Symptoms and Signs:
Symptoms can be both internal and external. External symptoms include acne, boils, allergies, hives, water retention, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness and swelling and weight gain.
Internal physical symptoms include cramps, depression (occasionally quite severe), physical pain in the lower back and/or abdomen, joint pain and swelling migraines and headaches, dizziness, fainting, bladder infection, sore throat, rhinitis, hoarseness, and constipation.
Internal emotional/psychological symptoms and behaviours include mood swings, irritability, anxiety, nervousness, depression (occasionally quite severe), bingeing, sugar cravings
Not all of these symptoms are experienced by every woman, these are just some of the more common complaints. Also many of these symptoms can co-exist in the same woman. One should be aware that during this time it has been reported that women are most sensitive to extremes of behaviour and are at increased risk of accidents, alcohol abuse, suicide attempts and crimes. Although this is a rare phenomenon, women have described themselves as experiencing personality metamorphosis such as those exemplified in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
