{"id":7485,"date":"2018-04-12T11:57:29","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T11:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bepreparedperiod.com\/blog\/?p=7485"},"modified":"2021-08-12T09:59:15","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T09:59:15","slug":"is-it-pms-or-pmdd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bepreparedperiod.com\/blog\/is-it-pms-or-pmdd\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it PMS or PMDD?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.6″][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.0.11″ custom_padding=”0|0px|30px|0px|false|false” custom_css_main_element=”color: #333333;”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.bepreparedperiod.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/PMS_PMDD_Header.jpg” _builder_version=”4.0.11″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″ custom_padding=”||0px|||”]

Contributed by Danielle Bosley<\/em><\/p>\n

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If you find yourself struggling to stay focused and energized each month when Aunt Flow arrives, you\u2019re not alone. For a lot of women, the societal stigma against periods and all things related to them makes it hard to talk about. In fact, many ladies who battle these issues suffer in silence for years. Many assume they must be clinically insane or suffering from some form of mental illness, so they don\u2019t speak up.<\/p><\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″]\"\"Unfortunately, it is that very lack of talking about PMS and PMDD that keeps people in the dark about what they\u2019re going through, and further away from potential treatment and a better life. If you or someone you love struggles with severe premenstrual symptoms, we want you to know that it\u2019s not your fault, and you can get better. With the proper knowledge, you should feel encouraged to talk about this, empowered to have recognized it, and prepared to handle it.\n\nPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) are two separate conditions that affect women in different ways. Either condition can develop at any point in a woman\u2019s life, but PMS can spring into action without warning while PMDD typically develops following some kind of hormonal catalyst, such as a pregnancy, tubal ligation or the onset of menses.\n\nPMS affects around 75 percent of all menstruating women, with PMDD affecting fewer women. It is estimated that 2 to 10 percent of females of reproductive age are affected, but the truth is we are still uncovering just how many women suffer with this disorder. While PMS might make for a bad day of cramps and bloating, PMDD can actually warrant the need for having three or four different clothing sizes on hand. The bloating is extreme, but most with PMDD would agree the physical symptoms aren\u2019t the most difficult aspect of this disorder.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″ text_font=”Roboto Slab||||||||” text_text_color=”#75c043″ text_font_size=”27px” custom_margin=”||12px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false”]What is PMS?[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″]We know that PMS symptoms occur as a result of low levels of a sex hormone called progesterone. Around a week before a woman\u2019s period starts, progesterone plummets and remains low until the cycle starts when it begins to increase again and stabilize. This creates a temporary problem with estrogen dominance, a condition where the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are imbalanced, leaving estrogen levels much higher and causing many side effects. During that time, women with PMS will be more sensitive to the low levels of progesterone. In many cases, these symptoms can be improved with bioidentical progesterone supplementation, which can be applied easily in topical cream form.\n\nSymptoms of PMS include:[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″ custom_margin=”||5px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false”]