Discovery Health :: Teens: Premenstrual Syndrome: Signs and Symptoms

Teens and PMS

Related Links

Your Menstrual Period

Premenstrual Syndrome

Back to Teens and Puberty Index

Premenstrual Syndrome: Signs and Symptoms

Here is a checklist of possible signs and symptoms of PMS:

Bloating and weight gain. Do your jeans feel tighter as your period approaches?

Tension, anxiety or crying spells. Do you find yourself overreacting to stress or setbacks? Do you have a short fuse just before your period?

Depression. Do you feel sad for no reason? Feeling sad or blue for a day or two can be normal, but feeling down for a longer period of time may be one symptom of clinical depression, a serious, but common mental health condition experienced by many teens, as well as adults. Depression causes other symptoms, too, such as feeling tired or sleeping all of the time, or not being able to sleep at all; over eating or not eating enough; feeling no joy in activities you used to enjoy a lot. Usually, when a person is depressed, you may experience several of these or related symptoms. If you are experiencing any one or more of these symptoms, don't wait or hesitate to speak with your parents and/or a health care professional.

Breast tenderness. Do your breasts hurt when touched? Does your bra feel uncomfortably tight?

Food cravings. Do you need chocolate, potato chips or other foods (particularly salty or sweet foods)?

Joint or muscle pain. Do you wake up feeling achy even though you haven't strained anything?

Nausea or vomiting. Does your stomach feel upset, even though you're not eating anything unusual?

Headache. Do you have a pattern of headaches in the premenstrual period?

Trouble with concentration. Is it harder to study or pay attention in class?

Fatigue. Do you feel tired early in the day? Do you feel exhausted when you get home?

1 . 2

Pictures: DCI |
Copyright 2003 National Women's Health Resource Center Inc. (NWHRC)

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS

HowStuffWorks | TreeHugger | Petfinder | PetVideo | Discovery Education

Visit the Discovery Store: Toys & Games | Telescopes | DVD Sets | Planet Earth DVD | Gift Ideas

By visiting this site, you agree to the terms and conditions
of our Visitor Agreement. Please read. Privacy Policy.
ATTENTION! We recently updated our privacy policy. The changes are effective as of September 10, 2008.
To see the new policy, click here. Questions? See the policy for the contact information.

Copyright © 2009 Discovery Communications, LLC.

The leading global real-world media and entertainment company.