PMS

[Ponderous]

PMS has got to be the toughest thing to deal with as an INTP. I don't think I've mentioned it on this forum, but my scores are:
I-44% N-87% T-95% P-63%. Yes, you can infer from that that I don't know squat about feelings. However, I do know that feelings are thrust upon me once every 28 days. It's most disconcerting to find that I have times when I know I'm not being as rational as I normally would be, and it seems that there is very little that I can do about it.

OK. Some months are worse than others. This apparently is one of them. Just getting this out of my system.

By the way, someone I respect had the gall to tell me that he didn't think PMS was real. Thus the poll.

Any other INTP ladies out there find PMS a little disconcerting?

[Laeskis]

I'm not a lady, but I find PMS disconcerting.


and ummm...uh...no; I wasn't reading the women's threads.... :blush:

[Jezebel]

I have mixed feelings about PMS. It pisses me off when females act like bitches and use being on their period as an excuse. When I hang out with or live with other girls a lot, we usually all get our periods at the same time. There have been so many females who have yelled at me and been bitchy toward me on their periods when I was on mine at the same time. However I realize why I'm not feeling my best and I have control over how I behave.

In short, yes, I realize there are changes in mood but I do not think it is an acceptable excuse to be rude and bitchy toward others.

I also hate it when guys accuse me of being on PMS and don't take me seriously everytime I disagree with them or don't feel well. Um, no, I'm capable of not thinking you're right and wanting to be left alone without PMS.

[Avengardh]

My brother is PMSing 24/7, please, god, if there is a god, make it stop!!

He's a Leo on top of that...but to address the question:
It happens sometimes...but it's not really that bad at all, I mostly just try to stay inside my room if I can see I'm feeling bitchy, I just get really really quiet, and that sometimes bothers people or my family. But, feh, what's better, silence or bitchiness?? O.o?

~*Aven*~

[lauriep]

I think that PMS is real but some people use it as an excuse. I find for some months, it will hit me a lot harder than other times. I just get really emotional and have a much harder time reigning them in. If I'm already depressed, I'll cry myself to sleep for no reason. It's pathetic and I usually feel pissed at myself afterwards for not having better control of my feelings.

[Arioch]

:shock:

The dreaded PMS...I used to track the PMS of some of my female friends. Just so that they couldn't claim it was PMS when they felt cranky.

Yeah I know very well that you're getting your PMS on the 22nd... it's the 14th.... you just need your caffeine and a good lay.

[EternalCynic]

..Yes. I never check dates or mark calenders or any of that jazz, I just sort of go with the flow (no pun intended). So about week before my period I always get -extremely- judgemental, irritable, and downright bitchy. Oddly enough, it takes me a couple days to realize that I've been so damn cranky and immediately apologize to the people I'd yelled at. It's pretty terrible x_x. (Let us remember that the "P" in PMS stands for "Pre" so it doesnt have to be -while- you're on your period).

[synchronous]

ONE of my ex-boyfriends (only one), used to lock himself in his room and not have anything to do with me while I was PMS'ing

Hmm, interesting. Right at this moment, I'm sitting locked inside a room and not having anything to do with my husband who is PMS'ing. Seriously, that is what I'm doing now. He's been bitching all day long with all sorts of negativity, being very irritable. He doesn't even see it in himself. He can get wound up like a top.

Like older women who suffer menopause, middleaged men go through their own little crisis - andropause is the scientific term for it. So, beware, guys can have their own hormonal issues.

[Arioch]

ONE of my ex-boyfriends (only one), used to lock himself in his room and not have anything to do with me while I was PMS'ing

Hmm, interesting. Right at this moment, I'm sitting locked inside a room and not having anything to do with my husband who is PMS'ing. Seriously, that is what I'm doing now. He's been bitching all day long with all sorts of negativity, being very irritable. He doesn't even see it in himself. He can get wound up like a top.

Like older women who suffer menopause, middleaged men go through their own little crisis - andropause is the scientific term for it. So, beware, guys can have their own hormonal issues.

I've heard that INTP men go through their midlife crisis a few decades eairler then other men of other Types

[synchronous]

I've heard that INTP men go through their midlife crisis a few decades eairler then other men of other Types

I guess I should have hooked up with a middleaged INTP man instead ;)

Well, it wouldn't surprise me at all if men throughout their lives (not just middle age) go through similar emotional swings or irritability due to fluctuating testosterone levels.

[booyalab]

I think that PMS is real but some people use it as an excuse. I find for some months, it will hit me a lot harder than other times. I just get really emotional and have a much harder time reigning them in. If I'm already depressed, I'll cry myself to sleep for no reason. It's pathetic and I usually feel pissed at myself afterwards for not having better control of my feelings.

