Everybody, right?

大家都聽過，對吧？

Everyone knows that women go a little crazy

大家都知道女人在月經來之前

right before they get their period,

會有點發神經，

that the menstrual cycle throws them onto an inevitable hormonal roller coaster

月經週期讓她們坐上 無可避免的荷爾蒙導致的

of irrationality and irritability.

不理性與易怒的雲霄飛車。

There's a general assumption

有個很普遍的說法，

that fluctuations in reproductive hormones cause extreme emotions

說生殖荷爾蒙波動 會造成極端的情緒，

and that the great majority of women are affected by this.

而且絕大部分婦女都受此影響。

Well, I am here to tell you that scientific evidence says

嗯，我在這裡告訴大家 科學證據顯示

neither of those assumptions is true.

這兩個說法都不對。

I'm here to give you the good news about PMS.

我要在這裡宣布 經前症候群的好消息。

But first, let's take a look at how firmly the idea of PMS

但首先來看一下 經前症候群這個說法

is entrenched in American culture.

有多麼深植於美國文化。

If you examine newspaper or magazine articles,

如果你檢視報章雜誌的文章，

you'll see how widely assumed it is that everyone gets PMS.

你就會發現大家都以為 每個人都有經前症候群。

In an article in the magazine Redbook titled "You: PMS Free,"

女性雜誌《紅書》有篇文章標題為： 「妳！從經前症候群釋放吧！」

readers were informed that between 80 to 90 percent of women suffer from PMS.

文章告訴讀者約有八九成的女性 為經前症候群所苦。

L.A. Muscle magazine warned its readers

倫敦保健食品雜誌則警告讀者

that 40 to 50 percent of women suffer from PMS,

有四到五成的婦女 為經前症候群所苦，

and that it plays a major role in women's mental and physical health,

而且這還在女性的身心健康 扮演重要角色，

and a couple of years ago, even the Wall Street Journal

而在幾年前，甚至華爾街日報

ran an article on calcium as a treatment for PMS,

也有篇文章在談 鈣質如何治療經前症候群，

asking its female readers,

並這樣問其女性讀者，

"Do you turn into a witch every month?"

「妳每個月都變成巫婆嗎？」

From all these articles, you would think there must be a mountain of research

有這麼多文章你可能會想， 一定有如山般鐵證

verifying the widespread nature of PMS.

能驗證經前症候群的普遍性。

However, after five decades of research,

然而，經過五十年的研究，

there's no strong consensus on the definition, the cause,

眾人對經前症候群的 定義、起因、療法，

the treatment, or even the existence of PMS.

甚至到底是否存在 都沒有強烈共識。

As most commonly defined by psychologists,

心理學家最常用的定義是，

PMS involves negative behavioral, cognitive and physical symptoms

經前症候群會使人 從排卵開始到月經來其間，

from the time of ovulation to menstruation.

陷入負面的行為、 認知、及身體症狀，

But here's where it gets tricky.

但這就是詭異的地方了。

Over 150 different symptoms have been used to diagnose PMS,

已有超過 150 種不同的症狀 被拿來診斷經前症候群，

and here are just a few of those.

這裡只是其中幾種。

Now, I want to be clear here.

那，我要澄清一下。

I'm not saying women don't get some of these symptoms.

我不是說婦女不會有這些症狀。

What I'm saying is that getting some of these symptoms

我要說的是有這些症狀

doesn't amount to a mental disorder,

並不等於妳精神異常，

and when psychologists come up with a disorder

心理學家提出某種失調病症，

that's so vaguely defined,

卻定義模糊不清，

the label eventually becomes meaningless.

這樣的標籤最終會失去意義。

With a list of symptoms this long and wide,

有這麼洋洋灑灑的症狀表，

I could have PMS, you could have PMS,

我可能會得經前症候群， 你可能也會，

the guy in the third row here could have PMS,

第三排的男生也會得經前症候群，

my dog could have PMS. (Laughter)

連我的狗都會得到經前症候群。 （笑聲）

Some researchers said you had to have five symptoms.

有些研究員說你得要有五種症狀，

Some said three.

有些人說三種就好。

Other researchers said that symptoms were only meaningful

還有些研究員說那些症狀

if they were highly disturbing to you,

要在非常困擾妳時才有意義。

but others said minor symptoms were just as important.

但也有人說輕微的症狀也很重要。

For many years, because there was no standardization

多少年了，因為沒有統一

in the definition of PMS,

定義經前症候群，

when psychologists tried to report prevalence rates,

當心理學家試著報出患病率，

their estimates ranged from five percent of women

他們的估計範圍是

to 97 percent of women,

5% 到 97% 的婦女有這個病症，

so at the same time almost no one and almost everyone had PMS.

