In commemoration of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2021, I asked Nigerian women to share their funny PMS symptoms with me. Here’s what nine of them had to say:
Uche, 25
I get angry easily. If you step on me, I can slap you. I also lose my appetite and I really like food.
Bimbo, 22
I used to have these tiny pimples scattered on my face and low back pain that would disappear the day my period starts. But for about three months now, I noticed I cry more a week to my period. It happens randomly — nothing has to trigger me to start crying. I’m coming to terms with my emotions.
Isoken, 20
Some days before my period, my scalp gets itchy. It makes me feel like plucking my hair strands out. I also get waist pain, facial breakouts and random cravings like a pregnant woman.
The worse part is that all of this comes with pain that is just as bad as menstrual cramps. This pain lasts a week before my period so this means while I am dealing with that, I am also checking my pants to see if I am bleeding. Stress!
Fatima, 22
I get abdominal cramps about nine days to my period. Four days later, breast pain joins, then spotting and leg pain. I also get mood swings, bloating and constipation. I have learned to endure the pain.
Besi, 18
I wake up with a pimple in the middle of my forehead some days to my period. Sometimes, I am mushy and want to cry about everything. Other times, I get cranky.
Two weeks ago in class, we were dissecting a rat and I was holding back my tears because though the rat was unconscious, I could see the heart beating. LOL
Temi, 23
About a week to my period, I get waist pain that feels like menstrual cramps. It also comes with migraine and purging. It gets so bad sometimes that I would be rolling on the ground, reminding God that it was Eve that committed sin not me.
Lade, 24
Apart from the pimples that pop up on my face, what annoys me is how my mood changes around my period. Everything makes me cry. The other day, I was looking at my partner and I just started crying because I was thinking about how we met. It was funny but also sad.
Mary, 21
Every month comes with headaches. I also have crying spates. When I was much younger, I didn’t understand why I’d wake up sad and cranky when nothing happened. One day, I realized that it usually happened around my period so I started watching it. I also noticed a pimple on the line of my upper lip or the middle of my forehead that comes around that time. Plus my boobs become two times their regular size. It gets frustrating sometimes.
Osas, 22
Two days before my period, I feel slight cramps. My boobs become sore and I can’t lay on my chest until a few days after my period. I’m always tired and any little thing upsets me. I try not to let my mood swings get out of control but sometimes I don’t even realize when I am acting erratically until someone points it out.
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