Roughly 85% of women experience the unpleasant effects of premenstrual symptoms (PMS), also known unaffectionately as “that time of the month.”

For about one to two weeks before a woman’s period, she can experience a range of annoyances, such as acne, swollen breasts, headaches and food cravings.

The symptoms range from woman to woman, so there is no universal solution or known cause, although it’s attributed mainly to fluctuations in hormone levels.

So, how can women relieve some of these symptoms?

Former marketer Tania Green launched a business that specializes in promoting a healthier lifestyle for women experiencing PMS. At 60 calories a pop, PMS Bites are tiny treats, like a “combination of a chocolate classic truffle and brownie batter.”

PMS Bites’ Kickstarter campaign launched in February, was fully funded within 15 hours and hit 169% of its total goal by the time it closed.

The balls are vegan, all-natural, raw and gluten-free. You can order them in a variety of flavors: plain or “plain crazy,” coconut or “coco-nutty,” or nuts or “all kinds of nuts.” (The names are a nod to the stereotypical “emotional roller coaster” associated with PMS.) And they’ll arrive at your doorstep once a month in boxes of six, whichever week you prefer — or rather, when your PMS prefers.

The main ingredients of the bite-sized desserts are gluten-free oats, cocoa powder and a series of herbs that Green researched to help PMS symptoms, such as dandelion root for bloating, chamomile to reduce stress and Siberian ginseng to reduce irritability.

“Different women will find that different lifestyle changes have an impact on their PMS,” Dr. Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant to Patient.co.uk tells Mashable. “Among the changes which help the highest proportion of women are regular exercise, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, trying to manage stress levels, regular sleeping and eating patterns, and eating a healthy balanced diet.”

Green is one of the 5% of those who experience PMS and suffer from severe symptoms, specifically “insatiable” food cravings, à la her sweet tooth.

As a baker, Green took matters into her own hands — and kitchen. After about three months of trial and error, she perfected her recipe.

But Green makes it clear that she isn’t claiming to cure PMS. “I just think that those ingredients are healthy, much better than reaching for a Snickers bar,” she tells Mashable.

Eating a processed candy bar might affect blood sugar levels and therefore the mood of PMSing women. Dr. Jarvis recommends eating slowly absorbed and unrefined carbs, such as whole grains, and to avoid refined carbs (white bread, sugary foods, cake, etc.), which can augment cramping. She also advises adequate calcium and vitamin D.

But compared to Green’s healthy alternative, Jarvis says, “I can’t see any reason whatsoever why this should be more effective than anything else.” But if it is all-natural and tames a craving, why not? asks Marissa Lippert, MS, RD and owner of Nourish Kitchen + Table in NYC.

Once Green is ready to fulfill her 160+ orders through her Kickstarter campaign, she wants to expand her business into more products aimed at women whose lives are inhibited by PMS. Her ultimate goal lies beyond the bites, to foster a community of women who seek to “optimize their time and their full potential.”

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