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PMS
During a doctor's visit, the patient may be asked about her symptoms or to fill out a questionnaire.
The only method for obtaining a clear picture of premenstrual syndrome, however, is for the woman to chart her symptoms over 2 - 3 months. The following is an example of such a process:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists asks that a pattern of symptoms:
A number of questionnaires are used for identifying PMS. A simple scoring system called The Premenstrual Shortened Form is often used during an office visit. The woman is asked to rate the following symptoms on a score of 1 - 6, with 1 equal to no change and 6 equal to very severe.
In order to be diagnosed with PMS, a woman must score a 5 or 6 on at least 5 of the symptoms and at least 1 of the symptoms must be numbers 2, 3, 4, or 5.
If the symptoms consistently resolve at the onset of menstruation, they are most likely caused by hormonal fluctuations. If they persist, however, or do not appear to be associated with a regular cycle, other conditions may be causing them. Among the possible conditions that mimic some PMS symptoms are:
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