Premenstrual Disorders

need to decrease their dosages. It is always best to start at very low levels, moving slowly up to the lowest effective dose. Most studies are done on women, not adolescents. Many adults assume all teenagers will rebel and act out during these years, so they do not consider that some teenage girls may be suffering from PMS or PMDD rather than just being rebellious. One mother reported to a friend, “If you think you had trouble with your son, wait until your daughter becomes a teenager. They are ten times worse than any boy.” Many physicians who treat adolescents, however, are coming to believe that a close association may exist between a young woman’s behavior and her menstrual cycle. Girls who were well-behaved and pleasant children may suddenly become distant,

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Premenstrual Disorders •