A Lady's Question. For Ladies.

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To all Ladies,

I am wondering if you want to answer a question. Which is:

Do you find that your obsessions, researching, stimming etc, is much stronger during PMS time? Or did it used to be, for those who have passed the PMS age....

I have added a poll for those who wish to be anonymous.

NB:
I am not sure about the wording "worse". I tried to edit it to "stronger" but I cant seem to edit the poll wording for some reason. So you will have to realise I meant stronger, anyway.

Interesting question. I've never noticed anything. But then I've never noticed PMS either, though I do generally know where in my cycle I am.

I don't see why PMS would make stimming or obsessions more intense. Autism is not an endocrine or mood disorder.

I get a little depressed usually the day before my period starts, but most of my PMS symptoms are simply physical: water retention, tiredness, cramping, headaches, back aches, tender breasts. I don't have PMDD, thankfully, so I don't have wild mood swings or meltdowns. If I'm cranky, it' s simply because of the physical symptoms getting to me.

I am not sure if my stimming gets worse. Maybe before my periods I am more emotional and i really crave sex like one week before. I know last time i got them. Like a day before i said if one more person rings me I am going to say "f**k off I dont feel like talking" and my friend said "its best you dont answer the phone then" Then i always notice my breasts get swollen and sore. Then when i get them. i might have dull tummy ache but its like a relief and i can get back to normal again. i really crave sugar too. I have to chocolate or something sweet.

What is PMS?

PMS is a Lady problem. If you are a lady and have PMS you fill up with water and eat everything in sight. You also get in arguments with people a lot, and get lots of spots and feel generally insane, for about 2 weeks.

A more technical definition is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premenstrual_syndrome

Last edited by zen_mistress on 03 Dec 2008, 4:21 am, edited 3 times in total.

Anyway, explanations aside, I find myself that my internet addictions and researching are worse during that time as well as my compulsive eating of course! I find that in general my mind is sort of more depressive, anxious, edgy and this encourages me to research etc and the urges to do so are just stronger in general. I can see some mixed results so clearly it depends on hormonal balance maybe. I know I am pretty out of kilter.

It's Extreme Male Brain theory! PMS is when our hormones are at their most masculine, so of course we're more autistic then.

Actually, I expect that we're just a bit more comptetive and aggressive, so if we've got something we need to do there's more energy to do it in that part of the cycle. I believe that athletes try to schedule their periods (using the Pill) so that they're in PMS mode for major competitions, to give them an edge. Your spatial skills go up slightly in that part of the cycle, too, though not enough, apparently, to boost your SAT scores.

I'm not entirely sure. I get cramps, become a b***h, and I'm miserable. Does that count?

Lol. Sounds like me.

I think there is a link between stress and increased researching, anyway. I know aspie guys even who say that when (and after) they are going through a period of stress their researching gets more intense. Perhaps I am just more stressed at PMS.

Anenome, an interesting idea about the male brain. Perhaps stress= that intense male focus and it is a time of stress.

PMS *glares evilly at the word before carrying on*
yes I get it. I never know when I'm gonna get it. Its spilt me up from boyfriends because I've become so moody. Not fun.
and to answer your question, yes.

That describes me to a tee, though I never noticed it until now. I'm PMSing today, and it's as if I can't wrap my brain around anything long enough to complete tasks. I just want to escape into the computer researching, and reading. I should be making my grocery list for tomorrow, and finishing up on-line x-mas shopping, yet here I am... on WP posting about why I can't get anything done.

My sensory issues also get way worse. Usually I can put up with certain levels of noise, smells, ect.. but when pms rares it's ugly head I just don't seem to have any tolerance.

I've actually been trying to pay attention to this more the last couple months, to try and figure myself out. If I have related mood swings, they are harder to track because they are always introverted- my anxieties occasionally get worse and so I shut down and hide more.

I think I might stim more when I am anxious or scared, so I voted yes- a friend told me recently that he's noticed I "rock" slightly when I get upset. I hadn't thought that was one of the stims I had, so I've been more self conscious about it and I think I've noticed it occurring around that time.

Last edited by ford_prefects_kid on 07 Dec 2008, 8:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

I stim and get into my special interests at all times of stress which includes increasing with pms. I especially flap my hand a lot after a hard day spending time with people. As soon as I start getting stressed I start lining everything up.

btw I found B vitamins really good for getting rid of pms.

I haven't noticed - I think because I don't categories my 'stims' as stims, and am not really aware of doing them.

What I do definitely notice though, is that my hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli is very much increased when I have PMS, and so my nervous system is much more easily overwhelmed, and I feel unwell and I often have to shut my eyes and switch off.

Hormones do definitely have an effect on autism. Lorna Wing's daughter's autism got a lot more intense in menopause, and she ended up drinking water and not being able to stop and died from it. Hormones affect your whole being, and autism affects your whole being, so they naturally interreact with each other.

I get a bit more clumsy and tired, easierly irritated, but those are "normal" symptoms.