This happens to me too! For about the first 16 years of my life (including infant years) I cried maybe 4 times. Then suddenly puberty came (I was a late bloomer) and I would start to cry about once or twice a year. I really hated myself for it. I probably cried 7 times within the past year, but that's because of the relationship I was in..so I have a better excuse than hormones.

[MacGuffin]

ONE of my ex-boyfriends (only one), used to lock himself in his room and not have anything to do with me while I was PMS'ing

Hmm, interesting. Right at this moment, I'm sitting locked inside a room and not having anything to do with my husband who is PMS'ing. Seriously, that is what I'm doing now. He's been bitching all day long with all sorts of negativity, being very irritable. He doesn't even see it in himself. He can get wound up like a top.

Like older women who suffer menopause, middleaged men go through their own little crisis - andropause is the scientific term for it. So, beware, guys can have their own hormonal issues.

I've heard that INTP men go through their midlife crisis a few decades eairler then other men of other Types

So that explains my life right now!

My wife's PMS got a lot better when she switched birth control.

[ohnoaninfp]

Hell Ya! It is real! I wish it wasn't. :(

[synchronous]

So that explains my life right now!

My wife's PMS got a lot better when she switched birth control.

Birth control can help with the PMS. So can minimizing your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Apparently these two culprits can amplify the feelings of irritability during PMS.

[EternalCynic]

So can minimizing your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Apparently these two culprits can amplify the feelings of irritability during PMS.

I'll keep the caffeine bit in mind, very useful information.

[SensEye]

Well, it wouldn't surprise me at all if men throughout their lives (not just middle age) go through similar emotional swings of irritability due to fluctuating testosterone levels.
Hold on there! Men don't go through swings of irritability. And I don't think testosterone fluctuates much either (just gradually declines with age).

[Birdsnest]

Reply to Synchronous:



Like older women who suffer menopause, middleaged men go through their own little crisis - andropause is the scientific term for it. So, beware, guys can have their own hormonal issues.

Oh my goodness! I just saw a book at Amazon called Irritable Male Syndrome and it says men can have a type of menopause, but it can hit at any age, even adolescence. I had no idea men went thru a sort of PMS too.

[s]

I do not usually have PMS symptoms; I am moody all month long.

[Ponderous]

I find for some months, it will hit me a lot harder than other times. I just get really emotional and have a much harder time reigning them in. If I'm already depressed, I'll cry myself to sleep for no reason. It's pathetic and I usually feel pissed at myself afterwards for not having better control of my feelings.

This is exactly how it is for me. It's that whole, "I know I have feelings in here somewhere, but they appear to have bubbled up at an inopportune time." I don't really have a problem with being a crab. However, it shows up a little more as unexpected depression or tears at the drop of a hat. I mean really, can't people just keep their hats on when I'm having a hormone thing? ;)

[Melody]

I probably have some form of manly PMS at the moment. It would explain my midlife crisis. :cry:

*drives his VW Golf off a cliff*

[nobarcode]

um.. I'm a 35 year old male. If I get all hysterical for five days because you don't like my skirt, will someone please shoot me?

And please, remove the skirt before I'm frozen and sent off to space.

[Slider]

heh, I've never had cramps or anything . . . sucks to be y'all. :)

[synchronous]

Well, it wouldn't surprise me at all if men throughout their lives (not just middle age) go through similar emotional swings of irritability due to fluctuating testosterone levels.
Hold on there! Men don't go through swings of irritability. And I don't think testosterone fluctuates much either (just gradually declines with age).

Here you go:

irritable male syndrome (IMS): Anger and irritableness in men caused by a sudden drop in testosterone levels, particularly when brought on by stress.

Here are some clippettes from various sources*:

--> Gerald A. Lincoln, a researcher at the Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in Edinburgh, Scotland, recently coined the term "irritable male syndrome" (IMS) to mirror the infamous PMS in women. Lincoln says these hormone imbalances go far beyond the now recognized "male menopause" and can manifest at any time in life.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/marcella75/ims.html (excellent article to read)

-> that state of hypersensitivity, frustration and anger is now used to describe men who suffer from testosterone deficiency. And while the condition may have been around for ages, the diagnosis suggests that men may be just as vulnerable to the complexities of biology as women. "This is very common," said Dr. Philip Aliotta. "Low levels of testosterone manifest in irritability, depression, weak muscles, loss of self-esteem. Men have no interest in the joys of life. Their libido has dropped. Their interest in intimacy is declining. Sexual function diminishes. Work performance suffers. Oftentimes they are misdiagnosed as being depressed.
—Jane Kwiatkowski, "Goodbye, testosterone," The Buffalo News, January 28, 2003

