Most of us have had to sleep on our backs and wear fat clothes. To ease breast tenderness andbloating, reproductive endocrinologist Carol A. Wheeler recommends "lifestyle changes" that are "good for you in general." Wheeler, a doctor at Women & Infants Hospital, is also an assistant professor of obstretics and gynecology at BrownUniversity.

Exercise at least three times a week, Wheeler says, "even if you really don't feel like it, and especially before and during your period." According topsychiatrist Teri Pearlstein, a 1987 study showed that exercise eases fluid retention, and a 1993 study showed that aerobic exercise is more effective than weight training. Pearlstein, the director of women's treatment services at Butler Hospital inProvidence, is also an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at [Walter A.] Brown.

There is a propensity among many women to feel ravenously hungry and eat accordingly during the two premenstrual weeks, and be rather indifferent tofood the rest of the month. One might think these extremes cancel each other out. But Wheeler admonishes: "Don't cave in to food cravings. Chocolate and sugar add to ups and downs, and caffeine is a stimulant. The goal is to flatten out moods." Thesame holds for alcohol, Pearlstein says.