Just as the title says, I’m just curious if maybe there’s a link. I was put on birth control at 13 because I had bad cramps. I’m no longer on BC because of the brain fog it gave me and have little experience with it as an adult. But I have always wondered if being put on birth control as a child messed up my reproductive system’s development and has contributed to PMDD symptoms as an adult.

I’m confused and feel like my pmdd is set off by food or something.

The scary part was I was taking oil of oregano and it made me spot and have the worst pmdd month last month. This month nothing happened at all.

Nothing at all. No depression, no paranoia, I don’t hate my bf. wtf?

When luteal hits, one of my worst symptoms is sore, achy boobs, I'm guessing due to water retention. It lasts however long that phase lasts which means there have been times when I was stuck in painful boob hell for over two weeks.

Recently though, that particular symptom has gone away, and I don't exactly know why. I wish I could share what I did or am no longer doing that made a difference but its a mystery to me. All I know is that it has been really nice having one less thing to deal with when this part of the cycle hits.

Now if only I could make my brain not try to sabotage me. I think I would take a better state of mind over anything else but meh, a win is a win I guess.

im usually a bit more stable than usual on the week before my period because im medicated but god this week has just been awful. went out tonight with my bf and his friends and i dont drink, i was such a miserable shit all night and decided to go home since i forgot my id and they wanted to go into actual places, im like half crying in the uber because of my behaviour rn pls give me some support if you can x

TRIGGER WARNING SI

Hi all, just wanted to share and ask some questions. I'm 39/F on day 4 of 50mg Sertraline and I'm already feeling positive effects with minimal side effects.

For context I am autistic and have severe PMDD, CPTSD and agoraphobia with OCD traits. For the past 6 months I've also been bedbound and incredibly ill, dealing with debilitating neurological symptoms and pain, including constant migraines and head pressure (I had chronic migraines previously but the past 6 months much worse and along with the other neuro symptoms). I am stuck living in a foreign country with poor healthcare so its been a frustrating and lengthy process.

So my neurologist s currently working towards a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, but I still need more tests. Since I have been physically unwell and with chronic pain the past 6 months my PMDD and CPTSD symptoms have increased tenfold and I have been severely depressed and with constant SI.

So like I said, I'm currently on day 4 of 50mg and I no longer have these dark thoughts, I'm laughing again and generally feel so much lighter and without so much internal noise. The anxiety and stress has left my body and suprisingly enough, the migraine I've had for 6 months straight has gone. I have no idea why this would be, but I feel so happy about that. I'm starting to feel hopefull again. This is the most difficult and lonely time of my life so any little changes like this are so signifigant for me rn.

I have also read that people with PMDD can often be more responsive to SSRI's and start feeling the medications effects sooner than some other folks taking it, so maybe that is also the case with me. Idk but I don't want to get too ahead of myself. It's so exciting to have some relief from all the hell though.

Has anyone else with chronic migraines and/or MS experienced relief from symptoms since taking Sertraline? I'd love to hear from others. TYSM x

and no this isn’t my feelings making me think this. i was reading through my journal and noticed the trend.

non-pmdd weeks: plans work out. work goes well. very little hiccups. occasionally big issues hit.

pmdd weeks: car breaks down, plans go awry, weird work stuff pops up. my bike got stolen TWICE both times as soon as luteal hit. the plants in my garden developed uncontrollable pests. literally struggle after struggle.

maybe it’s a coincidence. i mean 1/3 of my month is spent in pmdd. but like as soon as it hits, friends cancel. trains suddenly get delayed. technology doesn’t work/starts glitching??

it’s like the universe sees i’m in a fragile state and just piles problem after problem on top of me. it’s genuinely baffling.

I’ve been on sertraline for about 3 weeks now. It’s been wonderful not to overthink and actually feel like myself and being able to eat and function like a normal human being.
However, I can’t orgasm. Not alone, not with my partner. It’s super frustrating because my libido is pretty high and I feel like a sexual frustrated teenager.

I don’t know if it’ll get better because I’m only 3 weeks in. But I feel like it’s not worth it.
I don’t know if I should quit sertraline in order to be able to enjoy sex or stick to it and accept that my sex life is doomed.

What are your experiences?

it’s that time of the month again where I have the rage and hatefulness towards myself of a 1000 alcoholic dads 🎉🎉🎉 the worst part is that a couple of months ago I started having these awfully uncomfortable flare ups alongside what I already deal with (hEDS and the other diagnosis’s that come along with it) this is honestly the tell tale sign now that im entering my luteal, on top of waking up to my brain telling me im the worst human on the planet.

my skin literally CRAWLS, and everything that brushes up against it hurts so much. it adds onto how angry I am. my boyfriend also cranks the AC sometimes and it’s torture- as well as showering, moving around, etc. I just got prescribed ldn, and haven’t started it cause I don’t want to accidentally make myself feel worse. this also oddly enough started once I switched to Lexapro, but now im off of it and im done with SSRI’s.