-> Depression, fatigue, irritability, loss of sex drive and even hot flashes are symptoms, but the real trouble, experts say, is that the drop in testosterone and rise in estradiol (the "female" hormone men make too) that produce the symptoms can also trigger weight gain, loss of muscle tone, even gallbladder and gastrointestinal problems and high cholesterol. About 80% of men will experience symptoms of IMS

-> IMS is highly common and affects many aspects of life -- 365 days of the year, according to a new study of 10,000 men. Specifically, 46% of men say that they are often or almost always stressed and 55% say they often or almost always have a strong fear of failure. Moreover, 62% have a strong desire to get away from it all, and 40% say they are rarely or never sexually satisfied.

-> "One of the key factors in IMS is dietary influence because foods affect testosterone,". "A diet rich in high-glycemic carbs such as potato chips, white breads, and white pasta will lower testosterone levels,"

-> Another study attests to the phenomenon. Larrian Gillespie, MD, retired urologist and author of The Gladiator Diet (Healthy Life Publications, 2001), found that men's hormones pulsate hourly and that dips in testosterone levels can occur any time in any male as a result of stress, environmental factors, and diet. The decline, then, can lead to mood swings.

* SOURCES: Jed Diamond, clinical psychotherapist; author, Irritable Male Syndrome: Managing the Four Key Causes of Male Depression and Aggression. Larrian Gillespie, MD, retired urologist; author, The Gladiator Diet: How to Preserve Peak Health, Sexual Energy, and A Strong Body at Any Age.

[Misty_Kye]

So that explains my life right now!

My wife's PMS got a lot better when she switched birth control.

Birth control can help with the PMS. So can minimizing your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Apparently these two culprits can amplify the feelings of irritability during PMS.

BC pills can also work the other way and make PMS worse.

Normally PMS hits me hard and results in severe cramps. Things got bad enough that the doc's decided to change my birth control pills and increase the estrogen.

I went ballistic. I didn’t touch my computer for 3 months :ph34r:, yelling at the drop of a hat, slamming doors, started throwing things, etc... After two months I threw the pills. That little case really got some good lift. They are probably still on top of that building.

Two weeks later I was back to normal… I rather have the cramps. <_<

[MacGuffin]

I went ballistic. I didn’t touch my computer for 3 months :ph34r:, yelling at the drop of a hat, slamming doors, started throwing things, etc... After two months I threw the pills. That little case really got some good lift. They are probably still on top of that building.

I knew that avatar had more going for it than just a weather interest!

<ducks>

[Misty_Kye]

I went ballistic. I didn’t touch my computer for 3 months :ph34r:, yelling at the drop of a hat, slamming doors, started throwing things, etc... After two months I threw the pills. That little case really got some good lift. They are probably still on top of that building.

I knew that avatar had more going for it than just a weather interest!

<ducks>

:rofl:

[ohnoaninfp]

There is a guy I know who is 21 and a virgin. People say they reason why he is so anal and irritable is because he is "bottled up". Is that true?

[MacGuffin]

There is a guy I know who is 21 and a virgin. People say they reason why he is so anal and irritable is because he is "bottled up". Is that true?

Perhaps. Unless he "releases" a little "steam" by himself, now and then.

[SensEye]

There is a guy I know who is 21 and a virgin. People say they reason why he is so anal and irritable is because he is "bottled up". Is that true?

Perhaps. Unless he "releases" a little "steam" by himself, now and then.

And he is probably an SJ to boot! :D

[Boozer]

There is a guy I know who is 21 and a virgin. People say they reason why he is so anal and irritable is because he is "bottled up". Is that true?


He's probably a 21 year old virgin because he's anal and irritable...


Not that I did much better. :whistle:

[Vagabond]

I get in really bad moods at that time of the month. Not bitchy moods, just getting too emotional and depressed. Usually I just withdraw though. Like Jezebel said, I realise that I am not at my best and I try not to kick people around because of it. Oh, and of course at first I am in a lot of pain too. It sucks.

[CosmicDust]

I tend to get mild cramps/soreness down south the first day or two (although today's my first day and I haven't had a problem yet - maybe tomorrow will be the day), but I don't really notice significant mood fluctuations according to my hormones most of the time.

[Melody]

There is a guy I know who is 21 and a virgin. People say they reason why he is so anal and irritable is because he is "bottled up". Is that true?

hey...that sounds like me...

*drives his VW Golf off a cliff again*

germans make good cars

[synchronous]

So that explains my life right now!

