premenstrual syndrome

English

Etymology

Coined by Katharina Dalton in 1953 to replace the earlier premenstrual tension, which she considered accidentally created the impression of focusing solely on PMS's mental aspects.

Noun

premenstrual syndrome (uncountable)

1. The physical and psychological malaise experienced by many women between ovulation and the onset of menstruation; premenstrual tension. [1953]
   • 1968, Diet Pill Industry: Hearings, Ninetieth Congress, Second Session, Pursuant to S. Res. 26 . Part 56, p. 702:

     The thiazides and similar compounds have also been used in patients with edema associated with nephritis and …the premenstrual syndrome….

   • 1969: Public Health Service publication no. 263, sect. 20, 1969

     In The Premenstrual Syndrome, Dr. Katherina Dalton summarizes many studies of behavior change that show a large portion of crimes (63 percent in an English study, 84 percent in a French) are not distributed evenly over time, but clustered in the premenstrual interval along with suicides, accidents, a decline in the quality of schoolwork, decline in intelligence test scores, visual acuity, and response speed.

   • 1998, Edain McCoy, Celtic Women's Spirituality:

     Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) takes a lot of bashing in the media. It is true that many women become more aggressive during this period, though they are rarely out of control...Therefore, any PMS symptoms that are perceived as unstable are due to the fact that women act more like men during this phase than at any other time in their cycles.

   • 2006, Kristen Brown, Nietzsche And Embodiment: Discerning Bodies and Non-Dualism:

     The term "premenstrual syndrome" first emerged in 1953 when Dr. Katharina Dalton used it to describe the same symptoms delineated by Dr. Frank [who coined premenstrual tension in 1931].

   • 2006, Geoffrey P Webb, Dietary Supplements And Functional Foods:

     The physical symptoms of this premenstrual syndrome include bloating, weight gain, breast tenderness, abdominal discomfort, lethargy and headache whilst the psychological symptoms include anxiety, irritability, aggression and loss of control.

Synonyms

• PMS, premenstrual stress, PMT, premenstrual tension

Related terms

• premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

Translations

malaise experienced before menstruation

• Czech: premenstruační syndrom
• French: syndrome prémenstruel (fr) m
• Italian: sindrome premestruale f
• Russian: предменструа́льный синдро́м (ru) m (predmenstruálʹnyj sindróm)
• Spanish: síndrome premenstrual m

See also

• dysmenorrhea (which in its sense as a symptom can be meronymic to premenstrual syndrome)