Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Awareness
I feel like PMDD is not well understood or heard about a lot, so I wrote this to inform people about it as someone who suffers from it. I understand it may be embarrassing to talk about, but it's also very important.
All girls have heard of PMS, right? Right before "that time of the month" when you get cranky, irritable, moody, and all you want is to eat chocolate. PMS is normal, almost all girls experience it at some point. PMDD is similar to PMS, it is characterized by mood swings around the time of menstruation. However, don't confuse the two.
PMDD is like PMS on steroids, and can be crippling to some. PMDD can cause feelings of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, self esteem issues, outbursts of anger, drastic mood swings, along with countless other symptoms, as it often presents differently. Many women are often misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, when in reality they are suffering from PMDD. The worst cases of PMDD can even cause suicidal thoughts. PMDD can interfere with work, school, relationships, and overall well-being.
PMDD is thought to be caused by a sensitivity to the female hormones released after ovulation, with symptoms appearing up to two weeks before the period starts, and disappearing again as hormone levels drop soon after menstration starts. It returns monthly, often changing in severity depending on the amount of hormones released. It also has many physical symptoms ranging from cramps, bloating, weight gain, acne, and even migraines.
PMDD can be treated with anti-depressants or birth control pills that lower hormone levels thought to cause PMDD. Proper diet and exercise and getting important vitamins can also help regulate it. If you suspect that you have PMDD, keep a mood tracker and see if your mood tends to be significantly more negative around menstration, more so than PMS. If so, it's a good idea to talk to a healthcare provider for more help.
Thank you!
@OmegaWolf80 Great post - thank you for writing this!!! It's an extremely important topic which, sadly, is not well-known or well-understood. I am sharing a few links which I have personally found helpful in understanding and learning about this disorder.
https://iapmd.org/about-pmdd
https://www.viciouscyclepmdd.com/pmdd
https://mevpmdd.com/
https://blog.mevpmdd.com/
@OmegaWolf80 oddly enough i feel like this would be an accurate explaination of my struggles. i feel like i go thro a period of ok-ness and then slump down into a very dark place for days at a time i wonder if this might be it
@OmegaWolf80
Wow, this was really informative!! Thanks for sharing ❤
@OmegaWolf80 seeing the symptoms, i think i have it
Thanks for sharing, it's ridiculously hard to get diagnosed with unfortunately (for me at least) because I have already been diagnosed with major depression & am on birth control. Been talking to my docs about this for a while and it's like they have never heard of it. It's good to know that this is being acknowledged as a serious issue
@OmegaWolf80
Thank you so much for raising awareness on this! I've been wondering if PMS was supposed to be as bad as I experience it, until it lead me to multiple suicide attempts. It's so dangerous to be dismissive of your symptoms by thinking that it's just PMS and that it'll pass, when in reality it poses a huge risk to your health and safety and is very much recurrent.
I started taking birth control after being hospitalized twice for debilitating menstural cramps and years of depression, and I'm happy to say that it has helped me a lot so far. It's not a cure, but it certainly makes everyday a bit more bearable now.
@OmegaWolf80
Something that I really wanted to know about. I had heard about it from my teacher but never really knew the deatils. PMS is something very common, very common in my own body too. However, PMDD is common too but nobody ever realised that. This is great useful information, specifically for young girls of ym age(18). Thank you loads
I think I have it but can't take antidepressant because it cause me suicidal thoughts and prevent me from sleep.