PMS: Symptoms and How Long?

[stephl81]

Im just curious what PMS symptoms you all experience and for how long before your period starts? For me it seems to start like 2 weeks before my period. Which is nonesense cuz its only been two weeks since my period ended! But for me it usually starts with my face breaking out, then I get food cravings, then moodiness and tiredness, then pain, then my period!

[stephl81]

oooh i forgot to add the bloating. I feel like I gained 10lbs because I get so bloated! ugh!

[wolfforce58205]

I personally start getting symptoms the week before my period. Lately this one has changed, but I'll usually get breast tenderness, then other ones that haven't include a pimple breakout, tiredness, mood swings/being extra sensitive, cramping (sometimes even worse than my actual period!) that can also cause slight nausea, cravings for chocolate, a bloated feeling, and headaches. These all happen around the same time (again, a week before my period), and fade away as my period starts and ends. I know someone I used to be friends with also had PMS two weeks before her period, as well as a really heavy flow and severe cramping. Seems to be a luck of the draw kind of thing, but I know that birth control pills helped her a bit. You could try talking to your doctor about it to see if anything can help you out.

[wolfforce58205]

I personally start getting symptoms the week before my period. Lately this one has changed, but I'll usually get breast tenderness, then other ones that haven't include a pimple breakout, tiredness, mood swings/being extra sensitive, cramping (sometimes even worse than my actual period!) that can also cause slight nausea, cravings for chocolate, a bloated feeling, and headaches. These all happen around the same time (again, a week before my period), and fade away as my period starts and ends. I know someone I used to be friends with also had PMS two weeks before her period, as well as a really heavy flow and severe cramping. Seems to be a luck of the draw kind of thing, but I know that birth control pills helped her a bit. You could try talking to your doctor about it to see if anything can help you out.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Premenstrual syndrome is the name of a group of physical and emotional symptoms that start 7 to 14 days before your menstrual period begins. These include stress, anxiety, difficulty in falling asleep (insomnia), headache, fatigue, mood swings, increased emotional sensitivity, and changes in libido. The other symptoms include bloating, abdominal cramps, constipation, swelling or tenderness in the breasts, cyclic acne, and joint or muscle pain.

v It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[ducky406]

About 10 days before my period I start craving salt and chocolate. About 5 days before I might get a few pimples... on my vagina. (Which I think is a side effect of my birth control, because I never had them until I went on it.) 3 days until halfway through my breast are very sensitive and kind of painful, and I start feeling a little bloated. The day before.. honestly I don't want my husband to leave the bedroom. Occasionally I will get a little bit of pimples -usually one or two- on my face, and have some mild cramps the first day. I'm pretty lucky all things considered. My best friend used to get SICK (stuck to bed) 2 days before her's started and sometimes even 3 days after it did. Horrible cramps, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. So I've always known I've had it easy.