Periods

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Changes in your body's hormonelevels before your monthly period can cause physical and emotional changes.

This is often known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual tension (PMT).

There are many possible symptoms of PMS , but typical symptoms include:

feeling bloated
breast tenderness
mood swings
feeling irritable
Loss of libido

These symptoms usually improve when your period starts and disappear a few days afterwards. PMS doesn't affect all women who have periods.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for periods

Introduction

Find out about periods, including when they usually start and finish, sanitary products, premenstrual syndrome, getting pregnant, and changes to your periods.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Changes in your body's hormonelevels before your monthly period can cause physical and emotional changes. This is often known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual tension (PMT). There are

Getting pregnant

Working outwhen you can get pregnantyour fertile timecan be difficult. It's around the time you ovulate, which is about 12 to 14 days before the start of your next period. However, sperm can survive

When do periods stop?

Your periods will continue until you reach the menopause , which usually occurs when you are in yourlate 40s to mid-50s. In the UK the average age of menopause is 51. Your periods may start to become

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