose activities are related to mental work. So, if your girlfriend decided to get a Ph.D., then dissuade her from it without delay.
Diet and PMS
PMS affects women so much that even the most disciplined "diet" breaks down and indulges in carbohydrate foods: from chocolate desserts to sandwiches and pizza. So don't be surprised if your girlfriend, who previously ate two apples a day, suddenly switched to cheeseburgers.
Folk omens and PMS
Folk omens did not bypass PMS. As the people say, during the period of PMS, it was impossible to let anyone near any more or less important economic objects. It was believed that if a woman touches iron, it will rust, and if you taste an apple, the whole garden will burn.
Crime chronicle and PMS
Do you think that PMS is just broken plates and damaged nerves? Then you are deeply mistaken, because it has long been established that the vast majority of thefts committed by women fell on the period from the 21st to the 28th day of their menstrual cycle. According to some scientists, much more terrible crimes, acts of violence, as well as committed accidents occur on the same days.
Shopping and PMS
After the stresses experienced in THESE days, women try to distract themselves by shopping. As psychologists say, for some women, shopping is an anti-stress method of dealing with troubles in life. If you refer to studies, then a couple of days before menstruation, women are most tempted to go shopping. You know the consequences of such shopping trips.
Milk and PMS
If you want to protect yourself from the effects of PMS, take care of it and pour your girlfriend a glass of milk. Experimentally, scientists have proven that women who consumed calcium and vitamin D (which promotes calcium absorption) for a month were less prone to PMS. And milk contains both of these elements in the required quantities.
Myths about PMS
In the event that you believe that PMS is an integral process in the life of every woman, and that one way out is to drink milk to your girlfriend for up to 50 years, then you are deeply mistaken. In fact, only 10% of the fair sex have symptoms of PMS. And even if your lady got into these 10%, then know that this is not chronic illness Therefore, symptoms may come and go throughout life. So take a breath, PMS is not always the Period of Man's Suffering.
British scientists on PMS
British scientists were interested in whether men have a condition that could be compared with the condition of female PMS. Experts conducted a survey among 50 women and 50 men. It turned out that the male body is also subject to certain factors, as a result of which some members of the stronger sex become depressed, become irritable, experience pain and change their mood dramatically.
Health
It's no secret that a woman's behavior and mood are greatly influenced by her hormonal levels.
It is hormones that cause a woman to become easily irritated, sometimes for no apparent reason, begins to behave aggressively or sheds a sea of tears while watching a movie that she has already seen ten times.
A man must remember that there are "special" days of the month when he needs more attention, care and love . Perhaps it is worth once again presenting a bouquet of flowers, buying your favorite chocolate and creating a romantic atmosphere for your beloved that will brighten up "these days of the month."
Romance and a sensitive attitude will do their job: it will be much easier for your beloved to cope with raging hormones.
Perhaps after reading the list of, the stronger sex will understand their loved ones more, and life with them will become more harmonious.
Importance of the hormones estrogen and progesterone
1. It's not just estrogens
When it comes to female hormones, we often mention estrogen. And, of course, such increased attention to them is not unreasonable.
Estrogen - it is the main and most important female sex hormone, which is responsible for most of the various functions in a woman's body, including breast growth and maturation of the genital organs during adolescence.
Estrogen also affects the menstrual cycle and a number of other functions not related to childbearing.
Progesterone also plays an important role in the menstrual cycle, in particular, it helps to prepare the uterus for the fertilized embryo.
The placenta of a pregnant woman produces progesterone, which is responsible for the growth of the fetus. The surge and decrease in the level of this hormone is affected by childbirth, as well as the start of breastfeeding.
In the body of a woman, testosterone, the male sex hormone, is also present, although in much smaller quantities. . Testosterone is associated with a woman's sex drive and also affects bone and muscle density.
The pituitary gland, in addition to the three main hormones, secretes others that also regulate the menstrual cycle.
