I have recently read that on average women with PMDD are misdiagnosed for 12 years! Sadly, this was the case for me and I was diagnosed with another mental health condition. It was only as I got older (and more desperate) that I started doing my research and came across PMDD. I couldn't believe it, all the symptoms matched! I bought a period tracker immediately and was even more shocked when noticing the same patterns at the same time, month after month. I felt completely let down by the NHS - unfortunately, this wouldn't be the first or last time I felt this way. Since then, PMDD has felt like a minefield, with doctors often not knowing, understanding, or believing what PMDD is. Eventually, after months of being ignored and dismissed in my "hell weeks," I decided to use savings to go and see someone privately. In an ideal world, I wouldn't have had to but it was one of the best things I ever did for myself! The specialist I saw was so different from any other health professional I had seen, he believed me! He listened and most importantly he understood! Leaving that room, I felt lighter, I knew I wasn't crazy and couldn't help how I felt every month. And better yet, I left with a plan in place - which is what I'd been begging for for months with the NHS.
I left that day with Yasmin contraceptives and vitamin b6 alongside an anti-depressant. I was so hopeful this would be the end of all my problems! I stuck to taking the pills every day but unfortunately, the symptoms didn't go away, I was bleeding constantly and became exhausted. After 3 months we could definitely say that this wasn't the treatment plan for me.
Chemical menopause was something he mentioned to me on my first appointment as a way of trialing whether it was definitely PMDD. As it stops all hormone fluctuations, PMDD symptoms will disappear. Although this sounded amazing, I was so nervous as I am only 32 and it is a really big decision to have to make. One night during "hell week" I looked at my children, my job, and my life and I didn't want to miss any more of it than I had to. Before chemical menopause, I was missing half a month every month, literally half of my life due to these "hell weeks". I decided enough was enough, I had to try it. So that's what I did, I was injected with Prostap and am currently in month one of this. Right now, I would normally be on day 15 of my cycle and would be feeling sluggish, snappy, tired, and starting to feel sad... I feel none of these things... I haven't had any nasty side effects yet; I am a bit hotter, especially at night and I do have headaches but that is so much better than the alternative! Fingers crossed this is the right path for me
Ashley @my.pmdd.and.menopause.journey
I am 32 and have 2 beautiful (and hyper) children. I work in a school and love my job! I enjoy
swimming, going to the gym, reading, and an occasional night out with friends. PMDD makes all of my
“likes” seem unbearable but I refuse to give up on living a full life.