Is your cat the reason you're suffering from PMS?

Not as weird as it sounds.

Are you a cat owner? And do you also suffer from severe symptoms of PMS?

Well, the two could be related.

A new study (yes, someone actually conducted research into this) published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research has found that a parasite that lives in cat faeces can actually cause the symptoms of PMS to be more severe than normal.

For the study a group of researchers tested over 100 women diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD), a condition that causes women to suffer from severe symptoms of depressions, tension and irritability before menstruation. The women were tested for T. gondii infections (the parasite carried by cats) and nearly 7 percent tested positive to exposure.

People suffering from T. gondii exposure can experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, aggression, difficulty concentrating as well as fatigue, muscle aches and headaches - not too dissimilar to the symptoms of PMS, basically.

The study found that those infected with the parasite suffered from heightened PMS symptoms than those who had tested negative to exposure. Although only a minority reported trouble concentrating, the majority of those infected did report to often feeling overwhelmed and out of control.

These findings lead the researchers to believe that the T. gondii infection was actually causing the symptoms of PMS to be even more severe.

The good news is, you don't need to get rid of your cat to cure your symptoms.

By making sure you wear gloves when cleaning your cat's litter box and washing your hands thoroughly afterwards, as well as washing fresh fruit and veg than can carry contaminated soil, you should be able to avoid the infection all together.

If you're worried you may already have been exposed to the T. gondii infection then your doctor will be able to confirm (or deny) your suspicions with a simple blood test, and the symptoms normally subside after a few weeks.