2007-08 PMS: How Far Have We Really Come?

Until that time, PMS had been widely accepted as just another expression of a woman’s hysterical nature which was best treated with tranquilizers or antidepressants.

We've learned a lot about PMS since then.  However, millions of women still suffer needlessly with mood swings, fluid retention, headaches, breast tenderness, cravings and anxiety - the symptoms of cyclical hormonal change. In the 1970s, the drugs of choice to treat PMS were Valium, a tranquilizer, and Elavil, an antidepressant. Today, we have Prozac and Xanax. So, how far have we really come?

At Women’s Health America, we’ve made it our mission to help women naturally manage symptoms from PMS and other hormone imbalances since the first woman came to us 25 years ago for help with her severe PMS. By taking this woman’s PMS symptoms out of her head and bringing them into the pharmacy, Women’s Health America began the modern era of treating PMS and menopause as hormone imbalance instead of mental and emotional imbalance.

In honor of that history, we celebrate PMS Awareness Month each August. It’s a time to focus on PMS education, commitment to research and awareness.

“Getting help for my PMS is part of what’s changing my life to a more positive, productive one,” said Women’s Health America patient Nancy.

Although the exact cause of PMS is not known, our hormones, particularly the hormone progesterone, is thought to play a key role.

The late Katherine Dalton, MD, who defined PMS in the 1940s, found success in treating her patients in London with natural progesterone. Her work inspired Women's Health America founder Marla Ahlgrimm, who went to study with Dr. Dalton. Ahlgrimm was first in the United States to treat PMS with progesterone therapy.

Produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands, progesterone is the hormone of pregnancy. In fact, progesterone literally means, “for gestation.” It prepares the lining of the uterus for the fertilized ovum and maintains pregnancy. Specifically, progesterone converts the womb lining into a soft spongy bed in order to enhance implantation of a fertilized egg.

Very high levels of progesterone are necessary to maintain a pregnancy. When pregnancy occurs, the placenta takes over output of progesterone, producing levels up to 30 times greater than normal peak levels. This explains why many women feel good during pregnancy.

If implantation does not occur, progesterone levels fall and menstruation begins.

About seven days before your menstrual period, estrogen and progesterone levels decrease dramatically. Symptoms may occur as a result of low levels of progesterone, excessive levels of estrogen and/or fluctuations in both levels. The most common symptoms are: anxiety, irritability, crying for no reason, cravings for sweets or chocolate, mood swings, depression and headaches.

Symptoms typically disappear once menstruation begins – the cloud lifts.

PMS symptoms intensify with age or after pregnancy, starting/stopping oral contraceptives, a tubal ligation or hysterectomy.

Supplementing progesterone through use of natural progesterone USP can have a profound effect on PMS symptoms. Natural progesterone can have a calming, mood stabilizing effect on your brain

Restore^® Provider Deborah Helms, PA, said progesterone has proved to be a big benefit to the women she treats for PMS, especially those suffering from PMS-related anxiety and irritability.

“Progesterone is a natural antidepressant,” Helms said. “It helps take the edge off.”

One patient said her progesterone prescription made a world of difference in her marriage and her relationship with her children, Helms said.

“I have been using progesterone for a year now and am still marveling at the new person I have become,” said WHA patient Mary, who suffered from PMS. “I am healthier and happier than I have been in years.”

The use of progesterone can also be a nice way to help transition women into perimenopause, Helms said.

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