2. Every woman is different.
When you start dating a woman and getting to know her better, there comes a point when you will learn some things related to her hormones. For example,how the menstrual cycle affects her behavior and mood.
But when you start dating another woman, a simple truth becomes clear: every woman's hormones behave differently.
One can fall into depression or sadness, the other develops unbridled craving for food, the behavior of the third is characterized by other strange habits.
Every healthy woman has the same hormones. The only difference is the level of these hormones. Depending on age and some other characteristics, the level of hormones either decreases or increases every month on the eve of menstruation.
During the reproductive period, a woman may have between 50 and 400 picograms of estrogen per milliliter of blood.
So don't think you know about a woman's hormones and how they affect her behavior just because you've been in a previous relationship.
PMS in women
3. PMS is serious
Some doctors have equated premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with complete disorder. According to experts, PMS is a fairly strong argument that excuses tearfulness, mood swings, whims, cravings for unhealthy food, passivity or aggressiveness of a woman in certain period month.
According to experts, three women out of four every month they experience all the hardships of the so-called premenstrual syndrome.
No one knows exactly what causes PMS: is it a consequence of fluctuating hormones, which in turn provokes chemical changes in the brain, or is it something else?
Some women also suffer from insomnia, headaches, and intestinal upset.
These symptoms can be intermittent, but eating healthy foods and taking medication can help relieve them.
However, not all women experience PMS as a mild ailment. Some experience an extreme even debilitating type of PMS known as PMDD
(premenstrual dysphoric disorder).
PMDD is accompanied by severe symptoms. The woman feels increased irritability, high anxiety, bouts of inexplicable anger. Sometimes a doctor prescribes treatment in the form of birth control or even antidepressants.
It is worth noting that some clinicians refer to PMDD as to a particular psychiatric disorder.
But there are also women who have absolutely no symptoms of PMS. For others, there are only minor changes in mood and general well-being.
Menstrual cycle and ovulation
4. The menstrual cycle varies
It is known that on average, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. In the middle of the cycle, the ovary releases a mature egg. If the egg is fertilized at this point, it moves into the uterine cavity and eventually becomes an embryo.
If fertilization does not occur, the walls of the egg begin to exfoliate in the form of blood clots . The output of blood is called "period". And, as a rule, it lasts seven days. Relying on such a schedule, a woman can always determine her "period".
But the number 28 isaveraged.Some women have a shorter cycle, while others have a longer one. For some women, the "period" lasts only a couple of days, while for others almost a week.
Further complicating matters is the fact that both cycle and period can change over time. Reception of various medicines, sports, stress or bad habits can also affect the change in the cycle and period.
Many women cannot accurately calculate the specific date of the beginning and end of the "period". Such fuzziness in the cycle and period in women was the reason why they were invented birth control pills, which completely suppress ovulation and control the cycle, thanks to artificial hormones in their composition.
Contraceptives not only reduce the chances of getting pregnant to zero (if used correctly), but also ensure the regularity of the cycle in a woman.
Feeling good during pregnancy
5. Pregnancy is exhausting
Do you think that hormones drive you crazy only during puberty or on "these" days? Everything changes when a woman becomes pregnant.
HcG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is a hormone produced exclusively by the cells of the developing placenta.
Pregnancy tests are nothing more than checking the body for the presence of this hormone.. It is his presence in the body that gives out on the test such long-awaited and cherished or, on the contrary, shocking two strips.
With the growth of the placenta, the level of this hormone rises sharply during the first trimester. Therefore, very often most pregnant women suffer from nausea in the morning.
The HcG hormone makes a woman more susceptible to disease as the immune system weakens, so almost everyone is familiar with it scary word- toxicosis.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone play a very active role here. Thanks to estrogen, the pregnant woman's breasts grow, the baby's organs develop.
However, in a woman, due to a weakened immune system, the skin becomes sensitive, rashes may appear. And the expectant mother herself may be prone to various acute respiratory infections.
