A woman's period is another name for menstruation, in which a woman experiences bodily changes. This include bleeding from the vagina, which, for most women, comes monthly. This is a shedding of unnecessary uterine lining via bleeding. A woman's body prepares for a pregnancy every month during her fertile years. When no fertilization occurs, her body sheds the lining of the uterus. The symptoms of a coming menstrual cycle can range from minor things to premenstrual syndrome that includes a number of problems.
Emotional Symptoms
A woman's hormones change during the month, causing various symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, which the Mayo Clinic states occur in three out of every four women. Emotional symptoms that tell a woman she is near the menstruation part of her cycle may include a depressed mood, crying for periods of time, mood swings and withdrawing from her common social group.
Behavioral Symptoms
Approaching a menstrual period also can cause some behavioral symptoms in some women. These can include trouble concentrating, anxiety, irritability, anger and tension. The Mayo Clinic states that not all women who get PMS will experience all of its symptoms. Most may only experience a few.
Physical Symptoms
PMS also can show itself through physical symptoms. These can include a wide variety of things from diarrhea to constipation, pain in the muscles or joints, flareups of acne, headaches, tenderness in one or both breasts, bodily fatigue, bloating in the abdomen and retaining fluids, which can cause you to gain weight.
Severe Symptoms
A severe form of PMS is called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. This does not occur in most women, but it can produce severe symptoms. These may include low self-esteem, severe depression, a feeling of hopelessness and more severe anxiety, anger, tension and irritability.
