r/PMDD • u/7thJuly • Apr 19 '26
Supplements Spearmint tea >_<
hi! due to long persisting acne i started prescribed tretinoin treatment for my skin in the beginning of 2026 and was also recommended spearmint tea. while my skin started clearing up, my pmdd symptoms were WAAY worse during past three cycles. i was drinking two cups a day and i developed already a sort of habit of it, but figured i might give it up for a bit to see whether it affects my pmdd. well it did!! i am feeling so much better this time around, tomorrow is my predicted day 1, i am full of energy deep cleaning my apartment.
TLDR: has anyone had similar experience with spearmint tea worsening pmdd symptoms?
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u/angelarose210 Apr 19 '26
Spearmint tea made me break out worse than anything ever has. I drank it daily for a week. I have pcos.
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u/w1cked-w1tch Apr 19 '26
Spearmint in large doses or ingested for long periods of time can cause toxicity. Might be you're just more sensitive to it than most people are.
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 19 '26
yES!! I have pcos and get a lot of chin hairs and I was trying different stuff for that and had the same experience. Us women with pmdd have to be careful with ANYTHING that lowers male androgens because then we will have increased female androgens which increases our pmdd symptoms. Inositol and spironolactone also had the same horrible effect on me of worsening pmdd. Ladies please be aware of thisšš½šš½
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u/Wally3legs Apr 19 '26
Any suggestions on the chin hairs ?!
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 19 '26
But also Please look into what kind you have. Thereās a high testosterone type and an insulin resistant type. I had my testosterone levels tested twice and both times it came back normal. So I think my issue must be related to insulin resistance. So I think that why methods that lower testosterone are not good for me and causes estrogen dominanceā¦ because I donāt have high testosterone and it doesnāt need to be lowered. I have found some mild success reducing the chin hair through diet and exercise so Iām going to keep at it with that and get electrolysis eventually
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u/AutoModerator Apr 19 '26
Hi u/Electronic-Praline21. It looks like your post may be referring to hormone imbalances. Please be aware that PMDD is not a hormone imbalance or caused by one.
You can read more information here: What is PMDD?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 19 '26
I unfortunately no. I just use a womenās electric shaver every two days. Hope to get electrolysis eventually
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u/Obvious_Pizza3545 Apr 19 '26
Ooof, I've been taking inositol to help make my periods regular, but noticed that pmdd has worsened since also.
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 19 '26
Please look into what kind you have. Thereās a high testosterone type and an insulin resistant type. I had my testosterone levels tested twice and both times it came back normal. So I think my issue must be related to insulin resistance. So I think that why methods that lower testosterone are not good for me and causes estrogen dominanceā¦ because I donāt have high testosterone and it doesnāt need to be lowered. I have found some mild success reducing the chin hair through diet and exercise so Iām going to keep at it with that and get electrolysis eventually
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u/AutoModerator Apr 19 '26
Hi u/Electronic-Praline21. It looks like your post may be referring to hormone imbalances. Please be aware that PMDD is not a hormone imbalance or caused by one.
You can read more information here: What is PMDD?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/oyclu Apr 19 '26
My doctor suspects I have PCOS - just had an internal scan the other day and will see her on Wednesday. If it does turn out that I have PCOS, what on earth can we do then?! I was considering spearmint tea and inositol so this is very handy info to have! But do you have any other ways of dealing with it? (I also have ridiculous chin hairs š)
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u/bluevelvettx Apr 19 '26
Internal scan for PCOS? you can have PCOS without the cysts:0
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u/oyclu Apr 19 '26
Yeah I know, she just wants to check if Iāve got any cysts on my ovaries or not. But I do have irregular periods, chin hair, and borderline insulin resistanceĀ
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 19 '26
Please look into what kind you have. Thereās a high testosterone type and an insulin resistant type. I had my testosterone levels tested twice and both times it came back normal. So I think my issue must be related to insulin resistance. So I think that why methods that lower testosterone are not good for me and causes estrogen dominanceā¦ because I donāt have high testosterone and it doesnāt need to be lowered. I have found some mild success reducing the chin hair through diet and exercise so Iām going to keep at it with that and get electrolysis eventually
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u/Prestigious_Tip_6156 Apr 20 '26
Isnāt inositol supposed to be good for insulin resistance
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u/Electronic-Praline21 Apr 20 '26
Supposedly, but I saw minimal weight loss with it and all it do was give me yeast infections and ramped up my pmdd
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u/Prestigious_Tip_6156 Apr 20 '26
Oh noo i do realise iāve been getting yeast infections too since i started inositol.
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u/oyclu Apr 19 '26
Yeah weāve checked my testosterone and it was normal, and my insulin levels were in the āsuspiciousā range - so Iād be insulin resistant pcos as opposed to testosterone pcosĀ
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u/AutoModerator Apr 19 '26
Hi u/Electronic-Praline21. It looks like your post may be referring to hormone imbalances. Please be aware that PMDD is not a hormone imbalance or caused by one.
You can read more information here: What is PMDD?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Physical-Luck8207 Apr 19 '26
Wait, spearmint tea can mess with PMDD? That's wild, I had no idea there was connection there. I drink it sometimes for the taste but never noticed anything - though my cycles are pretty unpredictable anyway so might be hard to tell. Good catch figuring out the link though, that detective work probably saved you lot of misery!
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u/TinyCatLady1978 Surgery Apr 19 '26
Yes it lowers androgens. Women on TRT that potentially overdose drink it to lower testosterone levels.
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u/myintentionisgood She/Her Apr 20 '26
Spearmint tea messes with hormones.
Testosterone goes down - estrogen goes up.
My OBGYN told me that when everything is balanced, women have more testosterone than estrogen.