意思是同一時間，幾乎沒有人 或幾乎所有人都有經前症候群。

Overall, the weaknesses in the methods of research on PMS have been considerable.

整體來看，經前症候群的 研究方法缺陷相當多。

First, many studies asked women to report their symptoms retrospectively,

第一，許多研究要求 婦女回溯她們的症狀，

looking to the past and relying on memory,

靠著記憶回想過去，

which is known to inflate reporting of PMS

大家都知道這個方法會大量增加 經前症候群的報告數據，

compared to what's called prospective reporting,

較之於所謂的前瞻性研究，

which involves keeping a daily log of symptoms

要受試者每天記錄症狀

for at least two months in a row.

至少連續兩個月。

Many studies also exclusively focused on white, middle-class women,

許多研究也只專注在 白人中產階級婦女，

which makes it problematic to apply study findings to all women.

如果將研究結果應用在 全部婦女會成為問題。

We know there's a strong cultural component to the belief in PMS

我們知道相信經前症候群與否 有很強的文化要素，

because it's nearly unheard of outside of Western nations.

因為這在西方國家以外 幾乎是聞所未聞。

Third, many studies failed to use control groups.

第三，許多研究沒有設控制組。

If we want to understand the specific characteristics

如果我們想要瞭解

of women who have PMS,

有經前症候群婦女的特性，

we need to be able to compare them to women who don't have PMS.

我們必須要將她們與 沒有經前症候群的女性比較。

And finally, many different types of questionnaires were used

最後是，使用太多不同型態的問卷

to diagnose PMS, focusing on different symptoms,

來診斷經前症候群， 專注在不同的症狀，

symptom duration and severity.

症狀持續多久及多嚴重。

To do reliable research on any condition,

要對任何病症做出可靠的研究，

scientists must agree on the specific characteristics

科學家必須先商定

that make up that condition

會造成此病症的特性，

so they're all talking about the same thing,

這樣大家見解才會一致，

and with PMS, this has not been the case.

但是對經前症候群 卻不是這樣研究的。

However, in 1994,

然而，在 1994 年

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,

精神疾病診斷與統計手冊，

known as the DSM, thankfully --

俗稱 DSM，還好這麼短——

it's also the manual for mental health professionals --

這也是身心科專家的手冊——

they redefined PMS as PMDD,

他們重新定義 PMS 成 PMDD，

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.

經前不悅症。

And dysphoria refers to a feeling of agitation or unease.

不悅指的是煩躁不安的感覺。

And according to these new DSM guidelines,

根據這些新的經前不悅症準則，

in most menstrual cycles in the last year,

在過去一年大部分的月經週期中，

at least five of 11 possible symptoms

至少有五種 11 個可能出現的症狀，

must appear in the week before menstruation starts;

在月經來潮前一星期內出現；

the symptoms must improve once menstruation has begun;

這些症狀在月經來潮後就改善；

and the symptoms must be absent the week after menstruation has ended.

而且這些症狀要在 月經結束一週內消失。

One of these symptoms must come from this list of four:

一定要有下列四種症狀之一：

marked mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or depression.

顯著的情緒起伏、 易怒、焦慮或憂慮。

The other symptoms could come from the first slide

其他的症狀則可能是 第一張幻燈片

or from those on the second slide,

或第二張幻燈片所列出的，

including symptoms like feeling out of control

包括失控的感覺，

and changes in sleep or appetite.

睡眠或食慾改變。

The DSM also required now that the symptoms

經前不悅症還必須有

should be associated with clinically significant distress --

具臨床意義的明顯困擾——

there should be some kind of disturbance in work

對工作、學校或社交

or school or social relationships --

產生一定程度的影響——

and that symptoms and symptom severity should now be documented

出現的症狀及其嚴重性 必須記錄下來，

by keeping a daily log for at least two cycles in a row.

至少連續兩個週期每天做記錄。

And finally, the DSM required that the emotional disturbance

最後，經前不悅症的情緒困擾，

should be more than simply an exacerbation of an already existing disorder.

其嚴重性應大於 原有失調的放大效應。

So scientifically speaking, this is an improvement.

所以從科學角度說， 這是很大的進步。

We now have a limited number of symptoms,

我們現在得到有限數量的症狀，

and a high impact on functioning that's required,

要對生活功能產生強烈衝擊，

and the reporting and timing of symptoms have both become very specific.

