There you are : - in full flight, delivering a tirade of abuse, at your vitriolic best, over the fact that …well … that he fed the cat the wrong brand of cat food !

Suddenly he says : " You’re about to get your period, aren’t you?"

You scream something about chauvinism and pigs and storm out of the room grabbing a handful of biscuits on the way.

Sure enough the next day – there it is. The monthly reminder that many of us are ruled by our hormones. Damn, he was right. Don’t you hate that?

While there is a range of symptoms that women with Pre Menstrual Tension complain of, by far the most dangerous is the monthly emotional roller coaster. Many feel as if they become a different person for a few days (or more) each month, and have little or no control over it. Those around us complain it is like living or working with a time bomb that keeps going off each month. They wonder why we don’t just "get a grip".

It has only been relatively recently that the medical profession has conceded that the condition really exists. But we still can’t offer a definitive cure or truly understand the cause.

In America PMS has now got official classification as a psychiatric condition and has been renamed PMS ( s= syndrome).

Typical symptoms of PMS can be  :

Breast tenderness, moodiness, food cravings, bloating, depression, tearfulness, fatigue, anger etc.

In Australia and all over the world researchers are working hard on treatments.

However, help is available. It is definitely OK to talk about it with your doctor. If you want to get a handle on your symptoms then its a good idea to keep a diary for a couple of months of your symptoms. I have made a page with a sample diary. By definition PMS happens in the latter half of your cycle after ovulation and completely resolves with the coming of your period. It is thought that PMS is probably an abnormal response to normal hormonal changes. Some claim between 40 -75% of women complain of PMS symptoms and may be 10% of these have seriously debilitating problems.

With respect to treatment there are many different choices. Cutting down caffeine alcohol salt and sugar have been suggested ( hmm what's left on this diet ? ) . Regular exercise is recommended . Some natural alternatives that have been shown to be helpful for many women are Evening Primrose Oil capsules and Vitamin B6. They are available over the counter with out prescription . But please  follow the recommendations carefully as high doses can be dangerous.

Some women find the Oral Contraceptive Pill helps, while others get worse.   This is thought to be due to the particular hormones in the pill. It is now believed that oestrogen supplement can help PMS and that progesterone may make it worse . Both these hormones are present in the combined Pill .Talk to your doctor about options. Changing to a different Pill may help.

Recent  research has suggested that short courses of certain anti depressants in the latter part of the cycle may be an option in severe cases. This is indicating a role for the brain chemical Serotonin in the causing PMS Here in Australia work is in progress looking at the role of the hormone Testosterone in PMS treatment.

Watch this space for updates– OR ELSE ! (oops)