PMS and PMDD symptoms, one by one

Symptom

PMDD symptoms: the 11 DSM-5 symptoms, explained

PMDD symptoms are at least five of 11 DSM-5-TR symptoms, with one of them a mood symptom, showing up the week before your period and easing within days of it starting. Core signs are mood swings, irritability or anger, low mood, or anxiety, often alongside bloating or breast tenderness. A single rough month isn't enough; the pattern has to repeat and get confirmed with daily tracking.

Symptoms

Water retention before your period: why it happens and what helps

Water retention before your period is common. Estrogen and progesterone shift in the luteal phase and change how your kidneys handle sodium, which pulls water into your tissue. It usually peaks around the first day of your period and eases within a day or two.

Symptoms

Breast tenderness before your period: why it happens and what helps

Breast tenderness before your period is common, and it comes from the rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone after ovulation. It tends to build through the second half of your cycle and ease once your period starts. If it doesn't ease, or it's confined to one breast, it's worth checking with a doctor.

Symptom

Nausea before your period: why it happens and what helps

Nausea before your period is a real, if under-discussed, PMS symptom tied to falling estrogen and progesterone in the days before bleeding starts. It usually eases within a few days of your period starting. If it doesn't, or it comes with a missed period, check for pregnancy.

Symptoms

Cramps before your period: why it happens and what helps

Cramps before your period usually come from a drop in progesterone and a rise in prostaglandins during the luteal phase, not from pregnancy. They typically start one to five days before bleeding and often arrive alongside bloating, fatigue or diarrhea. Tracking the pattern against your mood can help you tell PMS cramps from something that needs a closer look.

Symptoms

Fatigue during your period: why it happens

Period fatigue comes from prostaglandins, a drop in estrogen and progesterone, and sometimes blood loss, all happening as your period starts. It's usually worst on day one or two and eases as your flow lightens. If it's severe, cyclical and paired with mood symptoms, it may fit a PMS or PMDD pattern worth tracking.