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By JO ABI
I am 36 years of age and I have had my period for approximately 20 years.
And yet PMS always takes me by surprise.
You know the feeling. I’m sitting here this morning feeling angry and wanting to cry, I started to wonder why. I’ve had an AMAZING week filled with rewarding work and brilliant family time. I’m happy. But I just want to stay in my Snuggie, drink coffee and read all day. My head is throbbing…
Then, like a light-bulb, I realise I am ‘due’ on Friday so I’m obviously in the midst of full-blown PMS. I feel a bit better after making this realisation but not much.
Why do we get PMS? Isn’t life hard enough? I hate having my period. I know it is part of being a woman and it gifted me my three beautiful children but it just seems cruel to me that added to the chaos of my day is now bloating, fatigue, grumpiness, irritability and tears shed over running out of smooth peanut butter (crunchy gets stuck in my teeth!).
I met a very brave man once, who suggested to me (after I had thrown a folder of notes onto my desk at work in frustration) that PMS isn’t even real. He said it was just an excuse women come up with to explain their bad behaviour. Stunned silence was my first reaction, followed by a glare that I managed to deliver so effectively that the colour actually drained from his face like in a cartoon. He left my office quickly – never referring to his comment again.
Do you think I want to be irritable and mad and grumpy? Do you think I CHOOSE to feel like this?
I have tried to lessen the impact of my PMS on my family. I visited Dr Google and discovered that in the lead up to a woman’s period she is often deficient in several vitamins that could make her PMS much worse. I can’t control the effect of my radically shifting hormones, so I began to diligently take a PMS vitamin formula as well as additional vitamin B and iron and for the past few months I haven’t noticed any severe mood swings (although my husband probably has but isn’t suicidal enough to mention them). All I’ve needed once a month is a block of chocolate (Top Deck is my favourite at the moment) and a hot drink. Solved.
But this month I feel like I was standing in the middle of my house looking fab, smiling, feeling great and a giant wave came and knocked me off my feet, leaving me on my arse, dazed and wondering what on earth had just happened.
That’s the best way I can described the PMS effect when it happens to me. There’s not enough Top Deck in the world to get me through this, I fear.
I just need to lay low. I keep repeating to myself, “Everything is fine, this will pass, it’s just a feeling, it isn’t real, stay calm, don’t worry, it’s all fine, everything is just fine.”
Talking to myself…another symptom of PMS?
PMS is real, thank you very much. Do you want to make something of it?
Jo Abi is the author of the book How to Date a Dad: a dating guide released by Hachette Livre Australia. You can follow her on Twitter here
Does PMS ever take you by surprise? Do you struggle to keep your emotions in check during the days before your period is due? How do you deal with it?
Comments
91 Comments so far
I’ll need to check with you here. Which isn’t something I normally do! I take pleasure in reading a put up that may make people think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment! cheap
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I remember as a teenager when I had that flash of enlightenment that the mood swings and my period were related. And of course often get surprised again every month.
I get both completed exhausted and suffer from insomnia. I get pimples, gut cramps, mood swings and oddly, my sex drive accelerates. And for the past couple of years I get hot flushes.The hell? Mid-20s period surprise. Really sucks in winter.
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My PMS used to be more problematic as a teenager/young adult, severe mood swings, teary, irritable, clumsy (I’d walk into walls & just miss the doorway somehow), worse skin, aching back, etc. I was put on the pill early doors & always had to take pain medications during my period.
The actual periods became more of a problem as I got older. After some scans, it was discovered that I have a bicornuate uterus, which is basically a kind of love heart shaped uterus with a septum at the top. I also had some cysts between my uterus & ovaries which were removed but the suspected endometriosis wasn’t found. (My aunt had that & it has a genetic component apparently.)
I adored being pregnant & breastfeed my daughter until she was 15 months old – no periods yay! Even through PND because I knew I wouldn’t cope with that & my periods! I was back to painful periods when they returned then awhile after, the painkillers I was taking just stopped working full stop & I was in the foetal position in pain.
