So apparently, PMS is just a marketing concept!!
It was a usual Saturday and I was binge watching an old series on Netflix. My husband who was working all day, just came home and wanted to watch something else. He tries to be the geeky one and puts on some TED talk videos. Browsing through them, he comes across this one titled "The good news about PMS". Here is the video:
Not knowing what it is actually about, I urge him to play that video, in
the hopes that he will learn more about PMS and the mood swings and
hormonal changes I go through each month. To my surprise, the speaker
actually claims that PMS is just a marketing concept and a very
negligible amount of women qualify to being victims of PMS.
It is common for most women to have a couple of days of irritability
followed by varying mood swings. You can see in the video that the
speaker presents a list of PMS related symptoms which I usually see in
me during the "that time of the month". I thought that was PMS! She
claims that most of those are just common symptoms that anybody can
have, even MEN. Very general and typical moods/emotions. Then why are
they so rampantly linked to women?
I am still watching that video and lost in thoughts at the same time. Is
PMS not real? Then what is it that I go through for a couple of days
every month, during which, I can cry inconsolably or get irritated or be
very depressed, for absolutely no reason at all. I know that is not the
normal ME. If this is not PMS, then what is it? Does this happen only
to me, or many other women?
My husband takes this golden opportunity to playfully mock me, "PMS is
fake! PMS is fake!". Now, I am not a doctor or a researcher, but I do
know that women go through mood swings, some really bad, some not so
much. Can we call these as PMS? What is this TED talk about? Why are all
these mood swings and emotions linked only to women with a "PMS" tag
attached to it. Too many questions. I get back to watching this video to
find answers and take the time to understand the theory behind her
explanations. She mentions that the mood swings, emotions, hormonal
changes may all be real - there is no scientific evidence to prove or
disprove it. But the PMS tag has been very cleverly used to market drugs
which claim to suppress PMS. What the video to learn more.
Here is what I think. Mood swings are temporary. But if you can see a
pattern in how and when you are being moody, emotional, depressed, then
that is definitely PMS. I know that there is a clear cycle and pattern
that I see when it comes to my mood swings. That, is my PMS. Some
generalized research cannot take away that from me. It may be true, PMS
may have been used as a marketing gimmick. There are various over the
counter medication which promise to make you feel better from a list of
symptoms. Do these really work? No, I don't believe that mood swings or
PMS can be cured by medication. But the concept itself being called fake, I would totally disagree.
But wait! As much as I believe in PMS, I would also like to say that men
cannot use PMS as a ticket to dismiss a woman, her emotions, feelings
and ideas. Similarly, a woman cannot constantly be bitchy or behave
badly and blame it on PMS. You don't need someone mocking you or being
judgemental by saying things like "Ohh.. Is it that time of the month?"
You also don't need to justify your bad behavior with the PMS tag.
On a funnier note, this reminds me of an encounter I had last week while
at a beauty salon. The lady who was assisting me was threading my
eyebrows and she was not being gentle. I cried in pain. When I asked her
to go slow and said that it hurt really bad, she asked me, "Are you on
your periods? Do you have PMS? It will pain more if you have periods."
Really? Am I immune to pain if I am not on my periods or not PMSing?
So, next time someone asks you if you are being bitchy or moody or
sensitive because of PMS, just punch them in the face and tell them "It
is not the PMS, It is you!". LOL! Just Kidding, please don't go about
punching people. Try your best to be rational and logical in your words
and actions, the PMS will just pass! To quote my bestie here, "Once you
are done with your PMS, Life is always beautiful........, until the next
time".
