There are many ways that PMS can and does affect the family. The most obvious effects are related to the changes in your behavior and the symptoms that you may suffer from. In PMS Symptoms we listed many of common, and uncommon, symptoms that are frequently seen in PMS. If you have any of these symptoms, especially those that affect you emotionally or physically, they will to some degree or another be obvious to others, and most especially to other family members. If they affect you, they most likely also have some effect on your family.
Some of the most common symptoms which effect the family are those associated with significant (meaning, obvious to others consciously or unconsciously) depression, anger, acting out and mood swings. Often women are unable to recognize the full extent of the effect of their PMS on themselves and hence will miss its effects on their family. PMS women have been brought into us by their husbands with instructions to "fix her before I have to file divorce."
PMS very often has a significant negative affect on your children. Often children, especially young children, have no idea as to what is normal and abnormal. When mother acts out from PMS they will accept either the way mother acts as normal, or they may think that their mother is "crazy." They may even believe that all women are supposed to act this way.
Young girls may even believe that when they grow up, this is the way they are supposed to act or that PMS is normal. Often because they do not know any different, they may emulate their mother and exhibit PMS behavior. Young boys may from an early age think of their mother, and hence all women, are erratic, emotional and unstable. Because of the acting out, erratic behavior, broken promises, sudden fits of anger and rage PMS may be subject to, their children may soon believe that you (and possibly all women) are not to be trusted or relied upon.
How Does PMS Affect Teenage Girls?
It is also extremely important, when we discuss PMS and its effect on the family to discuss the relationship between PMS and teenage girls. While statistics show that PMS most commonly affects women in their mid to late twenties, what is overlooked is the important fact that PMS generally begins much earlier.
PMS is often missed in teenage girls because no one looks for it. Generally, teenage girls do not see gynecologists regularly and if their mothers and fathers are not very knowledgeable about PMS, they will not consider it an issue. Also, the symptoms of PMS in teenagers often differ radically from PMS in adult women. Many people believe that the teenage years are supposed to be erratic and turbulent.
Teenage girls may have some or all of the symptoms that their mother's have or have had, or they may have entirely different patterns. There are several symptoms which are particularly problematic in teenage girls.
First, there is an alarmingly high rate of suicide among teenage girls with PMS. PMS often causes severe depression and some of these girls are unable to deal with their dark moods and fears effectively. They may feel that their problems are insolvable and that there is no one there for them to turn to. On occasion they may feel that suicide is the only way out. This is the primary reason that any teenage girl who is depressed, moody or acting suicidally must be evaluated. Suicidal behavior has two meanings here. One is the standard meaning of committing suicide. The other is that they may be doing suicidal things such as using large amounts of alcohol, drugs, driving erratically, bad relationships, running away, alienation from the parents and other friends. Often these are seen as emotional problems but they may actually be caused by PMS. These girls need to be treated for PMS whether they need psychological counseling will be determined by how they respond to correct treatment of their PMS.
A second problem is nymphomania. Often the teenage girl is ill prepared to deal with the negative feeling created by her PMS. Her budding sexuality and her need for love may overwhelm her and her inability to control her emotions may lead her to sexually acting out. She maybe driven by these negative forces into nymphomania, multiple partners and indiscriminate sex. This behavior may occur only during PMS portions of the cycle or it may occur all month long. It is not unusual for her self-respect and her self-image to become so severely damaged that she feels driven into running away or engaging in prostitution. Early pregnancy and marriage may also be secondary effects of untreated PMS.
A third problem is teenage obesity. Here once again as with her adult counterpart, cravings, low self-esteem, low ego strength, mood swings and depression may come together in the form of excessive appetite, overeating, bingeing and weight gain. This weight gain separates her from her, "ideal - perfect self-image" which worsens her depression, exaggerates her mood swings and makes her more unhappy, withdrawn and feeling unloved. This drives her cravings and psychological need for food which leads to bingeing and more weight gain. It is a vicious cycle and no matter how hard she tries she cannot seem to break it. Identifying if PMS is the cause or contributes to such behavior is essential. If PMS is found, it should be treated. Our Metamorphosis On-Line Weight Loss Program takes all of this into consideration. It is a diet which can easily be modified to help teenage PMS girls simultaneously lose weight and reverse their PMS.