I know there’s probably nothing I can do with it, but what the hell is it.

I have felt like a freaking lunatic this family vacation. My husband and I flew internationally to an all inclusive resort with his family and there has been bits of family drama here and there. One family member snapped at me halfway through the trip and I excused myself to go to the bathroom and went back to the room to cry. My husband came back and comforted me. A few days after I started having stomach issues and started cramping because I was about to get my period and just overall felt awful. I ended up spending one of the days in the hotel room instead of at the pools with everyone because I felt so bloated and crampy. I ended up crying and begging my husband to fly home a day early which he agreed to, but I can tell he was disappointed. I then felt super guilty and begged him to change our flights back and I’d suck up the pain and anxiety, but I think he was fed up with me going back and forth.

Luckily the family was very understanding of me not feeling well.

Now I just feel terrible because I feel like I ruined our trip. I’m so scared for our next trip because now I’m worried I’m going to get anxious/cranky from PMDD and my period and ruin another fun trip.

I guess I’m just posting to see if anyone experiences anything similar and if anyone has any advice.

It’s day 22 of my cycle and I feel so overwhelmed dealing with the derealization from pmdd and possibly even POTS on top of my anxiety. Ive been crying because it feels so heavy and I feel tired and weak, I wanna go home and lay down but I’m visiting at my grandparents and I just feel so overwhelmed it’s scaring me and making me feel like I’m crazy or losing it :(

Mine was never taught any kind of regulation so anytime I bring up sadness or depression he loses his mind and I don't know how I'm supposed to go from there because clearly I can't share the way I'm feeling. So I'm navigating situation that I have no idea how to navigate.

I have honestly eaten more than enough today but I have an insatiable hunger I can’t curb no matter what I eat and I just want more food. I’m so hungry. PMDD makes me want to eat the whole fridge. This is so exhausting. Just had to express it here because I’m SO SO ravenous and feel insane 😭

Hello friends!

I have both endo and PMDD. My period hasn't properly started (so no PMDD relief), but my endo pain has kicked in...so I have stocked up on food and I am spending the weekend hiding.

Please recommend some YouTube videos for me to watch, whilst I wallow in my PMDD funk.

I have just finished catching up on 1000lb Sisters, to give you an idea of the vibe I'm looking for. Trashy, gossipy, leaves you shaking your head, but also easy on the brain and no emotional effort (I keep crying at everything...)

Thank you in advance!

[and if you have your own requests for PMDD-funk related media to consume, feel free to stick them in the comments!]

edit: I also have Disney+ and Netflix. My heated blanket and I await your suggestions ✨🩷

Hi everyone! Today is my first day entering the luteal phase without medication. I was diagnosed with PMDD by my endocrinologist, but my psychiatry appointment isn’t until October 27, so for now I’m trying to get through these days without medication, but with a much better understanding of what’s happening to me.
My cycle tracker says I’m around the midpoint of my cycle, and I can already feel the shift. I’m more sensitive, a little teary-eyed, and I’m starting to feel that emptiness I’ve experienced during previous cycles.
I’ve still managed to do my usual activities today: clean the house, walk my dog, eat breakfast, and try to take care of myself. But I can feel those familiar feelings creeping in.
I was thinking of watching a Madonna concert on TV, and I’m reading a book that I’ll pick up again tonight. It’s cloudy today, and I don’t really feel like going for a walk because I’m worried it might trigger some difficult feelings.
What helps you get through the luteal phase beyond medication? Are there little things, activities, routines, or ways of thinking that make those days more manageable?
I’d love to hear what works for you. Thank you! ❤️

I seem to be having PMDD symptoms towards the end of my period instead of during luteal. Irritability, crying spells, feeling out of touch with reality, SI. All my usual stuff, but at a different time. Has anyone else experienced this?

Seeking a practitioner to diagnose me, but I’m a textbook patient for hypermobile EDS. hEDS is a connective tissue disorder. I tried Zoloft today for PMDD and promptly shitted my pants not once, but twice… After some research, I’ve concluded my sensitive GI tract is due to EDS. No Zoloft peace of mind for me.

Started hrt 3-4 days ago and am having a horrible time. I have a lot going on but now I'm majorly depressed with very intrusive SI. Does it get better?

