Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): An Overview of Symptoms, Causes, and Psychological Perspectives

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common condition experienced by many women during certain periods of their menstrual cycle. In this article, we will discuss what PMS is, its symptoms, causes, and explore it from a psychological perspective.

What is PMS?

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) refers to a cluster of physical and emotional symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the period after ovulation and before menstruation begins). These symptoms may start a few days before menstruation and usually subside when menstruation begins or shortly afterward. PMS can be severe enough to affect women’s daily lives.

Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) can be summarized as follows:

• Physical: Bloating, breast tenderness, headache, fatigue, weight gain, sleep disturbances, appetite changes.
• Emotional: Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depressive feelings, social withdrawal.
• Sexual: Decreased sexual desire, sexual dissatisfaction.
• Cognitive: Mental fog, difficulty concentrating, mental fatigue.

These symptoms can vary from person to person and typically occur in the period leading up to menstruation.

Understanding PMS through Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Psychodynamic Therapy Perspectives:

Integrating Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Psychodynamic Therapy perspectives provides a more comprehensive understanding of PMS in both emotional regulation and unconscious processes. Here’s an explanation combining these two approaches:

1. Emotional Awareness and Unconscious Meanings: During PMS, women experience increased emotional fluctuations due to hormonal changes. EFT emphasizes enhancing emotional awareness and recognizing these feelings. Psychodynamic therapy suggests that these emotional fluctuations may be linked to unconscious conflicts. For instance, increased irritability or depressive feelings during PMS might reflect repressed anger, hurt, or rejection from past experiences. Additionally, past traumas or unconscious conflicts related to rejection or feelings of worthlessness may become more pronounced during PMS, leading to rapid emotional triggers and regression in daily life.
2. Emergence and Acceptance of Repressed Emotions: EFT advocates for the healthy expression of emotions. This means accepting and expressing the strong emotions that arise during PMS. Psychodynamic therapy highlights that the emotions surfaced during this period are often repressed or unconscious. By combining these approaches, we can conclude that emotional fluctuations during PMS allow repressed emotions to surface and that accepting these emotions is crucial.
3. Exploring Emotions Underlying Anger and Anxiety and Understanding Unconscious Causes: Emotions like anger, anxiety, or depression experienced during PMS, from an EFT perspective, might indicate deeper underlying primary emotions (e.g., fear, hurt, feelings of worthlessness). Psychodynamic therapy suggests that these primary emotions may stem from childhood experiences or unresolved unconscious conflicts. Integrating these approaches helps in exploring the deep-seated emotions underlying PMS and understanding their childhood origins. Identifying these emotions and exploring their origins can provide insight into managing them.
4. Self-Worth, Identity, and Emotional Compassion: Psychodynamic therapy also proposes that PMS might reflect issues related to a woman’s sense of self-worth and identity. Societal expectations and gender roles can influence how women perceive their identity and how these identities interact with biological processes like PMS. Women may experience heightened conflicts related to their identity and societal roles during PMS. Negative connotations associated with womanhood (e.g., women are weak, worthless) might exacerbate PMS symptoms due to increased awareness of these connotations during menstruation.

The emotional responses experienced during PMS can be related to how at peace a person is with their femininity. This perception is connected to relationships with their mother, significant female figures in their life, and the unconscious effects of these relationships. For example, a daughter of a woman who was marginalized or devalued might grow up with the belief that being a woman is undesirable. How a mother has embraced her own femininity (e.g., feelings about her body and feminine state) can often be passed on to her daughter. PMS, as a biological process, can make these unconscious transmissions more visible. For instance, if a woman experiences strong negative emotions about her body during PMS, these feelings can unconsciously be passed to her daughter. Differentiation practices from societal and core family negative emotions can help clear these feelings. More detailed information about differentiation can be found in my video on my YouTube channel.

Treatment and Intervention: Exploring Unconscious Processes and Enhancing Emotional Awareness

Both EFT and psychodynamic therapy aim to enhance emotional awareness and explore unconscious processes in the treatment of PMS. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on resolving unconscious conflicts and defense mechanisms, while EFT helps individuals accept, understand, and express their emotions healthily. Combining these approaches offers a holistic treatment that addresses the root causes of emotional difficulties experienced during PMS.

This integrated perspective helps us understand that PMS is not only a biological but also an emotional and psychological process. It highlights how unconscious conflicts and repressed emotions can surface during this period and emphasizes the importance of developing healthy emotional regulation strategies.

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