Men often find it difficult to understand, and many women dread it.
PMS is a group of symptoms that begins about two weeks before a woman's period and goes away with the onset of menstrual bleeding, says Dr. Susan Johnson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the UI College of Medicine. Common symptoms include breast tenderness, bloating, mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches, food cravings and fatigue. PMS is an ovulation-based disorder, which means it occurs when an egg from the ovary travels through the fallopian tube to a woman's uterus. PMS can only be diagnosed by charting and evaluating two to three months of symptoms. Women with PMS should first make changes in their diet and begin a moderate exercise program, Rhomberg says.