• March 19, 2024

Premenstrual Dysphoria: When depression comes every month

Regularly once a month she stands on the mat: the period. And to make sure that it gets really corrosive in advance, she does not come alone, but brings her dear friends a headache, lousy mood and tearfulness: Welcome! premenstrual syndrome, also known asPMS, The Phase between ovulation and onset of menstruation is a torture for all concerned - the woman who suffers from it and for her environment that has to endure it. For some, however, this very phase is almost unbearable: they suffer from an extreme form of premenstrual syndrome called a disorder premenstrual dysphoria, short PMDS or PMDD.



PMS or premenstrual dysphoria: What is the difference?

round 80% of women know it: In the period between ovulation and onset of the period, they are plagued by hormone-related complaints, also known as PMS.

Typical physical symptoms include:

  • Water retention in the body
  • breast tenderness
  • Abdominal, head and back pain
  • fatigue
  • fatigue

and mental-emotional symptoms:

  • mood swings
  • irritability
  • depressive moods
  • concentration problems
  • sleep disorders
  • listlessness
  • anxiety

round8% of all women on the other hand, in the second half of the cycle, not only do these symptoms suffer but also experience the extreme form the premenstrual disorder: premenstrual dysphoria. 



Typical physical symptoms are:

  • cravings
  • binges
  • rapid exhaustion
  • sweat
  • sleep disorders
  • Joint and / or muscle pain
  • a headache
  • increase in weight
  • bloated stomach
  • chest pain
  • Constipation or diarrhea

and mental-emotional symptoms of dysphoric disorder:

  • depressions
  • loss of control
  • irritability
  • aggressiveness
  • difficulty concentrating
  • reduced interest in usual activities
  • Inability to act in everyday life
  • Social withdrawal
  • Concomitant disease with psychiatric disorders

The women with PMDS experience themselves as completely different people and can no longer pursue their everyday life and work - A total loss of controlwho can even cost partners, friends, even the job. And not just once, but regularly every month.



And then, as if by magic, it stops again: with Onset of menstruation and the drop in estrogen levels disappear the symptoms abruptly.

What happens with PMDS in the body?

How exactly premenstrual disorders arise in all their forms is so far not yet fully understood, However, the big part of the total cyclical failure obviously has thefemale sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, Because women who do not produce these hormones - after menopause, the removal of the ovaries, or even pregnant women - have no PMS. Nevertheless, especially the dysphoric disorder PMDS seems to be involved Processes in the brain, more specifically the interaction between the hormones and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus in turn, is central to the limbic system and responsible for, among other things:

  1. Control of affects such as anger, fear and joy
  2. Center of emotional utterances
  3. sexual behavior
  4. Memory, memory and learning processes

In the past, you did not know thatHormones communicate with our brain. It is now clear that women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoria Changes in the brain expire.

Thus, scientific studies indicate that estrogen and progesterone influence theserotonin levels to have. The turn has a direct effect on the mood.Depression and aggression So can a sequence ofserotonin deficiency his. The hippocampus is also the brain region in which a particularly large number Receptors for the sex hormones can be found. Therefore, this part of our brain is so sensitive to the effects of sex hormones.

What can one do against PMDS?

The possibilities of diagnosis are low, because in most cases they deliverblood values including hormone levels no indication on a dysphoric disorder. Often both general practitioners and gynecologists can not do anything with the condition and refer to one psychiatrist, But experts in this area are above all elsegynecological endocrinologists, Affected women is recommended to be at least over three cycles Mood diary to lead and bring this to the doctor's visit.Unfortunately, the specialists are often found only in larger cities, away from metropolitan areas, it can be difficult.

This helps affected women with PMDS:

  • the revenue of Serotonin reuptake inhibitorsthat are commonly used in depression and that make existing serotonin work longer.
  • antidepressants
  • Hormones, such as the Anti-baby pill or the hormonal spiral

A major advance for affected women was the inclusion of the premenstrual dysphoric disorder PMDS in the area around 4 years ago DMS 5, the diagnostic and statistical guide to mental disorders, with it. The PMDS is thus medically recognized as an independent, mental disorderwhich makes the diagnosis much easier and at the same time differentiates it from other forms of PMS.

Understanding Your PMDD (March 2024).



Depression, mood swings