So back to the gyno I went. More scans, nothing found. The summation is that with my uterus I’m just always going to have period issues. I’m now on the pill again & I skip every second period. The pill has lightened my period considerably & having one every six weeks makes my life/moods so much more manageable which is gold as a SAHM.
I’ve seen a naturopath years ago & now see an acupuncturist. I take magnesium & am now on Chinese Herbs to build me up again. The reliance on chocolate each month keeps me sane!
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Oh wow. This post has just helped me realise why wedding planning this weekend has had me an emotional, crying wreck. Thank you!
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I am not sure if I suffer from PMS or not! I have severe anxiety/depression so experience a lot of these symptoms frequently. I get sore breasts and bloating but not sure about mood. I am now going to track my period and see if I notice anything different.
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The severe form of PMS is PMDD Premenstral Dysphoric Disorder. This is where every month the symptoms of PMS go beyond the typical moods – and actually have an effect of relationships and work. I am medicated for 2 weeks of my cycle monthly… and what a difference it has made. My partner and I don’t actually almost break up monthly, I have the energy to go to work, I don’t get so angry and down on myself and my figure that I feel ‘normal’, not ‘ecstatic’, just normal.
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This is so interesting ! Could you reveal what med helps?
Thanks
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Hi Elle, The most proven meds are SSRI… Which is serotonin reuptake inhibitors… So Lovan is the medication I am on. I was nervous at first as to whether i need anti-depressants for the whole month or it was another problem. But i was very aware that my mood swings and fatigue and anger and tears etc…. Would stop basically as soon as my period came. I discussed this with my GP after much research and trying exercise, no caffeine, vitamins … I have not looked back, this was commenced in March this year. There is research into the hippocampus in the brain and the hormones regulated by the ovaries, so unfortunately menopause will not always bring relief. I may also point out I’m 26.
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Does anyone else go on intense cleaning binges in the days leading up to their period? Every month I have at least one day where I have the sudden urge to scrub the ever loving s$#t out of everything in sight. And it’s like I have super Spidey sense for the tiniest speck of dust. That day or two is then followed by severe exhaustion where I can hardly keep my eyes open.
In my early 20s a doctor commented I looked particularly tired at an appointment. After I told him I’d been up half the night cleaning my stove and cupboards, he said that was quite normal as my body knew it was about to ‘clean itself’ so it was propelling me to do the same. I’ve always wondered if he was just trying to make me feel less kooky but after Googling PMS + cleaning today, it seems that’s an actual symptom. Crazy how our bodies and minds work.
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Yes!! I do that!!! Again, had never made the connection!
This is the best article ever, I’ve had so many light bulb moments reading these comments!
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My PMS used to be horrendous. The flag for me was always when I got up in the morning & in my vast collection of clothes I could not decide on an outfit & everything I put on made me feel wrong & fat (I’m a size 6).
Then the upset stomach, fluctuating tears & anger would follow – I actually swore at a stranger on Chapel St once. I always warned people that the Cyclone hormone had blown in & not to take anything I said seriously or worry if I burst into tears for no reason.
Of course that was nothing compared to the debilitating headaches & pain. It got to the point in my late 30′s that I could stand up straight with the pain & by chance an attack hit while at the doctors office one day. My female doctor was astounded at the pain I had been enduring, but I had been led to believe by my mother & male doctors that it was normal. Within a couple of weeks I was at the women’s hospital having my severe endometriosis treated.
I had suffered since I was 18 & had 3 miscarriages, due to being told ‘ it’s normal’ for two decades.
Now I’m on the pill & only get a period 4 times a year & ALL the symptoms are reduced to discomfort & minor distress. Seriously girls, don’t let someone tell you it’s ok to be in agony, if you are, something is NOT right. Get it checked out & don’t miss out on days each month suffering, or like me the chance to have children.
