Assessment and management of premenstrual syndrome.

Premenstrual syndrome has recently become the subject of more rigorous scientific scrutiny. As a result, techniques exist for accurate diagnosis, and the pathophysiology of the disorder is less mysterious. At present, the disorder is thought to be the caused by the interaction of cyclic changes in estrogen and progesterone with a variety of systems, particularly neurotransmitters. Serotonin appears to play an especially important role in this regard. Increased understanding of premenstrual syndrome has enabled the development of specific treatment modalities that, unlike previous prescriptions, have demonstrated efficacy in rigorous and reproducible studies.