PMD Awareness Saves Lives
“There needs to be more awareness of PMDD/PME!” - we hear this every day, and we agree wholeheartedly. We can’t do it alone, so ask all of you to get involved where and when you can. Shy or extrovert (and anywhere in between!), everyone can do something to raise awareness. Here you can find posters, leaflets, downloads, tips, and information on where to signpost for further information.
Not sure where to start? Here are some tips:
1. Think about your community and who you could reach - If you are a parent, you could share images in parent groups or put up posters in community spaces you use. You could ask your Student Body to share information/display posters if you are a student. You never know who will see them!
2. Check out if your provider, local health authority, or hospital has Patient Insight Groups and get involved. It is easier to make change happen from the inside!
3. Share treatment guidelines with any providers you meet - it could save someone months or even years of inaccurate treatment.
4. Want to make your own content to share? Check out our Facts & Figures page and our comprehensive FAQ to find lots of reliable, evidence-based information to pull from!
When sharing on social media - be sure to tag us @iapmdglobal (@iapmd on Facebook) - we love to see where the PMD message is being spread.
For media inquiries, please get in touch with media@iapmd.org
Awareness Sharables & Resources
Social Shareables l Hashtags l Posters l Handouts l QR codes
Please note that the images and content from our website and social media platforms are copyrighted. We want you to share these resources far and wide, but the following conditions apply:
1. Please do not modify images, graphics, or the content/context in any way.
2. Please do not add your logo or watermark.
3. Please cite IAPMD as the source - we are on TikTok, Instagram & Twitter as @iapmdglobal and Facebook as @iapmd.
4. For copyright information, please view our copyright policy here.
Note: Facebook no longer offers profile frames as an option.
Fact Shareables
Handy resources with facts and figures to share here, there, and everywhere! Make sure you tag us in @iapmdglobal!
Want to make your own imagery to share? Check out our Facts & Figures page and our comprehensive FAQ to find lots of information!
Hashtags
#PMD #PMDD #PremenstrualDysphoricDisorder #HormoneSensitivity #PME #PremenstrualExacerbation #PMDAwareness #PMDDAwareness #PMDDpeeps
No download is needed - just choose the ones you want to use - copy, paste, and share!
Feel free also to use these extra hashtags to reach even more people!: #PMS #PMDS #PrämenstruelleDysphorischeStörung #TDPM #TroubleDysphoriquePrémenstruel #DisturboDisforicoPremestruale #PrzedmiesiączkoweZaburzeniaDysforyczne #PremenstruelltDysforisktSyndrom #PerturbaçãoDisfóricaPréMenstrual #TranstornoDisfóricoPréMenstrual
Posters
Print off your posters and share them in your local area/community - from cafes to community centers, from healthcare clinics to a shop window - you never know who is going to see them and have their ‘lightbulb moment.’ Small actions spark change and save lives. Why not get 50-100 printed and take a ‘PMD Trek’ and see how many places you can get them displayed? This is the perfect activity for those who prefer to stay ‘behind the scenes’ but want to make an impact. We love to see where they end up, so if you would like to share a picture on social media with us, we’d be delighted to see the word spreading. Make sure you tag us in @iapmdglobal.
Looking for posters to print out and share? Here you are! These are great to put up in locations such as:
Doctor’s office or waiting rooms
Schools
Community centers
Women’s centers
Women’s health clinics
Hospitals
Community noticeboards
Workplaces
Public restrooms (on the back of the toilet door!)
Mother’s groups
Perinatal health centers
These posters are in A4 format with crop marks & bleed for printing and are currently available in English & Welsh!
Handout for Teachers/Educators
Our Youth Advisory Board helped develop this handy resource that students can give to teachers/lecturers to explain PMDs. We know that PMDs can impact studies, and it can be hard to find the words to explain - so you can print/email this overview to help!
Not only will you be helping yourself, but you’ll also be raising awareness and perhaps even helping future students!
Handy tip: If you find this useful - you might also like our page on PMDs & Education.
Information postcards
These postcard-sized info-cards (covering PMDD and PME) are the perfect size to keep in your bag, ready to pass to anyone throughout PMD Awareness Month (and beyond!) you chat with about Premenstrual Disorders. We know one US Advocate who has handed out over 15K cards and even takes them on vacation to give out!
These posters are in A6 format for double-sided printing.
QR codes
Are you planning on making some of your own content? Here are some QR codes for our most popular resources for you to use for easy signposting and fundraising.
Top tip: Make sure you do a trial run on your images before you share publicly - if the QR codes are too small, the QR reader might not be able to read them!
FAQ
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There are a number of factors, but here are a few that come to mind:
(1) on the medical profession side, many researchers and clinicians don't want to stigmatize all females-- and this is a reasonable thing, because there is this huge cultural stereotype that all females have PMS, and yet actually most females don't show clinically significant changes in mood and thinking across the cycle. So it's reasonable to want to avoid over-diagnosing this kind of thing, and
(2) on the medical profession side, many clinicians just don't know about PMDD, or they think it's just mild PMS that will improve with a bit of self-care. The experimental research validating this condition (as a hormone sensitivity disorder) only came out in 1998, so the research area is young, and there just hasn't been enough education of the medical community yet.
(3) on the sufferer side, there is stigma and shame surrounding behavioral/mental health symptoms (e.g., not wanting to be thought of as "crazy" for receiving treatment);
(4) also on the sufferer side, stigma and shame surrounding the menstrual cycle might prevent them from talking about it (e.g., many females don't want to be seen in a hallway holding a tampon).
So, each of these factors (and probably more) interact to cause low awareness of premenstrual disorders.
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Yes! Since 2013 - PMDD Awareness Month has taken place each April! In 2022 - it changed to PMD Awareness Month to include PME. You can read more about why we made that decision here.
If you want to keep up to date with what’s happening for Awareness Month sign up for our newsletter and you will receive updates and invites!