Did my PMDD get cured?

My IUD has changed my life

Welcome to my first series! The word transformation keeps popping up as I’m reflecting on 2024, so I decided to dedicate all of December to the transformations I’ve been going through this year. First up: an update on my PMDD.
Or, to put it more accurately: what PMDD?

We are sitting on the couch, watching TV together. Candles are lit, the dogs are snoozing, we’re eating cookies and drinking tea, and it’s as peaceful and cozy as can be. It’s also approximately the 50th evening in a row where we do this, and at some point Rich turns to me and says: “Our relationship has been so good lately - I really love being married to you.” I smile and squeeze his hand, and assure him that I feel the same. And then it dawns on me - I haven’t been visited by PMDD rage in quite some time.

You don’t notice the absence of something until someone points it out. Without me being aware of it, those blessed two weeks of quiet in between the storm of my PMDD hormones have expanded into four months, and a season that used to be the most difficult for me - Christmas - has been filled with serenity.

PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) is a much more severe form of PMS (premenstrual syndrome). It’s a chronic condition that lasts for as long as someone has a period, and its cause is unknown. The symptoms include:

• Depressed mood, sadness, hopelessness, or feelings of worthlessness

• Increased anxiety, tension, or the feeling of being on edge all the time

• Mood swings

• Self-critical thoughts, increased sensitivity to rejection

• Frequent or sudden tearfulness

• Increased irritability, anger, or both

• Conflict with family, coworkers, or friends

• Decreased interest in normal activities

• Concentration problems

• Fatigue, lethargy, or lack of energy

• Changes in appetite, such as binge eating, overeating, or craving certain foods

• Changes in sleep pattern, such as excessive sleeping or difficulty sleeping

• Feelings of being overwhelmed or out of control

• Physical symptoms, such as breast swelling or tenderness, headaches, joint or muscle aches, weight gain, and bloating

As you might guess, PMDD wreaks havoc on relationships. PMDD-sufferers have lost jobs, relationships, and sometimes their life - a shocking 34% have attempted suicide. With 60 million people worldwide suffering from PMDD, that translates to over 20 million suicide attempts.

There is no cure. PMDD only ends with menopause, which for many women happens sometime around their 50s. With puberty starting sooner and sooner, that can mean 40 years of living with a highly disruptive, serious condition that can last up to two weeks every month, or 180 days out of every year. To add insult to injury, patients wait an average of 12 years and see an average of 6.15 providers before receiving an accurate diagnosis of PMDD.

And even if we do find a sympathetic healthcare provider, the bulk of the diagnosis rests on us because there are no tests that can be performed to make a diagnosis. Instead, we have to keep a detailed diary over several months keeping track of our symptoms, and the following criteria have to be met: we must have five or more symptoms during the week before your period that stop within a few days after the period starts; symptoms must be linked to significant distress; and symptoms cannot be related to or made worse by another health condition.
In short: it sucks.

After this chilling introduction, let’s move on to the good news!
Before I get to it, here’s a quick reminder of the recommended treatment options for PMDD:

• Diet changes: decrease salt, sugar, alcohol, caffeine; incrase protein and carbs

• Regular exercise

• Decrease stress (always much easier said than done)

• Supplements: magnesium, calcium, B6-vitamins

• Anti-inflammatory meds

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (=antidpressants)

• IUD

I’ve been doing most of these for the last several years: I cut out alcohol completley three years ago, I exercise every day, I limit my stress to the best of my ability, I go tp therapy regularly, take my supplements and antidpressants religiously, and I’ve limited salt (but not sugar or caffeine, because I’m only human, after all).

However, the IUD had always been a hard no for me. I’d heard too many horror stories of shockingly painful insertions, migrating devices, pain and bleeding for weeks or months afterwards - I thought I’d better stick with the PMDD.
But then perimenopause was added to the mix, and after an initial false sense of relief, it made my symptoms significantly worse. The doctor increased my SSRI-dose, I walked even more, I did mindfulness exercises and meditated, but still, some months were becoming scary.

So, four months ago I bit the bullet and got an IUD. And it’s high time that I update you on the results, because let me tell you: they are nothing short of miraculous.
If you remember, even getting the IUD was almost like a spa experience. (Except that I usually don’t nearly faint at a spa. A minor detail.)
After that pleasant surprise, the experience took a temporary nosedive and I was getting the spotting and cramping they had warned me about. But since I had been getting terrible cramping that showed up more and more frequently and lasted longer and longer each month, it was no different from what I had been enduring for at least a year already.

Something else happened that would have made me delirious with happiness 30 years earlier: my boobs grew. They’ve become heavier and about one cup-size bigger, making them the largest they have ever been. I’m still far from a pin-up girl, but I actually (sort of) have cleavage now!

And the good news didn’t end there: after about a month, everything started to level out. The spotting stopped, the cramping lessened, and best of all? My mood swings, depression, hopelessness, irritability, rage, and anxiety all but disappeared.

The turmoil stopped, as did my period (yay!). My mind is more at peace than it has been in decades. I’ve kinda stopped using the word “normal” (what is normal, anyway?), but if I’d still use it, I would say that I’m feeling normal; completely average; nothing to see here.
And it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.