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medpundit |
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Tuesday, March 04, 2003IOW they suffer in about every way except pregnancy. And silence. I’ve always been skeptical of many PMS claims, especially when it’s used as an excuse for bad behavior. Yet, there’s a certain sort of truth to the phenomenon, at least for some women. Right before their period, when their hormone levels drop very low, some women feel dysphoric, or have trouble concentrating, or just feel plain tired. Others feel that way for about two weeks before their period, at about the time that hormone levels peak. In these cases, I’ve got to think that there’s some sort of influence of reproductive hormones on the brain, especially since antidepressants like Prozac help the symptoms. What that influence is, is still a mystery. (And since the symptoms are described by different women at different points in their cycle, it must be an influence that varies from woman to woman.) Other women have the symptoms throughout the time of their period, but I sometimes wonder if that just isn’t grouchiness because their periods make them feel sick. (Bleeding for a week isn’t conducive to feeling good.) Not all women experience PMS, and not all of those who do experience it have it with each menstrual cycle. In the end, no matter how badly we feel physically, we’re still responsible for our own behavior. It may take an extra effort to be civil and polite when we aren’t feeling well, but we’re still capable of it, and still obligated to make that effort. No matter if we’re women or men. posted by Sydney on 3/04/2003 07:25:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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