Does anyone else get particularly triggered when that question comes up? I know I do. Pms is a part of normal monthly cycle of woman of a childbearing age and effects 75% of us. Although the condition can vary from woman to woman it may affect emotions, physical health and behaviour.
PMDD is similar to PMS but much more serious.
The biggest indicator of PMDD is how much it interferes with your routine? A great question I was asked was.” how much of your month is affected?” I remember having thoughts like.” If it’s only 10 days a month, then maybe I must just persevere?” Until a psychiatrist said I didn’t have to. That those 10 days add up and there are treatments that can help.
I am by no means a doctor, this information is intended for educational purposes only. PMDD is a pretty new diagnosed dysfunction so the more people that are aware of it, the more people will get help. I have been a burnout recovery coach since 2014 and have helped hundreds of moms manage and recover from burnout.
Something interesting happened when I looked the big differences between burnout and PMDD. They were very similar, actually the main difference was that the symptoms escalate the week before our period and then decrease dramatically after. So, it’s not consistent. It is brought on by our hormones. Whereas burnout seems to be more consistent.
So, what kind of symptoms am I talking about?
Symptoms that affect mood, like irritability, tearfulness, anxiety and inability to concentrate. It can affect out sleep and energy levels and affect our interest in things we normally enjoy.
Normalizing talking about mental health has been a big part of my journey as a Coach. I only realised how much my anxiety effected my life after going through a traumatic experience (more about that here). I went to see a therapist after thinking that I had PTSD, I had never actually had a panic attack before, and I knew I wasn’t ok.
The therapist explained that high functioning anxiety is often missed. That the person may seem organised and “together” but on the inside they were not. She spoke of rumination of thoughts and catastrophizing the future and it all made sense. The thing was, I was ok some of the time. After tracking my cycle for a few months, I realised that it was definitely worse in the week before my period. Everything seemed ok after. I then thought back on the most difficult times in my life mentally and realised that it was very dependent on my hormones.
The therapist suggested I see a psychiatrist and do a follow up with my Gynae. The Psych agreed with the therapist on the anxiety and diagnosed my PMDD. At this time, I also started having hot flushes and the gynae confirmed that I was also pre-menopausal. PMDD is sometimes diagnosed during perimenopause because of the heightened symptoms.
Things that helped me
Tracking my cycle using an app. So that I had the awareness of why I was feeling like I was. Journaling my thoughts and feelings. For me the prescribed contraceptive pill helped with the hot flushes. I also started anti-anxiety medication, and the difference was mind blowing. I started on a sleeping tablet to assist with my insomnia (a common symptom of perimenopause. Not getting enough sleep can definitely affect our mental health.
Are you not feeling like yourself anymore? Are you exhausted and overwhelmed? Want to know more about PMDD and burnout? Join our community today!