I know it’s not a hormonal issue. But my period was regular for like a year up until October. I abruptly quit taking multiple supplements I was on at once, one of them was melatonin (which I’d been taking for over 2 years at that point). My period came super late that month and, when it came, it was the worst first day of a period that I’d had in a very long time. Horrible cramps. On the couch all day. A short grocery store trip was too much.

Ever since then, my cycle has been different every month, with increasingly worse PMDD symptoms. Sometimes 23 days, sometimes 28 days, sometimes 30, etc. My app used to predict it like clockwork and now it never gets it right. In February, I about went into crisis mode. It was insane, the worst episodes I’ve had in years. I’ve also been gaining weight since October and it got worse around January/February. I can’t control my appetite during the worst of my PMDD right now. I think it’s finally starting to level out, the last two episodes weren’t as bad as February, but I can’t live like this. I went back on my supplements and I think I’m feeling better with that. (I went back on melatonin not even a month after stopping it, I’ve picked back up the rest over time.)

I have 2.5 weeks of school left in this trimester and the unmotivated, unfocused bullshit is coming on strong. I can't make myself work on my paper. I'm still trying to catch up on stuff from my last depressed sleep deprived and work avoidant episode. Does anyone have ideas for like three weeks of energy and motivation? I'm on IR Ritalin and this morning she didn't make a dent in my mental symptoms. I have rods and plates attached to my spine and the extra pain I usually get AFTER my period in my neck has tried to make an early visit and I dunno what to do I feel so overwhelmed 😭

Is this common with you all? I feel like right when I’m about to menstruate I just cannot tolerate looking at a screen or anything until I’m done menstruating. The other day I had a headache that lasted for almost a whole day because I was on my phone all day and also watching movies/shows just a really weird symptom.

Hey everyone! I'm not sure if this has been discussed previously but, I'm curious if anyone has experimented with reducing their use of synthetic fibers? I found this study on female dogs that looked at different fibers and how they might impact the groups. The dogs wore pants for a year made of either polyester, 50/50 cotton blend, 100 percent cotton, 100 percent wool and a control group which wore nothing. Each group had 7 dogs. The results showed that 75 percent of the dogs in the polyester group could not get pregnant and their progesterone levels went down. However, the cotton and wool groups both had 100 percent success getting pregnant. If you're interestedto read more, here's the link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18393023

Now, I'm wondering how much all of these various synthetic plastics, PFAS, microplastics and forever chemicals impact our PMDD as well as PCOS and Endometriosis. Theyre in our clothing, food, bedding, etc. and would be impossible to avoid all together. But I'm curious if we were to reduce our exposure would symptoms lessen.

Has anyone thought about or tried to this? Have any experiences or thoughts?

i did it. Ive been working full time while doing it for the last 3 yrs and its been absolute hell. but im done. this is my first weekend that i truly have to myself, and I’m totally exhausted and have this lingering headache but I can rest without feeling like I’ll fall behind or compromise work. such a weight lifted.

I tried Stasis (a supplement to take w your stimulant) and WOW it’s been two days and I feel cured. The crash at 4PM doesn’t exist and I wake up feeling literally amazing. No jitters and my brain works. Worth trying for those who feel like you hate stimulants but also need them. You take the supplement and the stimulant together. Wanted to pass along my success! Hopefully it continues! I feel like a new woman. :)

I tried Fluoxetine/ Prozac for my PMDD symptoms last month and while it worked INSTANTLY on the PMDD doom, it gave me scary side effects. I have ME/CFS and another autoimmune condition and found that it made me zombie-level tired and really damaged my gut health. I read that it's common for ME/CFS people to be intolerant to SSRIs, even in small doses, so I stopped taking it as there was too much risk involved. I am still recovering!

Has anyone tried a different antidepressant that's less fatiguing? Is there a different class that I should ask my GP about? I am looking for something that I can take intermittently at an extremely low dose.

For the last two years, my level of bleeding has varied wildly. When my period returned six months postpartum (kid is now 3) I started having cycles where I bled extremely heavily with huge, plum to peach sized clots. Then the bleeding would be over after just one day. It was bright red like it was coming from a fresh wound and gushed a lot. I couldn't even go to work.

I went to my gyn and he basically said "IDK, do you want the pill?" I didn't accept the bc pill because it had made me depressed in the past. So he prescribed a pill that reduces bleeding and vitex. The vitex stopped the super heavy bleeding and my migraines as well, but now I still just have two day periods.

My cycles also became less regular. I always had 27-30 day cycles that were almost always 28 days exactly for years. Now my cycles are between 24 and 27 days with most being 25 days. For context, I am 39 so peri-menopause is a possibility. But thing that is confusing me is the heavy bleeding. When I stop taking vitex it comes back. It seems really abnormal to me, but I've been to my gyn twice and even went to the ER the first two cycles it happened, and I was told it's fine.

