Have you ever experienced picking a fight with someone without a valid reason or getting angry just because your classmate is breathing? What about getting pissed by the wind blowing your hair or with the sound of the clock ticking and you are so irritated you want to shout and smash everything that is around you (I'm exaggerating don't smash anything, that wont do you any good and its costly) Or you can't figure out if you will go to the bathroom or you will not go to the bathroom. If you are a guy, then you must be in a really, really bad mood, maybe you are just tired and hungry, or maybe you have a problem you should consult a psychologist but most likely you're just hungry. But if you're a girl, welcome to womanhood. Warning: That happens once every month, so better prepare yourself. :))
People say that menstruation is one of the many physical signs that a girl is turning into a woman. Women have different ways in dealing with menstruation, some women can't wait to start their periods and get over with it while some may feel anxious or afraid. Most girls experience physical and emotional symptoms during, before or after their menstrual period which is now medically defined as PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome. PMS symptoms vary, it generally include muscle pain, breast tenderness, tension, diarrhea, a strong craving for sweets and of course the infamous irritability and mood swings. And what can boyfriends or husbands do but to blame the "Hormones".
Hormones are chemicals or substances produced by the organs in the endocrine system to carry messages from the organs that produced them to the different cells in the body specifically the target cells, hence hormones are called the "chemical messengers in the body". Endocrinology is a branch of science which deals with the study of the endocrine system (which main function is to produce hormones), endocrine glands' function, structure and the diseases related to the endocrine system.
The main hormones responsible for PMS are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone ( testosterone in males) in general are important in sexual functions, in producing the secondary sex characteristics of bone and muscle growth and maintenance, distribution of fat and body hair, breast development, etc.
This will only give you a hint of what Endocrinology is all about, since this is only an introduction.
Below is an illustration of the Endocrine system:
References:
Gerard J. Tortora and Bryan H. Derrickson 12th
Edition Principles of Anatomy and
Physiology
Donald
F. Calbreath Clinical Chemistry: A
Fundamental Textbook
