Premenstrual Disorders

During a woman’s menstrual cycle, she may experience emo- tional ups and downs, which are caused by the changes taking place inside her body. Numbers 1 through 4 show the egg at var- ious stages in its progress from the ovary, down through the Fal- lopian tube (3), into the uterus. When the egg is first released from the ovary (4), estrogen levels are at their highest. Estro- gen and progesterone (the two main female hormones) remain high through the next couple of weeks, during the time when the egg is ready to be fertilized (2,1). The woman can become pregnant during this time, but she does not usually experience PMS symptoms until the hormone levels begin to drop. As the hormone levels fall, her uterus’s lining begins to thin, and men- struation takes place—and the woman’s emotional level may take a dip as well.

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Premenstrual Disorders •