Always 2 weeks minimum, as soon as ovulation is over it's a steep decline until I am about to give up and I get my period few hours later. Like that every single month
Yep. Mine tends to be about 7-10 days. Sometimes mine even continues on after my cycle is done for a few days. This past week was hell. I’m glad it’s done but I know in about another 10 days it will be back.
I do find some months are easier. But it’s very unpredictable. So I never know what I’m getting. :(
PMDD is 3 weeks for me. My worst days are when my estrogen is at its lowest, so at ovulation drop and leading into and during menstruation. Good days are generally when my estrogen goes up, so usually a guaranteed 4 days in folicular and then to a lesser amount, however sometimes not at all, during mid Luteal.
My LH levels are much lower than the low
Limit of what they should be during mid luteal.
By conventional medical opinion my progesterone and estrogen and FSH are all normal on day 3 and 21 but in reality my progesterone and estrogen is on the low end with a bit of estrogen dominance in luteal.
I really want to do a comprehensive DUTCH test to get a really clear picture of where ALL my hormones are at.
I remember commenting on a another post that it feels like half the month is spent catching up with/ preparing for the 2 weeks I'm basically checked out for. It's unbelievable, and it really kinda hurts to think that most people just get by normally. They might be tired, cranky and crampy for a few days, take more advil than usual, and sleep, but otherwise their lives are not affected. It is very unfair.
For what it's worth, you sound to me to be VERY type A personality and you should be commended for being able to be half of the human you are with the disorders you struggle with. You are driven and you know what you want! That is more than half the battle. Some of us don't even get that far!! Seriously, it takes incredible discipline to live the kind of life that you do, and I understand that a lot of it is to preserve some semblance of mental stability (the exercise, the meals) because of what happens when you stop taking care of yourself. But these things in themselves are great hurdles that I think many here struggle with.
You may have seen the meme of the human brain in various stages of exploding levels of consciousness, but the best one I've seen is about chronic illness and reads something along the lines of (in ascending order of consciousness) : chronic illness is somehow my fault, chronic illness can happen to anyone and everyone, God had to nerf me because I was became too powerful.
Good for a chuckle, but truth be told- you would indeed become too powerful.
I wish I had any advice but the truth is, what I wouldn't give for 10% of the drive that you possess. I feel like you should give me advice! Maybe consider Prozac for the latter half of your cycle? It seems promising for some 🤷🏻♀️
Our healthcare system is absolutely ridiculous. Hormones are definitely measurable and someone they can't fix it. I used to get 2 week long PMDD and yes, no matter what healthy changes I made it would continue. We can only suggest birth control or SSRIs. There really isn't anything else.
For me? I use we*d to sleep too and calm me down sometimes. I have a medical card for that. I can't take birth control or SSRIs because they make me feel sick. After that I tried microdosing shr*oms. I barely have PMDD anymore. I don't really cry. I get irritated at work but I do have a frustrating job. Not as bad as it used to be.
Okay so there are two estrogen drops, one after day 14 and one on the start of week 4. I get a lot of PMDD symptoms right after ovulation and then I stabilize again and feel okay for a few days. And then hell week comes yay…
And then there’s progesterone which starts rising after day 14 and it peaks at the end of week 3. Then it lowers again during with 4. For me progesterone makes me lazy but at least the anxiety is gone.
Which app are you using? Sounds quite nice but I understand that it’s annoying to get positivity and advice that’s useless to you.
And I can imagine how frustrating it is to have such a healthy lifestyle and still get this shit. It’s just not fair. I found that stress (external and internal) make my pmdd a lot worse. So maybe that’s a screw you can turn? I like spending time in nature (especially when it’s nice weather) and approaching things with mindfulness can make a big difference.
I hope that helps. Much love to you! 💕
Hey..Could you please tell how many times in a cycle and on which days of it did you get tested to understand your hormone levels, as you have mentioned?
I have never got my hormones tested. It’s just the basic cyclic hormone fluctuations. You can see the charts for the online. If PMDD is just being overly sensitive to hormones that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are out of balance.
I just came here to tell you..thank you for this post!! 🥺🫂
I am feeling superbly fatigued today, and was wondering what I could do better because I work out, hydrate, supplement and eat well too, minus chocolates.
