Dr. S Goel

PMS is often treated as a joke but for many women, it is a monthly nightmare. Muscle cramps, headaches, bloating, breast tenderness, anxiety and depression are common symptoms of PMS. Though there is no set cure for PMS here are a few tips that will help you deal with it.

• Set an exercise routine: Exercising not only helps you maintain weight but also helps dealing with PMS. You only need to set aside 30 minutes a day for a brisk walk, jog, swim or even dance. Aerobic exercises improve blood circulation, ease stress and help the brain release happy hormones.
• Change your diet: If you are feeling bloated and depressed, cut back on simple carbohydrates like sugar and fat and increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Do not attempt a low carb diet to lose weight if you suffer from PMS. Reducing the simple carbohydrates in the body and increasing the complex carbohydrates keeps you body feeling full for longer and increases the serotonin levels in the body.
• Quit alcohol and caffeine: Drinking a glass of wine or a cup of coffee may give you temporary relief from PMS symptoms but in the long run they aggravate your PMS symptoms such as headaches, breast tenderness and mood swings. Alcohol may also contribute towards lowering the magnesium levels in your body and thereby make you feel bloated.
• Relax: One of the effects of PMS is to make you feel anxious and tense. The easiest way to address this is by learning to relax. Try meditation or yoga for half an hour every morning. This will improve your overall health as well as soothe muscle pains.
• Take a few supplements: Research says that certain fatty acids like Omega 3 and linoleic acid can lower irritability and body aches associated with PMS. Calcium is also known to help ease PMS symptoms. Getting these nutrients in the required levels may not be possible only through your daily meals. Hence, you can also consider supplements to ease your pains.
• Use Birth control pills: Birth control pills with the drospirenone hormone can help ease symptoms of severe PMS. Menstruation is often accompanied by a drop in estrogen levels that can lead to migraines. Birth control pills also regulates your hormones and hence avoids these fluctuations. It also keeps your ovaries from releasing eggs every month and hence reduces the intensity of the associated cramps.
• Talk to people: You are not alone when it comes to PMS. Instead of keeping quiet about your discomfort, talk to people who may be experiencing something similar. Sharing your problems will introduce you to new ways of dealing with it. You could also get online support through various discussion groups.

If you are over 35 years of age at the time of conceiving or have a positive triple test( for down's syndrome screening) or have a significant positive family history of a genetic disorder, you may be asked to undergo a procedure called amniocentesis between 15-18weeks of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the fetus is surrounded by a water bag which acts as a cushion for the baby. This water is mainly formed by the baby and is called the Amniotic fluid.

Amniocentesis is a procedure through which we remove a small amount of amniotic fluid from the water bag in the uterus. This fluid contains cells shed by the fetus and these cells can be analyzed in the lab to give us genetic information that we need.

The procedure usually involves getting an ultrasound done and then under constant ultrasound guidance,a needle is introduced through the mother's abdomen into the water bag. Around 15-20 ml of fluid is removed and sent to the genetics lab so that the cells can grow and be analyzed. Early results are usually available in about 3 days a and the final reports are available by 3 weeks.

Amniocentesis is a definitive test and helps to confirm a tentative diagnosis of an abnormality previously found with other screening tests. It may also find that a fetus does not have the abnormality that was suspected.