而且對症狀的描述 及發生時間講得很明確。

Well, using this criteria

嗯，使用這個標準

and looking at most recent studies,

並看一下最近的研究，

we see that on average,

我們看到平均

three to eight percent of women suffer from PMDD.

有百分之三到八的女性 為經前不悅症所苦。

Not all women, not most women,

不再說是所有的女性， 多數的女性，

not the majority of women, not even a lot of women:

也不是大部分的女性， 更不是很多女性：

three to eight percent.

是百分之三到八。

For everyone else, variables like stressful events or happy occasions

對其它女性，變因像是 壓力很大的事件或開心的場合，

or even day of the week

甚至今天是星期幾

are more powerful predictors of mood than time of the month,

都比月經更能預測情緒，

and this is the information the scientific community has had

而這是自 1990 年代開始 科學界就有的資料。

since the 1990s.

2002 年，我與幾個同事 發表了一篇論文

In 2002, my colleagues and I published an article

講述經前症候群 與經前不悅症的研究，

describing the PMS and PMDD research,

還有幾篇類似的論文 也發表在心理學期刊上。

and several similar articles have appeared in psychology journals.

問題是，為什麼這樣的資訊 還沒有流入大眾？

The questions is, why hasn't this information trickled down to the public?

為什麼這些迷思依然存在？

Why do these myths persist?

嗯，顯然女性長時間 從書籍、電視、電影及網路

Well, certainly the onslaught of messages that women receive

接收到的一波波消息， 都說每個人都有經前症候群，

from books, TV, movies, the Internet, that everyone gets PMS

已經說服她們這是事實。

go a long way in convincing them it must be true.

研究人員告訴我們女性愈相信 每個人都有經前症候群的說法，

Research tells us that the more a woman believes that everyone gets PMS,

她就愈有可能錯誤地說她自己有。

the more likely she is to erroneously report that she has it.

我解釋一下我說「錯誤」的意思。

Let me tell you what I mean by "erroneously."

你可能問她，妳有經前症候群嗎？

You might ask her, "Do you have PMS?"

她說有，

and she says yes,

但之後，在你要她每天記錄

but then, when you have her keep a daily log

精神症狀兩個月後，

of psychological symptoms for two months,

她的症狀與月經找不到關連性。

no correlation is found between her symptoms

另一個經前症候群迷思 持久不衰的理由

and time of the month.

與狹隘的女性角色範圍有關。

Another reason for the persistence of the PMS myth

女性主義心理學家 如喬安克萊斯勒提出，

has to do with the narrow boundaries of the feminine role.

把自己貼上經前症候群的標籤，

Feminist psychologists like Joan Chrisler

讓女性能表達原本會被 視為不嫻淑的情緒。

have suggested that taking on the label of PMS

幾乎放諸四海皆準的好女人定義

allows women to express emotions that would otherwise be considered unladylike.

是快樂、慈愛、對人充滿愛心，

The near universal definition of a good woman

並且對這樣的角色很滿足。

is one who is happy, loving, caring for others,

經前症候群已經成為 能生氣、抱怨、煩躁，

and taking great satisfaction from that role.

卻不會失去好女人頭銜的同意書。

Well, PMS has become a permission slip to be angry, complain, be irritated,

我們知道女性的環境中有很多變數

without losing the title of good woman.

比荷爾蒙更容易讓她生氣，

We know that the variables in a woman's environment

但是當她將怒氣歸咎於荷爾蒙，

are much more likely to cause her to be angry than her hormones,

她就免於責任，也免除了責難。

but when she attributes anger to hormones,

喔，她平常不是那樣的。 她控制不了。

she's absolved of responsibility or criticism.

儘管這可以當作有用的工具， 實際上卻否定了女性的情緒。

"Oh, that's not who she is. It's out of her control."

在大家對女性的怒氣

And while this can be a useful tool, it serves to invalidate women's emotions.

用「喔，大姨媽來了」 這樣的想法來回應時，

When people respond to a woman's anger

她被人認真看待 或有效改變的機會就大受限制。

with the thought, "Oh, it's just that time of the month,"

那麼還有誰會從 經前症候群迷思中得利？

her ability to be taken seriously or effect change is severely limited.

我可以告訴你們治療經前症候群

So who else benefits from the myth of PMS?

已成為有利可圖、蓬勃發展的行業。

Well, I can tell you that treating PMS

亞馬遜網站最近放了超過 1,900 本治療經前症候群的書。

has become a profitable, thriving industry.

在谷歌上隨便找找就能找到

Amazon.com currently offers over 1,900 books on PMS treatment.

一籮筐的診所、專討或研討會。

A quick Google search will bring up a cornucopia

聲譽良好的醫療資源網站