Is There a Cure for Premenstrual Syndrome?
- Education and Study: If you can report and describe how you feel about your menstrual cycle, you can better cope with its symptoms. Keep a calendar to record your menstrual events and symptoms, how severe they are, and how long they last. Since symptoms can vary from month to month, keeping a calendar can help you understand how your period changes your mental and physical state. If you learn how to cope with the problems in your life, you can get rid of the anxiety and worry that you feel before your period. But if you experience severe anxiety, mood swings, and depression, counseling or medication may be helpful.
- Nutrition: Good nutrition is essential for good mental and physical health. Change your diet. For example, cutting back on caffeine, salt, and sugar can help relieve PMS symptoms. In some cases, supplements such as vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium are recommended. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a low-carb diet.
- Exercise: Like a healthy diet and nutrition, regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise like walking, can help improve your physical and mental health and reduce symptoms of PMS.
.
Medications:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen (Aleve) can help relieve symptoms such as headaches, cramps, back pain, and breast tenderness. Antidepressants are prescribed when depression and anxiety are severe. Some birth control pills are also prescribed to treat PMS symptoms, but there is not enough information to prove their effectiveness. The diuretic spironolactone may also help reduce water retention in premenstrual syndrome. There have also been studies on the use of natural progesterone, evening primrose oil, wild potato root, and vitamin B6 for PMS, but these have not been shown to be very effective and are not recommended.
Can PMS be prevented?
PMS itself cannot be prevented, but with education and
proper treatment of symptoms,
most women can avoid PMS.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle (exercise, adequate rest, and a healthy diet) can help a woman manage PMS and its symptoms.
