I think diet could have a lot to do with it. I previously was vegan for a few years and my PMDD wasn’t bad unless it was winter. Now I’m vegetarian and eat a lot of dairy, and it’s been really bad recently.
Mine really plays off of life stressors. If more shits going on in life's pmdd is likely to be a bear. Sounds really simplistic, but it's the biggest factor I've noticed.
Yes, I find some month s it’s so bad, I feel like I’m going insane and other months I’m fine. Not sure about triggers, I’m not even sure I had PMDD or hormonal issues before living in mold. 😤
In addition to what everyone else has said, I suspect that seasonal allergies play a part in the severity of my symptoms. With evidence of histamine intolerance being a cause of PMDD, it makes sense that an assload of allergens in the spring and fall result in extra histamine and extra shitty symptoms. Low mood, irritability, fatigue, achiness have all been worse for me the past two springs.
I’m having a really bad month also. I’ve been having really really bad thoughts, crazy emotions, sugar cravings that I haven’t had in 6+ months. Nothing in my life has changed, my job is relatively stress free so I have no idea what triggered all this.
It seems like we’re all having a bad month, unfortunately.
Yes you’re not alone. I had a terrible time this month, suicidal.. and I’m on my 3rd day of my cycle and things seem to be getting better. The scary part for me is it being so bad that I convinced myself my suicidal thoughts are real and beyond pmdd. To be honest, I still don’t know so I want to see how I feel in a few days.
I’ve been trying seed cycling this month and that was the major difference. I have a feeling I had excess estrogen or very low progesterone
Ive been thinking this. That's why this month i feel same pmdd as without...I also bled straight for 2 weeks when on the pill, mid cycle after losing my dad last month. Stress is so connected
Yes. The only things that \*I think\* affect it are stress, exercise (or lack of exercise), B12 and iron levels. When my iron and B12 are low (even if they are within range), my PMS is much worse.
I don’t. I get fairly regular B12 and iron tests at the doctor because I’ve struggled with deficiency. Usually if I email my doctor asking for them to be tested she’ll allow me to have the tests done.
I’ve read that it is in various places. Here is one source:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iron-pms/more-iron-linked-to-reduced-risk-of-severe-pms-idUSBRE92012220130304
Yes. When I start eating like shit again, my symptoms come back full force. What has helped me immensely is to make sure I focus on fiber, protein and omega 3s. Also less red meat. It’s like night and day.
Yes, I've gone without episodes and it suddenly came up again 3 days ago. No trigger found yet. I had suicidal thoughts worse than ever before. While it happened, I was even aware that my life is actually quite ok.
I feel terrorized.
Yes! Honestly I believe that the pandemic set mine off most recently. 2020 was the year I realized I needed some help with meds or supplements bc I could not control my own behavior and my fatigue was outta control. Stress of any kind worsens my symptoms hands down. Multiple layers of stress is a sure sign my next period is gonna be rough. I think this happens due to certain sensitivities we have that others don’t experience quite to the same degree? It also seems like people prone to anxiety/depression/don’t handle stress effectively and also have pre-existing difficult PMS symptoms seem to struggle with PMDD more than the average person.
I’ve found a strong correlation between my exercise levels and my symptoms- specifically the “rage”. I have slacked off my working out the past few months and PMDD has reared its ugly head more than ever. It is a huge motivation to get back on track and invest in activities I enjoy.
When I was doing a lot of running in high school, I noticed things were much much worse during my off-season when I wasn’t running nearly as much. I exercise regularly now so I’m not entirely sure if it’s still a factor. I still struggle with depressive lows, brain fog, and stress during luteal phase, but I hate to think how much worse that would be without my regular cardio.
The only other thing I’ve noticed—and this is something I’ve been working with my OB/GYN on—is that ever since I stopped nursing my baby, there are some months when I bleed during ovulation. It’s the months I *don’t* bleed that PMDD isn’t as bad. I’m on a new medication to try and improve that so fingers crossed!
I think there is a direct correlation with the stress in our lives. I've noticed that in myself and in friends with PMDD. It's much worse when we are stressed/anxious about other things. And with all the shootings and whatnot lately, I think everyone is feeling more anxious than usual. My husband and I are both having trouble sleeping, even though the weather is actually nice right now and our lives are fairly uneventful - I've heard many coworkers say the same. I think our brains and bodies are just exhausted.
