Your Guide to Premenstrual Syndrome, or PMS

Is There a Treatment for PMS?

PMS treatment is based on relieving symptoms. Treatment begins with a thorough assessment of your symptoms, as well as their impact on your daily life. Treatments for PMS include the following:

• Education. You will be better able to deal with your symptoms if you can relate how you're feeling to your menstrual cycles, knowing that you will feel better once your period starts. Keeping a monthly symptom diary will help you track your PMS symptoms, as well as their severity and how long they last. While symptoms may vary from month to month, this diary can give you a good idea of how your periods affect your physical health and moods. Learning how to cope with the problems in your life may help relieve the stress and irritability you feel before your period. If you experience severe anxiety, irritability, or depression, counseling and/or medication may be helpful.
• Nutrition. A healthy diet is important to overall physical and mental wellness. Making changes in your diet -- including reducing the amount of caffeine, salt, and sugar you eat -- may help relieve symptoms of PMS. In some cases, nutritional supplements may be recommended. These include vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends a diet high in complex carbohydrates.
• Exercise. Like a healthy diet, regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise like walking, can improve your overall health. It also can help relieve - and help you cope with - PMS symptoms.
• Medications. Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) -- such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen (Aleve) -- may help relieve symptoms such as headache, backache, cramps, and breast tenderness. Medications may be prescribed in cases of severe depression or anxiety. Certain antidepressants may be useful to treat severe PMS. Oral contraceptives have been prescribed to treat PMS and may be helpful, but there is little data to support their effectiveness. The diuretic spironolactone (available by prescription) can reduce the fluid retention of PMS.

Many small studies have looked at the use of natural progesterone, primrose oil, black cohosh, wild yam root, chaste tree fruit, dong quai, and vitamin B6 to relieve PMS symptoms. So far, these have been found to be ineffective or of limited benefit and are not recommended.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute.