- The symptoms of PMDD may resemble PMS, but PMDD is severe enough to have a major impact on your life.
- You may have difficulty concentrating, feel hopeless, lack energy, and notice more conflict with loved ones.
- Treatment often includes therapy, medication, stress relief, diet changes, and regular exercise.
It’s not uncommon to notice abdominal cramps, headaches, and emotional overwhelm before your period starts. The typical changes in estrogen and progesterone levels that occur before menstruation can cause these symptoms.
But having PMDD means you’re more sensitive to these hormonal changes. So when estrogen and progesterone levels drop before your cycle, you may experience extreme physical discomfort and mood swings.
PMDD is a newly recognized medical diagnosis that affects up to 5% of people who menstruate.
This chronic mental health condition causes intense irritability, sadness, anger, or anxiety. But unlike other forms of depression, PMDD only causes symptoms during the premenstrual phase of your cycle
PMS and PMDD can involve more than 150 psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms, ranging from paranoia to inflamed skin to changes in vision, says Dr. Nita Landry, an OB/GYN in private practice. But some of these symptoms are more common than others.
Here are the top five signs of PMDD to look out for and how to get help.
1. Extreme anxiety or agitation
PMDD can leave you feeling cynical, pessimistic and anxious. But unlike PMS, these anxious feelings can become severe enough to have a major impact on your daily life and relationships.
For example:
- A minor annoyance, such as a friend being late, can trigger feelings of intense anger that seem to come out of nowhere, potentially damaging your relationships with others.
- As a result of irritability or increased sensitivity to criticism, you may provide more direct feedback than usual and argue more with co-workers or employees, which can put your career in jeopardy.
rapid or frequent mood swings before your period are another sign of PMDD. For example, if your partner comes home in a bad mood, you may suddenly feel anxious or notice:
- Anger at them: “I can’t believe they’re upset enough to leave me. They’re not perfect either.”
- Anger towards oneself: “They’re going to leave me because I’m so depressed. Maybe they should. Why am I going on like this?”
2. Overwhelming sadness or hopelessness
Like other forms of depression, PMDD can make you lost interest on the things you normally enjoy.
The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 TR) includes PMDD in the category of “Depressive Disorders.” In fact, PMDD often misdiagnosed as another type of depression because of the overwhelming sadness that it causes him, he says Monica GonzalezClinical psychologist in private practice.
For example:
- You may really enjoy spending time with friends or going to the gym most weeks, but in the days leading up to your period you may feel Too low leave the house, ignore messages and calls from your friends, or stop participating in hobbies altogether.
- You may also find yourself crying frequently or out of the blue. This heightened sensitivity can feel incredibly overwhelming and make the job seem impossible.
The intensity of this depression and its impact on your life can leave you hopeless or trapped. It can also lead to thoughts of suicide.
Both PMS and PMDD can make you feel hopeless or sad, but suicidal thoughts are a symptom of PMDDnot premenstrual syndrome.
3. Mental and physical exhaustion
If you have PMDD, you may experience mass fatigue that keeps you in bed for days, says González.
You can feel:
- Sore or weak, like you have the flu
- Too exhausted to concentrate at work or school or to concentrate in fun activities like board games with friends
- Mentally or physically overstimulated by everyday stressors, such as getting stuck in traffic
- Too exhausted to eat, shower, or perform other basic tasks
- Unable to fall asleep, even though your energy feels completely depleted
East fatigue it can also affect your brain. Although many people who experience PMS symptoms have difficulty concentrating before their periods, PMDD can cause a brain fog that could make daily tasks seem impossible, González says.
You may also notice an increase forgotlike leaving your wallet in a restaurant or losing your keys and finding them in the freezer.
4. Physical discomfort or pain
PMDD can also cause debilitating pain, such as shooting sensations in the stomach or intestine, before the period begins. You may also notice new joint or muscle pain.
It is very common to experience cramps and other body pains as part of the SPM. But with PMDD, this pain can be so severe that you need to take a few days off work each month before your cycle begins.
That being said, the severity of this physical discomfort varies from person to person. Although you may find that you are unable to do your usual job yoga routineanother person with PMDD might have a hard time walking to the refrigerator or bathroom.
You may also notice other uncomfortable symptomWhat:
5. Sudden changes in appetite or digestion
PMDD can cause intense food cravings, especially for carbohydrate-rich foods like chocolate and cookies and high fat snacks I eat cheese
Experts theorize that this happens because your emotional response to food is more sensitive during this phase, and sweet and fatty foods give you the positive feelings you want when you’re feeling down.
according to one to studyPeople with PMDD experience greater reward sensitivity than other people, which can result in a more significant emotional response to sweet and fatty foods.
Some evidence also points to a link between difficulty manage food cravings and binging right before your period.
Digestive problems associated with PMDD include:
Bloating, constipation, and cravings can also cause weight gain.
You may also experience food cravings with PMS, but PMDD can cause digestive problems severe enough to mimic gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, Landry says.
get a diagnosis
A therapist or health professional can diagnose PMDDBut you’ll need to track your symptoms for at least two months to get a diagnosis.
That being said, if your symptoms feel unbearable or you are experiencing severe depression and other mood symptoms, it is best to make an appointment as soon as possible. You can still get the support you need without a diagnosis.
“Don’t delay your appointment to track your symptoms for the full two months,” says Landry.
For a diagnosis of PMDD, you will need to have five or more symptoms They start a week before your cycle and get better in the first three days of your period. Unlike PMS, these symptoms will interrupt your work, school, or personal life for a week during most months of menstruation.
Your doctor or therapist will ask you questions about signs of PMDD of the DSM-5-TR, such as:
- Have you lost interest in things you normally enjoy, like spending time with friends?
- Do you get agitated easily or get into more disagreements?
- Do you have more trouble than usual staying focused or paying attention?
- Do you feel exhausted?
- Do you have specific food cravings or do you eat more or less than usual?
- Do you sleep much less or more than usual?
- Does life feel particularly overwhelming before your period?
- Do you have physical pain or notice changes such as joint pain, muscle pain, breast pain, or swelling?
Treatment
There is no cure for PMDD, but various treatments, including lifestyle changes and medications, can help relieve symptoms.
deals may include:
Since stress makes PMDD worse, full attentionself-compassion practices and community healing can reduce your symptoms, González says.
You can take steps to reduces stress by:
Insider Takeaway
Many people feel depressed or anxious before their period. But you probably have PMDDnot PMS, if your symptoms are severe enough to affect your job, harm your relationships, or trigger suicidal thoughts.
If you have PMDD, you may feel like two different people, according to Gonzales. For part of the month, she may feel like normal, while just before her period, she may feel like a completely different person.
But intense mood swings and debilitating pain aren’t just part of having a period, and PMDD treatment can make a world of difference, Landry says.
A health professional or therapist can diagnose this condition and help you find the best treatment for your symptoms, from hormonal birth control to antidepressants and therapy.