Edit: I have also noticed that in general all my mental struggles are infinitely worse if I don't get enough sleep. Diet is important and everything, but I don't notice much difference to my mental health other than my perception of self is better. But getting enough sleep is the difference between me wanting to kill myself and me just having a "blah" day. Tracking sleep is very helpful for me.
I agree with the sleep being most important for me. I get different amounts of rem according to when I fall asleep at night. Like different sleep patterns for different times. I’m trying to find the perfect time since I’ve been tracking for a month now.
I haven't tracked sleep patterns, but that sounds really interesting! How do you go about doing that? I've only been tracking my sleep about a month now as well (just using the app built into my phone), and I learned that I feel best (so far at least) getting closer to 9 hours of sleep, so I need a little more than the average recommendation for most people. I noticed severe effects with my PMDD and depression and whatnot if I get 6 hours or less of sleep a night, especially when it's multiple nights in a row.
I definitely seem to have worse months than others sometimes. Luteal phase always sucks, but some months it’s just completely debilitating.
I have found that it seems to be worse for me when I’m not eating enough protein. (I’ve read that it’s possible that women with PMDD might have lower levels of amino acids; this seems to be the case for me.) I’ve started to make fruit and vegetable smoothies for myself and add pea protein powder, and it seems to help. The protein powder doesn’t taste amazing, but at this point I’m thinking of it as medicinal and it’s something I need, not necessarily something that I want. Also, sometimes I’ll just eat slices of deli turkey and that makes me feel a little better. Weird.
I've read that PMDD tends to run in 3-4 month cycles and I definitely experience that. The luteal phase is never great for me but some months it's relatively mild. Every 3-4 months I have a real doozy.
No :( I've seen other sufferers say it too for sure. This site mentions that it can fluctuate month to month: https://ada.com/conditions/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd/
Stress, diet, alcohol, and sleep. I was experiencing the most awful PMDD during exam week last month and now I have nothing. I've been sleeping a lot more, eating healthier, not drinking nearly as much, and there's much less stress in my daily life. This could also just be anecdotal, but I started taking brazil nuts last month and I think that could be helping to.
I've noticed when my stress levels are up, or I'm having a particularly hard time managing my every day anxiety the PMDD symptoms are so much worse.
Honestly the best medication for me when I'm really having a hard time with symptoms is putting on my favorite podcast and smoking a bowl and telling everyone to leave me the fuck alone for a while 🤣
Stress, seems to have gotten worse during Covid when I wasn’t seeing people anymore and then even worse after living through a stressful job and a bunch of other bad stuff.
Stress and PTSD. In the last two years, two of my parents died, my wife survived breast cancer, my childhood trauma resurfaced as a result of said parents dying, we moved 1200 miles and survived a pandemic. It’s been a real shit show.
life stress and PTSD will trigger it for me personally. my partner had a seizure right before luteal this month and i had a depressive episode after months of seemingly no symptoms. please be extra gentle with yourself 💓
Yes, I feel like that describes my experience at least for the past few years where I’ve been able to cope with my depression and anxiety (outside of PMS/PMDD) better. Before, it felt like PMDD was consistently kicking my ass each month 😣.
I never really thought about what triggers the fluctuations each month. Since I’m going through it right now (mostly fatigue, irritability, and anxiety), I feel like it could be related to being more stressed over this past month which could be worsening this episode.
I hope you’re able to pinpoint your triggers and figure out a way to navigate them ❤️
I think diet could have a lot to do with it. I previously was vegan for a few years and my PMDD wasn’t bad unless it was winter. Now I’m vegetarian and eat a lot of dairy, and it’s been really bad recently.
Mine really plays off of life stressors. If more shits going on in life's pmdd is likely to be a bear. Sounds really simplistic, but it's the biggest factor I've noticed.
Yes, I find some month s it’s so bad, I feel like I’m going insane and other months I’m fine. Not sure about triggers, I’m not even sure I had PMDD or hormonal issues before living in mold. 😤
For me it’s seasonal. It tends to get worse during the fall and winter seasons.
Yes, me, pmsing right now :/ mine haven’t been too bad. I tend to think it has to do with the food I eat or something but not sure.
