Understanding PMS – Premenstrual Syndrome

It’s not just about bloating and headaches. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its symptoms can affect just about any element of your day. Thankfully, there are ways to alleviate such symptoms as irritability, mood swings, and uneasiness without solely relying on prescription medications.

PMS is one of the most widespread hormone-related issues, and yet, we don’t often pay much attention to how deeply it can affect us. Three out of every four women in the world will experience PMS during their childbearing years,¹ and around 20-40% of all women may experience serious lifestyle implications as a result of their PMS.²

Most people know PMS as a syndrome characterized by symptoms such as bloating, tender breasts, and mood swings.³ These symptoms tend to pop up in the days prior to the start of your period. However, there’s a lot more to PMS than meets the eye.

What is PMS?

Premenstrual syndrome refers to a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that many women experience in the days leading up to their menstrual period. Symptoms can vary widely, but commonly include bloating, cramps, fatigue, breast tenderness, and food cravings.⁴

A multitude of other physical symptoms have been linked to PMS, but we want to be clear that it’s not just something that affects your body. Many women often note that there’s a powerful emotional element to PMS, as well. 

Women who suffer from PMS are likely to experience mood swings, uneasiness, sleep disturbances, or even aggression,⁵ as a result. If you’ve ever randomly felt like crying before your period, or lashed out at someone you love for seemingly no reason, chances are you’ve experienced firsthand how disruptive the emotional symptoms of PMS can be.

Hear more from Bonafide Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, regarding the definition of PMS, below: 

Does PMS Change with Age?

If you had mood swings during puberty, then you may remember the inexplicable volatile feelings you experienced as a teenager. Following the start of your period, you may have noticed that your mood swings leveled off a bit—for the most part anyway and started to become more cyclical – coinciding with your monthly menses. 

As women age, they may find that the mood swings they experience due to PMS start to get worse. This is particularly true as women reach their 40s, which tends to be when most women enter perimenopause—the transitional time leading up to your final period, and menopause.⁶

Do PMS Symptoms Affect Everyone Equally?

The problem with PMS is that it’ll affect everyone differently. Many women may experience bloating, but not mood swings. Others will experience light versions of both, while others still, will end up struggling with a multitude of PMS symptoms. 

While some women may not find PMS to be an issue, the women who do experience serious symptoms often feel frustrated about what to do about them. They may feel like PMS is disrupting their quality of life, or even feel alienated by their inability to control their emotions during this specific time of the month. 

If this sounds similar to any of the issues you’ve had with PMS in the past, you’re not alone. Premenstrual syndrome can make anyone feel a little out of control.

Premenstrual Syndrome Treatments

Women often manage their PMS by taking Advil or Midol, or use a heating pad in hopes that their cramps, bloating, and headaches will subside. And there aren’t a lot of over-the-counter management options available for easing the moodiness, irritability, and uneasiness that women often experience. 

Healthcare providers can prescribe hormonal treatments or antidepressants to help alleviate the symptoms of PMS that women naturally experience.⁷  However, these drugs may potentially lead to unwanted side effects that make the downsides not necessarily worth the potential benefits.

Outside of prescription management options, there are a few additional ways to manage the symptoms of PMS and may require only a few simple changes:

• Regular exercise: Physical activity can help alleviate symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and mood swings by releasing endorphins and reducing stress.
• Adopting a healthy diet: Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins may help with symptom management.
• Getting adequate amounts of sleep: Getting enough sleep can improve overall well-being and reduce symptoms like irritability and fatigue.
• Investing in stress management: Practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or mindfulness can help reduce stress levels, which may alleviate some emotional PMS symptoms.

• Calcium and magnesium: Some studies suggest that these minerals may help reduce PMS symptoms, particularly mood swings and bloating.
• Vitamin B6: This vitamin may help alleviate symptoms like irritability and mood swings.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Found in fish oil supplements, omega-3s may help reduce headaches and symptoms such as mood swings and bloating.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, can help relieve menstrual cramps, headaches, and muscle aches associated with PMS.
• Hormonal birth control: Birth control pills or patches, help to stop ovulation, which may help to relieve PMS symptoms.
• Antidepressants: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are sometimes prescribed to address severe PMS symptoms.

It's essential for individuals experiencing severe or debilitating PMS symptoms to consult with their healthcare provider to discuss the best treatment options for their specific needs.

PMS Doesn’t Have to Be an Emotional Rollercoaster

If you’d rather not rely on prescription options such as hormones or antidepressants to manage your PMS symptoms, and the above suggested lifestyle changes aren’t enough, there are alternatives you can consider.

What’s Serenol^TM?

Serenol is a once-daily, dietary supplement made from an exclusive blend of Swedish flower pollen extract, chromium picolinate, and royal jelly. These three non-drug ingredients have been clinically shown to be both safe and effective at reducing the emotional symptoms of PMS – such as uneasiness, irritability and mood swings.¹²

Bonafide's Relief From Emotional PMS

Serenol^TM is designed to reduce moodiness and irritability due to hormonal fluctuations due to PMS or menopause.*

Learn More Here

Women who have used Serenol noted a remarkable improvement in their emotional PMS symptoms, as well as a reduction in water retention and food cravings.^13,14

How Do You Use Serenol?

Taking Serenol is easy. Take two tablets, every day, with or without food and enjoy the benefits of being able to take control of your emotional PMS.* With most women, the longer you take Serenol, the more pronounced the effects will be—with many noticing PMS mood-related symptoms subsiding after just two cycles with consistent use.¹⁵

The Benefits of Serenol

If you have ever experienced the frustration that unexplainable mood swings can cause, you may understand why managing your symptoms is important for your well-being. Having to live life while feeling irritable all day is rough, but it’s also unnecessary. 

It’s wonderful to know that there are safe, effective, prescription-free premenstrual syndrome management options available that can allow you to live your life without the burden of mood swings and irritability.* Being able to avoid the emotional side of PMS can truly be a life-changer.

Currently, over 3,950 doctors across the United States recommend Serenol to their patients because its ingredients have been shown to be both safe and effective for relieving the emotional symptoms of PMS.¹⁶

Anyone who has ever felt helpless in their struggle with PMS should consider exploring some of the above recommendations for addressing its symptoms. Whether that means incorporating a few simple lifestyle changes or giving a dietary supplement, like Serenol, a try.

As always, before you try something new, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider first, just as a precaution and to ensure you’re taking the best steps forward in addressing your PMS symptoms.

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20376780
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308332
3. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pre-menstrual-syndrome/
4. https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome
5. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24288-pms-premenstrual-syndrome#symptoms-and-causes
6. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/report/menopause#:~:text=Perimenopause%20can%20begin%20in%20some,be%20sudden%20surges%20in%20estrogen.
7. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/premenstrual-syndrome-pms-and-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd-beyond-the-basics#:~:text=Selective%20serotonin%20reuptake%20inhibitors%20%E2%80%94%20Selective,%2C%20and%20paroxetine%20(Paxil).
8. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/premenstrual-syndrome-pms
9. https://www.healthline.com/health/pms-supplements
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23642943/
11. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376787#treatment
12. Winther K, Henman C. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2002; 63 (5): 344-353.
13. Winther K, Henman C. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2002; 63 (5): 344-353.
14. Anton S, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2008;10(5): 405-412.
15. Winther K, Henman C. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2002; 63 (5): 344-353.
16. Winther K, Henman C. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2002; 63 (5): 344-353.