PMS - A Time of Truth-Telling?

In my acupuncture practice, many women speak about the intensity of their premenstrual days — the heightened emotions, sensitivity, irritability, and physical discomfort. It’s often labelled as PMS - premenstrual 'syndrome’.

But what if it’s not a pathology?

 In Chinese Medicine, the Liver plays a central role in the menstrual cycle. It governs the smooth flow of Qi and Blood, and is affected by stress, emotions, and the suppression of our needs. When Liver Qi becomes stagnant — often due to the demands of modern life — it can show up as mood swings, breast tenderness, headaches, frustration, or tearfulness before a period.

 From this view, PMS isn't something "wrong" with you — it’s a signal. A message from the body that something in your life is out of alignment.

I recently heard Dr. Gabor Maté say that under the impact of hormonal changes, we become more sensitised. We feel more. We notice more. Which can mean more pain, more upset — but also, more clarity.

What if this sensitivity wasn’t a flaw but a function? A kind of monthly truth-telling.

Of course, I want to acknowledge that this can be a difficult and painful time for many women. The emotional weight, physical symptoms, and inner turbulence are real and valid. This isn’t about minimising that. It’s about offering a different lens — one that invites compassion rather than shame, and curiosity rather than resistance. 

Hormones, especially in the luteal phase, can strip away our tolerance for what’s not working — in our relationships, our workload, the way we ignore our needs. Things we suppress or accommodate the rest of the month rise to the surface.

 And so, instead of pathologising this time, what if we listened?

 What if the irritation, the tears, the sudden exhaustion were not symptoms to be shut down, but messengers trying to tell us what we’ve been pushing down?

 The Liver in Chinese Medicine is also connected to vision, not just physical sight, but inner vision. It helps us see what’s possible and what’s not working. And during the premenstrual phase, this vision sharpens.

 So, what might shift if we used this time as a chance to tune in and ask:
— What am I done tolerating?
— What is no longer a “yes” in my life?
— What needs to move or be expressed?

 Maybe when we begin to relate to our cycle this way — not as something to “get through,” but as a wise monthly mirror — things start to change.