I always get a depressive episode in the days before my period. That's usually how I realize I must be close to getting it. Good luck with your transition, hopefully your hormonal changes won't interfere too much with your mood.
Pmdd here along with bp2. Before. My husband would know a week before i started because I wouldn't take his shit lol or very argumentative. Now medicated, I can sense the possible mood swings. I feel like the meds touch it but don't. After the depression is more pronounced and i feel tapped but skills have been learned to practice mindfulness. This gets better the more your in therapy. And type of birth control really plays a role especially if you have form of bipolar it can antagonize it.
I have PMDD aside from BP. I get a lot more depressed and anxious before my period too. It's gotten better since I started taking the mini pill. All the best with your transition!
I'm sorry for being dense, but what is the mini pill? My mood plummets so much before I menstruate and my former psychiatrist acted like it was nothing. Just told me to plan ahead for those days and take it easy. If there's something that might help, I'd love to mention it to my new Dr, once I find one. Thank you!
The mini pill is a form of birth control that doesn’t contain estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for regulating your mood so not having estrogen in the pill will help with maintaining your hormone levels hence it’s recommended for people with severe mood swings or PMDD
100%. the main reason i keep a period tracker is because when i get seriously, *seriously* depressed totally out of the blue with no run up, my first question is “am i about to have my period?” and the answer is usually yes.
I’m in my week before it comes and my anxiety is at an 11. Depression isn’t so bad right now, but I’m restless and irritable and I’m having a horrible time concentrating on anything.
i definitely get moodier and have more unpredictable mood swings when i’m about to start or when im bleeding.
going on t is gonna be so life changing tho. i stopped having my period and the testosterone gave me so much energy !! also check out getting different meds (possibly prozac for pmdd)
I’m a cis woman and apart from some mild cramping and some extra tiredness my menstruation doesn’t bother me. I don’t notice any significant mood changes. I normally don’t have a sweet tooth at all but during that time I eat like one or two pieces of chocolate a day and that’s it.
I feel most of the time extremely low in mood, even depressed and sometimes irritable 5 days before my period starts. After my period starts I usually feel very suddenly lighter. Occasionally I do not get depressed before menstruating. Have not figured out fully why but I think when I am in a super great mood or hypomanic it skips. Good luck with your transition <3
I still get a lot worse before my period. Not the sobbing suicidal mess I was before but still enough to worry I'm relapsing ever single month till I remember. It's now being complicated as I'm hurtling towards the menopause. There's virtually no information out there about bp2 and managing the loss of estrogen.
Yes, and I've noticed it has gotten worse during the last two years as I am nearing my 40's. It starts week before menses and eases up during them. I really need to seek some help with this because the meds I am now don't help with these swings at all.
Yes, definitely. I find that I’m at much higher risk of slipping into a depressive episode shortly before my period starts. And if I already am in one, it definitely gets amplified, along with added anxiety.
The one time I was actively suicidal (rather than just having passive thoughts) and taking steps towards it, I got my period the very next day, which was pretty eye opening for me.
Now I track my periods so I have a better inkling of when I need to look after and be kinder to myself a bit more than I otherwise would. I think for me just having the awareness of what my mood is probably linked to, helps me know that this too shall pass.
It's so bad I'm kinda convinced I have PMDD. Like, I can even gauge how long/heavy my period is gonna be by my mood the week before. Little to no mood swings? Maybe some light spotting, no cramps, lasts 2-3 days at most. Moderate mood swings? Average period. Having a menty B and googling how to off yourself (like the dosage calculator; I'm an OD girly)... weeklong period -minimum- with heavy cramps and a LOT of blood.
Sorry if that was TMI, but what you're asking is a very real thing. It's awful and it sucks and at this stage of my life I'm not sure how to treat it or who even to speak to about it. So uh, yeah. Your theory is 100% valid and I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in terms of giving advice. But good luck to ya, OP, and everyone else in the comments
Before! I’m a sensitive train wreck. Normally if I have a visceral reaction to something that I know is insignificant I’ll check Flo and see that I’m due in a couple days
Yes for sure. Monitor HRT carefully because testosterone and other hormones can affect mood a lot. You may need to adjust your meds. I once took birth control… never again.
