How to Help Your Family Understand PMDD

Most women know that prementrual syndrome (PMS) occurs roughly a week before menstruation and includes symptoms, such as mood swings, bloating and cravings. What they might not understand is that there exists severe a syndrome called premenstrual dysmorphic disorder (PMDD). This disorder is serious enough to interfere with daily functioning in a number of ways that are both physical and emotional. PMDD is a real and severe hormonal imbalance that affects 3% to 8% of all women every month.

Instructions

• 1

  Keep a monthly journal of symptoms and ask your family to point out when they notice that you are experiencing emotional symptoms, or complaining about the physical symptoms. Ask them to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 how your symptoms negatively affect them. Make sure that they have access to this journal, and that open and honest communication about this topic is acceptable. You cannot treat what you do not recognize.

• 2

  Stop by your doctor's office to get pamphlets or brochures on PMDD. Help your family understand that it is a real disorder that you have no control over. First, let us talk about what PMDD is not. It is not all in your head. PMDD has been documented and treated for a number of years. It is well understood in the medical community but not so much by the general public. Some of the emotional symptoms of PMDD include moods swings and crying, tension and anxiety, feelings of being out of control, panic attacks, and persistent anger that affects others around you. PMDD shares some of the same physical symptoms as PMS, but the symptoms are much more severe. Some of these symptoms include food cravings and binge eating, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, joint and muscle pain, trouble sleeping and trouble concentrating.

• 3

  Schedule an appointment to see your doctor about the severity of symptoms and bring your significant other and/or loved ones with you. Doctors may choose to test hormone levels at different points in the month to assess whether severe surges or decline in hormones is occurring. If this is happening, the doctor can prescribe birth control pills that address both physical and emotional symptoms, such as depression. An antidepressant agent is often prescribed for severe cases of PMDD after other mental illness is ruled out. For women who experience extreme bloating, diuretics and a low salt diet may be prescribed. Nutritional supplements containing maximum doses of vitamins B6, calcium and magnesium are recommended and tend to be calming. Still, to date, ibuprofen is the best medicine in the fight against menstrual cramps, no matter how severe. Ibuprofen blocks the productions of prostaglandins, which cause uterine contractions.

• 4

  Ask your family for help in changing your nutritional and exercise lifestyle. Making big changes like this will require their support and can often be done as a family. In addition to hormones, nutritional supplements or antidepressants, lifestyle changes can actively help control PMDD symptoms. Exercise, such as jogging, walking, aerobics or yoga, can increase levels of endorphins, which are our body's own pain relieving, feel-good chemicals. A diet that is rich in whole grains, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables also helps to balance hormones when a poor diet has thrown everything amok inside your body. Your family does not need to be alienated by your PMDD, but they can certainly be part of the solution.