For people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), every month involves a struggle: feeling low and hopeless, navigating a minefield of intrusive thoughts and emotions, feeling so tired and overwhelmed that they are reduced to tears. The symptoms — which can also include depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and appetite changes — lift when their period starts, only to return again the next month.
PMDD affects one in 20 menstruating women. It shares similarities with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as irritability or mood swings, but PMDD is debilitating. It can affect daily function in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the two weeks before a period). During this time, there are fluctuations in the hormones estradiol and progesterone.