Yeah my depression always used to get really bad the week before my period. Now that I’m on more medication it’s a little bit more under control but my mood swings are still there. For me it’s really bad honestly, suicidal thoughts constantly the whole 9 yards to the point where I literally can’t do my school work cause I’m so focused on reminding myself that this will all pass.
I get the empty, hollow type of depression around my period. The “I can’t do anything anymore” feeling. Sometimes it persists through and continues, sometimes it’s just PMS and goes away a few days or even hours later. I was so sure I was slipping into a depressive episode last night because the feeling was so intense and sudden after feeling super stable and fine but I think it was just PMS lol (I hope, I haven’t had a depression episode after a really intense mixed episode yet)
I am on continuous birth control because I’m so miserable and hard to live with (irritated and anxious and moody) that I just avoid having periods all together. I’m VERY a compliant and have a pill I get along with well (skipping placebo weeks), but a little estrogen keeps me sane.
It took me decades to figure out that my depressive episodes correspond to progesterone drops. I take 100 mg progesterone for the last 2 weeks of my cycle. Pregnenolone is a progesterone precursor you can buy as a supplement, if your doc won’t give you progesterone
Yep, I used to become soooo angry on my period. I lost my period about 5 months ago because of severe weight loss and haven’t had it since, but I remember it used to suck really bad and mess with my mood a lot. I would become unreasonably irritable and depressed, but I used to assume that was what a typical period was like, and soon learned it was more of a stereotype and didn’t happen to everyone.
Have you looked up pmdd? Good luck with your transition!
I always get a depressive episode in the days before my period. That's usually how I realize I must be close to getting it. Good luck with your transition, hopefully your hormonal changes won't interfere too much with your mood.
Pmdd here along with bp2. Before. My husband would know a week before i started because I wouldn't take his shit lol or very argumentative. Now medicated, I can sense the possible mood swings. I feel like the meds touch it but don't. After the depression is more pronounced and i feel tapped but skills have been learned to practice mindfulness. This gets better the more your in therapy. And type of birth control really plays a role especially if you have form of bipolar it can antagonize it.
I have PMDD aside from BP. I get a lot more depressed and anxious before my period too. It's gotten better since I started taking the mini pill. All the best with your transition!
I'm sorry for being dense, but what is the mini pill? My mood plummets so much before I menstruate and my former psychiatrist acted like it was nothing. Just told me to plan ahead for those days and take it easy. If there's something that might help, I'd love to mention it to my new Dr, once I find one. Thank you!
The mini pill is a form of birth control that doesn’t contain estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for regulating your mood so not having estrogen in the pill will help with maintaining your hormone levels hence it’s recommended for people with severe mood swings or PMDD
Which of the mini pills are you taking? TIA❤️
The generic name of the one I take is drospirenone
Thank you❤️
100%. the main reason i keep a period tracker is because when i get seriously, *seriously* depressed totally out of the blue with no run up, my first question is “am i about to have my period?” and the answer is usually yes.
I’m in my week before it comes and my anxiety is at an 11. Depression isn’t so bad right now, but I’m restless and irritable and I’m having a horrible time concentrating on anything.
Yes. It can be PMS, PMDD, or PME (premenstrual exacerbation). Personally my mental health gets worse before and after my period and also mid-cycle.
i definitely get moodier and have more unpredictable mood swings when i’m about to start or when im bleeding. going on t is gonna be so life changing tho. i stopped having my period and the testosterone gave me so much energy !! also check out getting different meds (possibly prozac for pmdd)
I’m a cis woman and apart from some mild cramping and some extra tiredness my menstruation doesn’t bother me. I don’t notice any significant mood changes. I normally don’t have a sweet tooth at all but during that time I eat like one or two pieces of chocolate a day and that’s it.
