A quarter of British men believe that they experience a monthly "man period", according to new research. As part of a study of 2412 people (equal numbers of men and women), male participants were asked if they frequently suffered the same common side-effects of premenstrual syndrome as women, including tiredness, cramps and increased sensitivity.About 26% of the men said that they did.The female respondents whose partners claimed to experience "man periods" were asked if they offered special support to the men at these times and 43% said that they did.The most frequently cited ways in which the women helped were "try to cheer him up" (44%) and "walk around on egg shells" (39%).Of those who did not believe that their partners had "man periods", 33% admitted to telling their partner that he should "man up".Men identified several PMS-related symptoms, including constant hunger and general irritability.Increased cravings, tiredness and a "bloated" feeling were reported, with 12% saying that they were "more sensitive about personal weight" - 5% of respondents even reported suffering from "menstrual cramps".According to the poll, commissioned by vouchercloud.co.uk, the average British man who believes that he has a "man-period" spends an additional R1700 on food and snacks a month compared to those who do not suffer from the much-debated biological phenomenon.The "man period", or "irritable male syndrome", has been heavily researched by Jed Diamond, a specialist in male social patterns, who staunchly maintains the condition's existence and points out that men also have hormonal cycles.But Gregory Jantz, a psychotherapist, said: "Irritable male syndrome might be the most recent sticker slapped over the old mid-life crisis label." ..