Serious PMS/wild hormone issues

[Froel1982]

Hopefully someone has some experience. Since having my 2 kids and hitting my mid 30s I have started experiencing awful symptoms around Ovulation and period.

I have always had irregular cycles (38-75 days long ish), but never experienced emotional problems until recently.

Ovulation symptoms
Noticeably hot (husband calls me a radiator)
Ovulation pain
Headaches
Bloating
Tearful
A bit paranoid (mostly around my parenting and relationship)

Period symptoms
Intrusive thoughts
Anger (like a dark cloud coming over me)
Paranoid
Back pain
Sleeping issues
Hot/night sweats

I could go on but the above gives you an idea of what I'm up against. The rest of the month is fine. Once Ovulation happens or my period starts it's like the sun comes out and the black cloud lifts.

I've been on hormonal contraception all through my teens/20s and really don't want to go on it again if I can find a way of managing this more naturally.

Any help/tips/advice would be welcome.

I am exactly the same! Xx

That's a relief Jayd291! It feels so isolating, like I'm going a bit mad. Sensible me knows it's hormonal and will pass within a few days, but it just takes over and I'm out of control. It makes me feel much better knowing others feel the same way. I'm not even sure if it is some sort of hormone imbalance, pmdd, or just a normal part if getting older.

Sounds really difficult.. I have some of those symptoms too and I empathise. Do you have a very stressful life/job? Trying to limit stress can help but I know it's not easy these days

Also the same, and also been on the hormonal contraception till I was 39 and came off it only due to it being discontinued. My god, it’s the anxiety, depression, anger, intrusive thoughts I suffer with most. It’s horrific. I have no advice other than I now track everything so I know what’s coming each month to reassure myself.

I'm exactly like this. I've been taking evening primrose oil and starflower for a couple of weeks now. My irritability has lessened but anxiety is still there. Can take a month or two to see a difference so time will tell.

I hear you. My pms has been awful since my second. In Jan, I ended up crying in a work meeting over something silly (I’m usually quite placid) and realised I needed to do something. I have to say I’ve cleaned up my diet since then and it wasn’t as bad last month, I think it’s made a difference. Look up progesterone boosting foods and try and eat them the week before your period. I’m also more conscious of lowering stress around those times. But you could be going into perimenopause esp if you have longer cycles. I suggest reading up on it in general.

Oh my goodness I came on this board for the exact same reason! It's nice to know I'm not alone, it's horrible isn't it? I am very similar; 36, 2 kids, pill all of my 20s and went for a copper coil after my DC1. For some reason last month was particularly bad (intrusive thoughts, uncontrollable rage, self doubt, running hot, terribly bad dreams, dehydrated skin, acne even) to the point of DH very gently asking me if my period had actually come or if I thought I might need to take a pregnancy test! I would welcome any tips to relive this monthly hell!

Add panic attack to the latest symptom.

Google PMDD.

It’s awful, mine lasts a full week before my period !! Xx

Have any of you been to the GP about it? If so what happened? Am considering it currently, despite what I said about not wanting hormonal contraception, it's starting to feel like a nice option right now.

I just googled PMDD and that sounds like it. Is it a late 30s thing? I am so reluctant to go the GP for anything to do with my menstruation, I just feel they are useless and they would either prescribe the pill or give it the old "eat healthy, exercise, take a multivitamin"....

Ultimately there isn’t anything to do about it that isn’t: hormonal contraception OR diet and lifestyle changes OR emotional support / therapy to learn to deal with it.

I have been on this journey for years. I can’t do contraception and have done all the others. They only help a little but learning to know when I feel like this and how to look after myself has been key.

Losing weight is the only thing that seems to have made a consistent different though I know improving my diet and exercise will have helped it wasn’t so obvious.

God it’s so awful. I’m sorry I don’t have better news from my side. I’m just holding out for menopause.

Imitationzone, you might not feel like you've given good advice, but sometimes if there isn't a perfect, miraculous solution then it needs to be said, and that on it's own can be helpful as you can then rationalise it and build a plan to manage it. Plus knowing I'm not alone is amazing. So thank you.

I'm hearing an awful lot about diet and lifestyle choices, I am overweight (never lost weight after baby #1, then gained due to possible undiagnosed PND after baby #2). I wouldn't say I have a much more stressful life than anyone else, the usual work/life/kids juggle, my son has allergies which has been a real struggle to navigate (non-ige allergies), and the support you get fir that type of allergy is pretty useless. Plus my mum is in Perimenopause right now and has had an awful time of it, one of the worst perimenopauses I've heard about, but i think it started in her mid 40s not mid 30s. But I do wonder if the changes are just a precursor to perimenopause, things winding down as it were?