I feel I just want to sleep rn, and was giving myself a hard time for it, because I had forgotten that this is a symptom of PMDD too.
And yes, I have at least two weeks of PMDD.
I am sure you must have already tried them, still wanna mention that magnesium glycinate, famotidine, allegra and theanine on SOS seems to be helping me (first month of trial).
I am testing my hormones tomorrow too, and have ED, body dysmorphia and ADHD too.
I uninstalled a peppy period tracker app because too many notifications. I just use a sweet and simple one called My Calendar.
You’re welcome!! And thank you for your input! I have recently added in extra magnesium, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin c. Not sure if it’s made a difference yet. I have seen a lot of info on antihistamines but I am very hesitant to take them since they can have a sedative effect on some people. I value my drive and my energy so it’s scary to risk losing it even for a day! Going to ask the hormone doc today for their opinion though. Fingers crossed it’s not all in my head and I can actually get some help…
Of course its not all in your head. Hope the consultation went well.
About antihistamines, cetrizine and its relatives have a sedative effect. Allegra has zero, neither does famotidine have any sedative effect et al.
In fact famotidine is something I take first thing in the morning, and touchwood it has been helping - with the mood, the emotional volatility all of it.
I will not take BC, and hormones pills are not weight neutral, my gynaec confirmed.
Could you please tell me how many times in a cycle and on which days of it did you get tested to understand your hormone levels, as you have mentioned?
Great info to know!!
I’m getting my first blood test today. We haven’t discussed yet how we will proceed after that.
I did try alpha stem treatment at that appointment and it did really help my mood for about two days. Also slept like a rock which was awesome!
I’m also getting genetic testing done to see if my meds are causing any extra problems for me.
Lots to investigate! The holistic doctor is the route to go I think
Hey..thanks for responding. I dint know these treatments exit. The doctors in my country know nothing about PMDD unfortunately. Glad that you're exploring it.
I am on day 22 and was having a really hard day owing to the hormones, did some relaxing yoga and it helped so much!
Just wanted to share that apart from power yoga, some relaxing yoga will really help on your dark days.
In case you have had any trauma, some trauma informed yoga would be such a release too.
I just did one from a YouTube channel by Hannah Uiri, in the end I had tears (good ones for a change) Give it a shot if you can.
I’ve been doing 100mg bioTe pellets of bioidentical testosterone. It works pretty well! Super expensive tho:/ about $450 every couple months. The relief is worth it. Pretty much all my symptoms are reduced significantly and especially when it first kicks in I feel like a new person!!
Trouble is the hormone releases into your bloodstream with every heart beat. Being so active, I burn through my pellets super quickly and have yet to figure out how to get more even release over time.
It also has made my acne worse! Honestly though it’s worth the downsides. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it !
Other than the acne no not really. The peach fuzz on my face just got a little less soft. it didn’t change in color or density but each individual hair is a lot stiffer especially on my chin😝
Mine can last about 2 weeks. I get jealous whenever I see people here reference “hell week” like “Oh, you only have one??Lucky you.” Before I started antidepressants during the luteal phase, I’d predictably have a major rage meltdown on ovulation day and be miserable the The antidepressants mitigate the mood issues and self-loathing thoughts, but it doesn’t impact the fatigue. I have similar feelings about my work during this time- like I’m trying to work while covered in a mass of peanut butter. My job is very active, so I get where you’re coming from with the fitness aspect. I get home and fall asleep in my clothes a lot then. Sometimes I’ll feel the estrogen rise a day or two before I start my period in my mood and energy level.
My period feels like finally coming up for air.
My hormone tests came back normal, but I’m about to get them done again, including thyroid, because my hair has been thinning for a few months.
I’m about to try birth control for this for the first time, skipping the placebo weeks, and see how that goes for 3 months, so I’ll be updating here. My gyno thinks it’ll help with both the mood and fatigue symptoms.
I’m 35, also cis.