My wife's PMS got a lot better when she switched birth control.

Birth control can help with the PMS. So can minimizing your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Apparently these two culprits can amplify the feelings of irritability during PMS.

BC pills can also work the other way and make PMS worse.

Normally PMS hits me hard and results in severe cramps. Things got bad enough that the doc's decided to change my birth control pills and increase the estrogen.

I went ballistic. I didn’t touch my computer for 3 months :ph34r:, yelling at the drop of a hat, slamming doors, started throwing things, etc... After two months I threw the pills. That little case really got some good lift. They are probably still on top of that building.

Two weeks later I was back to normal… I rather have the cramps. <_<

Yikes! I've heard similar stories. I was on the BC pill just briefly. It had the opposite effect. I didn't feel much of anything - including any drive to have sex. I react to drowsy type anti-histamines. They keep me hyper and awake for most of the night.

[synchronous]

Observing the entire monthly cycle, I'll have a week period of affection and interest in procreation. LOL. Once ovulation is complete, I have a week period of nothingness really. It's probably the most productive week of the month. Then the week from hell arrives. The period where I'd like to scratch someone's eyeballs out (PMS) creeps up on me. I never know exactly when it hits. Typically, I find myself scrapping with someone uncharacteristically. It always feels initially that I'm scrapping for a valid reason, and then I look back at the event to realize it's really something I should have rolled off my back. For me, I wish I could say I know exactly when I'm going to feel scrappy and avoid it altogether, but, it doesn't happen that way. Then normalcy returns where all is well and the cycle starts again.

[Ponderous]

I was on the BC pill just briefly. It had the opposite effect. I didn't feel much of anything - including any drive to have sex.

I also had a brief stint with BCs. Brief for the very same reason.

[Dr. Caligari]

I hate it when people (especially guys) attribute my general moodiness and crankiness to PMS, when I'm not even on my rag. Periods last for only a week every month, not 365 days a year. If they did, I'd certainly have a reason to be bitchy all year long, though.

[lauriep]

Me normally - I'm thinking about work, class, my lab report, the news report, the election, when to find a chance to catch up on sleep, reorganizing the house, where to move next, if I should I teach the dog new tricks, the lastest books I'm trying to find time to read, etc....

Me on PMS - I'm want to talk about how I feel, digging up old emotional hurts for absolutely no reason, wanting to look pretty, watching stupid chick flicks on the tv, jealous over nothing, needing attention, etc....

Me on PMS, Midol, and Rum - I'm thinking about work, class, my lab report, the news report, ....

[ohnoaninfp]

I hate the cramps. Sometimes they are so bad it is hard to concentrate in class.

[int]

My wife used to get really bad cramps - they'd literally put her on the floor crying they hurt so bad. They're not nearly so bad when she started taking the pill, almost non-existent. But if she stops taking it they creep back.

I have no idea how or why it works but it does. <shrugs/>

[Jezebel]

My wife used to get really bad cramps - they'd literally put her on the floor crying they hurt so bad. They're not nearly so bad when she started taking the pill, almost no-existent. But if she stops taking it they creep back.

I have no idea how or why it works but it does. <shrugs/>

they got that bad for me before too and I was put on the pill. I can't function if I'm not on the pill or some kind of medication.

[MacGuffin]

Wanna have some fun?

Tell your wife/GF it is all in their head.

Then run. Preferably to another country.

[synchronous]

Wanna have some fun?

Tell your wife/GF it is all in their head.

Then run. Preferably to another country.

LOL. That would do it. I challenge you to try that on your wife. Let us know what country you've decided to run to ;)

[CamINTPeron]

Well speaking as a husband I am very lucky when my wife has PMS all she wants to do is sleep and rest, so I just make sure she has a DVD or video, a cup of tea, something to eat and I will take our two sons out somewhere.

Oh and before you ask why I am posting in this thread I think the biggest mistake a man can make is to try to understand women but it does pay to take notes :D

[ohnoaninfp]

When it comes to my period my mood really doesan't change that much, I guess. I just get headaches, cramps etc.

[jjt]

I used to get bad PMS, irritable, really sore breasts, etc and really severe menstrual pain. However all that disappeared when I changed my diet, standard high carb to the 'Zone Diet' my PMS has never come back as long as I stick to it. My menstrual pain has reduced dramatically since I started take 6 or so capsules fo fish oil per day. The difference to my life is phenomenal! Highly recommend both the above to other sufferers.