Figured I'd set myself a more realistic reminder.

I have a problem.I can’t sleep on my period.i have tried melatonin and it’s not helping.

What can I do?

Hi all! After I posted this post, I got lots of DMs asking what exactly are the interventions that help alleviate the severity of premenstrual disorders. I wanted to make the case for Vitamin D which research has demonstrated may alleviate PMS. I have also anecdotally seen a massive difference since I started taking Vitamin D3 supplements.

Vitamin D's role in reducing severity comes from its multifaceted role in the regulation of calcium metabolism, neurotransmitters and sex hormones. Vitamin D deficiency can in turn cause calcium deficiency and studies report that calcium deficiency during luteal phase of the menstrual cycle can worsen PMS symptoms like depression, hallucinations and restlessness. In addition to this, it was found that women who have diets rich in Vitamin D and calcium are at a lower risk of developing PMS compared to those without such diets!

Women are also highly prevalent to Vitamin D deficiency than men. Official recommendation of Vitamin D intake suggests 80% intake comes from sunlight/UVB exposure and 20% from diet. However, if you live in the north you will not meet that 80% intake and if you have dark skin you will not make enough Vitamin D from sunlight exposure. In both cases, especially if both cases apply to you (like me) you will need to take extra precautions to offset intake of Vitamin D.

Below is how you can incorporate Vitamin D in your diet and routine.

• Sunlight: 5-30mins of sun exposure is recommended between 10am-4pm on a daily or at least twice a week without sunscreen. I personally take 3 short breaks of 15 mins throughout the day with my dog, Mowgli. You could take a run, ride a bike, meditate outside, walk in the park etc. Make it part of your routine!
• Diet: Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, shiitake mushrooms, egg yolks, dairy products are some of the best sources of Vitamin D you can add to your diet. I personally am a big fan of dairy products including whole milk, which I trained my gut to not only tolerate but also crave. Let me know if you want to learn how to make your gut tolerant to dairy if you're intolerant!
• Supplements: Vitamin D3 and cod liver oil supplements. Make sure you don't exceed 4000UI of Vitamin D3 as this might cause toxicity. I personally take Vitamin D3 of about 2000UI daily. 400UI is the recommended daily dose for adults.

Hope this was helpful! I write a weekly newsletter on PMS/PMDD and other general health related things on my newsletter if you're interested. Feel free to comment or DM me if you have any questions.

I have had awful periods and PMS since I was in middle school. I have also been told by many people with ADHD that they are almost positive I have it but I don’t have an official diagnosis. I am pretty sure I have both PMDD and ADHD because of how debilitating my PMS symptoms are before my period, but also how much trouble I have with regulating my emotions and finding the motivation for anything independent of when I am starting my period. I live in a house that doesn’t really believe in any sort of mental disorders or anything like that, though, so I am just sitting here balling my eyes out as I write this and feeling like I am loosing my fucking mind for no apparent reason whatsoever. Does it sound like I could be undiagnosed PMDDxADHD? I have a good feeling I am but I can’t tell if I am just experiencing normal PMS or not. I just want to feel normal but I feel like this isn’t normal.

Was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 a while ago. IV ketamine therapy helped me for about 1.5years (once off 5x treatments) not needing to take anything else. I definitely think the bipolar and PMDD might be a chicken/egg situation but whatever, is what it is. I had an awful awful episode a few weeks ago, and because I moved countries, couldn't do another ketamine treatment, so looked into a supplement that could help. Came across NAC and OMFG it helped me feel 'normal' within 30 mins. I still can't believe it. I take 500mg morning 500mg afternoon and 500mg late evening. The difference is night and day, my husband couldn't believe the difference it made. I urge whoever reads this, to try it.

Ladies, I am on 300mg utrogestan and some estrogen gel - all month long.. It seems to all go rather rapidly. Started last summer with 100mg utrogestan alone and here we are already. This month is the first where I did my usual ‘100-200mg after my period for a few days’ and it directly backfired.

In any case, overall, the increase over time stabilized my moods.

So just wondering - if this rings similar for your own journey - how high did it all go eventually for you ?

So I’ve been on 30 mg vyvanse since beginning of February and at first it was amazing I could focus, I wasn’t laying in bed all day, my anxiety was gone, just all around I was doing great even my Pmdd symptoms weren’t as bad. But all last month it felt like I was going through my typical Pmdd symptoms every single day. If I’m lucky I get maybe a couple hours during my day where I feel okay but the slightest thing goes wrong and I’m suddenly irritable, angry, depressed, and anxious. I’m not able to see my dr for another month and I don’t know if my hormones are just off track or maybe my dosage is wrong? I tried to take a couple days off of my vyvanse to see if that was the issue but I felt the same if not worse. I feel glued to my bed at this point cause I’m so emotionally exhausted from all the ups and downs, I even sold my concert ticket to see sza cause I don’t trust my self to drive 5 hours with these mood swings which really sucks.

