
Did you know?
Menstrual cycle (PDF, 105 KB)
Menstrual cycle (PDF, 105 KB)
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
To receive General email updates
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a combination of symptoms that many women get about a week or two before their period. Most women, over 90%, say they get some premenstrual symptoms, such as bloating, headaches, and moodiness.3 For some women, these symptoms may be so severe that they miss work or school, but other women are not bothered by milder symptoms. On average, women in their 30s are most likely to have PMS.4 Your doctor can help you find ways to relieve your symptoms.
PMS is a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that many women get after ovulation and before the start of their menstrual period. Researchers think that PMS happens in the days after ovulation because estrogen and progesterone levels begin falling dramatically if you are not pregnant. PMS symptoms go away within a few days after a woman’s period starts as hormone levels begin rising again.
Some women get their periods without any signs of PMS or only very mild symptoms. For others, PMS symptoms may be so severe that it makes it hard to do everyday activities like go to work or school. Severe PMS symptoms may be a sign of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMS goes away when you no longer get a period, such as after menopause. After pregnancy, PMS might come back, but you might have different PMS symptoms.
As many as three in four women say they get PMS symptoms at some point in their lifetime.5 For most women, PMS symptoms are mild.
Less than 5% of women of childbearing age get a more severe form of PMS, called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).6
PMS may happen more often in women who:
Yes. PMS symptoms may get worse as you reach your late 30s or 40s and approach menopause and are in the transition to menopause, called perimenopause.11
This is especially true for women whose moods are sensitive to changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. In the years leading up to menopause, your hormone levels also go up and down in an unpredictable way as your body slowly transitions to menopause. You may get the same mood changes, or they may get worse.
PMS stops after menopause when you no longer get a period.
PMS symptoms are different for every woman. You may get physical symptoms, such as bloating or gassiness, or emotional symptoms, such as sadness, or both. Your symptoms may also change throughout your life.
Physical symptoms of PMS can include:12
Emotional or mental symptoms of PMS include:12
Talk to your doctor or nurse if your symptoms bother you or affect your daily life.
There is no single test for PMS. Your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms, including when they happen and how much they affect your life.
You probably have PMS if you have symptoms that:12
Keep track of which PMS symptoms you have and how severe they are for a few months. Write down your symptoms each day on a calendar or with an app on your phone. Take this information with you when you see your doctor.
About half of women who need relief from PMS also have another health problem, which may get worse in the time before their menstrual period.12 These health problems share many symptoms with PMS and include:
PMS may also worsen some health problems, such as asthma, allergies, and migraines.
These tips will help you be healthier in general, and may relieve some of your PMS symptoms.
Over-the-counter and prescription medicines can help treat some PMS symptoms.
Over-the-counter pain relievers you can buy in most stores may help lessen physical symptoms, such as cramps, headaches, backaches, and breast tenderness. These include:
Some women find that taking an over-the-counter pain reliever right before their period starts lessens the amount of pain and bleeding they have during their period.
Prescription medicines may help if over-the-counter pain medicines don’t work:22
All medicines have risks. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks.
Maybe. Studies show that certain vitamins and minerals may help relieve some PMS symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate vitamins or mineral and herbal supplements in the same way they regulate medicines. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement.
Studies have found benefits for:
Studies have found mixed results for:
Some women report relief from their PMS symptoms with yoga or meditation. Others say herbal supplements help relieve symptoms. Talk with your doctor or nurse before taking any of these supplements. They may interact with other medicines you take, making your other medicine not work or cause dangerous side effects. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate herbal supplements at the same level that it regulates medicines.
Some research studies show relief from PMS symptoms with these herbal supplements, but other studies do not. Many herbal supplements should not be used with other medicines. Some herbal supplements women use to ease PMS symptoms include:
Researchers continue to search for new ways to treat PMS. Learn more about current PMS treatment studies at clinicaltrials.gov.
For more information about PMS, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
Menstrual cycle (PDF, 105 KB)
Enter a city, ZIP code (such as 20002), address, state, or place
To receive General email updates
The Office on Women's Health is grateful for the medical review in 2017 by:
Kristen A. Matteson, M.D., M.P.H., Interim Director, Division of Research, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Sunni Mumford, Ph.D., Earl Stadtman Investigator, Epidemiology Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
Peter Schmidt, M.D., Chief, Section on Behavioral Endocrinology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
Kimberly Ann Yonkers, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Epidemiology, and Public Health, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Director, Center for Wellbeing of Women and Mothers, Yale University School of Medicine
All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and may be copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated.
