By Chloe Powell
The conversation around periods and menstrual health has become more positive these days, but premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is still widely misunderstood. Sadly, the misunderstanding has influenced pop culture jokes, how we talk about our bodies and how seriously premenstrual health is taken overall. Let’s clear up some myths about PMS and talk about the truths.
Myth 1: Everyone With a Uterus Has PMS
PMS is a condition involving a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that typically start one to two weeks before your period. Still, not everyone who menstruates has it every month. Globally, research suggests that 47.8% of women of reproductive age experience it.
It can sometimes seem like everyone gets moody, uncomfortable or out of sorts before their period. However, plenty of women move through their cycle with little to no premenstrual symptoms at all, and when mood changes do happen, they’re not always hormonal. It can just as easily be linked to stress, sleep or life circumstances.
Myth 2: PMS Only Affects Your Mood
While mood changes typically get the most attention, they’re only part of the picture. PMS is a whole-body experience. In addition to emotional symptoms like irritability, anxiety, mood swings and crying spells, it’s normal to experience other physical symptoms. These can include headaches, bloating, cramps, joint pain, fatigue, acne and disrupted sleep. You may also experience digestive changes, such as constipation and diarrhea. When we talk about PMS as “just mood swings,” we overlook the very real physical discomfort that can come with it.
Myth 3: Everyone Experiences PMS the Same Way
PMS is different for everybody. Research suggests that 85.28% of women experience food cravings and 64.18% notice mood swings or anxiety in the days leading up to their period, which explains why these symptoms are so often talked about. However, the overall experience can look very different from person to person. The experience can change with age, too. Sleep disruptions, weight changes, swelling and hot flashes usually become more common as women get older.
So if your friend breezes through the week before her period and you have to stay in bed with a headache or joint pain, that doesn’t mean your experience is not real or that you’re “weak.” It simply means your body responds differently.
For some people, symptoms are much more intense and affect their daily life and relationships. If this sounds familiar to you, you may want to get checked for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It affects 1.6% of people who menstruate and is a serious condition that requires medical care.
Myth 4: PMS Is All in Your Head
One of the harmful myths about PMS is the idea that it’s exaggerated or imagined, or that it’s just an excuse for women to be “lazy” or act “crazy.” Many of us have experienced that dismissal at some point, whether it came from a joke, a comment at work or even our own inner voice.
The truth is, PMS is a real medical condition. The emotional changes you may notice before your period are closely linked to hormonal changes happening in your body. Your estrogen and progesterone levels naturally fluctuate and can cause mood swings, anxiety or depression, acne, headaches and more.
Myth 5: PMS Makes You Irrational
Another misconception about PMS is that it makes women irrational. You may have heard it as a joke — like “She’s just PMS-ing” — when you’re expressing a concern, setting a boundary or simply sharing how you feel. Sometimes we even internalize it, treating our emotions and desires as something irrational.
Take food cravings, for example. Many women feel more comfortable giving in to cravings before and during their period because it’s one of the few times when they can do things that are stereotypically unfeminine or irrational. The reality is, eating what you want during this time is just a natural response to your body’s needs.
Hormonal changes can influence your emotional and physical well-being, but they don’t erase your cognitive performance, such as your ability to make decisions.
Myth 6: There’s Nothing You Can Do About PMS
This myth leads many women to just push through discomfort in silence. Although there’s no cure for PMS, there are plenty of ways to make this time of the month feel more manageable. Depending on your symptoms, you may be able to take over-the-counter pain relievers to help ease cramps, headaches, backaches and breast tenderness.
You can also support your body during this phase by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating nutritious meals and finding ways to manage stress. Some women also notice they feel better when they avoid things like caffeine, alcohol, sugar or very salty foods before their period.
Listen to Your Body and Give Yourself Grace
Separating PMS myths from the truth can make it easier to support yourself during your cycle. Paying attention to your cycle helps you recognize patterns and respond to your body’s signals without guilt or judgment. If PMS starts to interfere with your daily life, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out for professional medical support.
Chloe Powell is the Senior Editor at Revivalist Magazine, where she dives deep into beauty, wellness, and everything in between. She’s all about empowering women with honest advice, confidence-boosting tips, and self-care inspiration.
