Common premenstrual patterns
Premenstrual symptoms cluster in the days before menstruation, the late luteal phase, when progesterone and estrogen are both falling. Frequently reported patterns include cramps, breast tenderness, bloating and water retention, mood changes, irritability, headaches, and fatigue. Severity ranges from mild to, in a smaller group, the more disruptive premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The mechanisms involve hormonal shifts interacting with neurotransmitters and fluid balance.
Symptoms and their intensity differ widely between women and from cycle to cycle, so there is no single universal experience.
Training through the symptoms
Many women can train productively through PMS, and exercise itself may ease some symptoms such as low mood and bloating. Practical adjustments include scaling intensity to energy on heavy-symptom days, staying hydrated, and not reading temporary water-weight changes as fat gain. Light to moderate movement is often better tolerated than forcing maximal effort when fatigue or cramps are high.
This is general educational information, not medical advice. Severe, disabling, or mood-related premenstrual symptoms deserve evaluation by a qualified clinician rather than self-management alone.