No More Monthly Mood Swings, Irritability And Bloating? New Strategies Can Bring Relief To Millions Of Women (NAPSA)—As many as 90 percent of women will have to deal with symptoms around the menstrual cycle, such as irritability, moodiness, feeling anxious, bloating and increased appetite. These symptomsare often severe enough to impact a woman’s activities, work or relationships. Called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), this condition affects as many as 4.5 million women in the U.S. While the symptoms of PMS and PMDDare the same, women with PMDD experience five or more symptoms that are considered more severe. What’s alarmingis that the vast majority of these women—nearly 90 percent—remain undiagnosed and untreated. The good news is that living life without these monthly symptoms is no longer a wish but a reality if women make a few simple dietary andlifestyle changes, such as getting plenty of exercise, decreasing caffeine intake, getting enough sleep and increasing their intake of calcium. There is also a new birth control pill called YAZ (3 mg drospirenone/20 megethinyl estradiol), which is the first and only birth control pill with proven efficacy for the emotional and physical symptoms of PMDD in women who choose to use oral contraception as their method of birth control. “For my PMDD patients who need a treatment to reduce their symptoms, as well as a safe and effective contraception to prevent pregnancy, YAZ is an important A neworal contraceptive offers relief for women suffering from monthly menstrual symptoms. option that can meet both their health care needs in a single pill,” said Andrea Rapkin, M.D., Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA. A woman with the more severe monthly symptoms of PMDD can suffer for about 2,800 days—or about eight years—out ofherlife. It is also linked to higher health care costs related to more frequent visits to health care providers, decreased work productivity and absenteeism. In addition to lifestyle and dietary changes, YAZ can now help women to managetheir monthly symptoms. Women who would like to learn more about YAZ can call (888) BERLEX-4 or visit www. yaz-us.com. For more infor- mation on PMDD, please visit www.understandpmdd.com. wee eee eee eee eee eee eeeQe a eee eee YAZ contains 3 mg of the progestin drospirenone that has antimineralocorticoid activity, including the potential for hyperkalemia in high-risk patients, comparable to a 25-mg dose of spironolactone. YAZ should not be used in patients with conditions that predispose to hyperkalemia (..e., renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction or adrenal insufficiency). Women receiving daily, long-term treatment for chronic conditions or diseases with medications that may increase serum potassium should have their serum potassium levels checked during the first treatment cycle. Medications that may increase serum potassium include ACEinhibitors, angiotensin-Ireceptor antagonists, potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplementation medications, aldosterone antagonists and NSAIDs. Oral contraceptives (OCs) do not protect against HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. The use of OCs is associated with increased risks of several serious side effects. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects; women who take OCs are strongly advised not to smoke.