The hormone progesterone regulates the functions of the placenta, expands the uterus, but it also causes heartburn and indigestion.
Only a few women can be called lucky women who do not experience any health problems during pregnancy.
It is worth remembering that during pregnancy you can undermine your health more than ever, so you should take your well-being more seriously and especially carefully monitor the hormonal background that is raging at this time.
Female hormones in men
6. Female hormones are not only in women.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone are traditionally associated with the weaker sex. But just as women have testosterone (the dominant male hormone), so too in the body of a man is female hormone", just in smaller quantities.
In fact, in your own way chemical composition estrogen is very close to testosterone. In men, estrogen is produced from testosterone by the action of an enzyme. aromatase.
This adrenal enzyme contributes to the regulation reproductive system in a man, and also affects his behavior. The older a man gets, the higher the level of estrogen in the body. Conversely, testosterone levels decline as a man ages.
An imbalance of estrogen in men can cause significant health problems. Sometimes a surge of estrogen in the body is the result of obesity, as this The “female” hormone is produced mainly in fat cells.
In men who are sick diabetes, prostate cancer or suffering from heart failure, the level of tarragon went off scale or, on the contrary, was below the norm.
So maintaining hormonal balance very important when it comes to men's health. Progesterone in a man's body helps regulate estrogen levels. Therefore, when doctors detect an imbalance of estrogen and testosterone in a man's body, he is prescribed hormonal supplements.
Women's menopause
7. Menopause is a gradual process.
Essentially, menopause only means that a woman ceases to be fertile. A post-menopausal woman is one who has not had a period for 12 consecutive months.
Most of us have heard about the unpleasant symptoms of menopause. Flushing to the head, excessive sweating at night, and palpitations are not an exhaustive list. unpleasant symptoms.
Women are afraid of this moment in advance, when their body begins to rebuild in a new way. Of course, all changes are associated with hormones or, more precisely, with a reduction in the production of hormones by the ovaries.
What you may not realize is that menopause is a rather slow and gradual process. Menopause does not immediately turn off the hormonal background in a woman. Sometimes menopause can last for years .
- a cyclically recurring symptom complex observed in the second half of the menstrual cycle (3-12 days before menstruation). It has an individual course, may be characterized by headache, severe irritability or depression, tearfulness, nausea, vomiting, skin itching, swelling, pain in the abdomen and in the heart, palpitations, etc. Edema, skin rashes, flatulence, painful engorgement of the mammary glands. In severe cases, neurosis may develop.
General information
premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, are called vegetative-vascular, neuropsychic and metabolic-endocrine disorders that occur during the menstrual cycle (more often in the second phase). Synonyms for this condition, found in the literature, are the concepts of "premenstrual illness", "premenstrual tension syndrome", "cyclic illness". Every second woman over the age of 30 is familiar with premenstrual syndrome firsthand, in women under 30 this condition is somewhat less common - in 20% of cases. In addition, manifestations of premenstrual syndrome are usually companions of emotionally unstable, thin, asthenic body types of women, who are more often involved in the intellectual field of activity.
Causes of premenstrual syndrome
The course of the crisis form of premenstrual syndrome is manifested by sympathetic-adrenal crises, characterized by attacks of rising blood pressure, tachycardia, heart pain without ECG deviations, panic fear. The end of the crisis, as a rule, accompanies profuse urination. Often attacks are provoked by stress and overwork. The crisis form of premenstrual syndrome can develop from untreated cephalgic, neuropsychic or edematous forms and usually manifests itself after 40 years. The background for the course of the crisis form of premenstrual syndrome are diseases of the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive tract.
Cyclic manifestations of atypical forms of premenstrual syndrome include: an increase in body temperature (in the second phase of the cycle up to 37.5 ° C), hypersomnia (drowsiness), ophthalmoplegic migraine (headaches with oculomotor disorders), allergic reactions (ulcerative stomatitis and ulcerative gingivitis, asthmatic syndrome, indomitable vomiting, iridocyclitis, Quincke's edema, etc.).
