Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and the Myth of the Irrational Female

Abstract

King’s chapter begins by describing the historical context of ‘premenstrual’ symptoms, which were first formally described in 1931. She then questions the prioritization of mood-based symptoms in the diagnostic criteria for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). King argues that population studies suggest that mood-based symptoms are not the most common nor most disruptive of menstrual changes. She then proposes that the trend of ‘psychologizing’ premenstrual symptoms is influenced by the sexist historical assumption of ‘the myth of the irrational female’—the idea that women, due to their reproductive biology, are pathologically emotional and thus have a reduced capacity for reason. The author concludes by calling for a more integrated and rigorous approach to PMS definitions and research to support people who experience cyclical symptoms, without unintentionally pathologizing the menstrual cycle or stigmatizing an entire gender.

Moody and monstrous menstruators: the Semiotics of the menstrual meme on social media

“…One meme symbolises the threatening menstruator with a photograph of a small angry dog who bears a note that reads "will bite." The semiotic resources of this meme reaffirm gendered power relations through characterising women as weak and hysterical (King 2020b). Adding to this imagery of menstruators as dangerous, one user adapts a popular meme in which Kermit the frog gazes at a version of himself wearing a black hood.…”

“…As this section demonstrates, the vast majority of memes that portray the moods of menstruators perpetuate "the myth of the irrational menstruator" (King 2020b). By characterising menstruators as irrational, depressed, aggressive, and abnormal, their humour reinforces stigma and silences menstruators who suffer from mental health issues.…”

“…Although this meme subversively illustrates that men are at the root of women's oppression, and thereby resonating with feminist studies that claim that menstrual stigma is a result of patriarchal power structures, it problematically links menstruation to mental disorder. Hence, this meme not only perpetuates a harmful societal perception of menstruating women as mentally ill, it also belittles people with menstrual health conditions, such as PMDD, that can engender menstruators to feel depressed or overwhelmed (King 2020b). It therefore is an example of "reinforcing humour" which, albeit seeming feminist on the surface, is arguably misogynistic because it uses "divisive humour" that stems from a Freudian discourse of women as pathologically hysterical (Gottlieb 2020).…”

Quality of life and symptom severity in premenstrual syndrome: a quasi-experimental study

“…Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) points to some psychological, physical, emotional and behavioral signs which take place periodically during the luteal phase (1) . The effect of fluctuations in the level of ovarian steroids or their metabolites on the neurotransmitter system, or the imbalance in brain receptors, can be related to the pathogenesis of Premenstrual Syndrome (2) .…”

Social-demographic factors associated with Premenstrual Syndrome among female University students in Central Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study.

“…The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) criteria for PMS and PMDD(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2000), the DSM-IV criteria for PMS and PMDD (American Psychiatric Association, 2000); plus the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) (Steiner et al, 2003) were modified to develop the study tool for the assessment of the prevalence of PMS. The ACOG and DSM-IV criteria focus majorly on only the psychological symptoms for the diagnosis of PMS; and most assessment tools have been modified to suit this criterion for the diagnosis of PMS (King, 2020). Yet, the physical symptoms too have been shown to affect the quality of life of the women who suffer from PMS (Oo et al, 2016).…”