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 and lifestyle 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 mcg ethinyl 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 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 of her life. 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 manage their monthly symptoms.

A new oral contraceptive offers relief for women suffering from monthly menstrual symptoms.

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 (i.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 ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-II receptor 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.