Premenstrual Syndrome
Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, Volume 27 Number 3 September 2000
Copyright 2000 W. B. Saunders Company, CURRENT REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY
Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment
Bruce Kessel MD
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by the occurrence of a constellation of symptoms temporally associated with the menstrual cycle. Symptoms of PMS include physical and mood changes that peak premenstrually and resolve shortly following the onset of menstrual bleeding. Historical descriptions of PMS are shrouded in mythology, and, previously, the scientific understanding of PMS was limited.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by unpleasant sensations of the legs that are worse in the evening and at night, and that are relieved by movement. Most patients with RLS also have movements of the legs that occur periodically at 20- to 30-second intervals for minutes to hours during sleep. Although the term nocturnal myoclonus sometimes is used to describe these movements, they usually are not sudden lightning-like movements. Rather, they typically last for about 1 second and consist of extension of the great toe with variable degrees of ankle extension, knee extension, and hip extension or flexion.