So you say chocolate is calling your name? You're not alone! From sugary sweets to salty treats, we all deal with cravings from time to time. Divine Caroline shares four reasons you might be having a craving:

• You're pregnant. It may seem like an old wives' tale or fodder for a TV sitcom, but many pregnant women do experience cravings. Jacki recently told us that Rebecca Romijn does.
• You're premenstrual. Women can crave certain foods just before their periods.
• You have low insulin levels. When your insulin level or blood sugar is low, your body will naturally crave foods to correct the imbalance.
• You have low serotonin. When you're stressed, your body may send out signals for something to ease the pain.
  

When you understand your cravings, you can take control and make wiser and healthier decisions.

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There appears to be more and more conditions being linked to specific genes or groups of genes, and why should premenstrual depression be any different?

The condition that depresses millions of women in their child-bearing years, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) causes severe irritability and bouts of major depression during the second half of each menstrual cycle.

But now, that condition is thought to be brought on by a specific genetic arrangement instead of hormonal changes throughout the cycle. The research team which looked at PMDD causes determined that four specific gene variants in the estrogen receptor alpha gene were more common in PMDD women.

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