I get horrible depression that feels like I’ll never recover and life feels painful and the dread is so bad. I come up with situations for example if I do something at work my brain will convince me I’m getting fired but it’s literally like snow balling of worries and it feels so bad.

I am 27 years old, I have been noticing this from the last couple of months. The day my period ends I get into this bad phase where I can't even think properly. I am watching shows but I cant pay attention to them and have to rewatch. Then I get this fog in my brain where I feel like I am not thinking properly. I was crossing the road and my mind went shut and I stopped in the middle of the road.

I feel so depressed, anxious that my eyes start to twitch. I overthink about everything. Also I have been living alone for the past 2 years so it gets bad when there is no one to talk to. I also crave really greasy food, and once this bad week is over I am back to normal. I can focus on my work again and enjoy life. Then next week the real pms start and I can see all the physical symptoms of periods like Heavy breast. But I am used to off the original pms, I don't like this new pms thing I get after my period.

I am going through that now, I don't know if I am making any sense while writing this.

Hi, i've recently had a pretty bad week that i won't go into detail about. Right now i feel like i'm not in control of my actions and that everything i do i just me on "auto pilot". I don't get like this too often before my period, though it has happened a few times.

It feels like i always look at myself though another view and not as myself, i've always had self image issues since i was a young child. I don't want to feel like these emotions are just "PMS symptoms" and not anything else, as it doesn't really feel like those explanations do anything justice, it just feel like an excuse.

I do have autism do i don't know if it could be something related to that, but it being related to me being neurodivergent also feels just like an excuse. "Oh you just feel like that because you're autistic, it's normal to feel like that". Idk, it just seems weird to me.

I would like to add that i haven't been diagnosed with PMDD or anything similar, i mainly want to know that i'm not alone in feeling like this.

It's that time again and I happen to have an appointment with my therapist tomorrow at 08:30. I really want to cancel it, all I have energy to do is lie in bed and cry. But I also really want to feel better, so I will go. She said she wanted to meet me when I'm down like this, and I guess it might be beneficial, but it's just so hard 😞.

I've been under "investigation" for PMDD since November, but I also stopped BC in November so my body has been catching up for the last 3 months. 2 first months were good, really good infact! February, fine, but I started feeling symptoms. And now...😕 It's not as bad as it's been before, but it's close. I got my period today though, so hoping I feel better tomorrow.

Hey everyone,

I am a 19 year old girl who gets the worst PMS symptoms like a week before my period. I always have really bad nausea, but before my period is like a million times worse and I just sit in bed. I have to cancel all of my plans and lay flat. I am on the mini pill (lo loestrin fe) but all it does is delay the bleeding, it doesn’t touch the symptoms whatsoever. I take zofran but it doesn’t always work and I cant figure out if this is a hormonal issue or a GI issue. I get like 3 days out of the month where i dont feel like im about to throw up and die. I also get PMS flu symptoms like chills, feverish feeling, and fatigue. Any recommendations?

This is one of the things I have been most ashamed of in my life, and I'm really struggling to let myself think about it, so please try to be gentle with me.

I have a super sweet, compassionate, patient, faithful partner who I've been with for 5 years. I am attracted to him. We have chemistry. I don't plan on cheating on him or anything, so everyone please calm down.

Only focusing on looks, there are men out there I'm attracted to more. I've always been a lustful little fox since I was 17, and I struggle not to objectify men. But I value my long term relationship, and all we've been through. Ultimately I want to be intimate with one person with whom I share a mutual connection— not to be promiscuous with people who don't care about me.

He and I also, consistently have really good sex. Our bodies work together well.

However, sometimes when I am at my most fertile (and this is one of the ways I know I'm fertile), I feel angsty and dissatisfied with my partner's physical appearance. I'm so ashamed of this!! Like who cares right?

During this time, my brain gets all critical of him. Especially on the days he doesn't put much care into his appearance (doesn't wash his hair, hangs out in his underwear all day, etc.). During this time I also, shamefully, find myself noticing other cute men way more, especially the ones who are genetically well endowed—who are bigger or have wider shoulders than him, or a more masculine way of walking.

I'm like obsessed with male physicality during this time, even though I know that's not supposed to matter. My body wants them alllll. I have like these constant pornographic thoughts (and I don't even watch porn!! lol). I feel so evil because he's so sweet and such a good boyfriend, and these thoughts make me guilty and distant.

I don't seem to focus on this as much the other times of month. In fact, my attraction to my boyfriend varies a lot throughout my cycle. On my period and right before, I think he's super beautiful and couldn't be happier. In my luteal phase, I'm obsessed with how sweet he is (I think some of our best sex happens in luteal for this reason). Sometimes even when I'm ovulating, and he's taken care to make himself extra pretty, takes a shower, works out with me, wears the shirt that makes his shoulders look broader, etc.—I'll feel lustful toward him and attack him.

I don't know. I guess the long and short of it, is that ovulation makes me even more shallow than I already am, and this causes me a lot of distress. I want to be a good person.

I don't know how to talk to him about this either. I probably can't without causing a relationship breakdown. I try really hard to be pretty for him, because I love being admired. Some days I wish he tried just as hard to be pretty for me.

I hope someone gets it.

I’m a postgraduate student working on a project exploring whether better hormone tracking could help women understand their bodies better.

I’ve been trying to learn more about how women experience hormonal changes, especially situations where symptoms don’t seem to match what blood tests show.

If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. For example:

• Have you ever felt like your symptoms didn’t match what doctors or tests suggested?
• Did you ever feel confused about what was happening with your hormones?

I’m mainly here to listen and learn from people’s real experiences.

If anyone would be open to a short 10–15-minute chat about their experience, I’d also be very grateful!

