Has your man ever been so moody and sensitive you wanted to ask him, "Are you on your period?!?" (Meriod???) Of course he's not, but we really have to wonder, sometimes! Actually, men's moods really can be affected by hormonal changes. Psychotherapist Jed Diamond calls it "Irritable Male Syndrome" and has written a book by the same name. "Irritable male syndrome (IMS) can be defined as a state of hypersensitivity, frustration, anxiety, and anger that occurs in males and is associated with biochemical changes, hormonal fluctuations, stress, and loss of male identity," he told WebMD.
Diamond recommends seeing your family doctor if this is a real problem — and he's created a quiz to see if your man might have IMS.
But how do you deal with your husband when he's acting as if he has IMS? We got some advice from women who really know.
Does your man get "IMS"? How do you handle it?
Image via Ljupco Smokovski/Shutterstock
Banish Him Until It's Over
"My husband gets his 'period' at least once a week," says Judy D., mom of a daughter. "When he does, I encourage him to head out with his buddies for some male bonding time at a bar to blow off some steam. It always puts him in a better mood, but more importantly, it's my version of just 'sequestering' him away from me. Kinda like how men used to banish menstruating women to a mud hut high in the mountains until that phase is over."
Send Him to Bed
"I've learned that he just needs his space and is going to sort of confine himself to the bed when he's 'man-struating,'" says one woman, married for a year and a half. Another thing that works for him: "Hanging out with his buddy he has a total bromance with. A good dose of guy bonding time has him feeling better in no time."
Make the House More Zen
"For me it's cleaning and organizing the house," an anonymous mom says. "Making it more zen — but that's mostly because my husband's PMS stems from a disorder."
Beer Not Talk
"I've found the more I ask him what's wrong, the more annoyed he gets," says Nicole, a mom of two. "I've found that few things can't be cured in the dude world with a beer and some space."
It's Called His 'Meriod'
"I call them meriods," an anonymous mom jokes to a social network. "I say that because DH gets emotional and moody literally the same time every month and it lasts for a week straight! When he acts like a jack hat, I'll even ask if he's on his meriod and tell him to go eat a Snickers."
Feed Him Red Meat
Another anonymous mom says, "When my husband gets like that, I declare it to be steak and potato night. That usually helps. Steak is to men what chocolate is to women."
It's Called His 'Comma'
"I prefer to call them his commas because they last three weeks out of the month," says a mom, making an excellent punctuation joke. "I call them mantrums," adds another.
Give Him Some Nooky
"My DH doesn't PMS, but if he doesn't get any 'lovin' for a couple of days, he starts acting like a 'whiney bitch,'" a mom confesses to a social network. "Those are my exact words to him but it's all in fun. I love that man." And we want to emphasize — all women insist they LOVE their men. Just … he can get a little moody sometimes. "I think a good screw would set him right, but he manages to piss me off," adds another mom.
Or Is It Me?
One mom turned the tables by mentioning an episode from the TV show, Roseanne: "It's Dan's birthday and Roseanne has PMS and just makes his day hell. Then at the end of the episode, you hear her thinking, 'Geez, he gets so moody. It's always the same time of month too.'" Haha — could it be he's just responding to our own mood swings???
