Over the years, I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon among my beaus, three brothers, and numerous guy friends. About once a month, each falls off of their normally even keel personas and seems a bit…cranky. Crabby. Bitchy. Worthy of a good hard slap across the ol’ mug. The moodiness rarely lasts longer than a couple days at a time, but goddamn, it’s unpleasant. There’s nothing I can say or do to make it better and therefore have no choice but to ride out the storm while simultaneously keeping a low profile. Sound familiar?
Male PMS is something that many of us love to joke about it, seeing as how the symptoms are uncannily similar to that of the female variety…minus the eventual bloody mess, of course (or rather…hopefully?). It was only a matter of time before men got SO JEALOUS of women getting special treatment for their monthly duress that they went out and created their OWN version of it.
Researchers recently discovered that many men really DO suffer from a condition similar to PMS, which they’ve dubbed Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS). No joke.
Men with IMS experience mood swings, stomach cramps, and even hot flashes, all of which seem to be caused by a drop in testosterone. Unlike women’s monthly hormone cycles, men experience a DAILY hormone cycle and therefore, IMS can manifest at absolutely time. That’s right. ANY time. Isn’t that convenient? Males’ levels of testosterone are highest after waking and fall throughout the day.
A whole potpourri of symptoms are linked to irritable male syndrome, and a man experiencing IMS may experience one or all of the following during his special lady-time:
- anger
- anxiety
- hypersensitivity
- irritability
Changes in the male hormone cycle can result in:
- a lack of arousal
- backaches
- headaches
- hot flashes
- sexual dysfunction
- stomach cramps
The male version of PMS can cause men to feel antisocial, depressed, and leave them unable to concentrate on jack-shit.
Aside from the natural causes, there are certain outside factors that can cause hormone levels to fall, as well:
- certain medications
- diet (Eating too few or too many calories can impact testosterone levels, as can eating an unbalanced diet.)
- excessive alcohol consumption
- illness
- lack of sleep
- stress
- surgery
A trip to the doctor’s office will determine whether your symptoms are caused by a natural fall in testosterone…or if you’re just a bitch-ass pussy. (Kidding!)
As with female PMS, there’s not a whole helluva lot you can do to alleviate IMS. Eat well, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and party in moderation. This is stuff you already know, but actually DOING it will keep you in top form.
And guys? Next time you feel bewildered by our wily, PMS-induced behavior, just remember: we have to put up with yours, too.
Resources
Fields, S. (n.d.). “Male PMS and Low Testosterone Levels Linked”. Retrieved April 23, 2010, from http://www.4-men.org/testosterone/pms.html.
Kwiatkowski, J. (2003, January 28). irritable male syndrome . Retrieved April 23, 2010, from http://www.wordspy.com/words/irritablemalesyndrome.asp.
Moody men blame their hormones (2002, February 27). Retrieved April 23, 2010, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1844648.stm.
Author: Britt Warner
Comments
lol right on britt. Now the interesting thing will be to see if guys admit to this or will use it as an excuse to their advantage.
Hmmm, first reading this it’s pretty funny. Like, “haha, sucks to be you too now!” But I’ve actually read something somewhere (lost in the ether we call the inter-web by now!) that linked certain hormonal fluctuations to the meat and dairy we eat. As far as I can remember, the article mostly referred to hormones like rBST, however, it stuck out in my mind when they mentioned the mood swings. Sunlight can also affect your hormones, so I can’t help but wonder if all this is really very avoidable, and IMS is just some strange ploy to make all the men run out and buy the Midol. Very interesting though. I vote for telling them to man the fuck up! Until they’re ready to squeeze a cat sized life form out from between their legs I don’t want to hear about it!!!! Just kidding guys, that’s pretty mean
haha i LOVE all the accompanying pictures
Makes me wonder what would happen if I took a Midol.
Makes me wonder what would happen if I took a Midol.
Heck Britt, I've been aware f this for years! My wife (who was a Nurse) even gave it a name, DSB, which stands for Dreaded Sperm Buildup.
lmaooo….I knew it existed
This could also explain manflu.
I will not use it to my advantage! I suffer from the anger part, not because i am IMSing but because I just like to be angry at people. Its fun to be an asshole. It makes me complete…
Oh and if you’re the type of guy to be easily offended by little remarks (that are typically thrown at women anyway) allow me to offer you the stereotypical remedy advice of… “walk it awwfffff…”
x3