FIND RELIEF FROM PMS

It's a common condition for many women, but we no longer have to grin and bear it

Mood swings, bloating, aches, and pains - premenstrual syndrome (or PMS as it's often called) is a condition many of us are all too familiar with. If that wasn't enough, the symptoms can also change as we get older. So while there eventually comes a time in life when we say goodbye to periods and hop off that hormonal roller-coaster once and for all, some women find that their PMS may get worse in the lead-up to menopause.

The good news? As we begin to talk about women's issues more openly, we're also learning more about available treatments - which range from medical interventions to lifestyle changes and natural therapies. Best of all, we don't have to suffer in silence anymore.

HORMONES 101

Chances are you may already be pretty familiar with what PMS is, but why does it happen in the first place? While the exact causes aren't fully understood, women's healthcare and natural fertility expert Nat Kringoudis says it's linked to hormonal changes that occur during the luteal phase, which is the final part of our menstrual cycle before our period.

"The luteal phase is the time we make progesterone. It is the hormone produced as a product of ovulation," Kringoudis says. "Given the timing of the symptoms in PMS (the second part of the cycle) it's possible that symptoms are related to the hormone progesterone."

HOW DOES STR AFFECT PMS?