Self-Care for Symptom Relief of PMS

Over 65 percent of the women who call Women’s Health America, Inc. report that self-care through a healthy diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, and a nutritional supplement provides significant relief from their PMS symptoms, without the need for prescription therapy. In fact, self-care is the foundation of any PMS management program.

Here is what you can do:

Chart your symptoms. Writing down your symptoms for two to three cycles helps to show when they occur and record their severity. You can use your own calendar or download and print out our helpful Personal Symptom Chart. You may find it helpful to review this chart with your healthcare provider.

Make healthy changes in your diet. Instead of ”three squares,” try eating three small meals and three snacks daily to keep your blood sugar stable. Whole grains and proteins are good staples of a healthy PMS diet. And, it’s best to limit caffeine and sugar, since they can worsen symptoms.

Staying Hydrated

Keeping well-hydrated, particularly during the hot summer months, is a simple and effective self-help method for women with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), according to Marla Ahlgrimm, R.Ph., and founder of Women’s Health America.

”When the weather heats up, we water our lawns and gardens and probably refill our pets water dishes more often. Regularly replenishing our own body’s water supply is just as important,” Ahlgrimm explained. ”Often women with PMS avoid drinking an abundance of water because water retention is such a common PMS symptom. Drinking lots of water helps to flush the body out and actually reduces premenstrual bloating.”

How much water should we drink? ”At least six to eight glasses a day,” Ahlgrimm advises. ”And it doesn’t matter if its tap or bottled water. Either one is a better choice than diet sods or other drinks that have sugar, sodium, or caffeine, which can worsen PMS symptoms.”

Ahlgrimm includes water intake as part of a daily PMS management program that includes healthy diet and exercise. She offers these tips to help develop the water habit:

Take a bottle of water along with you, wherever you go – in the car, at work, or while exercising. Place a glass of water on your desk instead of coffee or soda.
Put three or four inches of water in a plastic squeeze bottle and freeze it overnight. Fill it to the top with water in the morning, and enjoy cold water all day.
Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. When reaching for a cold drink, pour yourself a glass of water.
Make water an interesting and attractive drink. Add flavor and color with a slice of lemon or orange or a dash of fruit juice.
Always offer water as a liquid refreshment choice when serving guests. It keeps you ”thinking water,” and it’s good for everyone.
”Taking regular water breaks is also a good way of stopping to pay attention to what our bodies need,” Ahlgrimm says. ”It’s a way of taking time out for ourselves.”

Stress Reduction – link to stress reduction article

Regular exercise and stress reduction. Studies show that exercise and stress reduction are valuable components of your PMS management program.

Vitamin and mineral supplementation. Adding nutrients to your diet that are known to help with symptom relief is another key ”ingredient” in a PMS self-help program. ProCycle® PMS, a multivitamin-mineral supplement, is specially formulated to help manage your symptoms.

Natural progesterone cream formulated with up to 0.016 percent progesterone USP is available as an over the counter product and is designed to help women of all ages with symptoms relating to PMS, perimenopause, or menopause.

Be advised, however, that natural progesterone and wild yam creams are not one and the same. Wild yam does not contain progesterone, and your body does not convert wild yam extract into progesterone. Progesterone USP has been added to some wild yam creams, but the amount varies widely so be sure to check the label. In some cases, a prescription progesterone cream formulated just for you can be less expensive than a wild yam cream, and your insurance may cover the cost. Marla’s PMS book

Get the essentials you need to self-manage your PMS symptoms with our PMS Essentials Collection.

Educate yourself about PMS so you can become a full partner in your health care. There are many great books on PMS including Self-Help for Premenstrual Syndrome, co-authored by Marla Ahlgrimm. Our email PMS mini-course is also a good place to start your education.

When Self-Care is Not Enough

When self-care is not enough to relieve PMS symptoms, it may be a sign of hormone imbalance that could be helped through prescription hormone therapy. In the 1970s we were the first in the U.S. to identify PMS and develop a natural progesterone treatment. That history and experience is the foundation of the products and services we offer today.

Click here to take our PMS Self Assessment

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