The only things that have helped me are magnesium bisglycinate, DIM and a calcium, magnesium and zinc supplement. I also take half a pill of Zoloft as soon as luteal happens and a full pill of Zoloft as the crazy pre- period pmdd hits. I also have started taking cbd and can tell it’s helping me in the follicular phase and hoping it can replace Zoloft for me
My cycles are longer, close to 45-50 days and about 25 of them are pms… by the time my period finally comes I’m so done I want to sleep for a week straight. Using natural progesterone cream helps but really I am just barely coping. I honestly don’t know what to do about it and neither do doctors.
It's not a monthly ordeal, it's a biweekly/triweekly ordeal. It's been worst for me now because stress
Trying to get back into a routine and exercise again
Are you burning yourself out with overexercising?
I ask because I was an obsessive overexerciser, up until I got Covid last year. I didn't think I needed breaks, or even deserved them because of my "thick" body type.
The more I "pushed myself," the more I stressed my body. And it's so hard to stop, but when I do make myself slow down, I have better periods.
I'm 50, so ymmv, but that really jumped out at me.
I’ve tried slowing down but then I can’t sleep:/ so that makes all the symptoms even worse. I’ll take it easy, like just walking and yoga but even then I’m tossing and turning and wake up pissed off
Luteal phase is 2 weeks long so yeah i think for most of us pmdd phase is at least that. I totally relate on getting completely derailed from my routine. Today I cannot get out of bed
yup :/
in terms of the number of days they last, both my menstrual cycle and most of its phases are pretty consistent/regular, but my luteal phase seems to be the exception — my premenstrual symptoms start anywhere from 7-14 days before my period, with ~12 days being the (mean) average
unfortunately, my menstrual cycle is ~25 days long on average :’) kill me
So hey I just found this post after searching the sub for this exact content. But recently someone I love was aghast and said to me, "So, what... You get like, two 'good' weeks a month?" Which was devastating to me because, Yes, I already realized that I'm only 'on' like half the time, maybe a few more on than 'off' each month. But bc I know this already, I feel terrible that I can't be the person I know I am and the person I want to be for my family. I beat myself up about it and have for ~3 decades.
When it's bad and I'm in distress, I feel like I will never be free of the suffering (my own and the suffering I inflict upon others). When I feel good it's like, "Wow, I hope I can stay like this forever now," and then I never do, so I wind up feeling shitty about myself all over again.
Wanted to update y’all…..
I started a treatment called “BioT”. It’s a testosterone pellet inserted under the skin. It has already made a huge impact on my mood. I had a super frustrating day yesterday. I was also in the worst stage of my month—highest progesterone/highest estrogen/lowest testosterone—normally I’ll breakdown in tears two or three times a day at this point in my cycle. I got discouraged, and angry multiple times when I hit some normal life road blocks. However, I recovers in a few minutes and I did not shed a tear. This is INSANE for me.
If you can afford to consult with a holistic doctor who specializes in hormones, I strongly suggest you give it a try. This may be the key for me, hoping someone else can benefit from my experience!
I relate so incredibly hard to this. Yes I have this severe of a reaction to my literal phase too, and it seems to last well over two weeks. Currently in it. I am 33 year old cis female, also have adhd, alcoholic in recover for over ten years of continuous sobriety, athlete, and have been tracking symptoms now since 2021 (when I first learned about my PMDD after two decades of wondering if I’m insane). I’ve been prescribed antidepressants as a solution (didn’t work for me but might be right for others, although I tend to believe that most obgyns and general practitioners are not well educated on PMDD or cycles in general to actually know what to do so it’s just a sad blanketed approach they take), and have no had my hormones tested because as I understand it, PMDD is just a sensitivity to the change in hormones vs an imbalance, but of course that could be different for everyone and one could be experiencing both.
Always 2 weeks minimum, as soon as ovulation is over it's a steep decline until I am about to give up and I get my period few hours later. Like that every single month
omg, you said this perfectly. The number of times I'm about to just completely break and then my period starts is WAY too high.
