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| heart, fatigue, fainting, headache and mood swings. These symptoms are thought to be caused by low levels of magnesium in red blood cells and by alterations in the body's regulation of blood sugar. |
| 4. The least common of all four, this type of PMS may cause a woman the most problems. The symptoms are depression, sleep disturbances, lack of coordination, confusion and loss of concentration. Its cause is thought to be low levels of estrogen in the blood along with high progesterone levels. Often there are also elevated androgens secreted by the adrenal glands, which may cause acne as well. |
| It is important to note that, while this system of classifying PMS symptoms and causes is helpful as a whole in identifying a woman's individual needs in therapy, most women experience symptoms from more than one specific category or type. Thus there are women who experience water retention and headaches and irritability and depression. Each woman's symptoms must be examined not only in light of the hormonal and obvious physiological causes, but also in light of her own lifestyle and diet. Any medications and supplements taken need to be considered in the assessment as well as the woman's intake of caffeine and other substances, which have profound physiological effects in the body. |
| Conventional Medical Treatment |
| Therapy for PMS often includes hormone replacement for regulation of normal hormonal metabolism; generally synthetic progesterone is supplemented |
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