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i have noticed that the week after my period is the one ‘normal week’ I get each month, then is a slow slide into lows, frustration, sadness before it hits – I then get a couple days of euphoria during my period before back to square one. I’ve found an understanding GP who works with you to get things under control has been my saving grace – ever since I was a teenager I have found the male GP’s more helpful – they took my description that I felt like I wanted to ‘bite a head off a chicken,’ seriously. My current GP offers details and stats from research and studies on dealing with pms – which in itself I find helpful.
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I take evening primorse oil up to a week before I’m due (If I remember) – this helps A LOT with the PMS symptoms and I also take Calcium Magnesium tablets during which help with sweet cravings.
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It’s been great to read this. I get the most awful headaches that are even there when you wake up, and sounds strange but get extremely painful areas on my scalp that hurt when you press on them, lightheadness, and of course feeling really low for a cple of days… Yet I always get surprised and my mind worries maybe I have a brain tumour or an undiagnosed rare condition… Only to laugh a few days later when it all goes away about how ridiculous my thoughts were. But that said, the symptoms are very very real. I think that women should be allowed some extra sick days a year for ‘women’s reasons’ because we are expected to just grin and bear our pms there is a lot of stigma attached I reckon!
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Oh wow! I could have sworn I had grown a brain tumour yesterday, I was in agony (not making light of people who actually have brain tumours!) from 2pm and no amount of pain killers would even take the edge off. I even woke up in pain this morning at 5am and downed some drugs. Much better now…period has come!
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Agnus castus. A herb you can get in supplements from the chemist. Can’t recommend it enough for pms. I get horrific mood swings pre-cycle, then awful cramping, bloating, gastro upset, the works. And i find it really helps me!
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Yep, I become completely nuttie! Very emotional and really angry. It is so hard to control it. I like savoury food usually, but that time of the month I crave m&ms and Maltesers. The strangest thing is that for the for the first day of my period (and sometimes the day before or 2nd day of my period) I become a shocking driver! It’s so strange, I forget my blinker, cut people off, forget things etc, sometimes I get home and think to myself that I should not be on the road, what a crazy person!
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i knew there was a reason why I pulled out in front of someone in a roundabout this morning!!!
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I get some strange shit happening to me in the days leading up to it. Like many I get the headaches that will not desist. But I also start having really bizarre dreams. Actually they are mostly awful, making me wake and feel anxious. Then I have a couple of days of increased sex drive and a surge of motivation to get things done, whilst also trying to eat the worlds supply of all things carbohydrate and chocolate, before falling in a heap of sad. It’s really crap. I a woman. Hear me roar. No seriously…imf#ckingroaringatyou,soyoubetterbloodylisten!
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I also get the increased sex drive and surge of motivation! Oh and the weird dreams too!
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In May, for the first time in 30 years, my period just arrived … without its usual accompaniment of excruciating cramps, backache, headache, aching legs, constipation and the shakes. Nothing. I told myself not to hope, that I couldn’t be lucky enough to be one of the women with (relatively) early onset menopause, not to count my chickens before they hatch. But I did anyway. And last week the curse from hell was back with a vengeance..
So I have now had 2 weeks of post-MS, with tears, depression and episodes of fury – thus filling in what PMS is like, the one symptom I’d never had before.
By the way, for the person below whose post I now can’t find but was asking about the effect of the pill on all this – for me, it got rid of the headache and backache immediately, it brought the cramps back to a level where (only a slight overdose of) Naprogesics would allow me to stand upright and function, leg aches became only occasional and only at night, and had absolutely no effect on the constipation and the shakes (always loved Kaz Cooke’s cartoon of Hermione the Modern Girl in the science lab when she has her period …”I’m sorry, sir, I think I’ve just split the atom”). Also had the bonus of corralling my periods into something resembling a cycle (+/- 4 days) which I had never had before or since.
