PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome is used to describe the emotional and physical changes experienced by women typically between ovulation and start of menstruation. This phase could last for a week or more and cause physical symptoms and emotional disturbances, often presenting as mood swings, sadness, anxiety, frustration, anger or as a blend of these feelings. A friend put it beautifully the other day- “It is not that I have not felt the things i feel so intensely during my PMS, it is just that I didn’t acknowledge them before and now they just come out with a force that I have no control on whatsoever. And then I find myself yelling at my children and fighting with my husband.” Body is undergoing significant changes Hormone levels undergo a significant change during the second half of the menstrual cycle or the two weeks before the start of the period. Fluctuations occur, with estrogen declining and then rising slightly before the period, while progesterone levels rise and subsequently drop. When the feel good hormone i.e. estrogen levels drop, it influences our neurotransmitters – dopamine and serotonin- and that in turn has a direct impact on our mood. The other aspect of PMS […]