Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Your healthcare provider will ask you about what symptoms you have, when you have them and how they impact your life. It’s common to experience an unpleasant symptom or two on occasion before your period, but this isn’t the same as PMS.

For a PMS diagnosis, your provider will confirm that you have at least one symptom associated with PMS that occurs within five days of your menstrual cycle and then goes away within four days after your period ends. These symptoms must recur for at least three menstrual cycles for an official diagnosis.

Questions your provider may ask include:

• How many days pass between one period and another?
• How many days do you bleed?
• How many days are light, medium or heavy?
• What symptoms do you have?
• When do your symptoms show up/go away?
• When are your symptoms milder/more intense?
• Can you tell when your symptoms are about to start? How so?
• Do your symptoms interfere with your life? How so?

Your provider may also ask about your medical history and medications you’re taking to rule out factors other than PMS that may be causing your symptoms. They may ask you about your family’s medical history, too, since many conditions (like mood disorders) run in families. Your provider will rule out causes like:

• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Perimenopause (the transitional period before menopause).
• Chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Thyroid disorders (ex. hyperthyroidism).
• Medications you’re taking.