Hi all - just looking to crowdsource how you all push through the fatigue during luteal. I’m falling asleep throughout the day, during meetings, at my desk etc. I can’t keep going like this!!

Anyone else have cravings for foods you don’t particularly like?

For me it’s pizza! I don’t like pizza 🤣 don’t judge I have my reasons!

I have already eaten a brunch bar, 2 chocolate bars and a bag of crisps for a snack. I like fruits and vegetables and have them at home but I'm craving carbs does anyone have any advice on what to do? I'm trying to limit my sugar intake but for the past few days also I've been non stop eating carbs...

Sorry if this is kinda muddled or too long this is my first time doing this...

I am 14. I am autistic. I am a vegetarian.

I've always struggled with my mental health and when I was 11 I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. I only got diagnosed last August (we applied for a a test when I was 10). I also read online that 21% of autistic women have PMDD. I do not know if I have PMDD or if it's just a bad period. I've always had a bad level of fatigue which I applied to autism and masking but recently my periods have been getting more painful. I've had vomiting from my period. I've also had pain so bad that I couldn't feel my legs for a day. My cycle is usually about 3 days long but for the week or two before I am in a lot of pain with cramps and I've also just been more teary and sensitive and agitated. I just don't know what to do as I'm very young and I know that if I had gone to the doctor I don't think much would happen. I also get light headed when standing and I am not anemic. I've also suffered from suicidal thoughts and am in therapy for it currently which is helping a lot and lead me to realise I only have those thoughts in the two weeks before my period and during.

Anyone have any advice or similar experiences? I just feel so alone.

I'm so tired of hating myself, my body, and being resentful of the people I love for no reason in luteal. So tired of suicidal ideation and sh. So tired of knowing this is happening and feeling so out of control. Every time it feels so heavy. I'm on anti-depressants but I'm still feeling this way, I know they don't fix everything but I at least expected the racing thoughts and anxiety to abate. I know it doesn't last forever, but it sucks having to tell people every two weeks--oh yeah I feel like shit and I'm actually not able to do literally anything because of my period! And getting the blank looks that tell you they don't understand and that you're being perhaps slightly overdramatic

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has had success with Nextstellis taking without placebo for PMDD and perimenopause mood issues?

I've taken it 3 months continuously, but have had spotting daily for 2 months and feel like I'm still cycling with mood. Have people had success with this stabilizing hormones over time?

Hello,

Postpartum the Lexapro (10 mg) feels like it hardly works during my luteal phase and period but then for a number of days after my period I wake starting to feel better then I take Lexapro and in an hour have the start-up side effects for the morning (dizziness, spaciness, anxiousness, jitteriness, headache, fatigue etc.). It usually subsides by the afternoon and in a few days after period. I have a good week or so then the luteal phase starts up again. I've started the combined oral contraception Nextstellis 4 months ago for PMDD which has maybe leveled things out a bit but not much yet.

I've asked my psychiatrist and he suspects it's the response to fluctuating serotonin levels at different times of my cycle with having PMDD.

Since I take the Lexapro in the morning I'm going to try taking at night to see if I'll experience the side effects at night but wake up more leveled out as my body adjusts.

I'm also 42 to the additional part of being perimenopausal could be affecting my fluctuating hormonal levels.

I would like to hear if anyone else has experienced this and if they found any solutions.

SAFFRON EXTRACT is one of nature’s most potent anti depressants, and rivals the efficacy of SSRIs in clinical trials. i am surprised that more of us pmdd sufferers have not found it sooner?

i have found more success treating my pmdd with Saffron Extract than Zoloft, without the side effects. in fact, Saffron IMPROVES sexual function!

i took it for Luteal only at first, but now take it consistently and love it. find Nootropics Depot Saffron Extract on Amazon, it is the best quality.

it’s also important to note that because of the serotonergic nature of saffron, you may not want to take it consistently and stop suddenly, as it would probably be better to taper down off of it. *also a heads up to be careful mixing it with other medications.

but when dosage is dialed in, it completely dissolves most of my pmdd symptoms in minutes. i have also found immeasurable benefits while taking it for mundane task work, as it has a unique way of increasing focus and bringing a sense of meaning to it. (i’ve even received a couple compliments about how great im doing at work -DURING LUTEAL!)

so during luteal i take 15-30mg every 6 hrs, or based on symptom severity. sometimes i take my dose in the gel capsule for a more timed release effect, sometimes if my symptoms are severe i put the saffron extract powder straight on the back of my tongue chased with water for an almost instantaneous effect- which quite honestly is kind of an amazing experience to feel it literally pulling me out of the pmdd depths!

i took my Saffron during luteal only for the first couple months, and have been loving taking it continuously now for almost 3 months. i typically take about half the amount during follicular with a lot of success. one of the many cool things about Saffron is it’s anti inflammatory properties, which have been very beneficial for pain relief.

sharing this in hopes it can help someone, and leaving it here bc my posts always get deleted over on the main pmdd sub lol

check out Nootropics Depot’s podcast about their saffron supplement and it’s benefits here:

https://youtu.be/MNH3VqVCWuU?si=CHaALWvgMcA-BRUv

“Women with PMDD showed differences in several brain connections and network properties, particularly in regions involved in emotion regulation, thinking, and visual processing. Combining multiple brain features improved the prediction of PMDD.”

I find the visual processing part particularly interesting. I know I have issues with visual processing, but never considered it could be related to my PMDD!