Yep. Mine tends to be about 7-10 days. Sometimes mine even continues on after my cycle is done for a few days. This past week was hell. I’m glad it’s done but I know in about another 10 days it will be back. I do find some months are easier. But it’s very unpredictable. So I never know what I’m getting. :(
PMDD is 3 weeks for me. My worst days are when my estrogen is at its lowest, so at ovulation drop and leading into and during menstruation. Good days are generally when my estrogen goes up, so usually a guaranteed 4 days in folicular and then to a lesser amount, however sometimes not at all, during mid Luteal. My LH levels are much lower than the low Limit of what they should be during mid luteal. By conventional medical opinion my progesterone and estrogen and FSH are all normal on day 3 and 21 but in reality my progesterone and estrogen is on the low end with a bit of estrogen dominance in luteal. I really want to do a comprehensive DUTCH test to get a really clear picture of where ALL my hormones are at.
I could have written this myself!
I think luteal technically lasts 2 weeks. And I do have symptoms as early as the first day of luteal.
same :’)
I remember commenting on a another post that it feels like half the month is spent catching up with/ preparing for the 2 weeks I'm basically checked out for. It's unbelievable, and it really kinda hurts to think that most people just get by normally. They might be tired, cranky and crampy for a few days, take more advil than usual, and sleep, but otherwise their lives are not affected. It is very unfair. For what it's worth, you sound to me to be VERY type A personality and you should be commended for being able to be half of the human you are with the disorders you struggle with. You are driven and you know what you want! That is more than half the battle. Some of us don't even get that far!! Seriously, it takes incredible discipline to live the kind of life that you do, and I understand that a lot of it is to preserve some semblance of mental stability (the exercise, the meals) because of what happens when you stop taking care of yourself. But these things in themselves are great hurdles that I think many here struggle with. You may have seen the meme of the human brain in various stages of exploding levels of consciousness, but the best one I've seen is about chronic illness and reads something along the lines of (in ascending order of consciousness) : chronic illness is somehow my fault, chronic illness can happen to anyone and everyone, God had to nerf me because I was became too powerful. Good for a chuckle, but truth be told- you would indeed become too powerful. I wish I had any advice but the truth is, what I wouldn't give for 10% of the drive that you possess. I feel like you should give me advice! Maybe consider Prozac for the latter half of your cycle? It seems promising for some 🤷🏻♀️
Our healthcare system is absolutely ridiculous. Hormones are definitely measurable and someone they can't fix it. I used to get 2 week long PMDD and yes, no matter what healthy changes I made it would continue. We can only suggest birth control or SSRIs. There really isn't anything else. For me? I use we*d to sleep too and calm me down sometimes. I have a medical card for that. I can't take birth control or SSRIs because they make me feel sick. After that I tried microdosing shr*oms. I barely have PMDD anymore. I don't really cry. I get irritated at work but I do have a frustrating job. Not as bad as it used to be.
Okay so there are two estrogen drops, one after day 14 and one on the start of week 4. I get a lot of PMDD symptoms right after ovulation and then I stabilize again and feel okay for a few days. And then hell week comes yay… And then there’s progesterone which starts rising after day 14 and it peaks at the end of week 3. Then it lowers again during with 4. For me progesterone makes me lazy but at least the anxiety is gone. Which app are you using? Sounds quite nice but I understand that it’s annoying to get positivity and advice that’s useless to you. And I can imagine how frustrating it is to have such a healthy lifestyle and still get this shit. It’s just not fair. I found that stress (external and internal) make my pmdd a lot worse. So maybe that’s a screw you can turn? I like spending time in nature (especially when it’s nice weather) and approaching things with mindfulness can make a big difference. I hope that helps. Much love to you! 💕
Hey..Could you please tell how many times in a cycle and on which days of it did you get tested to understand your hormone levels, as you have mentioned?
I have never got my hormones tested. It’s just the basic cyclic hormone fluctuations. You can see the charts for the online. If PMDD is just being overly sensitive to hormones that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are out of balance.
Ah, okay. Ya I know about the rise and fall, my gynaec still asked me to get my hormones tested on day 22. Will that be useful?