I have had chats with friends who have all said they've had significant hormonal changes when they hit mid 30s so it doe seem common

I really don't want hormonal contraception as I just feel its masking the issue rather than dealing with it, and I'll just have to deal with it down the line anyway. Plus I know about all the multivitamin/diet/lifestyle advice, all well and good if you are in the right frame of mind to put it into practice. Going to look after myself a bit over the next few days, not put any pressure on myself over the house and other things that can wait, and just wait for the worst to pass and then look into meaningful lifestyle changes, plus research more about PMDD/perimenopause and see what it says.

Yes, worried silly about it all under irregular periods.
It was taken further because I was fatter too at the time and scanned for a fibroid/tested positive for HPV at the time.

To be honest whilst the coil may reduce bleeding and making periods regular I have experienced most of the symptoms you state in your opening post. No one with any certainty can tell me it 100% takes away periods just .....oh it may.

Ive just had blood tests cause of all of this you describe... pms before ovulation and before period basically all month one or the other..absolutely nothing wrong found on tests ... am taking mini pill in hope it helps..at least to remove the ovulation if not period... its dreadful otherwise...

I’ve just had my bloods done also about this today!! Hoping something comes back because I can’t bare to be like this any longer!! X

I suffer with PMDD. I initially went to the GP about very heavy periods and linked migraines. After lots of scans they decided there was nothing wrong like fibroids etc. Managed to control the migraines with a preventer medication.
Tried the coil to prevent periods - bled continuously.
Tried the progesterone pill to prevent periods - bled heavily pretty much continuously and when I wasn't bleeding I had PMDD.
I was referred to the gynae dept.
As my PMDD makes me suicidal every month (the emergency services were called every month) I am about to have an injection to induce menopause and then within a couple of months will have a complete hysterectomy and bilateral oopherectomy. So it is a drastic solution, but otherwise the likelihood is I will kill myself in the next few months as there is nothing I can do about feeling suicidal. I am on max dose of antidepressants etc.

Thank you all so much for your responses and sharing your experiences with me. If anyone feels like chatting on this thread when they are having a dark day, please feel free. I'll definitely be doing so, as it really lifted my spirits at a very low point.

Does anyone find their spending gets a bit out of control during an episode?

I get an idea in my head of things we "need" to buy (in hindsight not urgent, not really needed at that point and could wait) and I can't get it out of my head until I've bought it, even if I can't really afford it. I'm planning on tracking it from now on to see if there is a pattern.

Ladies, I woke up with such a horrible overwhelming feeling today. I just am struggling so much and all I want to do is curl into a ball. I just feel awful. This is sooo horrible!!! I was completely fine this month with the lead up and even the first few days were OK and then yesterday my period became very heavy and it set off the rage and then overwhelming feelings of dread anxiety and guilt for feeling so angry. I keep telling myself it's the hormones, it will pass but its so hard in the thick of it!

Hi everyone,
I just found this thread and wondered how everyone is getting on?
I am also late 30s and have noticed a big change in my cycle over the past year or so. My pms symptoms have been lasting 2 weeks pre period, not so much psychological but a lot of physical things like water retention, fatigue, brain fog, body aches, hot flushes and night sweats. I went to the GP as I thought I was entering early peri or had CFS.
I didn't realise how common it is for pms to go through the roof in the 30s!
I've had a lot of back and forth to the GP over the past year and a lot of blood tests which have thankfully ruled out anything serious. As I understand it, because pms is a sensitivity to fluctuating hormones then tests wouldn't show that anything is wrong as such.
At the last appointment I was advised to think about going in the combined pill continuously so without taking a break. I've had to wait a few months (!) for an appointment to get this though so having been upping my lifestyle efforts.
I already eat well and have cut out caffeine and alcohol. Cutting out animal products, junk and most sugar has also helped for me and I've been doing this for a few years. Also do yoga, meditation and walking.Recently, while I've been going through the GP rigmarole, I've been taking a women's multivitamin plus a mix of evening primrose, starflower and vitamin e. It's early days but this month I've only had a few night sweats and breast pain has just kicked in a little, a few days before I'm due on. A huge difference already!
Has anyone else tried anything that's worked?
Anyone else tried continuous contraceptive pill?

Been there op and it’s shit.

sleep is everything I find. Do anything to get the best sleep you can. Ditch alcohol, get outside for a walk every day, warm baths, magnesium spray/tablets, lie in, avoid snoring partners etc. if you sleep you can handle most things a bit better x

I agree @Newgirls sleep does wonders, if you can get it!
I've definitely found cutting out caffeine and alcohol and exercise outside has helped me too.
But also not beating myself up if it doesn't happen. Sometimes insomnia kicks in and sometimes I'm just in too much pain or discomfort to sleep despite best efforts

For sure and if you don’t get good sleep, rest the next day rather than ploughing on. I think women are programmed to work ourselves into the ground.