Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or the abbreviated term PMDD?
It is like PMS but with more severe symptoms, especially psychological ones. These symptoms occur usually one or two weeks before the start of your period and disappear on the onset.
Symptoms include but not all inclusive1,2,3:
- Depressed Mood
- Feelings of sadness or despair, or even thoughts of suicide
- Mood swings
- Anxiety and/or tension
- Irritability or anger
- Panic attacks
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
PMDD can really affect your overall well-being and disrupt your family, work, and/or even school life. Researchers are still unclear of the causes of this, but they state it is related to hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle.
I also found in several evidence-based articles that PMDD can also develop after women who have experienced postpartum depression/anxiety.
I believe in experiencing optimal health and a few ways I try to decrease PMDD symptoms is by1,2,3
- eating a healthy combination of food groups that are nutrient dense based
- Cutting back on salty/sugar foods
- Physical activity
- Stress management (breathing techniques, meditation, journaling, etc.)
PMDD can be very serious and it is important to address this with your medical doctor, particularly one that specializes in Women’s Health.
Want to find out if you have PMDD? Click here to screen for PMDD https://iapmd.org/self-screen
References and Resources include:
2. https://postpartum.org/2015/07/understanding-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder/