Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, commonly known as PMDD is nothing but a more aggravated condition of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). If you are suffering from severe symptoms of PMS that are adversely affecting your daily life and you are unable to function normally, PMDD is diagnosed.
PMDD exhibits similar behavioral symptoms that of PMS. However, there may be a possibility of presence or total absence of physical symptoms if you are going through it. As in case of PMS, a suffering woman starts experiencing the PMDD symptoms a week or 2 before her period and they usually diminish as the menstruation period starts. PMDD is classified under “mental health disorder” that can seriously affect the sufferer’s daily activities.
PMDD Symptoms
A woman can be diagnosed as suffering from PMDD if she experiences five or more of these following symptoms severely during the period of premenstrual phase…
- Severe and sudden mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability or anger
- Loss of focus/ concentration
- Fatigue and decreased level of energy
- Loosing interest in daily routines
- Increased craving for sweets or specific foods
- Insomnia, lack of sleep or oversleeping
- Breast tenderness, bloating, constipation, headaches.
However, it is important to note that PMDD is diagnosed only if the above mentioned symptoms occur in synchronization with your menstruation cycle. All these PMDD symptoms positively stop with start of actual start of menopause.
When you should seek medical attention?
If you are experiencing PMS symptoms that are not going away in the initial phase of your period (usually 4-5 days), you need to seek medical attention and get yourself diagnosed for a possible PMDD. Also, if you are experiencing much severe PMS symptoms, you should seek help for PMDD treatment. Usually your physician would like to rule out the possibilities of other medical conditions like low RBC count, thyroid disorders.
Diagnosis and Treatment
It’s very important to keep note of your PMS symptoms and any specific pattern found among them. This will make the task easy for your physician. Your doctor may take diverse blood tests or seek help of any behavioral specialist to rule out the possibility of other conditions.
Usually, the same treatments are introduced that are used to treat PMS symptoms. HRT, use of certain antidepressants like sertraline, fluoxetine can be found effective. Lifestyle changes can promote faster success rate.