Page last updated: March 16, 2018.
[tooltiptop title="pree-MEN-struhl"]Premenstrual[/tooltiptop] syndrome (PMS) is a combination of symptoms that many women get about a week or two before their period. Most women, over 90%, say they get some premenstrual symptoms, such as bloating, headaches, and moodiness.3 For some women, these symptoms may be so severe that they miss work or school, but other women are not bothered by milder symptoms. On average, women in their 30s are most likely to have PMS.4 Your doctor can help you find ways to relieve your symptoms.
PMS is a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that many women get after ovulation and before the start of their menstrual period. Researchers think that PMS happens in the days after ovulation because estrogen and progesterone levels begin falling dramatically if you are not pregnant. PMS symptoms go away within a few days after a woman’s period starts as hormone levels begin rising again.
Some women get their periods without any signs of PMS or only very mild symptoms. For others, PMS symptoms may be so severe that it makes it hard to do everyday activities like go to work or school. Severe PMS symptoms may be a sign of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMS goes away when you no longer get a period, such as after menopause. After pregnancy, PMS might come back, but you might have different PMS symptoms.
As many as three in four women say they get PMS symptoms at some point in their lifetime.5 For most women, PMS symptoms are mild.
Less than 5% of women of childbearing age get a more severe form of PMS, called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).6
PMS may happen more often in women who:
Yes. PMS symptoms may get worse as you reach your late 30s or 40s and approach menopause and are in the transition to menopause, called perimenopause.11
This is especially true for women whose moods are sensitive to changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle. In the years leading up to menopause, your hormone levels also go up and down in an unpredictable way as your body slowly transitions to menopause. You may get the same mood changes, or they may get worse.
PMS stops after menopause when you no longer get a period.
PMS symptoms are different for every woman. You may get physical symptoms, such as bloating or gassiness, or emotional symptoms, such as sadness, or both. Your symptoms may also change throughout your life.
Physical symptoms of PMS can include:12
Emotional or mental symptoms of PMS include:12
Talk to your doctor or nurse if your symptoms bother you or affect your daily life.
Researchers do not know exactly what causes PMS. Changes in hormone levels during the menstrual cycle may play a role.13 These changing hormone levels may affect some women more than others.
There is no single test for PMS. Your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms, including when they happen and how much they affect your life.
You probably have PMS if you have symptoms that:12
Keep track of which PMS symptoms you have and how severe they are for a few months. Write down your symptoms each day on a calendar or with an app on your phone. Take this information with you when you see your doctor.
About half of women who need relief from PMS also have another health problem, which may get worse in the time before their menstrual period.12 These health problems share many symptoms with PMS and include:
PMS may also worsen some health problems, such as asthma, allergies, and migraines.
These tips will help you be healthier in general, and may relieve some of your PMS symptoms.
Over-the-counter and prescription medicines can help treat some PMS symptoms.
Over-the-counter pain relievers you can buy in most stores may help lessen physical symptoms, such as cramps, headaches, backaches, and breast tenderness. These include:
Some women find that taking an over-the-counter pain reliever right before their period starts lessens the amount of pain and bleeding they have during their period.
Prescription medicines may help if over-the-counter pain medicines don’t work:22
All medicines have risks. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks.
Maybe. Studies show that certain vitamins and minerals may help relieve some PMS symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate vitamins or mineral and herbal supplements in the same way they regulate medicines. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement.
Studies have found benefits for:
Studies have found mixed results for:
Some women report relief from their PMS symptoms with yoga or meditation. Others say herbal supplements help relieve symptoms. Talk with your doctor or nurse before taking any of these supplements. They may interact with other medicines you take, making your other medicine not work or cause dangerous side effects. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate herbal supplements at the same level that it regulates medicines.
Some research studies show relief from PMS symptoms with these herbal supplements, but other studies do not. Many herbal supplements should not be used with other medicines. Some herbal supplements women use to ease PMS symptoms include:
Researchers continue to search for new ways to treat PMS. Learn more about current PMS treatment studies at clinicaltrials.gov.
For more information about PMS, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
This content is provided by the Office on Women's Health.
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201
1-800-994-9662 • Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET (closed on federal holidays).