Personal Perspectives on PMS
By National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome
The Sufferer
I remember suffering from PMS from the age of 12, when 'the time of the month', as I often refer to it, was approaching. The main symptoms that I recall were tiredness, irritability and feeling increasingly bloated. I also suffered from dysmenorrhoea and would often be physically sick during the first day or two of my period. This often led to absence from school. A couple of paracetamol tablets and a hot water bottle helped to some extent, but I came to
loathe this monthly occurrence. I knew that some of my classmates were
prescribed the contraceptive pill to help their symptoms, but this was not some-
thing I wished to take because I was aware of the possible side-effects.
My mother and friends were quite supportive. I think women or girls who
have experienced PMS are better at empathising and helping than those who
are fortunate enough not to suffer. Likewise, there are those men who see
PMS as an excuse for women not to cope.
When I went to college in my teens to take a nursing foundation course and
then worked as an auxiliary nurse before starting my nurse training, I seemed more able to cope with the monthly cycle. Some months were better than others, but when you are in the adult working world, you simply have to learn to cope with how you feel. It is equally important to find time to relax and unwind, for
example, by talking with friends or doing some gentle exercise.
I met my husband John in my final year of training. It was a stressful time as I was taking exams and starting work as a qualified nurse. We got on well together and, although it was probably some time before he knew why I had 'off days', he was very supportive and understanding. Something that I did learn from
experience was to try not to take on too many activities when I knew that the time of the month was approaching. It is good to take some exercise, such as a 20 or 30- minute walk, but not to start spring cleaning the house.
Before I learned to combat and overcome my PMS, I did not have a regular intake of high-fibre, high-carbohydrate food. Working nights every three months or so meant that, although I ate, my eating habits were erratic.
After my daughter Ruth was born, I suffered from a puerperal psychosis which took hold before I was due to leave the hospital. After a long, slow recovery from my illness, I found that my PMS was much more severe, and I had to learn from scratch how to cope with it and be a good wife and mother.
One year later, we discovered that my mother had inoperable lung cancer and
she died the following year. This added tremendous stress to an already delicate
situation. I was coping, but only just.
An unpleasant feature of this time was my tendency to want to break things. I never took it out on my family but, instead, broke crockery in the kitchen and left marks on the furniture.
All in all, settling into family life was difficult. Some months would be
bearable for everyone, some months would be bearable for Ruth and John while I suffered quietly, and some months would be sheer hell for all of us.
In 1994, we had our second child Ian and I suffered no ill-effects, thanks to a supportive family, friends, midwives, doctors, NAPS and prophylactic
progesterone.
Glossary
Dysmenorrhoea - painful periods.
Puerperal psychosis - a severe but temporary mental disorder which occurs shortly after giving birth.