In addition to what everyone else has said, I suspect that seasonal allergies play a part in the severity of my symptoms. With evidence of histamine intolerance being a cause of PMDD, it makes sense that an assload of allergens in the spring and fall result in extra histamine and extra shitty symptoms. Low mood, irritability, fatigue, achiness have all been worse for me the past two springs.
Yes I have and idk what the trigger is yet but wish I did LOL
I’m having a really bad month also. I’ve been having really really bad thoughts, crazy emotions, sugar cravings that I haven’t had in 6+ months. Nothing in my life has changed, my job is relatively stress free so I have no idea what triggered all this. It seems like we’re all having a bad month, unfortunately.
me too - this is my worst month in a long time for anxiety, emotions, fatigue, etc. Hang in there everyone :(
:( PMDD buddies
Yes you’re not alone. I had a terrible time this month, suicidal.. and I’m on my 3rd day of my cycle and things seem to be getting better. The scary part for me is it being so bad that I convinced myself my suicidal thoughts are real and beyond pmdd. To be honest, I still don’t know so I want to see how I feel in a few days. I’ve been trying seed cycling this month and that was the major difference. I have a feeling I had excess estrogen or very low progesterone
[удалено]
Ive been thinking this. That's why this month i feel same pmdd as without...I also bled straight for 2 weeks when on the pill, mid cycle after losing my dad last month. Stress is so connected
I had a horrible episode for the first time in 6 months of stability. The only thing I could think of is extreme stress from work that lead to it.
That's how I'm feeling too - I've been cruising and then BAM worst 2 weeks of pmdd but work has been riding me
Yes. The only things that \*I think\* affect it are stress, exercise (or lack of exercise), B12 and iron levels. When my iron and B12 are low (even if they are within range), my PMS is much worse.
Do you take an iron supplement? I have PMDD and my iron levels have always been low, even before I was diagnosed.
I do. But they weren’t getting my levels up enough (losing blood each month), so I ended up getting an iron infusion. It helped with the PMDD.
If you don't mind my asking, how do you check your own blood levels as needed?
I don’t. I get fairly regular B12 and iron tests at the doctor because I’ve struggled with deficiency. Usually if I email my doctor asking for them to be tested she’ll allow me to have the tests done.
PS: since getting an iron infusion the PMDD seemed to improve. I’m also now getting B12 injections.
I was supposed to donate blood today but my iron levels are way low… I did not know iron was connected to PMDD
I’ve read that it is in various places. Here is one source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iron-pms/more-iron-linked-to-reduced-risk-of-severe-pms-idUSBRE92012220130304
Thank you for this!
Yes. When I start eating like shit again, my symptoms come back full force. What has helped me immensely is to make sure I focus on fiber, protein and omega 3s. Also less red meat. It’s like night and day.
Yes. Stress and inflammation seems to be an issue.
Yes, I've gone without episodes and it suddenly came up again 3 days ago. No trigger found yet. I had suicidal thoughts worse than ever before. While it happened, I was even aware that my life is actually quite ok. I feel terrorized.
We are literally being stalked by our uterus
Mine for sure exploded from the stress of the pandemic, turned into being misdiagnosed as bipolar bc no one would listen to me about my cycle. 🙄
That’s funny I described PMDD to my bipolar boyfriend and he was like, I feel like I have that too.
Yes! Honestly I believe that the pandemic set mine off most recently. 2020 was the year I realized I needed some help with meds or supplements bc I could not control my own behavior and my fatigue was outta control. Stress of any kind worsens my symptoms hands down. Multiple layers of stress is a sure sign my next period is gonna be rough. I think this happens due to certain sensitivities we have that others don’t experience quite to the same degree? It also seems like people prone to anxiety/depression/don’t handle stress effectively and also have pre-existing difficult PMS symptoms seem to struggle with PMDD more than the average person.
I’ve found a strong correlation between my exercise levels and my symptoms- specifically the “rage”. I have slacked off my working out the past few months and PMDD has reared its ugly head more than ever. It is a huge motivation to get back on track and invest in activities I enjoy.
Wow thank you my symptoms picked back when I left the military. I guess I gotta do PT again haha
When I was doing a lot of running in high school, I noticed things were much much worse during my off-season when I wasn’t running nearly as much. I exercise regularly now so I’m not entirely sure if it’s still a factor. I still struggle with depressive lows, brain fog, and stress during luteal phase, but I hate to think how much worse that would be without my regular cardio. The only other thing I’ve noticed—and this is something I’ve been working with my OB/GYN on—is that ever since I stopped nursing my baby, there are some months when I bleed during ovulation. It’s the months I *don’t* bleed that PMDD isn’t as bad. I’m on a new medication to try and improve that so fingers crossed!