When determining the severity of the course of premenstrual syndrome, they proceed from the number of symptomatic manifestations, highlighting the mild and severe forms of premenstrual syndrome. A mild form of premenstrual syndrome is manifested by 3-4 characteristic symptoms that appear 2-10 days before the onset of menstruation, or by the presence of 1-2 significantly pronounced symptoms. In a severe form of premenstrual syndrome, the number of symptoms increases to 5-12, they appear 3-14 days before the onset of menstruation. At the same time, all or several of the symptoms are pronounced significantly.
In addition, an indicator of a severe form of the course of premenstrual syndrome is always a disability, regardless of the severity and number of other manifestations. A decrease in working capacity is usually noted in the neuropsychic form of premenstrual syndrome.
It is customary to distinguish three stages in the development of premenstrual syndrome:
- compensation stage - symptoms appear in the second phase of the menstrual cycle and disappear with the onset of menstruation; the course of premenstrual syndrome does not progress over the years
- the stage of subcompensation - the number of symptoms increases, their severity worsens, the manifestations of PMS accompany the entire menstruation; premenstrual syndrome worsens with age
- stage of decompensation - early onset and late cessation of symptoms of premenstrual syndrome with minor "light" intervals, severe PMS.
Diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome
The main diagnostic criterion for premenstrual syndrome is the cyclicity, the periodic nature of complaints arising on the eve of menstruation and their disappearance after menstruation.
The diagnosis of "premenstrual syndrome" can be made on the basis of the following signs:
- A state of aggression or depression.
- Emotional imbalance: mood swings, tearfulness, irritability, conflict.
- Bad mood, feeling of melancholy and hopelessness.
- A state of anxiety and fear.
- Decreased emotional tone and interest in ongoing events.
- Increased fatigue and weakness.
- Decreased attention, memory impairment.
- Changes in appetite and taste preferences, signs of bulimia, weight gain.
- Insomnia or drowsiness.
- Painful tension of the mammary glands, swelling
- Head, muscle or joint pain.
- Deterioration of the course of chronic extragenital pathology.
The manifestation of five of the above signs with the obligatory presence of at least one of the first four allows us to speak with confidence about premenstrual syndrome. An important link in the diagnosis is the patient's keeping a diary of self-observation, in which she must note all violations in her state of health for 2-3 cycles.
A study in the blood of hormones (estradiol, progesterone and prolactin) allows you to establish the form of premenstrual syndrome. It is known that the edematous form is accompanied by a decrease in the level of progesterone in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Cephalgic, neuropsychic and crisis forms of premenstrual syndrome are characterized by an increase in the level of prolactin in the blood. The appointment of additional diagnostic methods is dictated by the form of premenstrual syndrome and leading complaints.
A pronounced manifestation of cerebral symptoms (headaches, fainting, dizziness) is an indication for an MRI or CT scan of the brain to exclude its focal lesions. EEG results are indicative for neuropsychic, edematous, cephalgic and crisis forms of the premenstrual cycle. In the diagnosis of the edematous form of premenstrual syndrome, the measurement of daily diuresis, accounting for the amount of fluid drunk, and conducting tests to study the excretory function of the kidneys (for example, Zimnitsky's test, Reberg's test) play an important role. With painful engorgement of the mammary glands, an ultrasound of the mammary glands or mammography is necessary to exclude organic pathology.
Examination of women suffering from one form or another of premenstrual syndrome is carried out with the participation of doctors of various specialties: neurologist, therapist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, psychiatrist, etc. Assigned symptomatic treatment, as a rule, leads to an improvement in well-being in the second half of the menstrual cycle.