Hi everyone! I've been using Wellbutrin & Lexapro combo for a while, and so far it was pretty helpful. I have PCOS, and recently it has been bothering me (also started getting lots of painful follicular cysts). I was prescribed either Yaz or Qlaira (which is nowhere to be found in my town, unfortunately) and I've started Yaz.

What are the risks of taking Wellbutrin & Yaz together —does it increase the risk of blood clots? I have migraines on Wellbutrin, and it spiked up my usually low blood pressure a bit.

Is it a safe combo? Unfortunately, my doctor does not know anything about it.

Then I remembered I’m mentally unstable 2 weeks each month and can’t handle the thought of starting over.

My current job isn’t reliable w hours and I really should have a better income. (Kids getting older and classes for them, life is expensive) Also I have been there for 10 years and haven’t really grown much.

On the other hand it’s a job I can do when I’m feeling shitty bc I’m used to it and doesn’t always have a ton of responsibility. My boss is flexible w my hours for my kids. (9 and 12) And I generally like my job and coworker and I do get paid great hourly - just not enough hours.

I want to move out of my comfort zone but doing it requires alot of commitment and focus and staying ok emotionally and mentally. And I feel I can’t always do that. I felt great this past week and then 💥….. self doubt and easily overwhelmed.

I feel like I have much less experience than I would like in life and work bc i play it safe to help me from feeling overwhelmed and spiraling.

Perhaps I should “wait a few more years” to make a change. Maybe I should just take the leap. I don’t want my life to go by afraid to take chances.

Thanks for listening .

Hi everyone!! I’m soooo sick of being so fatigued and lethargic during luteal phase. Other than caffeine, what is everyone doing to stay awake while working or just in general?? I’ve tried taking an antihistamine (zyrtec) but it hasn’t really helped that much. Please help 😵‍💫

I feel sick and have frequent low fevers so often.

I hear so much about the Luteal phase and all it's difficulties (and rightly so), but I just want to hear about the other cycles. They aren't normal in my experience and opinion, and I don't understand what there is to do about them.

When the testosterone and estrogen rises on its way to the Ovulation I am completely overcome with desire and it changes how I see people completely. I would literally fuck anyone and I have to do some serious avoidance techniques to make sure I don't. I don't feel happy either, it's on edge at best and aggression at it's worst. It's the overwhelming sensation that I can do anything and yet I feel too much to function as a human. Oh, and ovulation pain to boot.

Does anyone else get this?

I just feel like I'm only okay for a handful of days in a month, and I'm fucking tired.

I am madly in love the other 20 days of the month but I genuinely want to drop kick him and move out and leave him and my life behind during pmdd. Any cute little suggestions for getting through this every month? 🥲

Over the past five years, I have tried both the skyla IUD and then Junel Fe 1/20 (taken without placebo, so skipped periods) which both “eliminated’ my PMDD in the sense that I did not seem to have a menstrual cycle/didn’t notice ups and downs from cycle, but both also brought me from my normal baseline to a baseline of depression/melancholy. I ultimately abandoned both for the above reason.

I have, for the past year, stayed off any hormonal BC but my PMDD is getting out of hand and I am again interested in exploring a potential BC option to help.

So for those who have familiarity with how the diff BCs work/which hormones they work on, what would you recommend trying next?

Thanks so much.

Hello, does anyone here take DIM along with their HRT? I would like to hear others experience with this supplement

I want to start with, I have diagnosed ADHD and PMDD(premenstrual dysphoric disorder). I have been having problems working with my doctors/therapist to find meds that work for me. Due to all of that I am unmedicated. I am also currently in luteal and this month has been horrible.

I have a job where I am responsible for taking in proposal requests, figuring out how to go about it, pulling together an estimate for said proposal, and sending it back to the client. I do not get any commission when I close on a proposal, and my pay does not align with what the proposal amounts discate it could be.

I asked for a review because they said I would get a raise after 6 months, if I performed well. It's been 8 months. Well, I have done my assigned job and they want me to figure out establishing SOPs for my department (something I have been advocating for because they are a mess). I figured that they would see this as an additional responsibility and give me some sort of incentive, but alas they haven't and expect me to do more with no raise. My review wasn't great and they basically want me to lay down and say yes to everything they ask, which includes how the department operates.

I'm trying not to rage quit but I don't know how to handle the bad review and no pay increase with the expectation of do more. On top of this my manager is not a good communicator and has gaslit me on several occasions saying she asked me to do something, when she hasn't. I've never had a bad review like this before and it's making it feel like it's all me when I know it's also them, but they are acting like it's all me.

I need a job and have been interviewing, but haven't found something that fits yet. Do I quit? Do I stay and just disengage more than I already have? Do I play good dog and YES to everything?

TLDR: Bad work review. How do I handle the emotions without rage quitting?