My PMDD Experience

I thought I had never had much of an issue with periods. Granted, they weren’t the most fun experience in the world… but I had accepted, as all us women feel we must do, that this was just life. I rarely had pain as a teenager so I was one of the lucky ones and to be honest, I genuinely thought that that was the only thing you really needed to be aware of. Let’s put that down to the complete lack of teaching around female puberty and what our cycles may actually look like. However, I would regularly have bouts of high anxiety, very low mood and extreme fatigue - something that my mum also noticed, but it never even crossed our minds that this could be related to my cycle?

I really began to struggle even more in my early twenties with a whole host of severe symptoms that just made me feel like a completely different person. I went to the doctor numerous times but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I would leave frustrated and with no hope, I knew something was wrong but felt like no one believed me. That’s when I started to research more into hormone imbalances and I heard about PMDD. It all clicked into place. I began strictly tracking and over the course of a year noticed the exact same patterns on the same days every month. WOW. It was all making sense. I went back to my doctor with my diaries and they agreed that this sounded very much like PMDD.

PMDD for me looked like this. 2-3 days near the start of my luteal cycle where I was a completely different person. Those who know me would say that I am a happy soul, a high energy and love-life kinda gal. During those 2-3 days I completely remove myself. I felt anxious, I felt hopeless, I felt desperate. I would question every aspect of my life. Why am I useless at my job? My friends don’t want to spend time with me! My relationship isn’t working! I am not loveable! I am rubbish at everything! I have put on weight! I couldn’t stand how mean my own mind could be to me. I would struggle with rejection. I would cry and cry and have no idea why I felt so sad. I lose the ability to process emotions or work through challenges as I would usually. Those 2-3 days were hell. But, it didn’t end there.

Once those days passed and it felt like whatever was possessing my body had left. I would be back to my normal self, but I would then struggle with severe fatigue, headaches, low motivation, food cravings, lack of concentration and dizziness. The shift from one to other was exhausting.

The dread of knowing that this could be my life for almost two weeks of every month, for many, many years to come was just awful.

This journey It hit me hard when I sat in my GPs office on a rainy day, cried my eyes out and asked them what I would have to do to get a hysterectomy. A process that would involve removing my uterus which means removing both of my ovaries and putting me into medical menopause, not to mention a host of other life changing potential side effects. All of this and I wasn’t even 30 yet. The biggest area of pain was that this would remove my chance of conceiving and starting a family. Something I wanted so badly. My GP told me a host of other potential side-affects, one being that this surgery reduces life expectancy. And I replied – I would rather die sooner, than live each month experiencing how PMDD makes me feel. Luckily for me, that same day I decided that enough was enough and I knew there must be some way to live with this condition without it feeling like it would ruin the rest of my life.

From that point on I focused time on learning, researching and trialing just about everything I could to reduce my symptoms and improve my quality of life. Like most, I had grown so impatient with waiting for the game to change, for women’s health to finally see the research and improvements it needs from our health service. I needed to take matters into my own hands and find a solution. It’s been a JOURNEY.

I have developed a process of mindset practices, breathwork, nutrition, exercise and a flexible approach to my lifestyle that works in line with the phases of my cycle and the symptoms I face. This along with sharing my story, developing effective communication with my partner and those that love me so I get the right support through my symptoms, and having a deep understanding about myself and my own body have meant that I am finally living my best life again! Everybody is different, so working with a flexible holistic framework is truly a GAME CHANGER.

It’s my mission to help other women/girls do the same as I have. That’s why I started ‘The Happy Hormones Club’, so I can support and coach women through their journeys and to better hormone health using my key pillars. They can work through any cycle issues and improve their symptoms - it really is possible. My dream is to create a huge community of support and love, because hormone related disorders can feel SO isolating.

I feel so privileged to be able to share my story, and to be able to provide hope to others. We’re increasing awareness and we’re pushing things forward and that feels so exciting!

We are ALL entitled to a life we can enjoy, and not one that is ruled by our cycles.

For more info email info@happyhormonesclub.com