PMDD

[LWestYorks]

Ever since my first baby in 2016 around my period I’ve feel absolutely awful, really down, binge eating, no motivation to do anything basically just wanted to hide away….anyway I had my second child on October last year and whilst pregnant obviously with not having periods I felt like a different person, he’s now 6 months and as my periods have come back I’m back to how I felt and it’s literally for like 2 weeks every month.

I went to the GP last week and suggested I have PMDD, anyway I’m already on 50mg sertraline and the GP has recommended I try the mirena coil or mini pill. I’m just wondering if anyone who does suffer from PMDD/PMS what works for you?

Hi, sorry to hear you’re having an awful time. I also have PMDD and it’s gotten worse since having two children. There’s a useful website/ organisation for premenstrual disorders called IAPMD, definitely worth a look. I also found Facebook groups for PMDD useful to navigate the varying treatments on the NHS. I started off with Escitalopram, then had CBT through NHS talking therapies. It wasn’t helping so I went onto HRT to try and increase estrogen. The problem being that I also have to take progesterone which made things worse (as it often does in people with PMDD). I tried a mirena coil as a more consistent dose of progesterone but it didn’t agree with me. I’m now on monthly decapeptyl injections to induce chemical menopause and stop my cycle and therefore fluctuating hormones. It’s helped somewhat but makes me exhausted and unable to go about my life normally. I’m now on the waiting list for a hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy, which I’m so relieved to be having. It’s taken years of jumping through hoops to get the treatment I need. It really does take some pushing and shouting about it to medical professionals to be heard, as some have never heard of it before. There’s lots of treatments and variations available to you though, so have hope that things can get better for you

Yip. 50mg Sertraline works for me. Wish I'd seen the gp years ago about it. I take it everyday. Tried luteal phase only but was not as effective. Contraception not an option for me at this point so haven't tried.