r/PMDDSharing

im 26f and was diagnosed with pmdd at age 22. its been years of struggling and i believe my mother had pmdd but she didnt know it. pmdd wasnt recognized in the DSM until 2013, which was two years after my mom took her own life.

as someone who has been both a survivor of losing a parent to this disorder AND having experienced those urges and unwanted thoughts myself, its a complicated experience. but the way i see it, i live for my mother and myself. she never got to know what she was fighting, but i know it was pmdd. my life is my chance to learn as much about this disorder as possible, and to never stop chasing treatment that works for me. because she deserved better and i want to fight, for her AND for me.

one thing that helped me was identifying the pmdd voice in my head. it tricks you into believing that the bad thoughts are true, that theyre real, that theyre unfixable and that theres no way out. but please remember - just because the voice is loud does not mean its speaking truth. my aunt once asked me, “when you think of the pmdd voice having a physical form, what does it look like?” and i told her “it looks like me, but evil.” and she said “no - that voice is not your inner monologue. its not you. when you treat it like the stranger that it is, it becomes easier to argue with the negativity it throws at you.” and she was right.

its distorted and its fucked up not being able to trust your own brain and nervous system, but we are at a point in medical research where we at least know more about pmdd than we ever have, and its so critical that we all keep fighting to understand and treat this monster of a disorder. we need to stick around and try as many treatment options as we can. the more we fight now, the less confused and uninformed the women after us will be if they face pmdd themselves. we are not alone ever, and the stronger we can be in the face of this disorder, the better it will be for our futures and the futures of the women that come after us.

i know its hard. i live it myself everyday. but the good is there. the pmdd just doesnt want us to see that good. keep fighting and keep sharing your experiences on here. this is a great platform to find community with this disorder. if anyone ever needs to talk about their experience or if youre ever alone or in danger, PLEASE reach out to me. i promise i get it and youre not alone.

we can do this. together.

I recently started working with a nurse practitioner. We did my hormone labs and she has declared I am at the start of perimenopause. I am finding that my PMDD symptoms have been amplified in the last 6months to 1 year. Way more fatigue, way more mood swings, way more irritable, body aches, headaches and all of this has now become less predictable… it’s not just happening in luteal anymore!

I reluctantly tried HRT to manage the severity of my symptoms. I started a low dose progesterone and did not respond well to it. Apparently, this can happen with PMDD. The NP advised that some women with PMDD don’t respond well to low doses of progesterone but do respond better to higher doses. So after a break from the progesterone and feeling super shitty, I re-attempted at a higher dose. It felt like a light switch turned on over night! Literally OVERNIGHT I felt like myself again! My PMDD is SO MUCH BETTER. Way more manageable!

Sharing this in the hopes that it can help someone. Or maybe just be relatable. If you are finding that your PMDD is getting worse as the years go by, maybe it’s perimenopause compounding the PMDD!?!

All reflections welcome 💓

I'm still pretty high on all the meds but it's so.. quiet. Right away, after the surgery. Like tumblewheed. 😭🖤

About a week ago, approximately 10 days before i start menstruating if this cycle is regular, i had a pretty bad depressive episode. Didn't eat, slept and cried all day, my mind was a mess filled with existential intrusive thoughts (i have OCD), depressive thoughts, despair and SI. My mom is pretty worried about me and brought me some of her magnesium supplements, hoping they might help (i think there is some scientific backing on this but don't quote me on that). I'm also terribly allergic to dust and pollen, and with the change of the season and wind picking up I've been a mess. After 3 days of pitch black depression, i took magnesium and cetirizine and went to sleep, expecting my misery to last until my first or second day of bleeding. Next morning i woke up fine???? I didn't even realise i was out of that mental state until like midday and i was like, i can function?? My brain doesn't catastrophize, i have a normal amount of intrusive thoughts (i still have ocd ofc but WAY more manageable) and a lot more mental clarity to deal with them. It took me a couple of days to make the connection between me being ok and the magnesium and antihistamine, but since i know that magnesium has to sort of build up in the body, I'm thinking it's the antihistamines.

Also all my physical PMDD sintoms are still here but they have always been the easiest part to deal with for me. Searching online for other ppl's experience brought to this sub but i still don't know anything about this.

What is the general consensus? Is there any science behind this and studies i can read? If there are any I'd like to bring them to the attention of my doctor when I'll ask what he thinks about me taking cetirizine long term for this reason.

So! Never in my life will I ever trust another human of the male species to be vulnerable with. He went from I love you the kids love you my life wouldn’t be the same without you in it. To…I’m filing for divorce after a blown out of proportion misunderstanding and him 12 beers in.

*Ladies this is not the husband nor man you need nor should want laying beside you when you are taking your last breath!!

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate your perspective and advice.
I’m 46, and I was diagnosed with PMDD by an endocrinologist about four years ago. Since then, I’ve tried to manage it on my own with exercise, routines, diet, and staying socially active. Sometimes I’ve managed it better than others, but honestly, it hasn’t been enough.
This October I’ve had a particularly intense episode, and it has made me seriously consider whether it’s time to look into a more substantial treatment.
I’m also wondering whether, at 46, some of what I’m experiencing could now be related to perimenopause. I recently went through a breakup, so I’m trying to separate what might be situational from what could actually be PMDD or hormonal changes.
My main question is: who should I see first? An endocrinologist, a psychiatrist, or a general doctor? My gynecologist hasn’t been very helpful in this area, as her approach has mainly been about general lifestyle management.
I’d really love to hear from people who have been treated for PMDD. What kind of specialist did you see, what treatment did you try, and did you actually notice an improvement in your emotional well-being and quality of life?
I live in Mexico City, so if anyone here has had a good experience with a specialist who really understands PMDD and/or perimenopause, I’d also be very grateful for recommendations.
Thank you!