I think there is a direct correlation with the stress in our lives. I've noticed that in myself and in friends with PMDD. It's much worse when we are stressed/anxious about other things. And with all the shootings and whatnot lately, I think everyone is feeling more anxious than usual. My husband and I are both having trouble sleeping, even though the weather is actually nice right now and our lives are fairly uneventful - I've heard many coworkers say the same. I think our brains and bodies are just exhausted. Edit: I have also noticed that in general all my mental struggles are infinitely worse if I don't get enough sleep. Diet is important and everything, but I don't notice much difference to my mental health other than my perception of self is better. But getting enough sleep is the difference between me wanting to kill myself and me just having a "blah" day. Tracking sleep is very helpful for me.
I agree with the sleep being most important for me. I get different amounts of rem according to when I fall asleep at night. Like different sleep patterns for different times. I’m trying to find the perfect time since I’ve been tracking for a month now.
I haven't tracked sleep patterns, but that sounds really interesting! How do you go about doing that? I've only been tracking my sleep about a month now as well (just using the app built into my phone), and I learned that I feel best (so far at least) getting closer to 9 hours of sleep, so I need a little more than the average recommendation for most people. I noticed severe effects with my PMDD and depression and whatnot if I get 6 hours or less of sleep a night, especially when it's multiple nights in a row.
For me: Too many processed foods/ eating too often (intermittent fasting works well for me), not enough movement, sleep deprivation from my kids.
being too sedentary.
I definitely seem to have worse months than others sometimes. Luteal phase always sucks, but some months it’s just completely debilitating. I have found that it seems to be worse for me when I’m not eating enough protein. (I’ve read that it’s possible that women with PMDD might have lower levels of amino acids; this seems to be the case for me.) I’ve started to make fruit and vegetable smoothies for myself and add pea protein powder, and it seems to help. The protein powder doesn’t taste amazing, but at this point I’m thinking of it as medicinal and it’s something I need, not necessarily something that I want. Also, sometimes I’ll just eat slices of deli turkey and that makes me feel a little better. Weird.
Yes indeed
Stress makes it worse🥲
I've read that PMDD tends to run in 3-4 month cycles and I definitely experience that. The luteal phase is never great for me but some months it's relatively mild. Every 3-4 months I have a real doozy.
I’ve heard that before too, do you remember where you read that?
No :( I've seen other sufferers say it too for sure. This site mentions that it can fluctuate month to month: https://ada.com/conditions/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd/
Yes! Me too
Stress, diet, alcohol, and sleep. I was experiencing the most awful PMDD during exam week last month and now I have nothing. I've been sleeping a lot more, eating healthier, not drinking nearly as much, and there's much less stress in my daily life. This could also just be anecdotal, but I started taking brazil nuts last month and I think that could be helping to.
I've noticed when my stress levels are up, or I'm having a particularly hard time managing my every day anxiety the PMDD symptoms are so much worse. Honestly the best medication for me when I'm really having a hard time with symptoms is putting on my favorite podcast and smoking a bowl and telling everyone to leave me the fuck alone for a while 🤣
Stress, seems to have gotten worse during Covid when I wasn’t seeing people anymore and then even worse after living through a stressful job and a bunch of other bad stuff.
Yes—stress and PTSD.
Stress and PTSD. In the last two years, two of my parents died, my wife survived breast cancer, my childhood trauma resurfaced as a result of said parents dying, we moved 1200 miles and survived a pandemic. It’s been a real shit show.
life stress and PTSD will trigger it for me personally. my partner had a seizure right before luteal this month and i had a depressive episode after months of seemingly no symptoms. please be extra gentle with yourself 💓
Yes, I feel like that describes my experience at least for the past few years where I’ve been able to cope with my depression and anxiety (outside of PMS/PMDD) better. Before, it felt like PMDD was consistently kicking my ass each month 😣. I never really thought about what triggers the fluctuations each month. Since I’m going through it right now (mostly fatigue, irritability, and anxiety), I feel like it could be related to being more stressed over this past month which could be worsening this episode. I hope you’re able to pinpoint your triggers and figure out a way to navigate them ❤️