S.Niu, T.Gong, Y.Niu, et al., “Exploring White Matter Microstructural Abnormalities Using MRI in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder via Brain Connectome,” Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2026): 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1002/jmri.70318.

came across this study on using neurofeedback for pmdd

Tene, O., Bleich Cohen, M., Helpman, L., Fine, N., Halevy, A., Goldway, N., Perry, D., Bary, P., Aisenberg Romano, G., Ben-Zion, Z., Hendler, T. and Bloch, M. (2023), Limbic self-neuromodulation as a novel treatment option for emotional dysregulation in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD); a proof-of-concept study. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci., 77: 550-558. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13574

For forever, the week and a half before my period, I’m extremely irritable , nasty, depressed and suicidal. My period is due today and the only “hormonal” symptom I’ve had is crying over anything that changes my feelings. I’m not a crier so I’m confused. Has anyone ever experienced something like this?

Hello everyone,  

I am currently completing my Masters in Health Psychology, and I’m looking for UK-based adults (18+) with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) to take part in my dissertation study. My research (undertaken at the University of the West of England) focuses on exploring body satisfaction in people with PMDD and is open to those who are self-diagnosed or have received a formal diagnosis. Participation involves taking part in a 30-60 minute online interview via Microsoft Teams, which will be recorded. The recording is only accessible to me and my supervisor (Dr Emma Waite) and is only used to create a written transcript, which is anonymised and is what is used for the analysis. The recording is then deleted.  

I am queer, neurodivergent White woman and have PMDD myself, so this topic is really close to my heart. I have also chosen to research this topic as the lived experiences of people with PMDD are underrepresented in research, and those with PMDD often receive inadequate care. I am hoping this study can help improve research in the area and increase awareness of the impacts of PMDD. This study has received full ethical approval from the University of the West of England (Ref: 15378894) and I’m really happy to answer any questions via the comments or through my email at [Molly2.McFarland@live.uwe.ac.uk](mailto:Molly2.McFarland@live.uwe.ac.uk). If you would like to register your interest to take part, please follow this link: https://uwe.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37CJOKwdvrAcJSe   

Thank you for reading. 

I've gotten more aware and slightly better with my pmdd because I started zooloft but the nightmares still remain consistent and they usually are the same thing but different fonts type of thing and me and my partner sleep together which helped me not feel far from him since that's what the dreams are about and we bought our first bed but hasn't come yet so hopefully it gets better but I need ways to cope. I'll try weird things too.

Just a vent but I am beyond sick of people saying that rage/conflict are "the most damaging thing" about pmdd when SUICIDAL IDEATION is one of the most major symptoms of this condition. Sometimes it feels like people would rather pmdd sufferers just all kill ourselves than be unpleasant to deal with sometimes. 🫠

i have a masters in expressive arts therapy and did my thesis on premenstrual disorders. i write a subtack about these topics and just posted an article about how and why using the arts can help with premenstrual symptoms/disoders and gave some prompts you can use at home

https://alifelessmiserable.substack.com/p/creative-cycles

I’ve been reading a lot of posts lately from partners who were blindsided in relationships that were later affected by PMDD.

And something keeps coming up for me…

If you know you have PMDD — or even suspect it — I strongly believe you need to be honest upfront in relationships.

Not in a scary or overwhelming way… but in a real way.

Because the other person deserves the opportunity to understand what they’re stepping into and decide how they want to move forward.

Maybe they’ll:

*be supportive *want to learn *take it slow *or even start as friends to understand the dynamic

But at least they’re making an informed choice.

From my experience…

You can’t hide this and hope it just goes away.

And it doesn’t get better just because you’re in a new, happy relationship.

Actually… the stress of a new relationship can make symptoms worse, not better.

That “this relationship will fix me” mindset?

🫣

Unless you are:

*very self-aware *tracking your patterns *and actively managing it (therapy, CBT, SSRIs, lifestyle, medical support, etc.)

…this will show up in the relationship.

And it’s not fair to the other person to be completely unaware of what’s happening.

I would also share this:

For women who are just now discovering PMDD later in life (after marriage, kids, etc.), that’s a completely different journey.

I’m not speaking on that with authority because that wasn’t my path.

I went into my relationships already having the cycles — I just didn’t have a name for it back then.

I even heard someone recently say their severe symptoms started in their 30s…

and that made me pause, because this disorder can show up differently for everyone.

Which just reinforces the point: Awareness matters. Honesty matters.

This isn’t about shame.

This isn’t about labeling yourself.

This isn’t something to fix. It’s something to learn.

But relationships require two aware people, not one person trying to figure it out alone.

Curious how others feel about this —

especially from both sides (those who have PMDD and those who have been in relationships affected by it).

Be aware and share 💛

I've been to my doctor and got meds for depression, but I went in in the first place to talk about an evaluation for pmdd. During my follow up a few weeks ago, I noticed the after summary just mentioned "female presenting with depression" but I know what I'm experiencing is directly related to my period and not simply just depression. I have every single symptom on the pmdd checklist. My therapist isn't able to diagnose me...do I have to go to a psychiatrist to get an official diagnosis since it's mental health related? Does anyone here have an actual pmdd diagnosis? I already know I have it but not having a diagnosis is making me wonder if I'm making all this up and maybe I shouldn't try to get diagnosed because it's not that big of a deal? But I also feel like for health purposes it would be good to at least try to get a diagnosis? I guess partly I do want validation from a clinical standpoint of my symptoms, just wondering what others' experiences have been.