As a man I am curious to why women use PMS as an excuse to treat men or others around them cruelly?
I just did a bunch of research on what PMS really is trying to figure out how and why a woman would act this way? I found a bunch of information to only support my beliefs on the situation: that a lot of women (not being biased) misunderstand PMS. IF a woman really does have the disease (since that鈥檚 what PMS is- premenstrual syndrome) I could understand why she would act that way but many women claim to have it when they really don鈥檛 (they are just experiencing hormone changes).
PMS from hat I read is a really serious condition in which women who really have it should seek treatment. So out of curiosity, what is the deal? Do men annoy or anger women to the point that they feel they have to lash out at them but would feel guilty if they couldn鈥檛 blame it on something? I respect women and always have I just never was able to comprehend this and would appreciate it if somebody would be mature enough to clear it up.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Premenstrual syndrome is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Premenstrual syndrome, or a subtype of Premenstrual syndrome, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population. Excuse me to the person above me...but it is considered a disease or a syndrome. If you find a site that says otherwise I would appreciate you letting me..or him know. See for yourself. Just cause your older doesn't mean you know it all.
"The medical term for these changes is "premenstrual syndrome," commonly called PMS."
http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/pms/i...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMS
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premens...
And I agree...women shouldn't use such a serious disease or condition to excuse their behavior. I am offended...seriously offended...and even more offended for those who don't even care to understand. Yeah I guess that many women do use it as an excuse but then men claim to have a mid life crisis and thats just as scientifically unfounded.
Those that do suffer from PMS do actually SUFFER badly!; it's not like I use it as a club to beat people over the head with. it's simply chemical. it's like - haven't you ever been thru a period of time where every little thing annoyed you and you dont know why ? thats like PMS. Sometimes you just cry over stupid things like phone commercials and to me - it's worse when it's not recognized. i could be feeling down for a day or two and that would cause me to maybe lash out a bit but once i realize it's the PMS - it's easier to subdue. For every woman it is different. Sometimes we are in pain during that period of time. But mostly it's just chemical. Anyone who uses it as an excuse to be mean ~ is just a mean person !!!!!! I dont really see a need a treatment unless they're psychotic tho. Again - every one takes it and handles it differently so it's hard to say. Look at it this way - it's comparable to say - having a pin stuck in your leg for a week. Maybe it hurts sometimes as a low throb - sometimes it doesnt bother you - when it's agitated it flares into pain - sometimes you can ignore and sometimes you cant Correction: PMS is not a disease. I don't know what reading you have been doing, but if someone told you PMS is a disease, they were wrong. Hormone changes are what causes PMS. They are almost synonymous.
PMS can be quite serious in rare cases. But many women suffer from PMS before their period. Some months it is worse than others.
PMS is not strictly an emotional condition either. It entails physical changes as well. Combine the emotional rollercoaster with the physical discomfort and you may have one really unhappy woman for a week or so.
For me, personally, I know I suffer from PMS, but mine is not a serious case. It varies from month to month. Sometimes I will barely have any symptoms. Other months, I will be in so much physical discomfort that I will come home from work and all I want to do is cry.
Some of the physical symptoms can very much influence the emotional symptoms, or at least that's been my experience. Some of my physical symptoms can be so painful that I feel overwhelmed and terribly sick.
The emotional symptoms can be very difficult to deal with as well. I do feel badly for you if you have had to suffer being the brunt of someone who suffers emotionally from PMS. I know that when I am having PMS, I feel very bad for my fiance. He is, of course, the person who is around me the most and suffers the most from my mood swings and temper. I tend to get very emotional and sometimes I get very angry. Just last month, I lashed out at him for no reason. I felt I had reason at the time, but a day or two later, as I looked back on it, I realized I was out of line. It had nothing to do with him and it really had nothing to do with me, either. It did still happen, however.
I do tend to do better if I am conscious of "what time of the month" it is and if I take some PMS medication. Midol and Pamprin tend to work fine. They alleviate some of the physical symptoms which can make a woman more irritable. Think about it. When you don't feel good, do you tend to be more or less irritated with the people around you, even people you love or care about?
