— WHAT IS PMDD ? —

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder—also known as Premenstrual Dysphoria, Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD—is a cyclical, hormone-based mood disorder with symptoms arising during the premenstrual, or luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and lasting one to two (and sometimes three) weeks at the onset of menstruation. Symptoms of PMDD can disappear the day of or shortly after bleeding begins.

As of now, there is no definitive cause of PMDD, and certainly not a one size fits all. It is thought that PMDD may be the result of an abnormal cellular response to the hormone changes a women experiences during the Luteal phase of her menstrual cycle—an increase and or decrease in estrogen and progesterone. Although hormone levels appear to show “normal” for most women with PMDD, it is the brain’s reaction and extreme sensitivity to these changes in hormone levels that is abnormal.

The Research that has been done to date also reveals a connection between low levels of serotonin and PMDD. Serotonin, also known as the “Feel good hormone,” is one of the “Happy” hormones. Serotonin helps regulate mood, attention span, sleep and pain. In women with PMDD, the hormonal shifts experienced at the time of (or leading up to) bleeding can cause a serotonin deficiency/drop, resulting in crippling emotional and physical symptoms.

Women with PMDD are at an increased risk for postpartum depression as well as suicidal behaviors. Sex hormones during pregnancy fluctuate quite dramatically, affecting cellular response. The brain’s response to the rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone during ovulation, miscarriage, and menopause may also cause a crippling response in women with PMDD.

From my experience, I believe that many women struggling with PMDD symptoms carry trauma in the body that might never have been addressed. Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes and is relative. It could have been a shock trauma once-off event, birth trauma, childhood developmental trauma or any other experience that left a mark on the nervous system. It’s important to get professional support from a therapeutic practitioner who you feel safe with and who is trauma trained in some modality.

I also believe that many women unconsciously tap into what I describe as collective trauma. The fact that the menstrual cycle and menstruation itself has been shamed and silenced generationally is something that impacts many of us on a physical level. Taking a look at working with boundaries can help with this so we don’t take on the world’s pain in our bodies.

Generational trauma is also a thing. This is when trauma experienced by our ancestors is passed on generationally. For example, if a grandmother was in a warzone or living in a highly abusive dynamic then that impacts how she relates and cares for her children and these wounds get passed down to your mother. Take some time to consider what traumas were experienced by your ancestors, begin to ask questions and learn where you came from. There are many things you can do to soothe this trauma, via energy work, shamanism, somatic therapy, parts work and much more. At this level, listening to your body and doing what you feel called to do is usually the most appropriate way to step in and shift things.

There is no saliva test or blood draw to diagnose PMDD. Diligently tracking symptoms and detailed journaling for 3-6 months is a good place to start when diagnosing PMDD. It is critical to see and become witness to the patterns of PMDD. It takes great Self Awareness and observation to see yourself and the cyclical, clockwork-like patterns that take place—the enormous highs and lows, and the vast array of symptoms that come with PMDD

“If you are not free to be who you are, You are not Free.”

-Clarisa Pinkola Estes

If you are interested in more information, you may also check out:

https://iapmd.org