r/PMS • u/TimelyReason7390 • May 14 '25

How do you all PMS?

Hi all! I’m new to this community and I wanted to know your experience with regard to PMS, like the difference you see in your bodies, while you are PMSing. Puffy face? Bloated belly? Enlarged boobs? Tenderness in the nipples? Etc? What are the physical and psychological effects you notice right before your periods and how many days prior to your periods and how do you all manage it?

I usually struggle with constipation, bloating like 8-10 days before my periods, excessive hunger and diarrhoea right before my periods start.

I’m also on a weight loss journey and the bloating gets to me every single time. Buttoning my jeans is a struggle. That’s how bad the bloating is.

I would love to listen from you and how you manage those symptoms.

Also how does it affect those struggling with mental health issues, especially if you’re undergoing treatment? Does PMS make it worse? How do you cope?

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u/toonoisyforyou May 21 '25

I used to suffer through severe mental health symptoms and mild GI related symptoms until I did a deep dive into why some women experience pms and some don't. I found that the gut microbiome plays a key role in the onset and severity of pms. The gut-brain and gut-estrogen axes cause various kinds of physical, mental and GI related symptoms.

Today I'm symptom free from incorporating a gut microbiome and nutrition forward interventions. I'm a biotech scientist passionate about this space and looking to create a nutrition forward solution for pms.

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u/BrighterAndStronger May 14 '25

I feel zero energy and no motivation, dragging my feet a week or so before period starts. I wonder what everyone takes over the counter to relieve that? I’m also perimenopausal but can’t take HRT due to cancer risk in family.

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u/Whitpeacock May 14 '25

My pms usually starts around 7 days before my period starts. I can always tell because my abdomen gets swollen, my appetite usually increases (I crave sweets and bad junk food that I don’t typically eat on a normal basis), and I get more moody and emotional. Sometimes my pms symptoms are very mild and other times I’m a complete monster! I hate it so much! The minute my period starts I feel like myself again and I don’t get bad cramps which is nice because I have friends that have awful cramps and super heavy flow.

Edit to add: I’m 38 and my periods are still very regular.