Blog Posts
Two years ago, I found out I had PMDD and, since then, I have been walking my personal healing journey. As I walk along the bumpy path of it, I try different things, I go through the ups and downs, and I discover new things about myself. I am conscious that it is a very long and steep journey, but I am also conscious of how much my body, mind, and spirit were disconnected initially, and how far I have come since then.
Read MoreMy “anxiety cycles,” as my loved ones and I called them, began increasing in frequency and severity about three years ago. Rather than occurring 2-3 times per year, they were hitting nearly every four weeks…I try explaining to others how miserable I am, but I can’t find the right words to express the severity of what I’m experiencing. So, I retreat deeper into my own darkness. Days later, the storm lightens a bit, and finally, the sun emerges from the clouds. I put on a brave smile and return to the world, all the while dreading the next cycle that is inevitably on the horizon.
Read MoreMy PMDD symptoms began two years ago after I had my third child. I would be emotionally inconsolable, crying in the fetal position, yelling nonstop at my husband and kids. I had chills all over like I had the flu and extreme anxiety which made me unable to function. At times I felt completely out of control of my own body.
Read MoreI am learning to listen to my anger, and allow it to guide me to where I need to step forward and gently look towards. Ok, anger.. you’re asking me to do something! What?!
Read More“Like an old "friend"
you always come back.
And I break.
Predictably…”
An honest and raw poem on living with PMDD.
Read More“Every day, I’d work a full eight hours on auto-pilot, come home, get into my dressing gown, then sit on the sofa and sob until bedtime. I was obsessing over every single intrusive thought that entered my mind and I still couldn't put my finger on why I would feel okay one week and then tumble back into darkness the next…”
Read MorePMDD can be hard on our sex lives with symptoms, medications, and treatment options sometimes keeping us from the intimacy, connection, and desire we want. Here are some suggestions on how to raise your libido with PMDD if it’s something you’re looking to work with.
Read MoreIf I’d been born into a red tent, maybe none of this would have happened.
When I first felt the physiological pinch of haywire hormones, PMDD had not yet been considered, much less featured in the DSM. That didn’t happen until 2013, by which time I’d been dealing with its effects for two decades.
Read MoreMy name is Amy and I have PMDD. And no, not just minor, unpleasant premenstrual type symptoms that happen once a month. Severe PMDD. Like my brain at times is trying to kill me PMDD. But that is just part of my story…
Read More“If you took away my illnesses, I would probably be envied for my picket fence tableau. Yet every month, without fail, with no real rhyme or reason, I still feel like I want to die. I still feel like I cannot breathe. I feel as though the very foundations of my life are crumbling.”
Read MoreLiving with PMDD and having to stay at home felt like a whispered prayer being answered until overwhelming anxiety and grief set in. I had to take charge and redesign what lockdown looked like for me.
Read MoreIt takes work, time, and love, but PMDD doesn't have to ruin our lives or our relationships when we have the awareness, tools, and strategies in place to take care.
Read MoreBetween social distancing, working from home, and school or daycare closures, many people’s routines have been upended. Here are a few suggestions from our Clinical Advisory Board on how to cope in this time of change and uncertainty.
Read MoreI know the immense serenity I feel is due to the little baby growing inside me…But unfortunately, I know that after the pregnancy is over, PMDD will be back to attack. And as you can imagine, I don't want PMDD symptoms back in my life…
Read More“Learning how to completely accept my life with PMDD was the missing piece I needed to move forward.” Jane shares her story of finding ways to cope with and manage PMDD through acceptance, self-love, and a healthy lifestyle.
Read MoreSandi MacDonald and Brett Buchert of IAPMD presented on PMDD and IAPMD’s Peer Support program at the iNAPS 2019 Annual Conference October 21-23, 2019 in San Diego, CA.
Read MoreI’m writing this in a hospital room whilst my wife is somewhere nearby having a hysterectomy. This is the end of a very long road for us with PMDD…but also a beginning.
Read MoreIt can be painful and scary when our thoughts turn to suicide during an episode of PMDD. However, learning how to assess our risk for suicide when we are struggling can help us gain control, care for ourselves effectively, and most importantly, stay safe.
Read MoreThis April, the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD) is proudly sponsoring the first ever “PMDD Writing Contest” giving those whose lives have been touched by reproductive mood disorders a chance to have their stories published for others to read and learn from. We are looking for essays about survival, loss, recovery, or hope that are intimately personal and honest about how PMDD and PME change lives.
Read MorePractical advice from a PMDD provider when considering psychotherapy treatment in-person or online.
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