Agony Aunt Susan Quilliam speaks out about PMS
10 Jul 2006
"Every month, we consider divorce" - that's so often what couples report about PMS!!
The physical, mental and emotional symptoms don't just affect the woman in a partnership - all too often they impact on the man too, and then create doubt and frustration between partners, undermining the entire relationship.
Of course there's much that can be done to ease a woman's symptoms -but the problem also needs to be tackled by both partners. Over the years, through my advice columnist postbag and my work with NAPS, I've realised that while there's no easy way forward, major improvements are possible if partners are able to take a huge but vital step - get a totally different perspective on the place of PMS in their relationship.
At the NAPS Conference in September, I'll be talking about this shift in perspective. My presentation will explore what needs to change at the very heart of the couple's understanding of themselves, their relationship and the premenstrual symptoms in order to ease the stress. I'll be including some very practical steps to help partners make the change and some very particular ways in which practitioners need to offer support. Susan Quilliam