45 yo. PMDD is helped with 5htp supplements. Haven't had a period for a few months. Started estrodiol gel + 200mg progesterone a few days ago (trying to help with generalised joint pain hEDS)... Had a little breakdown with my manager yesterday following a workplace injury meeting. And haven't been able to snap out of it. Went to bed at 7pm last night and cried for a few hours thinking about the hopelessness and wanting to not be here any more (but also the guilt and selfishness of that way out, I'm sure you're all familiar with it). Anyway, still feeling rubbish today. Lots of SI thoughts. Google says to expect a period of adjustment and normal to have "blues". My doctor didn't warn me about

this.

Please tell me it gets better.

Petsitting a long way from home for a few days with my period around the corner, I suddenly felt profoundly lonely and depressed for absolutely no reason. Broke down crying in the guest room, laid there staring at the ceiling for a while, wrestled with a heaping helping of anxiety, and eventually ordered a pizza for dinner to see if that would help…….It did not.

I’m sure I’ll be fine, I just need rest, but fffuuuuccckkkk… 😭

Hey all, every month during luteal is terrible. I went on birth control (Seasonique or Seasonal..one of those) to stop my periods entirely to try to help things. It didn't help, my body never really adjusted so I came off so back to regular cycles and I am just miserable.

Please, if anyone has actually gotten real and proper help from a doctor, did you seek out a specific type of doctor? I don't want to waste money on someone who is going to tell me that this is normal and to try to exercise or something.

I'm in Toronto by the way, if anyone knows anyone good to see in this area.

I am on zoloft, but as a daily anxiety med, not a PMDD-only med. Does anyone take zoloft everyday but then increase dose during luteal and does it make a significant difference?

Thanks in advance. Tired of crying for no reason. 🤪

Hi everyone, I'm trying to figure out if I have PMDD or if it's bipolar disorder that's affected by my menstrual cycle

Almost every month I have terrible depression, that is, I can’t get out of bed and I feel like I have no energy at all, I have all the symptoms of bipolar depression. Basically it seems to last all the time, even during menstruation, that is, I feel a little better but not much, mainly during ovulation I feel a little better, but sometimes not. I also have a calendar where I mark everything for the year (in the first months I only marked how the day went, and then I added other states)

And at the end of September I had a feeling like hypomania for 5 days (shown on the calendar with the mark euphoria) That is, my heart was beating terribly and I wanted to do something all the time, but it wasn’t that euphoria, it was like a different, in short, strange state. Back then I couldn't even watch a movie in peace because I had to do something

Honestly, I also suffer from hormonal migraines with aura, and I am discussing with my gynecologist about taking pills to stabilize my cycle

Also, once, about a year ago, my neurologist prescribed me an antidepressant for migraines, and I took it for 2-3 weeks. But then it didn't make me feel any better; on the contrary, it gave me the same terrible feeling (what it was like during those 5 days of euphoria in September) And I stopped taking it

But honestly, I think with bipolar disorder, depression should last longer, but maybe this is also related to the cycle, Idk..

Update: I also forgot to add that I have problems with sleep, for six months to a year in a row I sleep all day and stay awake at night because that’s the only time I feel good. And often, if I don't sleep, for example, because of insomnia, I get a slight feeling of hypomania/euphoria, in the sense that, for example, if I'm depressed, then I suddenly have the strength to do something and a strong surge of communication, it's as if I want to communicate with everyone. And this only happens if I don’t get enough sleep, but if I sleep the required number of hours, the depression remains. Usually the required amount of sleep is 10-11 hours, only then I feel normal

Few days ago i started taking low dose of lexapro cyclically for my symptoms. And every single night so far, i feel a huge wave of anxiety and overwhelming sense of feelings that i’m going to die. I have been taking the medication at night but haven’t taken it yet tn, and i can’t get those thoughts out of my head. Has anyone had similar experiences?

For context, outside of pmdd, i also have ocd, adhd, and extreme health anxiety lol, so all combined i’m like a complete mess and overthink/loop everything that could go wrong the second i breathe differently. I may just be hyper fixating on side effects subconsciously and anxiety taking it to extreme. Ugh

I saw my specialist earlier in the week and it was really useful and we came up with a new plan for my care. I was really optimistic and looking forward to changing up my prescription to see if the new one worked better for me.

I saw my GP to show them the feedback from the specialist and request the new prescription and got a point blank no. I am just so frustrated and I feel stuck. I just have to stay on my current protocol which doesn’t work very well while my specialist dukes it out with my GP I guess.

Just ranting, I’m so sick of my life being blown up every two weeks and I really thought this was the light at the end of the tunnel.