Tumultuous Friday - PMS: Fact or Fiction?

Alright ladies, I'm doing it, I'm putting it out there! Hopefully we can hear something from both sides on this one. Maybe I should have waited until I have more readers for this topic so there would be more responses? Oh well, too late! Guys, you might want to comment anonymously!!

PMS - I don't know how many houses it comes up in but let me just say, it has come up in mine! I'm sure a lady shouldn't speak of such things in public but I am kind of on the fence with that whole "lady" thing. My close friends know better of me. How many of you "ladies" out there have ever been a little grumpy only to have your significant other have some sort of comment regarding PMS?

According to my research, PMS is real. Ok, I will you give you that, we all knew this. Approximately 75% of women are affected by PMS (to read more about PMS, see this article). Does this mean that we are only sane and able to make good decisions about two weeks out of every month? I think not. Here's what really bothers me about this whole, "you're pms'ing", thing. It's an instant dismissal of whatever I have just said. It says to me that you think I am incapable of clear thought during whatever are deemed to be my pms days. If that's the case, I'm not sure how I've made it this far!

I am usually pretty laid back, I will admit that I might get a little grumpy; I don't even realize it until it's pointed out to me. It's only noticeable because I am just so nice the rest of the time! Maybe there's a better, more respectful way to point it out. There has to be a middle ground on this debate right? After all, if 75% of women experience PMS, it could get pretty dangerous for you guys if we started our own army.

I am sure we have all heard the comments about electing a female President. Women are just too emotional to lead a country. I can see the headlines now: "PMS'ing President seen crying over sappy commercial", or "President so-and-so ordered the bombing of Alaska today over argument with Sarah Palin...both were PMS'ing", or maybe "President yadda yadda seen eating Lindt Truffles today, must be that time"!

Seriously? I don't mean to stereotype here, not everyone is the same. Women are powerful. I don't consider myself a feminist but want to point out a few things. We carry, birth and raise our children, work full time jobs, run a house, start businesses, write books and go until we can't go any more. So if PMS is a real thing, we do all of these things while bloating, cramping, wanting to eat a box of chocolates and bite everyone's head off. We still somehow manage to maintain control, for the most part anyway, and get it done!

Yes, there are plenty of men who do most of this as well, I am not discounting you here. It's that emotional part that really drives us. It's what makes us mysterious and special. It's what keeps you CRAZY MEN coming back for more! The good news is, there is no more PMS after menopause so hang in there guys! You only have to wait until we hit our late 40's or 50's. Sad but interesting fact, there are more male babies born than female every year yet after age 35, there are more women than men in the world. From what I read the decline in the male population is due to things like war (thank you to the amazing men and women who fight for us every day), occupational hazards, and disease. Hopefully it's not PMS related.

As a side and more serious note to you girls out there, if you experience severe PMS symptoms, you may have PMDD (Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder). See the link to the article above for more information.

Let me know your thoughts, I'm tough, I can take it!

Any advice or opinions I give are simply advice from life experience and not that of a professional!