Dispelling the PMS Myth

In her PMS speech, Robyn Stein DeLuca breaks down the myth that is Premenstrual Syndrome. Even though the idea that most women get PMS (a wide variety of symptoms, including irritability and emotional instability in general) is pervasive in Western culture, the speaker explains how this is not actually the case.

First, there is no strong consensus from medical professionals that Premenstrual Syndrome is real. More than 150 symptoms have been used to diagnose PMS, which further proves even doctors don't know how to define it. The PMS speech explains how there are problems with research methods. One such problem is it's a condition virtually unheard of outside Western society. In the 1990s health professionals renamed it PMDD with much more specific symptoms and time frames. Under this new framework, only 3 to 8% experience PMDD.

Stein DeLuca notes that treating PMS has become a thriving, profitable industry including books, clinics, workshops, seminars and medication, which is partly why the myth refuses to die.