Chronicles of the sweet tooth problem II, or, How to know if it's really PMS

Do you crave for sweets, snap at people easily and eat like there's no tomorrow just before your period? 

Like any other disorder/disease, it is good to know the signs of PMS so that we will know how to control  and face them. People, especially boyfriends, husbands and other men in our lives should also be in the know. They should understand what is actually happening to us when we transform to little monsters every month.  Below are the most common symptoms to take note:

Acne	Aggressiveness
Anxiety	Backaches
Binge eating	Bloating
Breast tenderness and/or swelling	Cravings for sweets
Crying easily	Depression
Dizziness	Fatigue
Headaches, including migraines	Hostility
Irritability	Joint pain
Memory loss	Mood swings
Thirst	Weight gain

Aside from craving sweets, I've got 11 other symptoms out of 20!

Other not-so-common PMS symptoms are: constipation, asthma, disorientation, diarrhea, drug abuse, heaviness of the legs, hypersensitivity to sound, self-inflicted injuries, shakiness and suicidal thoughts, among others. Do you get those too? I hope not.

inspired by  this

The author of 25 ways to relieve PMS, Nadine Taylor, said that fortunately, NOBODY suffers from all symptoms (thank heavens!) and that having the above-mentioned symptoms doesn't automatically say PMS is to blame. If it's really PMS :

• symptoms appear before the onset of the period 
• you get the symptoms all month, but it's remarkably worse during the week or so before your period
• symptoms clear up once your period begins or a couple of days into it.   

Now that you know it is actually PMS, what are you supposed to do?

 or "keep calm and carry lang" :)

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Note: It  is still best to see a doctor to rule out other things that might cause the symptoms.
Reference: Taylor, N. 25 ways to relieve PMS (2002). Chicago : Contemporary Books