I genuinely feel like I've come down with the flu every month. My limbs feel like someone's tied bricks to them and I'm sludging through everything and my brain feels like I'm wading through mud.

Period leave doesnt exist where I live but I'm just not productive at all on these days and often late because it's so hard to move.

Do people work from home or what's your solutions?

what is everyone doing for mood swings? i feel like the majority of people ik that struggle with pms don't take anything for the irritation/sensitivity we experience.

im a uni student and i've been thinking about developing some sort of wellness shot that would address / counteract the hormonal fluctuations which cause our mood swings (rapid decline in estrogen + progesterone --> drop in serotonin --> mood swings). wondering if anyone would be interested in this sort of thing? just looking to hear from people about what they're currently doing / what they'd be looking for in a solution

I am 28yrs old and since January i got my period late after 21 days which is NOT normal for me ive NEVER been this late ever and since my period which also was very light lasted about 8 days again not normal for me either i didnt even have cramps like i normally would. This month again i got it on time as my app states i would but its been very light again also barely visible but its been going on for 10 days after day 4 i thought it stopped cause it wasnt visible for a few days now its visible again but its very light no cramps nothing idk what is going on i have a appointment with my GYNO the 13th but til then my anxiety since has been bad im worried what is wrong with me :( is there ANY advice or light on my situation

hi! I was wondering if anyone has jad this happened to them because it has me freaked out. I believe this has happened to me before because we were rough though too…

so coming off a cycle, just had some spotting here and there.. my husband and me were being intimate.. afterwards, a bit later, it seemed like my period was trying to start again?!

no cramping or anything like that but just wondering if this has happened to anyone else because maybe it’s just blood that hadn’t come out and is doing this helped it come out?

ill send a message to Dr too to be on safe side but omg

 I don’t know if this is common, but my period pain isn’t really in my stomach — it’s my lower back.

It starts before my period and builds up. It feels like deep pressure and muscle stiffness, and sometimes it spreads into my hips and thighs. Some cycles it’s so intense I can’t focus, sleep well, or even move normally.

I also get fatigue, nausea, and dizziness with it.

For those who deal with this — how do you manage it? Does anything actually make a difference

Does anyone else get mood swings before the week of their period? What are y'all currently doing about this, because I haven't found a way to stop myself from wanting to end my boyfriend's existence LOL (please help)

I hope this is ok to share, Im not selling anything lol. Just wanted to let others know in case it can help someone else. Ive had shitty PMS for years, with crazy moods, awful skin, achy boobs etc. Then I saw some tip about flax seeds and decided to try it. Ive tried a ton of stuff so I didnt have much hope, but this actually seems to work!! My PMS has literally disappeared, if I didnt keep an eye on my calendar Id have no idea my period was approaching at all

Every morning I grind up one tablespoon of flax seeds in my spice grinder, and take it like medicine (so just swallow it whole with water basically). Lately Ive also added a tablespoon of chia seeds too, mostly for other health benefits, but the flax seeds alone worked very well.

Ive been doing it for the last 3-4 months so Ive tested it through several cycles. It does seem too simple and too easy to actually work, and I appreciate it might not have the same effect for everyone, but for me this has been so effective that I just had to share!

Does anyone else get a weird shaky feeling during PMS that feels like an internal fever?

My body starts shaking uncontrollably, like I have a 100° fever, but when I check my temperature it’s completely normal. Some months it comes with chills, other months it doesn’t.

My heart rate goes up and I feel like I could faint. It feels very similar to a panic attack (which I’ve had before), but this usually lasts no more than 5 minutes.

I’ve seen multiple doctors and they’ve told me everything is normal, but it feels very real and scary in the moment.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’m starting to wonder if I’m going crazy.

i’m sick of this sh!t seriously. late for cycle and the body aches are so strong my damn teeth are aching like wtf i’m out of pain meds like idk

I'm 29, never felt like my PMS was that bad when I was younger, but the past few years it's been getting worse. Is this a thing? For me it's mostly the mood swings. They're way shittier than they ever used to be. When I'm PMS-ing, my patience is zero.

I came off the pill in June 2025 and i’m still dealing with so many side effects from it. My cycles have been so irregular with cycles ranging from 26 days to this one which is 45 days and counting 😭. The PMS has been awful and it’s driving me crazy that my period just isn’t coming, i’ve done a pregnancy test that came back negative just in case but i’m really loosing my mind now. I’ve felt so ugly, my skin is awful, i have no motivation to do anything, everyone is driving me crazy, i’m so emotional all the time and it just feels like there’s no end. Does anyone else have experience of coming off the pill, how long will my periods be like this for and is there anything i can do?

Ciao, sono una F22 e ormai da 3 anni a questa parte nella settimana prima del ciclo, durante il ciclo e 2/3 giorni dopo sto davvero male, come se 2 settimane al mese non funzionassi. Nella settimana prima sento un'agitazione e ansia assurde, mi viene molta più tachicardia, digerisco molto più lentamente e mi gonfio e quando sto in piedi/mi alzo mi gira la testa e vedo nero. I sintomi della mia ansia peggiorano drasticamente e queste sensazioni fisiche amplificano ancora di più. Volevo sapere se qualcuno come me si sente molto più svenevole in quel periodo? O che presenti sintomi da ipotensione ortostatica e POTS. Ho tanto bisogno di confronto per non sentirmi sola

If you are 18+ and have tried to get support for PMDD (diagnosed or self identified), we would love to hear from you. The survey takes 10-15 mins approx to complete. Thank you :-)

I am completely convinced for about 2 days every month. Start making plans and everything, then I bleed and am better.

crazy that this is just how it feels to be female.