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I have an App on my iPhone called Period Diary which has been great over the last few months since I have been using it. I’ve been getting my period for 39 years now – minus 5 pregnancies and some hormone problems – and I can now check it when I think I might be a bit off. Some months are zilch and others you had better get me a box of tissues and some space. I have lately taken to weaping – happy, sad, generally music. I don’t tend to get the irrational anger as much any more. Anyway, the app is fun because I am crap at writing in diaries but this is a toy so it’s easy and it tells me when (every 25 days 6 days duration)……..being 50 now I guess I’m heading down the ‘pausal’ track. I think I want it to hurry up, but that might lead to a whole new barrel of monkeys!
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I get horrific moodiness and the best best best best cure is Vitamin b… Crack a couple of berocca and I can almost feel it working….
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I have alternating mood swings. One month I am filled with rage and could easily give my children away, the next month I am filled with the deepest, deepest sorrow and could easily give myself away. Just when I decide that I’m at the very end of my tether, and that tomorrow I’m going to the doctor for anti-depressants, I wake up feeling like someone has taken that extra me away and I’m back to normal again.
I am feel so much better that I’m truly amazed each time, EACH TIME, at how bad I felt for a few days. The thing is, I never recognise it for what it is. Even when I tried tracking my cycle, I would never look in my diary when I was in that mood. What happens to our brains??
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InKL you just described me to a tee! The anger is horrific and the sadness and helplessness is just heart breaking. These feelings go away the minute I start bleeding. I have them for about 6-10 days prior and they disappear when my period starts. I also have a very short period 1.5-2 days with bad cramps, backache and migraines.. It’s a joy to be a woman :/
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Sounds familiar! This month you could combine that with impending flu, a child that only want’s to sleep in my bed and a husband who’s sick – now that’s just a recipe for happiness!
Hoping that ANY MOMENT now the ‘extra me’ will zoom off – because of course it is my first day back at work in 16 months today
PMS seems to bring on all the rain at once!
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The thing I hate most about PMS is the insomnia. I do get a little touchy and emotional and angry but for about a week before my period starts I have terrible insomnia and I also get headaches. Then on day one of my period, I get a really sore back, it sort of feels like someone smashed me in the lower back with a piece of 2 by 4.
Sometimes I will catch myself getting emotional over something that normally wouldn’t bother me and I’ll think ‘is this PMS or am I genuinely upset?’ Although to be honest, despite having my period for fourteen years, I am totally rubbish about keeping track when I’m supposed to get it. I never skip a month and have a feeling I’m very fertile so I’ve always been psychotic about using contraception correctly but for some reason I never know when I’m supposed to be getting my period.
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I’ve noticed PMS isn’t static over the years. As a teenager, it was more just MS (without the pre). From my 20s I started getting monthly headaches that lasted for days (mostly menstrual again). Of course, that could’ve been the tumour… In my early 30s I started getting irrational and angry exactly a day before my period. Now in my 40s, I’m getting one days headache pre menstrually. I can live with that.
I used to cycle with my oldest girl. It helped me realise I was pregnant with no 4, as I’d missed one of our periods.
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Hubby and I are trying for number 2, on Thursday I sent him a text message saying “bad news is I’m not pregnant, good news is we get to keep trying!” His response, “yeah, I kinda guessed you weren’t pregnant”. Whoops, I definately had my grumpy PMS pants on this week!
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I had an endometrial ablation over 12 months ago (endometrium is removed by either laser or microwaves) to bring incapacitating periods under control. They’re not meant to impact on PMS as that is all about hormones, not actual bleeding. The effect has been nothing short of miraculous. My periods now last about 1.5 days, are super light, and I don’t have any PMS. I used to feel severely depressed, worthless, guilty, fragile,irrational etc etc and now I never get any of those feelings. The doc said it shouldn’t be the case, but it is, and I’m very grateful.
