I don’t know about you but my life is busy enough that I can’t be bothered with PMS craziness that tries to hold me back. I learned quite a while ago that I had choices to ease or get rid of these nasty PMS symptoms and that’s what I do!

All of the following have been personally experienced: bloating, breast tenderness, cramps, backache, headaches, mood swings, angry feelings and even some depression. I know these are all ‘normal’ – yes normal. Maybe not all at once although that has been reported!

Some women seem to breeze through ‘that time of the month’ each month and have little or no PMS symptoms such as fluid retention, bloating, cramps, mood swings, food cravings, anxiety, anger, depression.

Other women struggle with one or all of the above nasty problems and it’s not pretty! The months seem to go by quickly and women can suffer from symptoms before during and after their period. This accounts for way too much time of the month when you may feel ‘crappy’.

How can magnesium help? First we should acknowledge that diet and lifestyle choices do play a role with what happens in your body and what causes PMS symptoms. And we also need to listen to our bodies because they can tell us what we need.

Certain nutrients in foods and supplements can impact things like getting less water retention, improving moods, reducing or eliminating pain from cramps and even cravings. Things your body lacks will produce these symptoms. So giving the body what it needs to perform the regular body processes each month will make a difference in how you feel.

This article is about magnesium – one such nutrient associated with PMS. If you have low levels of magnesium in your body, you may retain fluid, have bloating and/or breast tenderness, and be tense or moody. Scientists are studying whether deficiencies in magnesium cause PMS or if PMS can deplete magnesium in your body.

What we do know is that if you have enough magnesium it can help reduce or eliminate PMS symptoms that you suffer from each month. Today women eat a lot of processed foods and magnesium is lost in the processing. Even cereal, a popular breakfast food, can contain grains that are heavily processed and therefore low in magnesium.

Do you get chocolate cravings as part of PMS? Chocolate is rich in magnesium and craving it can be a sign you may be low in magnesium. The problem with eating chocolate is that it contains caffeine that might make your PMS symptoms worse. Chocolate also does not provide much nutritional value but can add significant calories.

When women can’t get the magnesium they need from their diet, a supplement can provide the extra they need to help the body manage PMS better and reduce symptoms. Magnesium supplements work best when consumed with calcium. A quality calcium supplement will contain magnesium as well, in smaller amounts.

If you need more magnesium than you can get in your diet or with your calcium supplement, a balanced supplement of magnesium, potassium and boron helps with nerve transmission and muscle contraction that can provide relief from PMS symptoms like water retention, breast tenderness and bloating. A high quality brand will contain a gel-diffusion delivery system that won’t upset gastrointestinal issues because nutrients are released slowly in the body.

Other nutrients excellent for PMS management: Calcium (sleep better, nerves, cramps), B-Complex (the HAPPY vitamin – moods, food cravings, fluid retention), vitamin E (fibrocystic lumps, anxiety, carb cravings), Soy Protein (regulate cycle), GLA (essential fatty acid – balances hormones, sense of well-being).

Throughout your life you will experience changes as your body goes through the phases of puberty, child-bearing years and menopause. Having the power to impact the way we feel through each stage, in order to feel energized and symptom-free, is great knowledge to have.