[Durroch]

I hate my PMS, I usually forget when it is coming on, and become very... Weird. At least more than usual. But there was this one day, when I was getting a cold and I was just pissed off, even more so that I coudn't seem to control it, and was acting very bitchy... And this guy made a comment about that time of the month... I am ashamed to say that onlookers had to hold me back. And it wasn't even PMS!

Soon after my boyfriend is acting very, wary around me and so finally I notice and ask him, and he says, "Uhhh... Could you maybe tell me when that time of the month actually is? So I dont... Umm... Say something to piss you off?"

Bah... Misconception of what PMS is can be really annoying.

But I'm lucky, I don't cramp. I get soem godaweful bloat though!

[ohnoaninfp]

lucky you. I get severly depressed around that time. Thank God for zoloft. ;-)

[Zero Angel]

You must be lucky to have an antidepressent. I am trying to maneuver my SF psychiatrist into giving me a trial of that to see if I can improve my mood, but the superficial happy self I present in business makes it hard for him to believe me. Also he seems to want to be friends and have a good image of me then to diagnose my problems.

[Crazy]

I am not a female, but I am married, so I think I have some insite to this. i think PMS is real, but it is exagerated(sp?) by many women. With my wife for example, she doesn't get anymore bitchy than she normally is when that time comes. Well, maybe a little more. She is an ESFJ, and she can control herself with it, why can't others?

Also, I have heard of a rare condition in males that acts alot like PMS.


Q:Why do they call it PMS?

A:Cause Mad Cow Disease was already taken

[jjt]

PMS is definitely real, but affects women differently. I work as a nutritionist and one of the questions I ask women when I first see them is "do they get PMS, and what symptoms?". It varies hugely. Some don't get it at all. Others get horrendous symptoms. (Behavioural changes, bloating, water retention, sore breasts). From my own experience (when I used to get PMS) I recognised the pattern and the urge to be irritable and snap and grump at people, but I had the self control to not do that in situations where it's not acceptable (like work). Then I got home and didn't want to continue to make that kind of effort - so my poor family got an irritable grumpy me. Exaggerated - no, I dont think so.

[Clara]

My mother's theory: things that irritate us during hormonal somersaults... are things that irritate us the rest of the time too, but, at other times, we shelve them for later.

Some things, of course are unavoidable, or... (never mind, I'm not trying to fill in all the blanks, here, anyway)

On the other hand, it may be time for some emotional closet-culling (the following week, perhaps ;) ) - pointing out to surprised-at-the-reaction-ones that renegotiation of "normal" is up on the agenda...

[BritainOphira]

PMS used to never bother me, but this month I have been compelled to eat everything in sight. Tonight, for dinner, I had 5 large slices of cheese pizza, 4 reduced fat/sugar free vanilla wafer cookies (school vending machines suck), 4 chocolate chip cookies, readi-whip I found in a random school frig that was ever so slightly past its experation date, a two liter of mountain dew, and 1 can of diet mountain dew (keep in mind I never drink carbonated beverages).

[Clara]

BritainOphira, me too :)

The strange substitutes for sugar make me feel slightly yucked, though, so I avoid all of them... complex carbohydrates (pizza sounds perfect, thanks) are my pick right now.

[Mariel]

My mother's theory: things that irritate us during hormonal somersaults... are things that irritate us the rest of the time too, but, at other times, we shelve them for later.

Some things, of course are unavoidable, or... (never mind, I'm not trying to fill in all the blanks, here, anyway)

On the other hand, it may be time for some emotional closet-culling (the following week, perhaps ;) ) - pointing out to surprised-at-the-reaction-ones that renegotiation of "normal" is up on the agenda...

I completely agree with your mother. And furthermore, anger of any sort is frequently "shelved", because women are expected to repress it. PMS allows us to see things that have been tolerated that are actually intolerable.

[Vagabond]

I completely agree with your mother. And furthermore, anger of any sort is frequently "shelved", because women are expected to repress it. PMS allows us to see things that have been tolerated that are actually intolerable. So you don't think that we may be kind of overreacting on these days..? We just happen to see things for what they really are? Wow, the world must suck really bad for me then, because I don't get angry on these days, I get depressed.

Btw... why would women be expected to repress anger...?

[evil kitten]

You men are so lucky. Having your period sucks ass!

[lexiphanic]

I tend to get mild cramps/soreness down south the first day or two (although today's my first day and I haven't had a problem yet - maybe tomorrow will be the day), but I don't really notice significant mood fluctuations according to my hormones most of the time.

Down South? Huh? I don't get it.... :whistle:

I think that hourly study for men might be true. I'm never moody for an extended period of time, but I will occasionally snap. And when I do, I snap good. Of course, I realize my bitchiness in minutes instead of days later.