posted May 22, 2007 07:39 AM         

I'd like to hear what you've experienced, PMS-wise- because I've never had this PMS thing bothering me, honest to God- am I lying or am I a phony? After I had read that part, I realized that I had never found my own periods a "nuisance" or "curse". I always anticipate each of my menstrual periods, and I don't ever recall having this PMS thing.

What about you? I'd like to hear from you.

posted May 23, 2007 02:05 AM         

That's aptly-put, and just good summing up of the whole "PMS' thing.

By the way, no words can express the joy and blissfulness of your new-born baby son, pixelpixie- he simply looks perfect. He's just great. Congrats again! He's lucky to have a wise, thoughtful mom like you!

posted May 24, 2007 11:35 AM         

I had severe cramps, heavy flow and total discomfort the first two or three days from the onsent of my menstural cycles at the age of 12. The flow progressed to the point that I had to have my uterus removed in my early 40's due to hemmorraging.

I never cursed my periods or being a woman. I only cursed the symptoms and discomfort. Along with my menstural discomfort was always the added factor of my hormones bouncing around like ping pong balls. But my grumpiness and mood swings during my periods were due mostly to the headaches, backaches, bad cramps and heavy flow.

When I had my partial hysterectomy my OB/GYN told me I had thick lining in my uterous and that it was great for child bearing but not so good for periods. Due to the thick lining even though I went ahead and had a normal period the first month of each pregnancy I did not self-abort the way many women do who have a period while pregnant. The doctor told me that normally women who have a period the first month of gestation can't have children. I had 3 kids with no problems.

Treatments and things that work for some women don't work for every woman. Our bodies are all different. PMS is not an imaginary illness. It exists in reality and many women suffer from it.

I agree Pix, that PMS is often offered as an excuse for moodiness and many men and women do use it as an excuse even when there are other factors that contribute to mood swings as well.

posted May 24, 2007 11:38 PM         

Anyway...

Mirandee

TMC

Pixelpixie

Oh, I certainly meant what I said. As for my previous comments...I would call myself "an incompetent pupil of astrology", if this remark doesn't sound too self-absorbed! I think the way I interpreted astrological placements and aspects were just very, very naive, to say the least. Anyway, Pixepixie, of course he's just such a fantastic baby boy, and needless to "analyze" (for my part, that is. I tend to analyze too much), he and you are just perfect mom and son. We need not analyze too much, we can tell from our instinct! You'll make a happy mom and your kids will be happy, too!

Again, ladies, thanks so much for sharing.

posted May 26, 2007 12:14 AM         

Did you mean it was an accidental double post, or did you mean something else?

posted May 28, 2007 11:13 AM         

Theres even a condition now called PMDD and its worse than PMS, it stands for Pre Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder.
http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/pmdd.asp

quote:

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Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
(PMDD)
Twenty to fifty percent of women between the ages of 30 to 40 with regular menstrual cycles experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as a regular physiological occurrence every month. In more severe cases, affecting three to five percent of menstruating women, this syndrome is labeled as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) . Patients with severe PMDD are at risk for developing postpartum depression. Furthermore, women successfully treated with antidepressants often show breakthrough symptoms of depression in the premenstrual phase of their menstrual cycle. All that is needed is a small increase in the dosage of the antidepressant premenstrually.

PMDD Symptoms
Women with PMDD complain of irritability, anger, tension, marked depressed mood, and mood lability (crying spells for no reason, verbal outbursts, or tantrums ) to such a severity that quality of life is seriously compromised. In addition to these symptoms, some women complain of lethargy, sleep disturbance, limited concentration and a host of physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, headaches, joint and muscle pain, bloating and weight gain.

The primary symptoms that distinguish premenstrual dysphoric disorder from other mood disorders (i.e., major depression) or menstrual conditions is the onset and duration of PMDD symptoms -- with symptoms appearing during the week or so before and disappearing within a few days after the onset of menses -- and the level by which these symptoms disrupt daily living tasks. (This diminished level of functioning is generally in great contrast with the same woman's interactions and abilities at other times during the month.)

The symptoms of PMDD may resemble other conditions or medical problems, such as a thyroid condition, depression, or an anxiety disorder. Consult a physician for diagnosis.

What PMDD Is Like

Kym says, "on my last bad day, I got very suicidal. I felt like I couldn't take being like this anymore. The worst part of it was knowing that on any other day, I liked my life, that it was this illness making me feel so worthless. I couldn't help myself, though. The feeling was so strong. I didn't attempt to act on my impulse. I pray I never do. It's just that it feels overpowering. I'm afraid on those days. Afraid that maybe next time I won't win the PMDD battle."

