Learning to Stand Alone
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
By
Elli Z. Georgiadou
-
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Learning to Stand Alone
Where the Journey Begins
Understanding PMS: My Honest Journey into Something I Never Really Understood
 |
| Photo by With Elli |
is. I knew the concept, of course — I’ve heard people talk about it all my life — but I never got it.
So I decided to find out.
🌙 What Is PMS?
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a disruptive set of emotional and physical symptoms that appear before menstruation.
The exact cause of PMS isn’t fully understood by researchers, but it’s believed to be linked to changes in hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle.
While PMS is mostly associated with the luteal phase (the time between ovulation and the start of menstruation), its causes are complex and may involve several interconnected factors.
🌸 Why Do We Have It?
Although the cause is still uncertain, scientific studies suggest that PMS arises from the way our bodies and brains respond to hormonal fluctuations.
Cyclic Changes in Hormones:
The main theory is that PMS is related to the natural drop in estrogen and progesterone levels after ovulation, if pregnancy doesn’t occur.
For those with more severe symptoms (like in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD), it may not be a hormone imbalance itself — but rather the brain’s exaggerated sensitivity to these normal hormonal changes.
Chemical Changes in the Brain (Neurotransmitters):
These hormone shifts also affect brain chemistry, especially serotonin, which regulates mood, sleep, and appetite.
A drop in serotonin is strongly linked to PMS symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.
There’s also research on neurosteroids, especially allopregnanolone (a metabolite of progesterone), which acts on GABA-A receptors in the brain and may play a big role in mood and anxiety symptoms.
Other Contributing Factors:
-
Genetics: A family history of PMS, PMDD, or mood disorders may increase risk.
-
Lifestyle: Stress, poor sleep, lack of exercise, and diets high in salt, sugar, or caffeine can worsen symptoms.
-
Underlying Conditions: Depression and anxiety disorders often overlap with PMS and can intensify during the premenstrual phase.
💫 How Does It Manifest?
Any disruptive, cyclical symptom could be a sign of PMS — and some sources say there are over 200 possible symptoms!
Common emotional and non-specific symptoms include:
stress, anxiety, trouble sleeping, headaches, fatigue, mood swings, emotional sensitivity, and changes in sexual interest.
There can also be problems with concentration, memory, depression, or irritability.
Common physical symptoms include bloating, breast tenderness, and headaches.
The exact symptoms and their intensity vary a lot — from person to person, from cycle to cycle, and even across cultures. For example, women in China often report feeling cold during PMS, while women in the U.S. report more emotional symptoms like sadness or irritability.
🌧 What It Feels Like
Symptoms can include one or more emotional, physical, or behavioral changes that usually disappear once menstruation begins.
The most common are breast tenderness, bloating, headaches, mood swings, depression, anxiety, anger, and irritability.
To be diagnosed as PMS (and not just normal pre-period discomfort), the symptoms must interfere with daily life — and appear for at least two consecutive cycles.
⚡ PMDD — When It Feels Even Harder
For some people, the emotional and physical symptoms become so intense that they are diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) — a severe form of PMS.
PMDD shares the same timing and hormonal triggers as PMS but affects mood and daily functioning much more deeply. It can feel like being trapped inside a heavy emotional storm that returns every month.
Researchers believe PMDD is caused by a heightened sensitivity in the brain to normal hormonal changes — not by abnormal hormone levels themselves.
PMDD was officially recognized in 2013, when it was added to the list of depressive disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). It has 11 main symptoms, of which at least five must be present for a diagnosis.
Because PMDD symptoms appear only during or around the luteal phase, this predictable cyclic pattern is key to distinguishing it from other mood disorders.
Unfortunately, PMDD has a profound impact on quality of life and dramatically increases the risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. This makes awareness and support especially crucial.
Research also shows that the lifetime incidence of other psychiatric disorders is high among people with PMDD. Studies have found that conditions such as major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder often co-occur.
There’s also evidence that individuals with bipolar disorder (type I or II) have a higher incidence of PMDD.
Because PMDD can overlap with other mental health conditions, a mental health professional must determine whether symptoms are due to PMDD itself or an underlying disorder. This helps create a more effective treatment plan — one that supports both the mind and body.
Treatment for PMDD can include therapy, antidepressants (SSRIs), hormonal regulation, lifestyle adjustments, and compassionate self-care. Recognizing it as a real, cyclical, and neurobiological condition can help us replace shame and confusion with understanding and empathy.
⏳ How Long Does It Last?
PMS symptoms typically appear 1–2 weeks before your period and resolve once bleeding starts.
On average, the symptoms last for about six days.
🌿 What Helps?
For mild symptoms, simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference:
-
Reduce salt, alcohol, caffeine, and stress.
