Does PMS change as you age? (I'm turning 35)

[speedi-deedi]

I swear I've never had PMS until the last year. I always thought it was "in your mind" but I swear that for the last year I have started getting looney a few days before my period. You know.... impatient (more than usual ), emotional, high strung. I'm really a trip to live with.

I bravely asked my husband a couple of months ago if he thought it had changed in the last year or so. He very gently assured me that yes, it's quite noticeable.

So, just wondering if this is just me or if anyone has any feedback on this happening to them!

 

[snoopy]

It does. The closer you get to menopause (and before you say 35 is too young for perimenopause, think again! My doctor told me it could start in the mid 30's and go for 10 years!) the more severe your PMS might get. You might consider talking to your doctor about Seriofem (sp?) -- its a mild form of Prozac taken only around the time you have PMS that seems to help some women tremendously.

 

[JESW]

Ah yes....I am 44 and you DON'T want to be around me the week before! At this point I try as much as I can to schedule my life (like wdw trips) safely around that time.

I take a b complex vitamin starting two weeks before and that helps a bit. Exercising also does it for me.

Jill

 

[DoeWDW]

We've discussed this at length on the WISH board and have seen quite a pattern in many of us. I'm now 40 and my PMS seems to get worse as I get older. I'm learning lots of coping strategies!

You are not alone! I've gotten to the point where I mark my cycle on my calendar so I KNOW when to expect the fun to begin.

If you want any more info, or just to chat, feel free to PM me.

 

[Pop Daddy]

oh yes

 

[Robinrs]

It does change...then it goes away!

 

[crz4mm2]

I don't need to mark it on my calendar.....
Yes, it does get worse it seems. Some women opt for hormones (low dose birth control pills) just to try and stay on an even keel. works for some, not for others.
B complex seems to help too. as does evening primrose oil.

I hope you all have PMS free lives soon

 

[DisneyMim]

Just to add, when I turned 35 I started getting terrible migraines every month. So yes, for me it did get worse. Hang in there!

 

[Disney Ella]

I always thought it was just an excuse people used for being witchy. Then I hit 37 and was a mess. I have always had a very even disposition so it was very hard to deal with being so emotional and having such a low tolerance for putting up with anything. The low dose pills helped me and I stepped up the exercise.

 

[*Fantasia*]

My PMS hasn't gotten bad. However, when I am at work, once in a great while, I get this hot flashes! I usually get cold easily, so I usually have a sweater on. I think those are hot flashes.?.? Cause I get so warm that I have to take my sweater off and still feel like sweating and it last about 15 minutes, then it goes away and then back to being chilli again so I put my sweater back on.

Is this hot flashes? Am I going through that pre-menopause? One of our patient said "Oh my wife is 38 and she is going through that now, so you can start at mid-30!" YIKES!

 

[disneygals]

Sadly, it's true. As a youngster, I never even knew when it was coming, now I can predict my entire month! (I'm 43)

 

[ear_poppin]

Mine is like a switch that is switched on around the tenth day before. It lasts for about 5 days and then eases off. It is getting worse by the year. I am 38 now.

In fact I now avoid any conflict or decisions around that time as I know I would not be able to cope.

Denise

 

[mep319]

Oh no! I'm 33 and this year I've become very irritable the week b/4...at first I thought it was a fluke...but it has now been 4 mos...completely irrational...and its like there is one part of me watching saying...you being a complete nut case... calm down and the other half can't control it....my poor DH! I just get sooo angry at things I would otherwise ignore and I don't like to be bothered...don't touch me!...just leave me alone!...he hasn't quite figured it out yet! I thought I was too young!

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't knwo if it's "better" or "worse" , but definitely different. As far as irritability, what other posters have said about Vitamin B etc is correct. I have also tried to watch my salt intake, as one of the causes of PMS is mild water retention, causing minor pressure changes inside the skull, causing increased irritabilty etc.

Some of the OTC rememdies for PMS have a VERY mild diuretic effect that helps combat this somewhat.

 

[mtblujeans]

I think it does change as you get older. And menopause is no picnic, either. When you are talking 'hot flashes', you are talking something you have never experienced before! In the first couple of days I had given birth to my children, I had 'flashes' while my body tried to deal with hormone changes and I just figured that must be what 'hot flashes' were like. Nope, I was definately wrong. Menopause can make you feel like doing violence, too. Anything you can find to take to make it feel better is recommended. This vitamin B sounds good!

 

[4greatboys]

I always thought PMS was just a bunch of bs as well but I have noticed for the past year or so I do tend to get crabby a week before It just seems that things that would have made me mad before now make me a bit madder. Just really big crab. However occasionally it skips a month (the crabbiness that is).

 

[Tinks]

Okay, I'm turning 33 and I recently noticed my PMS reverting back to the horrors that it was as a teen. I used to have really bad PMS until about age 18. I've just started noticing it getting worse over the last several months. Ugh! It seems to last longer, too, like it will start 7 days before I start. What a Joy....but at least I'm not alone and not a nut case

 

[Celluloidgal]

YES! I've noticed I'm getting worse as I age too!!! Luckily my cycles are getting further & further apart, so it's not every month. How come when we were young, we couldn't wait for our period to start...and now we can't wait for it to stop?
Hang in there - your not alone!

 

[RitaZ.]

Ok, I decided to ask DH if he notices a difference in my behavior/mood every month. I know what happens to me, but I just wanted to hear about his observations.

Want to know what he said? Very calmly (almost fearful), he said that there is a noticeable difference in my mood (according to him, I get "foul"). I asked him how long he has noticed it. His answer, "For 16 years". Guess how long we've have married? You got it, 16 years.

 

[momtoce&j]

DH and I were just discussing this topic last night. I realized that the migraines I've been getting coincide with my periods. I do occassionally get them at other times of the month, but deffinitely when I'm having my period. Good to know I'm not the only one. Now my only question is...is there something I can do about these migraines except by taking excederin migraine or Imitrax??