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I’ve noticed just before my period starts (about a week before) i have massive
farting attacks. Thank god I live alone! The poor cats cop it though!!
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Oh my GOD, yes! The farting, oh the farting…
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My husband is going mad at me at the moment for this very reason!
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My “only” pms symptom is massive pimple I get every month and the chocolate cravings. Strangely the pimple comes before the chocolate cravings. Like clockwork it appears every month.
Teenage daughter has beautiful skin but gets the the raging pms. Hard to distinguish from normal teenage behaviour but when she is completely irrational, I look at the calendar and go ahhh…PMS and try to bite my tongue for 48 hours…..
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Yes, the period pimple! Always on my chin. Hate it!
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A beautician I used to go to (best eyebrow wax ever, damn her pregnancy-induced departure from my local salon…) told me that the chin is the place for ‘hormonal’ breakouts and it has even been suggested that the side of the chin you have a break out on is the ovary from which you’ve ovulated… Now, I’m rather skeptical about that, but I found it interesting…
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OMG, I always get alternating ones. One month on the left side of my chin, the other month on the right. How weird is that? There might be something to it after all!! It’s so annoying!
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Wow! I wonder if that theory is right. I always get one or two blind pimples on the left side of my chin in the days before I get my period. Completely clear skin the rest of the month. In fact I have the remnants of two still lurking right now that I keep touching since reading your post haha
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same!
I think the beautician’s theory may be right.
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They’re always blind ones aren’t they? Of course I can never accept that they’re blind pimples and keep trying to squeeze them, resulting is extra sore, extra red swathes which draw a lot more attention than a mere pimple. Sigh!!
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I always get a pimple on my chin too before my period, so annoying!
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This post so sounds like me. And it has gotten worse since having children. Just awful. And what will make it go away – menopause – which will have benefits but I am afraid of the negatives. Oh dark chocolate is a winner for me.
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My PMS has been worse since having children too – and I never had bad period pain before having kids and now it’s a killer. I tell my husband that it’s a sign that I should just be pregnant again, but he’s not buying it!!!
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After explaining that my hysterical outburst the night before was due to my raging PMS and apologising profusely for my crazy lady act, my ex boyfriend (boyfriend at the time) says..
‘Babe, just tell me when you’re feeling all PMS-y and I’ll do whatever I can to make it better for you.’
Me ‘YOU CANT DO ANYTHING TO MAKE IT BETTER!!! YOU JUST CAN’T!’
Pretty much PMS in a nutshell ladies.
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Very enlightening this article… It always does sneak up on me to. I break down all of a sudden and start crying like a crazy person. Now my partners knows that I just need a hug and for him to ‘shut up’ hahaha
It used to be worse before I was on the pill. I would get PMS and then of the day of my period I would get nausea, diahhorea, vomit and severe cramps!!! every 28 days.. Exhausting!!
Are all us ladies getting punished for something? Hahaha
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I must admit I’m one of the lucky ones I don’t seem to get PMS – but I do get big boobs….
This isn’t necessarily great – when I get stressed my period gets later and later….but the boobs keep growing!!! It got to the point I had to buy a second bra a cup size bigger to accomodate the growing weeks that my period kept being late!
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I was just telling a friend today that my boobs don’t fit my bra when I have one and I end to with four boobs as they spill over the top. Good idea getting a second bra.
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Ha, just got my first period since bub came 8 months ago so I haven’t had pms for 17 months….. I bloated up and was shirty then crying and flying off the wall. Then period came. ‘oh welcome back pms, u were not missed at all’.
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How ridiculous Jo….
You’d never choose top deck over a normal dairy milk block at PMS time!!!!
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Jo, I think you’ll find the ingredient in chocolate that’s good for PMS relief is in higher quantities in dark chocolate than milk. So try hitting the Lindt instead next month and see if it makes a difference!
