Anxiety/obsessive checking worse around period

[Winglessvulture]

I came off the pill towards the end of last year and have noticed that my anxiety is at its worst around my period. When my period is starting I seem to rake up some memory from the past and then spend hours/days ruminating on it and obsessively checking things related to what I am worrying about.

My mental health seems to have significantly deteriorated since lockdown, although I was anxious and depressed before it started. I wondered if anyone else experiences this and if they have any advice on how to manage it. I'm feeling pretty fed up about everything, but this monthly spike is the worst bit of it!

No idea, but I'd really like to know too! I've always battled with anxiety due to previous trauma, but lately I'm finding it's spiking so bad about a week before my period. I'm literally losing my mind to it - obsessive worry about health, worry about work, worry that some disaster will happen , so on and so on. It brings panic attacks too.
I find I can't focus on anything good, i can't talk about anything other than my worries.
My GP is great, but thinks i should try sertraline. I'm too anxious to take it and am pretty against medication when I feel its cyclical. Once my period is done, I spend the next 2 weeks trying to repair the mental damage and damage to my relationships and then the whole cycle starts again.

Once you get to mid forties and can start hrt, in my personal experience it was transformational. Do you track your periods? At least you'll know it's just hormonal on those days.

I was just thinking about this today. I thought it was just me! Just before my period I start getting anxious about germs and dirt, if I take the children for a walk im constantly on edge about mud and what they might be stepping in to the point where I don't want to go out as it's too stressful it sounds ridiculous I know but it happens every month.

Look up PMDD. I have this really badly and often there are a few incidents in my past I dredge up and obsess about destructively just before my period. The week before my period was becoming extremely destructive to my life and I’m on medication now and it’s life changing. I still get a bit of PMT but just normal and nothing like I was having before.

Same with me. I usually know its period related so know it will get better. I want to conceive so I'm not on the pill but I find that sorts it out.

I am the same. Before period my mind races and I can’t stop obsessing. It’s awful. I can’t rest, I can’t stop mulling over things.i check the news constantly, I change my clothes five times a day and can’t get comfy, I feel the need to wax and rid myself of body hair, the housework gets me down but I’m too tired to tackle it. I also stare at my bank account, worry about the future and make lists. I drive myself crazy. Then, poof, period comes and I’m back to my old self again. Trouble is my cycle is 21 days so I only really get two weeks off a time.

Oh god yes lock down has made me much much worse. And yes also before period.
There's some apps for anxiety that might help I've found Wysa to be ok- ish, for example, but I'm sure there are better ones.
Sleep helps.
And journaling. I've only been doing it about 6 months and was massively sceptical but it's interesting to see what I've written in the past and see what keeps cropping up or even if I feel completely different about something. It helps me by giving me a place to vent to. It can also help you to know yourself better, so you're less likely to mess up. Just a bog standard pad and pen will do. I use mine to just write anything and everything. Angry, sad, stupid stuff mostly but happy/positive stuff too. Try to do it every day even when you're feeling better as it can sneak up on you otherwise.
"School of Life" YouTube videos are good too.

Thank you so much for the replies! I am sad to hear that other people experience this but also reassured that it isn't just me.

I was on the combined pill for years and used to take it back to back so my body is just getting used to being free of artificial hormones. This is definitely a very unwelcome side effect.

My Dr is great, and has prescribed me propranolol for the times when things feel too overwhelming but isnt keen to push an SSRI as she knows I am not keen. Maybe I should see what she thinks about going back on the pill for a while to see if that makes a big difference.

I totally relate to the having good and bad weeks. Last month I had one really terrible week, two bad weeks and then last week was pretty good. Mine seems to kick off when my period starts and stays in situ for the whole week. Like another poster said I then spend the other weeks recovering from how bad I have felt during this time.

I’m exactly the same OP. I can’t take hormonal contraceptives, and I don’t know how to make it better. It seems to be getting worse. You aren’t alone

My anxiety is worse the week before my period as well. Stressing a lot of what you say I would agree with too. The relief on Day 2 of my cycle is palpable.

I went through a bad spell mental health wise with stress and panic attacks 18 months ago, and I'd say I've noticed this ever since- I guess it was there before but I'm more aware of it now?

Tracking your cycle is vital. It might sound a bit predictable but I do find vitamin e, meditation and exercise works well. Trouble is if I’m not organised and have a plan in place for when it strikes I can’t sort my head out to do it, it’s that debilitating.

Thanks Stressing. I do track my cycle and it helps to know when I am likely to feel worse. However, the feelings are so intense and real at the time that even though I know the hormones are making it worse I can't use that perspective to help me. I also struggle to her perspective on the things I worry about even when I am feeling calmer.

I exercise and meditate throughout the month and although it does help a bit I haven't found that it makes any significant improvement in the moment.