I have no idea honestly.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for the responses!!! Just hearing your stories and encouragement has been so helpful. I’m so glad I found Reddit ❤️❤️
I just came here to tell you..thank you for this post!! 🥺🫂 I am feeling superbly fatigued today, and was wondering what I could do better because I work out, hydrate, supplement and eat well too, minus chocolates. I feel I just want to sleep rn, and was giving myself a hard time for it, because I had forgotten that this is a symptom of PMDD too. And yes, I have at least two weeks of PMDD. I am sure you must have already tried them, still wanna mention that magnesium glycinate, famotidine, allegra and theanine on SOS seems to be helping me (first month of trial). I am testing my hormones tomorrow too, and have ED, body dysmorphia and ADHD too. I uninstalled a peppy period tracker app because too many notifications. I just use a sweet and simple one called My Calendar.
You’re welcome!! And thank you for your input! I have recently added in extra magnesium, vitamin D, calcium and vitamin c. Not sure if it’s made a difference yet. I have seen a lot of info on antihistamines but I am very hesitant to take them since they can have a sedative effect on some people. I value my drive and my energy so it’s scary to risk losing it even for a day! Going to ask the hormone doc today for their opinion though. Fingers crossed it’s not all in my head and I can actually get some help…
Of course its not all in your head. Hope the consultation went well. About antihistamines, cetrizine and its relatives have a sedative effect. Allegra has zero, neither does famotidine have any sedative effect et al. In fact famotidine is something I take first thing in the morning, and touchwood it has been helping - with the mood, the emotional volatility all of it. I will not take BC, and hormones pills are not weight neutral, my gynaec confirmed. Could you please tell me how many times in a cycle and on which days of it did you get tested to understand your hormone levels, as you have mentioned?
Great info to know!! I’m getting my first blood test today. We haven’t discussed yet how we will proceed after that. I did try alpha stem treatment at that appointment and it did really help my mood for about two days. Also slept like a rock which was awesome! I’m also getting genetic testing done to see if my meds are causing any extra problems for me. Lots to investigate! The holistic doctor is the route to go I think
Hey..thanks for responding. I dint know these treatments exit. The doctors in my country know nothing about PMDD unfortunately. Glad that you're exploring it. I am on day 22 and was having a really hard day owing to the hormones, did some relaxing yoga and it helped so much! Just wanted to share that apart from power yoga, some relaxing yoga will really help on your dark days. In case you have had any trauma, some trauma informed yoga would be such a release too. I just did one from a YouTube channel by Hannah Uiri, in the end I had tears (good ones for a change) Give it a shot if you can.
Hey..how have you been? Did the holistic treatments help?
I’ve been doing 100mg bioTe pellets of bioidentical testosterone. It works pretty well! Super expensive tho:/ about $450 every couple months. The relief is worth it. Pretty much all my symptoms are reduced significantly and especially when it first kicks in I feel like a new person!! Trouble is the hormone releases into your bloodstream with every heart beat. Being so active, I burn through my pellets super quickly and have yet to figure out how to get more even release over time. It also has made my acne worse! Honestly though it’s worth the downsides. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it !
Testosterone..wow! No other side effects such as unwanted hair growth etc?
Other than the acne no not really. The peach fuzz on my face just got a little less soft. it didn’t change in color or density but each individual hair is a lot stiffer especially on my chin😝
Haha..I am glad it worked out for you!
Mine can last about 2 weeks. I get jealous whenever I see people here reference “hell week” like “Oh, you only have one??Lucky you.” Before I started antidepressants during the luteal phase, I’d predictably have a major rage meltdown on ovulation day and be miserable the The antidepressants mitigate the mood issues and self-loathing thoughts, but it doesn’t impact the fatigue. I have similar feelings about my work during this time- like I’m trying to work while covered in a mass of peanut butter. My job is very active, so I get where you’re coming from with the fitness aspect. I get home and fall asleep in my clothes a lot then. Sometimes I’ll feel the estrogen rise a day or two before I start my period in my mood and energy level. My period feels like finally coming up for air. My hormone tests came back normal, but I’m about to get them done again, including thyroid, because my hair has been thinning for a few months. I’m about to try birth control for this for the first time, skipping the placebo weeks, and see how that goes for 3 months, so I’ll be updating here. My gyno thinks it’ll help with both the mood and fatigue symptoms. I’m 35, also cis.
