You’re bubbly, bright and energetic but about 3 days before your period everyone better step out of your way….⁠⁠

Has this ever happened to you?⁠

⁠As soon as you walk in the door…⁠

• you trip over his shoes⁠
• see the dishes piled in the sink⁠
• he asks you what’s for dinner⁠
• or just breathes too loudly⁠

⁠…and you completely lose your mind

Despite what you may have heard, you have a lot of power over your hormonal balance. Today I’m going to chat about how to tell if you have a more extreme version of PMS (PMDD, PMS’ evil stepsister) and what to do. 

2 things to know…

1. you’re not a bad person (you’re great)⁠

2. To say that high estrogen and low progesterone can make us cranky is an understatement. It’s like saying a tornado, is just a gentle breeze

So, PMS and PMDD at first might seem the same because they have many of the same physical symptoms, including:

• Feeling so bloated that your cute new Zara pants aren’t doing up 
• Your boobs are so sore that you’re dying to get home and take off your bra 
• Headaches
• Sore back 
• Feeling exhausted
• Forget about sleeping 
• Food Cravings that make you leave your house at 10 pm to get more chocolate 

But PMDD comes with more severe mood changes

Here are some signs of PMDD:

• significant emotional lability (your emotions are strong and you feel you don’t have control over them or you have sudden changes in your emotional state)
•  You’re feeling happy and excited one minute (everythings going great your online Revolve order of new shirts and leggings just came in) and then you’re suddenly super angry and hate everyone
• you have more intense irritability
• Things that normally wouldn’t bother you, are really irritating. You’re starting more fights with your husband. You’re almost having this out of body experience watching yourself start the fight, thinking- don’t say that- but it’s already out of your mouth. 
• depressed mood- you cry over things (puppy tik tok videos) that wouldn’t normally upset you 
• heightened and consistent anxiety (from the time of ovulation until 2 days into your period) You feel like your mind won’t turn off. You sit down to binge the new season of Selling Sunset but you can’t relax or focus. 
• you can feel hopeless or a loss of interest in things you normally enjoy- your sister’s getting married and you don’t care, you show up to work but you’re not putting in effort which is not like you.
• this has been going on consistently for at least 2 months

Do your mood changes go away 1-3 days after your period starts? At which point it’s like a switch flips and you start to feel like yourself again? You’re now fun, energetic, a powerhouse at work. 

Do your symptoms significantly impact your ability to function at school, work, relationships, and in other essential areas of your life? 

If you’re consistently having severe debilitating PMS, chat with your regulated healthcare practitioner or msg me to see if you might have PMDD or Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder.

Here’s what we know about PMDD…PMDD can happen at any age

We’ve seen some research where we take away estrogen and progesterone and all mood changes resolved for 10 of 18 women

We added estrogen and progesterone back, mood problems came back

What’s interesting is that 8 women had symptoms even when hormones weren’t kicking around

This is why my holistic PMDD protocol focuses on diving deeper than just the hormones, it addresses underlying root causes like:
1) optimizing estrogen and progesterone
2) cortisol dysregulation and inflammation
3) poor detoxification
4) & neurotransmitter health

 PMDD is treatable. Your cycle shouldn’t interfere with work or your relationships. Reach out for a free 15 minute call if you need support and we can chat about what you might need to feel better.

This info is intended as inspirational and educational information only. Speak to a regulated healthcare practitioner for a diagnosis and to get the support you need.

More about Dr. Shea:

Dr. Caitlin Shea ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and founder of the Limitless Woman PMS Relief Protocol. She is passionate about helping high performing women find relief from PMS and PMDD so they can thrive in their relationships and career. You can follow her on social media @drsheanaturopath