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"Every month like clockwork, three quarters of all ladies who get their periods also get PMS. (To the lucky 25% who don&amp;#39;t: Ugh.)\u00A0PMS, or premenstrual syndrome if we&amp;#39;re being fancy,\u00A0is a term that describes the less-than-awesome symptoms that occur before your period begins. And while not every person will suddenly burst into tears at that pet store commercial about the puppies that need adopting (guilty!), most will have some sort of emotional or physical reaction.\u00A0\n\nWhat are we dealing with here exactly? According to the Mayo Clinic, you&amp;#39;re generally experiencing a super fun combination of mood swings, food cravings, fatigue, crankiness, bloating, acne, and sadness. Now raise your hand if you&amp;#39;re feeling that last one just from reading this list...\n\nYou can blame your hormones fluctuating like crazy for most of these symptoms. Your body has released an egg and thinks it needs to prepare to keep it nice and safe, so it&amp;#39;s quickly releasing the hormones estrogen and progesterone. But because you&amp;#39;re not pregnant, those spiked levels then drop off. All of this throws your body out of whack and affects your serotonin levels, which control your mood and sleep patterns, and your gamma-aminobutyric acid levels, which regulate anxiety and depression.\u00A0\n\nOK, that&amp;#39;s a lot of info, and it seems like all the above is pretty much out of your hands, right? Luckily\u00A0there are a few things you can do to boost your mood. First, stop stressing. That can make your symptoms worse than they need to be. Next, get some rest. Being overtired is also going to make you feel terrible, and extra zzz&amp;#39;s will help you relax. And while you&amp;#39;re at it, try to eat a variety of nutritious foods and keep yourself moving. The better you treat your body around this time, the happier you&amp;#39;ll feel. And if you&amp;#39;re really struggling, talk to your doctor about how birth control can help. Oral contraceptives regulate your hormones, and keeping those in balance can then put your PMS in check.\n\nThe biggest bright side of the entire experience is that it goes away when your period starts. So it doesn&amp;#39;t last forever, and you&amp;#39;re not dealing with both at once. Thanks for that, body! And, honestly, when your prescription is a little extra snuggle time and some healthy snacks, you may just start looking forward to this as\u00A0&amp;quot;treat yourself&amp;quot; time. Maybe."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-handle-pms>