premenstrual syndrome

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Calcium Will Ease the Pains of PMS

Thursday, December 27th, 2012

It’s almost that time of the month. Your skinny jeans don’t fit, you’re crying about the dishes in the sink, and chocolate is all you want for dinner. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects at least 85% of all women in some way. Some don’t have the same symptoms as others, but many women will have at least one as part of their cycle. You might get acne, tender breasts, fatigue, bloating, cravings, muscle pain, trouble with memory, irritability, mood swings, and anxiety all at once. In many ways, these symptoms interfere with everyday life by making even the most simple and mundane tasks more difficult. The fatigue can feel paralyzing, and the mood swings can make you feel like a monster. Even the most casual conversations can turn into fights or tear-jerkers.

For women who are predisposed to it, PMS is impossible to avoid. Sometimes, contraceptives can ease the symptoms, but other times they actually become much worse. There are also a few easy remedies you can try to ease symptoms, such as exercise and diet adjustment. By exercising, you release much of the tension and stress built up in your body, which will make each problem seem a lot less intense. Avoiding junk food and alcohol can also make symptoms fade away faster, but this only works for some women. However, there is one easy treatment for PMS that has been repeatedly proven to work in a clinical setting. An increased intake of calcium will help ease the symptoms of PMS. In the study, women who increased their intake by 1200-1600 mg every day had significantly less symptoms than before they began the supplementation.

Always consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet, but increasing the amount of calcium you eat while you are experiencing PMS is easy. You don’t even need to pay for the supplements if you try adding more calcium-rich foods to your diet. Milk, yogurt, beans, tofu, kale, spinach, and orange juice are all excellent sources of calcium. When that time of the month rolls around and you feel too bloated to function and too emotional to face your friends, stock up on calcium rich foods to get over your PMS before it gets the best of you.

 – Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.