Premenstrual Disorders

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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.