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Mia, would you consider making it mandatory to have to log into an account to be able to comment on posts? The anonymous trolling and nastiness is getting unbearable – Which sucks, cos I love Mamamia.
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I get awful PMS with classic symptoms but it’s even more surprising for me because I have absolutely NO warning or indication where I am in my cycle – I’ve had a hysterectomy. So every month I am *completely* surprised again and then I suddenly realilse it’s been about a month since I felt that crap. Lightbulb moment every single time, derrr.
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Are you serious ?? Not even a hysterectomy can fix this? What is it, a curse??
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the Ovaries are the key – a regular hysterectomy leaves them alone…
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oh, right …
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Yes, as arewethereyet said, those pesky little hormones don’t disappear unless the ovaries do. Until menopause. The preference is to leave the ovaries intact in hysterectomies where possible.
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You know, I actually feel guilty that I never had PMS .. like I let everyone else down by not being on the team? Is that crazy? Truthfully, for all my fertile years (Yay menopause, I love it!) I would get terrible cramps when my period came and be a physical mess for at least 24 hours. But never got any pre-symptoms. Even my husband (not known for his tact) who grew up with 2 sisters whose moods could be measured by the calendar, remarked on the fact. We’re all different.
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See now I’m wondering if I’d want to trade with you. I get PMS for 2 to 3 days before but my actual period only lasts maybe 36hrs max. A bit of cramping for an hour or two once every couple of months but that’s it. When I hear women talk about the massive pain they have each month I can’t imagine it. Makes me so grateful for my barely there periods.
Then again I bawled during that Lara Bingle show this week and again when I read an article about her on here so yeah, I probably should trade with you after all.
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Ditto borninoctober but I don’t feel guilty about it because bad period cramps can be just as much hell as anything PMS can throw at you. You don’t want to trade beans believe me.
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I don’t get PMS. I am grumpy all month long.
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I’ve been grumpy at work the last few days – not like me at all. Last night I cried watching a movie I’ve seen several times before with no worries – Cast Away. This morning I ate half a block of Lindt before breakfast. Why does it always sneak up on me – after 21 years!
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WILSON!!!! I always cry for the bloody ball!
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Aha, yes that gets a lot of people. I actually cried at the scene when he came back and his fiance was married to someone else. They kissed and she said he was the love of her life but couldn’t leave her husband. I bawled like a baby.
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Totally know what you mean! After about 17 years of periods it was only in the last 12 months that my boyfriend pointed out that my mood swings seemed to come every 1-2 months. Naturally, I stabbed him with a kitchen knife*. A few days later when I was back to normal I realised he was right though, for all those years I’d never seen the connection! I’ve now stopped skipping the break and having a period each month and it’s made a big difference, also just being aware of it can help (although I still sometimes don’t realise what it is until afterwards)
*Ok, not really, but he totally would’ve deserved it
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My boss of several years – who lives on the other side of the world, mind you – gives me the heads up each month: “ummm your ummm you know is coming so yeah I’ll talk to you in a few days because you know ummm yeah”. Poor guy actually puts me on radio silence until I let him know that danger has passed.
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My PMS is so bad that I’ve actually committed to not making any life changing decisions in the few days prior to, or whilst I’m on my period.
I’m THAT irrational…
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Haha! Day two of my period on Thursday I got up from my desk at work, pick up my bag and coat, gave my security pass to my colleague next to me and walked out. I resigned the next day. It was either leave or flip a table and tell half the people I work with to go f*#k themselves. I chose the latter. Oh – I then sat on the train home and cried like a crazy lady.
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Every time I feel like I’m irrationally emotional I check my calendar and, yep, it’s PMS. Without fail. But there’s some comfort in knowing it’s not just me
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Every month without fail for 2 days I feel like a complete failure as a mother/wife/co-worker. I cry, feel fat, can’t sleep and generally feel like the world is coming to and end. Then I get my period and realise I’m a fantastic mother/wife/co-worker and it was my hormones dragging me down into that black hole. Then 28 days later (on the dot) it hits me again. PMS exists and it is hideous!!!!!!