-
Move your body more often — even gentle exercise helps.
-
Some find relief with calcium and vitamin D supplements.
-
Anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen or naproxen may ease physical discomfort.
For more significant symptoms, healthcare providers might recommend birth control pills, the diuretic spironolactone, or SSRIs (antidepressants that affect serotonin) to manage mood-related symptoms.
Over 90% of women experience some premenstrual symptoms — but only about 20% meet the clinical criteria for PMS.
🌊 My Personal Experience
So, I decided to observe myself closely — to understand what my version of PMS feels like.
It was a crazy day, full of disruptive emotions — crying and laughing at the same time. I felt a lot. I was deeply triggered with depression, had no energy, and didn’t want to go out of the house. I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone.
It felt like being on a train with a wild ride — up, down, left, right — with no way to slow it down.
The emotions were not new; I feel them every day. But this time, they were on maximum volume. The emotional response was too strong to control.
When I laughed, it was too much. When I cried, it was too much. When I was angry, it was so much.
That’s what it felt like — a storm inside, with every feeling amplified.
PMDD and Neurodivergence
Current research strongly suggests that neurodivergent individuals — particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — are disproportionately affected by severe premenstrual symptoms and have a significantly higher risk of developing Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Studies indicate that this heightened vulnerability may stem from an atypical biological sensitivity to the natural hormonal fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone, which influence mood, attention, and brain chemistry. These cyclical shifts can trigger a premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of core neurodivergent traits — intensifying sensory sensitivities, increasing executive dysfunction, and amplifying emotional dysregulation such as mood swings, irritability, and anxiety.Experts emphasize the importance of greater awareness, routine PMDD screening, and neuro-affirming treatment approaches for this population. Recognizing and addressing these patterns can significantly improve daily functioning and emotional well-being, offering a more compassionate and informed understanding of how hormonal rhythms interact with the neurodivergent mind.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
If you’re concerned about PMS or PMDD symptoms, please consult a healthcare provider.
Soft Words That Stayed
The Room Inside: Meeting My Younger Self with Compassion
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash 🕊 The Room, the Wall, and the Dance of Co-Regulation Inside my mind, there's a room. It started as an image in therapy, a space where my younger self existed — isolated, frightened. A place with no doors, no windows. Just grey walls and silence. But over time, that room began to change. A door appeared. Then windows. Light entered. And for the first time, I could speak to the child inside — the younger version of me. I could sit with her. I could listen. I began imagining knocking down the wall that separates her world from the open, warm feeling of a living room — a safe, shared space. I wished I could free her. I still do. This process — of visualizing the inner child and slowly transforming their environment — is a therapeutic technique used in inner child work , guided imagery , and Internal Family Systems (IFS) . But it's also deeply tied to a concept called co-regulation . 💞 What Is Co-Regulation? Co-regulation is when two people help...
✨ The Magic of Winter: Solstice, Christmas & Greek Traditions ✨
Photo by Theo Crazzolara on Unsplash As December deepens, the world feels wrapped in a quiet glow. Candles flicker in windows, lights shimmer across darkened streets, and the cold breath of winter invites us to pause and look inward. Christmas, with its rich layering of traditions, is not only a celebration of birth and renewal but also a weaving of ancient rituals into our present lives. 🌌 The Solstice Connection Just days before Christmas, the Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year. Ancient cultures saw this as a threshold: the moment when darkness reaches its depth, and light is reborn. Fires, candles, and evergreen boughs were more than decorations—they were symbols of resilience, carrying the promise of return, of life beyond the cold. Today, when we light our Advent candles or gather around a Christmas tree, we echo these same gestures of hope. What was once ritual beneath starlit skies continues as a quiet thread in our own celebrations. 👉 This beautiful vi...
Masking in Autism: The Hidden Exhaustion of Everyday Communication
For many autistic people, social interaction feels like a performance — not because they’re dishonest, but because they’ve had to learn to "mask" their natural ways of being in order to be accepted, understood, or safe. This is called masking , and it can happen all day, every day. What Is Masking? Masking involves things like: Photo by Jens Riesenberg on Unsplash Imitating facial expressions and tone of voice Forcing eye contact Hiding stimming (like fidgeting or self-soothing movements) Suppressing emotions or overwhelm Studying and rehearsing what to say before saying it Pretending to be “okay” — even when they’re not Many autistic people start masking from a young age, often unconsciously. Over time, it becomes second nature — but it’s not natural. It’s learned. And it’s exhausting . It’s Not Just Strangers — It’s Everyone Masking doesn’t only happen in formal situations or with strangers. It often shows up in daily conversations with: Pho...
Comments
Post a Comment
💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Did this speak to you in any way? Feel free to share — your voice is welcome here.