"On that day, my two beautiful girls watched me lay in bed and cry uncontrollably. They even made me little cards to tell me they love me. I felt ten times worse because in my heart, I wanted to jump out of that bed and be normal. I didn't want them to see that. I love my children and I want to protect them from stuff like that, but my hormones had a stranglehold on me. They didn't know I was suicidal, depressed, or anything else. Just that mommy gets this way every month, that mommy is sick. And in a few hours, mommy will be back in the kitchen baking a pie like nothing ever happened."

What Causes PMDD
Although the exact cause of PMDD is not known, several theories have been proposed. One theory states that women who experience PMDD may have abnormal reactions to normal hormone changes that occur with each menstrual cycle. This may include the fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone levels that normally occur with menstruation causing a serotonin deficiency, in some women (Serotonin is a substance found naturally in the brain and intestines that acts as a vessel-narrowing substance, or vasoconstrictor). Additional research is necessary.

How is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Diagnosed?

Aside from a complete medical history and physical and pelvic examination, diagnostic procedures for PMDD are currently very limited. Your physician may consider recommending a psychiatric evaluation to, more or less, provide a differential diagnosis (to rule out other possible conditions). In addition, he/she may ask that you keep a journal or diary of your symptoms for several months, to better assess the timing, severity, onset, and duration of symptoms. In general, in order for a PMDD diagnosis to be made, the following symptoms must be present:

over the course of a year, during most menstrual cycles, five or more of the following symptoms must be present:
depressed mood
anger or irritability
difficulty in concentrating
lack of interest in activities once enjoyed
moodiness
increased appetite
insomnia or hypersomnia
feeling overwhelmed or out of control
other physical symptoms
symptoms that disturb social, occupational, or physical functioning

symptoms that are not related to, or exaggerated by, another medical condition

What is the Difference Between PMS and PMDD?
The physical symptom list is identical for PMS and PMDD; while the emotional symptoms are similar, they are significantly more serious with PMDD. In PMDD, the criteria focus on the mood rather than the physical symptoms. With PMS, sadness or mild depression is not uncommon. With PMDD, however, significant depression and hopelessness may occur; in extreme cases, women may feel like killing themselves or others. Attributing suicidal or homicidal feelings to “it’s just PMS” is inappropriate; these feelings must be taken as seriously as they are in anyone else and should be promptly brought to the attention of mental health professionals.

Women who have a history of depression are at increased risk for PMDD. Similarly, women who have had PMDD are at increased risk for depression after menopause. In simplest terms, the difference between PMS and PMDD can be likened to the difference between a mild headache and a migraine.

PMDD Treatment
Treatment for PMS depends on the severity of the symptoms. For mild cases, treatment recommendations include diet modifications such as high carbohydrate meals and reducing salt, caffeine and alcohol, as well as a variety of methods for stress reduction and relaxation such as exercise, counselling and stress/behaviour management strategies.

For severe PMDD, treatment is more aggressive, often requiring pharmacological intervention in addition to nonpharmacological treatments. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class of antidepressants are effective in the treatment of PMDD. Fluoxetine (Prozac - Serafem) has been widely studied and found to be effective in reducing symptoms of tension, irritability and dysphoria. These results have been replicated with sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil). Use of the SSRIs is positive as well in that side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, headache, and insomnia, to name a few, are minimal and reportedly tolerable by the majority of women.

For some women, even more drastic measures must be taken to ameliorate the symptoms of PMDD. For these women, hormonal therapies are necessary that work by suppressing the menstrual cycle. Effective hormonal therapies include gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, estradiol and danazol. With respect to the GnRH agonists, women may not be able to continue with this form of therapy in that side effects are similar to symptoms of menopause. This, then, can increase the occurrence or severity of osteoporosis. With estradiol treatment, women must be concurrently treated with progestogen to prevent endometrial hyperplasia. Danazol is effective, however, that has quite a severe adverse effect profile due to its androgenic and anti-estrogen properties. In addition, danazol treatment affects menstrual cycle length. Thus, the side effect profile of hormonal therapies makes them less tolerable in the treatment of PMDD.

For some women, the severity of symptoms increase over time and last until menopause (when menses ceases). For this reason, a woman may require treatment for an extended period of time, and may require several reevaluations to adjust medication dosages throughout the course of treatment.

---

they actually have over the counter meds for PMS at say your local grocery store or pharmacy. With PMDD, you'd get a prescrption possibly.

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Virgo Rising 8'57, Sagittarius Sun/4thH 3'26, Pisces Moon/6thH 8'22

"Our passions are not too strong, they are too weak. We are far too easily pleased." - C.S. Lewis