PMS Health Video

Premenstrual syndrome refers to physical and emotional symptoms of the female's menstrual cycle that cause significant interference in functioning. Learn more about PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, including treatments and symptoms in this medical video.

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Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Maintain a balanced diet
Exercise regularly
Take B vitamins the week before your cycle begins

About this Author

Dr. Ulrich joined On Call Medical Group in 2006. She had previously practiced at Doctors Medical Center in Richmond, Calif., and prior to that worked with the uninsured and homeless population of San Francisco at the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. Throughout her medical career, Dr. Ulrich as also been involved in numerous medical research studies. Dr. Ulrich holds a B.S. from Harvard University, an M.P.H. for the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

SKYLAR ULRICH, MD: Hi. I'm Dr. Skylar Ulrich. I'm going to talk about premenstrual syndrome. Premenstrual syndrome, otherwise known as PMS, is characterized by the development of irritability, mood swings, depression, and fatigue usually one week before the onset of menstruation. The symptoms of PMS vary from person to person and vary from cycle to cycle, and they also vary with age. As mentioned before, it is generally characterized by depression, mood swings, irritability, and fatigue the week before the onset of menstruation. The treatment of premenstrual syndrome is typically supportive. It is a self-limiting condition which typically resolves after one to two days of menstruation; however, in more severe cases, specific treatment may be indicated such as the use of antidepressants, SSRIs such as Prozac, have shown to be effective. Prevention of PMS: It's difficult to prevent PMS if you're predisposed to it; however, maintaining a healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet and a regular exercise, as well as taking B vitamins the week before the onset of menstruation may alleviate some of these symptoms.

PMS Health Video

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