Treatment of premenstrual syndrome
In the treatment of premenstrual syndrome, drug and non-drug methods are used. Non-drug therapy includes psychotherapeutic treatment, compliance with the regime of work and good rest, physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy. An important point is to maintain a balanced diet with the use of a sufficient amount of vegetable and animal protein, vegetable fiber, vitamins. In the second half of the menstrual cycle, you should limit the intake of carbohydrates, animal fats, sugar, salt, caffeine, chocolate, and alcoholic beverages.
Drug treatment is prescribed by a specialist doctor, taking into account the leading manifestations of premenstrual syndrome. Since neuropsychic manifestations are expressed in all forms of premenstrual syndrome, almost all patients are shown taking sedative (sedative) drugs a few days before the expected onset of symptoms. Symptomatic treatment of premenstrual syndrome involves the use of painkillers, diuretics, antiallergic drugs.
Leading position in drug treatment premenstrual syndrome is occupied by specific hormonal therapy with progesterone analogues. It should be remembered that the treatment of premenstrual syndrome is a long process, sometimes continuing throughout the entire reproductive period, which requires a woman to have internal discipline and the steady implementation of all doctor's prescriptions.
According to statistics, from 5 to 40% of women are prone to premenstrual syndrome - a set of symptoms provoked by the pathological passage of the second part of the menstrual cycle. Also, statistics claim that most often PMS is visited by residents of large cities, and the risk of getting the syndrome grows with the passing years. Is PMS a disease? And if so, how to treat premenstrual syndrome?
Behavior in PMS
Symptoms of premenstrual syndrome begin to appear in the period from 2 to 10 days before the onset of menstruation. There are six main types of the syndrome with common features:
Psychovegetative form characterized by tearfulness, irritability, resentment, insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness, general weakness. A woman is prone to depression, decreased libido, there is an increased sensitivity to smells and sounds. Not infrequently, PMS is accompanied by constipation and flatulence. IN adolescence increased aggression.
- Cephalgic form- paroxysmal headaches, fainting, nausea, vomiting, irritability, redness of the face.
- edematous form- sweating, swelling, itching, acne, pain in the mammary glands and muscles, swelling of the mammary glands, bloating, weight gain.
- crisis form- high blood pressure, rapid pulse, fear of death. Panic attacks appear at night. As a rule, women in the menopause with cardiovascular problems, diseases of the liver and gastrointestinal tract suffer from the crisis form of PMS.
- Atypical form- migraine attacks during menstruation, ulcerative stomatitis and gingivitis, asthma attacks, vomiting, fever body.
- mixed form- a mixture of symptoms of several forms of premenstrual syndrome.
It should be remembered that PMS is considered a disease. If you have similar symptoms, you should seek help from a gynecologist. Often a woman visits a neurologist or psychologist, sincerely believing that her irritability, anxiety and sleep disturbance are caused by psychological problems. In fact, the characteristics of behavior and health status depend on the level of hormones in the blood. Therefore, only a gynecologist can tell how to alleviate premenstrual syndrome.
How to treat premenstrual syndrome
Treatment of PMS is carried out in a complex manner, with the appointment of sedative and psychotropic, as well as hormonal drugs. Depending on the form of PMS, appropriate pharmacological agents are used. For example, with an increase in blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs are recommended, diuretics are prescribed for swelling, and antihistamines for allergic reactions.
Usually, PMS treatment lasts up to six months and is accompanied by taking vitamin complexes, in particular group B, and magnesium.
Prevention of PMS
You can prevent PMS, thereby reducing the risk of unwanted symptoms. Preventive measures include regular sexual life, taking oral contraceptives, lack of stress and healthy lifestyle life.
How to reduce PMS symptoms? Tea with mint and chamomile, valerian or motherwort tincture will help you. Introduce more rice, dairy products, legumes, fish, vegetables, fruits, and dark chocolate into your diet. get busy exercise without heavy loads. Do not smoke. Reduce the consumption of strong coffee and do not get carried away with alcoholic beverages. And try to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep a day.