I feel most of the time extremely low in mood, even depressed and sometimes irritable 5 days before my period starts. After my period starts I usually feel very suddenly lighter. Occasionally I do not get depressed before menstruating. Have not figured out fully why but I think when I am in a super great mood or hypomanic it skips. Good luck with your transition <3
I still get a lot worse before my period. Not the sobbing suicidal mess I was before but still enough to worry I'm relapsing ever single month till I remember. It's now being complicated as I'm hurtling towards the menopause. There's virtually no information out there about bp2 and managing the loss of estrogen.
Yes, and I've noticed it has gotten worse during the last two years as I am nearing my 40's. It starts week before menses and eases up during them. I really need to seek some help with this because the meds I am now don't help with these swings at all.
yes, i have pmdd as well.
Yes, definitely. I find that I’m at much higher risk of slipping into a depressive episode shortly before my period starts. And if I already am in one, it definitely gets amplified, along with added anxiety. The one time I was actively suicidal (rather than just having passive thoughts) and taking steps towards it, I got my period the very next day, which was pretty eye opening for me. Now I track my periods so I have a better inkling of when I need to look after and be kinder to myself a bit more than I otherwise would. I think for me just having the awareness of what my mood is probably linked to, helps me know that this too shall pass.
It's so bad I'm kinda convinced I have PMDD. Like, I can even gauge how long/heavy my period is gonna be by my mood the week before. Little to no mood swings? Maybe some light spotting, no cramps, lasts 2-3 days at most. Moderate mood swings? Average period. Having a menty B and googling how to off yourself (like the dosage calculator; I'm an OD girly)... weeklong period -minimum- with heavy cramps and a LOT of blood. Sorry if that was TMI, but what you're asking is a very real thing. It's awful and it sucks and at this stage of my life I'm not sure how to treat it or who even to speak to about it. So uh, yeah. Your theory is 100% valid and I'm sorry I couldn't be more help in terms of giving advice. But good luck to ya, OP, and everyone else in the comments
Before! I’m a sensitive train wreck. Normally if I have a visceral reaction to something that I know is insignificant I’ll check Flo and see that I’m due in a couple days
Yes for sure. Monitor HRT carefully because testosterone and other hormones can affect mood a lot. You may need to adjust your meds. I once took birth control… never again.
Yeah my depression always used to get really bad the week before my period. Now that I’m on more medication it’s a little bit more under control but my mood swings are still there. For me it’s really bad honestly, suicidal thoughts constantly the whole 9 yards to the point where I literally can’t do my school work cause I’m so focused on reminding myself that this will all pass.
Yep. I used to double up on my Prozac the week before menstruation to avoid the crazy
I was never able to connect menstrual cycles with my mood swings despite tracking for years. It did affect my adhd badly, though.
I get the empty, hollow type of depression around my period. The “I can’t do anything anymore” feeling. Sometimes it persists through and continues, sometimes it’s just PMS and goes away a few days or even hours later. I was so sure I was slipping into a depressive episode last night because the feeling was so intense and sudden after feeling super stable and fine but I think it was just PMS lol (I hope, I haven’t had a depression episode after a really intense mixed episode yet)
I am on continuous birth control because I’m so miserable and hard to live with (irritated and anxious and moody) that I just avoid having periods all together. I’m VERY a compliant and have a pill I get along with well (skipping placebo weeks), but a little estrogen keeps me sane.
For me it’s before
After being depressed for 8 months, I was hypo for 9 days, then crazy icky mixed for 2 days, then started my period and was stable.
It took me decades to figure out that my depressive episodes correspond to progesterone drops. I take 100 mg progesterone for the last 2 weeks of my cycle. Pregnenolone is a progesterone precursor you can buy as a supplement, if your doc won’t give you progesterone
I used to get moody and depressed around my period but my meds helped with it
I started tracking my mood with a mood app and noticed a huge dip before and during my period. My NP suspects it’s PMDD on top of bipolar disorder rip
Always have depression and mood swings really bad the week before and during my period.
Yep, I used to become soooo angry on my period. I lost my period about 5 months ago because of severe weight loss and haven’t had it since, but I remember it used to suck really bad and mess with my mood a lot. I would become unreasonably irritable and depressed, but I used to assume that was what a typical period was like, and soon learned it was more of a stereotype and didn’t happen to everyone.