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Oh so reassuring to know it’s not just me! I’ve had a few successful moments of ‘ahhhh that makes sense’. If I haven’t and I’m particularly grumpy, arguing for no apparent reason for example, husband has been known to make possibly the no.1 mistake of interrupting me, mid flurry, “When are you due?” Seriously?! Is that not an invite for ball decapitation?!?! LOL! I’m SURE my angst at him is completely justified in that moment and not hormonally fueled, as is more likely the case………I usually apologise a few days later……when I start
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Gah. Thank you for this!
I am actually the absolute worst at controlling my moods when I’m PMS-ed, they range from cripplingly depressed to serous grumpiness. My poor family and friends get driven up the wall. My worst problem is that I dont always get it, it’ll be every second month or so which makes it even more difficult to control (and prepare for it).
My favourite PMS story actually belongs to a friend. She had warned her new boyfriend that she tended to cry a lot when PMS-ed and little things could throw her off. When they were at the super market he made, what was supposed to be amusing, comment about her tastes for strawberry milk. Cue my friends bursting into tears and a very confused boyfriend, in the middle of the supermarket.
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I don’t think I get it.
My husband says he’s never noticed.
I could be in denial and he might be being polite though.
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If that’s the case then you’ve picked a winner! Congrats! Husband gives right answer
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Evening primrose oil saved my relationship!
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I get it for 1 day exactly a week before the start of a period. I get cranky and spend the day biting my tongue and hating everyone. And every month I get my period and think back to that day and *facepalm myself because it surprises me every month. Does anyone else feel fantastic in the middle of a period. Other than a couple hours of cramps down the back of my legs, I go to the toilet alot and I feel so light and free. Also I get very toey to the point my husband sneaks off to have a shower cause I jump in with him at every opportunity.
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Yes why does that happen during your period, it’s like a curse!
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I’m so on your team! You couldn’t even look at me and I’d cry. Irrational thoughts about everyone hating me and plotting behind my back. Just stupid, stupid stuff that I’d look back on and shake my head. I’m 3.5 weeks post hysterectomy so I’m hoping those days are behind me now.
Top Deck and wine I say!
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Yes this happens to me… Not all the time but every couple of months it will hit. I become teary and anxious. I get shocking headaches and Cry at the drop of a hat. It just becomes all too much, and even the simplest tasks become overwhelming. Then my period arrives and everything settles down and I go oooohhhh that’s what it was- my life isn’t falling appart, it was just PMS. But it does sneak up in you, and whilst you are in the midst of it it can be hard to recognize what it is. My husband is lovely, he knows before I do what is going on, and offers cups of tea and tells me to go to bed early- he also gives fair warning to our daughter- don’t mess with mum today love, she might eat you!
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About three days before my period is due I I eat a lot of chocolate and get really irritated by things that normally don’t irritate me. I will also cry at the drop of a hat. When my period does come , I go back to normal. It’s weird but it’s very real .
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I wish I could be one of those women who don’t even notice their periods. Mine are like a catastrophic event every month, thanks to endometriosis and hormone imbalances giving me everything from anger, depression, insomnia, joint ache and horrific cramps – often before the damn thing has arrived!! I track it really carefully so I am aware which makes the emotions easier to handle (often taking a deep breathe and saying to myself “just remember, you’re hormonal” can stop me from completely losing it!) but the other symptoms still cause me all sorts of pain!
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I remember those feelings, Beckala, and I am scared of the day I will return to that when it is time to go off the pill to get pregnant in the next year or so. The pill has been my saviour. It got to the point where I was a barely functioning human for about 10-12 days a month, so I was left with little option. I feel your pain…literally!
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This is me too, it’s crippling. I’m scared about going on the Pill due to potential increase in anxiety.
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