My last bit of advice is not to take it personally. Don't let it be an excuse for your significant other, but don't lash back at them. It will only make matters worse. Know that she will probably feel guilty about what she has said in the next few days when the PMS has subsided. If she doesn't, then she probably is just using it as an excuse and that is not right. But again, don't take it personally. She would most likely get annoyed with anyone in her path at the time if she's really suffering from PMS.
Edit: Apparently, I offended a young female answerer after me. I had no intention of doing so. Yes, PMS is a syndrome. Syndrome is not the same as disease. That was all I meant. No, because I am older does not mean I know everything, but I do have a lot of personal experience with this subject. Again, I did not mean to offend, I was simply trying to be helpful and honest in my answer. PMS is a real thing. It is caused by hormonal fluctuations right before a women's period. Why do some get it worse than others? Every woman is different hormonally. Some have more estrogen, some more progesterone, some have more testosterone, yes women do have testosterone...It depends on the womans genetic makeup. Hormonal fluctuations are inherited, mainly.
Some women get cramps, some headaches. Some women get bitchy, some become totally unhinged, again it depends on a particular womans hormones.
It isn't any different when a woman gets pregnant. How her body reacts is due to hormonal fluctuation. Some women get severe morning sickness, some don't. Some have wild mood swings, some don't.... Every woman is different.
There are medications out there to help women who have severe mood swings due to PMS. Zoloft is one in particular that seems to work very well. Not only does it help with the mood swings, but for some reason it helps to ease the physical symptoms, like cramps, etc.....
Hope this helps to answer your question. I know as a man it is easy to convince yourself that PMS is all in a womans mind, but I assure you, for the millions of women who suffer from it, each and every month, it is very real. its a condition called PMDD its when our body and our hormones change and if its really uncontrolable their is a perscription medicine for it. i concur that PMS is NOT a disease and is actually a syndrome, that's why it's called pre-menstral syndrome. that is distinctly different from PMDD, a very serious condition that requires medical intervention, like a prescription of an antidepressant for certain times of the month.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/pms.htm
"What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a group of symptoms linked to the menstrual cycle. PMS symptoms occur in the week or two weeks before your period (menstruation or monthly bleeding). The symptoms usually go away after your period starts. PMS can affect menstruating women of any age. It is different for each woman: it may be just a monthly bother or it may be so severe that it makes it hard to even get through the day. Monthly periods stop during menopause, bringing an end to PMS.
What causes PMS?
The causes of PMS are not clear. It is linked to the changing hormones during the menstrual cycle. Some women may be affected more than others by changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. Stress and emotional problems do not seem to cause PMS, but they may make it worse.
How common is PMS?
Estimates of the percentage of women affected by PMS vary widely. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), at least 85 percent of menstruating women have at least one PMS symptom as part of their monthly cycle."
i'm not making this up boys and girls, it is from a government website and cites the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. I don't know about you, but i think i'd go to the government and this group of experts on the female reproductive system first. i'm much more inclined to believe that 85% of us DO experience PMS, just based on asking women around me if they get it. i personally don't very often, but some women get it very bad.
i don't think it is any excuse to lash out at people. the hormone fluxuations create this syndrome. it goes away usually when a woman begins to menstrate for that month. i'm not about to believe that womenshealth.GOV and a leading group of experts, plus 85% of women are making up a condition just to piss people off and get away with making other people's lives miserable. Okay, I am not reading the huge amounts of things people have written before me debating if it is a disease or syndrome.
My personal experience is that YES I do get moody right before my period...why...I blame it on PMS. We are taught from a young age that it happens. I try my hardest not to lash out at my kids or husband but sometimes the littlest thing ticks me off. Is it hormones?...probably...my body is getting ready to shed blood for the next 5-7 days.
I am not condoning the use of saying I am lashing out because of PMS. But I am not condeming it either. All women suffer problems with their period. We have cramps (some women have worse cramps than others), we bleed for days on end, give us a little slack.
My question back to you is, if a woman is moody (bad day or PMS) why do men lash back at us by saying, "What? PMSing today?" See, women are not the only ones to blame PMS. |
