Does PMS exist or is it a creation of the media?
brighteyes82 asked this question
Do you get PMS?
If so,
What are your ‘symptoms’? Tired? Bitchy? Depressed? Or just aches and pains?
If not, (guys, feel free to answer this one too)
Do you believe it exists?
I had a professor once tell us that PMS did not exist, that it was the product of the media. And that in ‘non-Western’ nations people didn’t experience it. I personally think that’s BS. Obviously there are hormornal changes and hormones affect us whether we like it or not. Every month I find myself wondering why the hell I’m so depressed and then the lightbulb turns on: “Oooh! It’s that time again!”
And in terms of people not experiencing it in ‘non-Western’ nations, I had a discussion with some Japanese women about this (actually it was menopause, the professor said the same thing about menopause – that women don’t get psychological symptoms outside of North America) and they said that their mothers or grandmothers experienced changes during menopause or pregnancy, but it wasn’t viewed as a problem back then. People didn’t complain about it because it was just a fact of life. I can see that, but if someone doesn’t complain it doesn’t mean they’re not uncomfortable!
My answer
PMS used to be called Premenstrual tension before , it became PMS.
Yes, there is a fair amount of tension involved right there..
Is it a media creation?
It is not a media creation as in, PMS is a fad that the media has magnified.
Does PMS exist? as in is it a real phenomenon or is it imaginary?
It is real..it is not imaginary.
What role has media played in it?
Media has overemphasized and kinda mocked PMS and has actually made a joke of it , to such an extent that as soon as a woman starts complain, everyone plainly just attributes it to PMS and then wash their hands off of actually addressing the woman’s complaints.
What are the causes of PMS?
The thing is, hormones do play a role..but what I assume is that, not jsut do hormones play a role., The occurance of PMS is directly related to the amount of stress the woman is facing in her life otherwise.
for eg.. A woman who has no stress otherwise, and her hormones are balanced too, wont really have any PMS.She may have cramping—cramping is part of PMS, but PMS is not just cramping.
on the other hand, A woman who has no stress but has her hormones imbalanced may have may uncomfortable symptoms during different phases of her mentrual cycle..but she really won’t have the typical PMS symptoms that the North American media constantly glorifies or rather, mocks at .as being PMS.
The general perception now, thanks to the ignorant media is that PMS is when women just go crazy and hysterical and psychotic for no reason.
This perception is totally false.
I am pretty sure women go crazy and hysterical and all that before their periods.. and i think it is not as much due to PMS as much it is probably due to the inconsiderate people around them that cause them a lot of distress.The distress that these women have managed to not express all through their menstrual cycle., but then their threshold comes down during this Premenstrual phase, and all the bitterness and resentment that they have been holding inside of them against inconsiderate husbands or partners or work place collegues comes pouring out during PMS.
So yes, PMS exists,, It is not solely a somatic hormonal disorder.I think , PMS has psychosocial causes too.. as in , you are more likely to suffer from sever and exaggerated symptoms of PMS if you live with partners that don’t understand you or partners that you don’t really connect to or work at places that cause you stress and such.
Why does PMS not occur outside of North America?
I think , that is not because PMS doesn’t exist outside of North America.It is because North American women are more assertive and independant enough to be able to express their discomfort and actually have a chance that they are heard.In many other countries, the problems of women are never heard or catered to or plain right ignored…Women have no voices in many countries..that is why.
I hope, my this serious elaborate effort to put in my two cents is adequate enough.
Jan 13, 03:20AM PST
