WHAT IS PMDD?

PMDD (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder)

is a severe hormonal condition triggered by the neurosteroid Allopregnanolone, or ALLO. It is not a mental illness. It is way more severe, and uncommon, than typical PMS (affecting between 3-8% of women of childbearing age). It is a biological, not behavioural, condition.

Physical symptoms

Joint pain, back pain, migraine, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, exhaustion.

PMDD symptoms are cyclical

—and debilitating: they build up in the two weeks before a period (the luteal phase), peak in the week directly before, and then recede quickly when the period starts.

PMDD is a recognized clinical condition, you have every right to seek help for

In Europe and the US medical guidelines recognize PMDD as a specific condition with clearly identified symptoms. There is no need to ‘suffer in silence’ or for symptoms to be mistaken for bipolar illness or depression.

Emotional symptoms

Extreme mood swings, severe irritability and/or anger, depression, feelings of hopelessness and low self-worth (women with PMDD are four times more likely to attempt suicide), anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and out of control, difficulty concentrating.