If you have severe PMS, you may get frustrated by those who don’t believe you or think you need to ‘harden up’. Luckily, now scientists have shown that there is actually a genetic reason behind why some suffer from severe PMS and others don’t.
A new study from the National Institutes of Health has discovered that it is actually a selection of genes that make some women more likely to suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). The disorder affects between two to five percent of all women, and results in depression, anxiety and irritability in the days approaching menstruation.
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Scientists tested the hypothesis that PMDD actually affects how your cells respond to estrogen and progesterone (the two hormones that control menstruation), and the results were very interesting.
When the scientists ‘turned off’ estrogen and progestrone, women found that the PMDD symptoms disappeared, whereas when the hormones were turned on, the symptoms returned.
One of the scientists, David Goldman M.D., said that this was quite a revolutionary discovery in a statement.
“This is a big moment for women’s health, because it establishes that women with PMDD have an intrinsic difference in their molecular apparatus for response to sex hormones – not just emotional behaviours they should be able to voluntarily control,” said Goldman.
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It’s great that we finally know more about this. Now where’s the cure?
