PMS 101

বাংলা

Sarah is a college student. When she was studying for finals, all of a sudden, she felt her mood drop. She became cranky and moody. Even the smallest sound from her brother made her snap at him.

She felt irritated and binged on greasy food. Only for her skin to break out and her stomach feeling bloated. When she faced throbbing pain on the left side of her stomach, she realized her period is nearing.

She told her friend Jamila about this. To her surprise, Jamila said that she never faced symptoms like this before. She only felt tiredness and pain in her breasts.

Do you relate to either Sarah or Jamila? Do you get warning symptoms before the Big Red day?

What is PMS?

These symptoms are known as Premenstrual Symptoms or PMS. Most women face them during the days leading up to their periods.

This is quite normal and many women face these symptoms. Not everyone will have the same ones as shown above. Furthermore, not everyone will face the same signs each month.

The usual symptoms are:

Cramps
Irritability
sudden sadness
bloated stomach
mood swings
breast pain
headache
inability to sleep or drowsiness
urge to eat more or not eat at all
pimples, oily skin and hair, skin breaking out
change in sex drive
nausea
heat flashes
Fingers and foot retaining fluid

and more.

How to manage PMS

To cope with the sudden discomfort, there are preventive steps.

Diet and Sleep: Doctors suggest getting 8 hours of sleep and maintaining a good diet can help to prevent the symptoms from worsening. This includes cutting down sugar intake, eating vegetables and fruits, having smaller balanced meals at 3 hours intervals, and cutting down caffeine and alcohol.

Exercise: Exercising is a good pain reliever as well. Doing light exercises, yoga and meditation can help tremendously.

No Smoking: If you’re a smoker, it’s best not to smoke the last week before your estimated period date.

Medicine: If you feel too much pain, try taking painkillers or contraceptives.

PMDD

Some women face extreme PMS symptoms where the usual signs are heightened, such as mood swings leading to suicidal thoughts, extreme cramping, muscle pain, nausea and more.

This is known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). This is experienced by a few but the symptoms are severe. The general treatment includes birth control pills, surgery or hysterectomy.

Each period will have different symptoms but never hesitate to ask for help if you’re experiencing them.