You have probably experienced these symptoms even if you didn’t recognise them as premenstrual tension
A woman I worked with once told me she felt like an over-ripe tomato when she had PMS and was so sensitive to touch that she thought she would explode if anyone touched her.
For me, it’s noise. There are days when the chatter on the train in the morning goes right through my head putting me in a bad mood that can last all day. Noise sensitivity is, in fact, one of the symptoms of PMS although I hadn’t made the connection until I came across an amazing list of pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms recently. It includes:
- bloating
- abdominal cramping up to 2 weeks before period that may also be felt in the back, thighs, or vaginal area
- poor coordination
- rashes
- breast pain and swelling
- stiff neck
- back/joint pain
- indecisiveness
- slurred speech
- eye problems – dry eyes, difficulty focusing, aching eyes
- tiredness
- hand tingling
- sensitivity to noise, touch or smell
- dizziness / fainting
- pounding or irregular heart
- more – or less – interest in sex
Not to mention the mood and emotion symptoms that are more commonly connected to PMS.
There are some practical steps that can help alleviate these symptoms like avoiding sugar and alcohol, switching to a healthier diet, and taking regular exercise. It’s not a bad idea to have a little refresher on these techniques because by the time we get to peri-menopause when PMS symptoms can resurface as a problem, many of us will have forgotten both how wide the symptoms can be and what’s effective in dealing them. The article cited above is a useful starting point. It has certainly opened my eyes.
For more on the subject of menopause, you may like to read this useful feature from the New York Times.
Confusing symptoms, PMT and Perimenopause
The thing I hate most about perimenopause is the uncertainty that comes with this hormonal shift. There is the inconvenience of an altered pattern of periods – irregularity interspersed with regularity, lighter periods interspersed with much heavier periods, longer periods interspersed shorter periods, all of which together mean rarely leaving home without an array of sanitary options to cope with each eventuality. Add to that the fluctuating PMT-type symptoms - low moods, tearfulness, anxiety – and then the headaches, aching joints, the weird and/or horrifying dreams, the painful sore breasts and palpitations. It’s so strange that you can get into your 40s or 50s – 30s if you’re really unlucky – without anyone ever warning you. When the symptoms kick in they are confusing and it takes a while to work out what is going on. What’s amazing, and wonderful, is to find so many women going through the same experience and sharing their experiences and concerns on blogs and discussion boards. I’m not an advocate for any HRT or herbal remedies but I definitely do advocate looking at diet and exercise as tools to help combat the changes and, after a month of dining out and pre-Christmas festivities, it’s definitely time to take some of my own medicine. I know I would feel the better for it.
For more information on menopause, see this useful article from the New York Times.
Okay. I admit it. I’ve had a couple of weeks away from the office and have probably enjoyed a few more coffees than I would fit into an ordinary working day. You’d think that was a simple, innocent enough indulgence given there are so many alternative vices around to choose from. Well, wrong. Why did nobody warn me that too much coffee in these fabulous perimenopause years can contribute to horribly painful, throbbing breasts? I might have been spared days of misery and think of the fun I could have had trying out alternative beverages. I might work my way through an A-Z of potential substitutes (Absinthe, Baileys, Cointreau, Drambuie, Eggnog, Fizz, Gin, Heineken …) were it not for the fact that these are all alcohol products and bring with them perimenopause challenges of their own, no doubt. So what, I ask, is a girl to do without coffee? Answers on a postcard please – or by way of a comment. All suggestions welcome (but please don’t try to sell me HRT-related products or menopause cream. I’ve already had those emails!)
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