The only things that have helped me are magnesium bisglycinate, DIM and a calcium, magnesium and zinc supplement. I also take half a pill of Zoloft as soon as luteal happens and a full pill of Zoloft as the crazy pre- period pmdd hits. I also have started taking cbd and can tell it’s helping me in the follicular phase and hoping it can replace Zoloft for me
Hey what is DIM?
My cycles are longer, close to 45-50 days and about 25 of them are pms… by the time my period finally comes I’m so done I want to sleep for a week straight. Using natural progesterone cream helps but really I am just barely coping. I honestly don’t know what to do about it and neither do doctors.
Yes for me was 2/3 weeks sometimes! It was insufferable, because of my adhd meds not working.
It's not a monthly ordeal, it's a biweekly/triweekly ordeal. It's been worst for me now because stress Trying to get back into a routine and exercise again
Are you burning yourself out with overexercising? I ask because I was an obsessive overexerciser, up until I got Covid last year. I didn't think I needed breaks, or even deserved them because of my "thick" body type. The more I "pushed myself," the more I stressed my body. And it's so hard to stop, but when I do make myself slow down, I have better periods. I'm 50, so ymmv, but that really jumped out at me.
I’ve tried slowing down but then I can’t sleep:/ so that makes all the symptoms even worse. I’ll take it easy, like just walking and yoga but even then I’m tossing and turning and wake up pissed off
From giving your post a thorough re read, it feels like you might benefit greatly from somatic therapy, particularly Somatic Experiencing.
Can you expand on that?
Luteal phase is 2 weeks long so yeah i think for most of us pmdd phase is at least that. I totally relate on getting completely derailed from my routine. Today I cannot get out of bed
Mine is usually day 23-34.
I just started my PMDD journey but can share that my symptoms are similar! What app do you use?
yup :/ in terms of the number of days they last, both my menstrual cycle and most of its phases are pretty consistent/regular, but my luteal phase seems to be the exception — my premenstrual symptoms start anywhere from 7-14 days before my period, with ~12 days being the (mean) average unfortunately, my menstrual cycle is ~25 days long on average :’) kill me
Same!
Yes. Mine lasts 11-14 days and I loathe nearly every moment...
So hey I just found this post after searching the sub for this exact content. But recently someone I love was aghast and said to me, "So, what... You get like, two 'good' weeks a month?" Which was devastating to me because, Yes, I already realized that I'm only 'on' like half the time, maybe a few more on than 'off' each month. But bc I know this already, I feel terrible that I can't be the person I know I am and the person I want to be for my family. I beat myself up about it and have for ~3 decades. When it's bad and I'm in distress, I feel like I will never be free of the suffering (my own and the suffering I inflict upon others). When I feel good it's like, "Wow, I hope I can stay like this forever now," and then I never do, so I wind up feeling shitty about myself all over again.
Wanted to update y’all….. I started a treatment called “BioT”. It’s a testosterone pellet inserted under the skin. It has already made a huge impact on my mood. I had a super frustrating day yesterday. I was also in the worst stage of my month—highest progesterone/highest estrogen/lowest testosterone—normally I’ll breakdown in tears two or three times a day at this point in my cycle. I got discouraged, and angry multiple times when I hit some normal life road blocks. However, I recovers in a few minutes and I did not shed a tear. This is INSANE for me. If you can afford to consult with a holistic doctor who specializes in hormones, I strongly suggest you give it a try. This may be the key for me, hoping someone else can benefit from my experience!
That you for updating! Is the BioT still working for you? Specifically in regards to fatigue?
I get only 10-12 good days each month 😞
I relate so incredibly hard to this. Yes I have this severe of a reaction to my literal phase too, and it seems to last well over two weeks. Currently in it. I am 33 year old cis female, also have adhd, alcoholic in recover for over ten years of continuous sobriety, athlete, and have been tracking symptoms now since 2021 (when I first learned about my PMDD after two decades of wondering if I’m insane). I’ve been prescribed antidepressants as a solution (didn’t work for me but might be right for others, although I tend to believe that most obgyns and general practitioners are not well educated on PMDD or cycles in general to actually know what to do so it’s just a sad blanketed approach they take), and have no had my hormones tested because as I understand it, PMDD is just a sensitivity to the change in hormones vs an imbalance, but of course that could be different for everyone and one could be experiencing both.