A fourth problem is alcohol and drug abuse. We referred to this above. Many teenage girls, who would otherwise be trustworthy and reliable, end up as alcoholics or drug addicts because they are trying to eliminate their PMS symptoms (deal with mood swings, depression, anger, etc.) Alcohol addiction is quite common in PMS women. Alcohol, being basically pure sugar, will temporarily relive the cravings and sugar blues that PMS women are subject too. Unfortunately, it only relieves them for a short while. Hence after the first drink the symptoms will return again and because of the high sugar content of the alcohol the symptoms will now be worse then they where before the first drink. Now she needs another drink to take away these symptoms and a deadly cycle is instituted. Soon she is addicted to the alcohol as well as relieving her PMS symptoms. Many women end up as alcoholics because of this.
The same thing happens with drug addiction except her the woman stops eating and begins to starve herself this too triggers PMS. Hence, it has a slightly different mechanism than alcoholism in teenage PMS sufferers, but the end result is the same the drugs are needed to cover up the negative feeling and PMS symptoms.
A host of other problems can result. These stem from the same factors, inability to control themselves, PMS symptoms and low self-esteem and low ego strength. They include behavior problems, poor grades, cutting school, pick the wrong friends, sexual acting out, shoplifting, fighting with siblings, hostility toward parents and the establishment, and much more.
It would generally be an excellent idea for every parent (whether PMS already exists in the family or not) to have their teenage girl evaluated for PMS. This is especially true, if she is acting out or exhibiting any of the symptoms or cyclic behavior related to PMS. This can be done as simply as taking her to a medical doctor who is competent in recognizing PMS or even having her complete the Patient Evaluation Questionnaire provided within this website.
If your teen age girl is found to have PMS, she should be clearly informed about what PMS is, what causes it and how it should be treated. She should be started on an anti-PMS diet immediately. If she is unwilling to be on a diet (which we believe to be the very best treatment) she may be willing to take special supplements formulated to reverse PMS. If none of these are acceptable, she may prefer medical treatment including progesterone or antidepressants, mood elevators, or even menstrual period suppression.
We believe that the safest and most reliable treatment to eliminate PMS is a proper anti-PMS diet.
If You Suspect Your Teenager Has PMS or Is at Risk for PMS Consider the Following:
If you are concerned about your teenager (or pre-teenager) is at risk for PMS or if do not know what to look for and but suspect your teenager already has PMS we suggest that you learn as much as you can about PMS. You may want to purchase a copy of one of our books on PMS. As a concerned parent begin to watch what your child is eating. See if she is eating a diet predominantly high in calcium, refined sugars, caffeine and processed foods. Review the symptoms of PMS. It will soon be clear to you whether she has PMS and why she has PMS. It is important for every PMS woman to educate her children, boys and girls, about a proper diet.
Teenage PMS is covered in our book 30-Days to No More PMS if you are interested in ordering it, or one of our other books.
To read Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), click here.
To read PMS - An Introduction, click here.
To read PMS Fact Sheet, click here.
To get your PMS Self Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ), click here.
To read PMS and Your Diet, click here.
To read PMS and Emotions, click here.
To read PMS and Pregnancy, click here
To read PMS and Fibrocystic Breast Disease, click here.
To read PMS and Birth Control Pills, click here.
To get your book A Guide to Symptoms Relief, click here.
To purchase 30-Days to No More PMS, click here.
To read Personal PMS Diary, click here.
To read PMS Management Form click here.
Related Articles:
More articles by this author
|
Premenstrual Syndrome 
