Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Natural Treatment Tips

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Do you find yourself experiencing disturbing emotional and physical symptoms right before your menstruation? Do these symptoms disrupt your life and interfere with your normal daily activities and relationships with others? Do these symptoms go away when your period starts or soon afterwards, only to return the following month?

You may be thinking that it’s just PMS, pre-menstrual syndrome, that is so common nowadays, affecting about 75% of menstruating women, that can cause all kinds of unpleasant physical or emotional symptoms that typically occur about 5 to 11 days before a woman starts her monthly menstrual cycle.

However, if your symptoms are really severe, you may have a condition known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a condition that is associated with the menstrual cycle in which a woman has severe depression symptoms, irritability, and tension right before menstruation. These symptoms are significantly more serious than those frequently associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

What’s the difference between premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS)?

Both PMDD and PMS share symptoms in common that include depression, anxiety, tension, irritability and moodiness. What is different about PMDD is its severity. Women with PMDD find that it has a very disruptive effect on their lives. You have no patience, can’t concentrate, can’t bear social or professional interactions…You are terrible to be around.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Symptoms

The main symptoms, which can be disabling, include:

feelings of deep sadness or despair, and suicide ideation

feelings of intense tension or anxiety

increased intense sensitivity to rejection or criticism

panic attacks

rapid and severe mood swings, bouts of uncontrollable crying

lasting irritability or anger, increased interpersonal conflicts; typically sufferers are unaware of the impact they have on those close to them

apathy or disinterest in daily activities and relationships

difficulty concentrating

chronic fatigue

food cravings or binge eating

insomnia or hypersomnia; sleeping more than usual, or (in a smaller group of sufferers) being unable to sleep

feeling overwhelmed or feelings of being out of control

increase or decrease in sex drive

increased need for emotional closeness

Via Wikipedia

What Causes Premenstrual dysphoric disorder ?

Although the cause of PMDD isn’t clear, it is believed that these conditions result from the interaction of hormones produced by the ovaries at different stages in the menstrual cycle (such as estrogen and progesterone) with the neurotransmitters (chemicals that serve as messengers) in the brain.

Whatever the cause, experiencing severe PMS or PMDD is likely a result of your body being out of balance due to mostly inappropriate dietary and lifestyle choices, such as excessive consumption of processed foods, animal foods, stress, lack of physical activity and other.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Treatment

It’s important that you review your symptoms with your physician. A thorough medical evaluation can determine if symptoms are due to PMDD or some other condition. If you are diagnosed with PMDD, your doctor can recommend specific treatments to help minimize the impact PMDD has on the days you experience symptoms.

Treatment of PMDD is directed at preventing or minimizing symptoms and may include:

Antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac, others) and sertraline (Zoloft, others), reduce symptoms such as fatigue, food cravings and sleep problems. You can control PMDD by taking SSRIs all month or only in the interval between ovulation and the start of your period.

Birth control pills. Taking birth control pills stops ovulation and stabilizes hormone fluctuations. Birth control pills containing drospirenone and packaged with a four-day placebo interval after 24 days of combination hormones may be more effective than are standard birth control pills.

Nutritional supplements. Consuming 1,000 milligrams of dietary and supplemental calcium daily may reduce the physical and emotional symptoms of PMDD. Vitamin B-6, magnesium and L-tryptophan also may help.
Herbal remedies. Clinical trials suggest that chasteberry may reduce irritability, mood swings, anger and headaches associated with PMDD.

Diet and lifestyle changes. Regular exercise often reduces premenstrual symptoms. Cutting back caffeine intake can alleviate anxiety and irritability. Also, eating more carbohydrates in the week before your period may improve mood and memory. Via mayoclinic

PMDD and PMS Prevention Diet: Foods To Avoid or Eliminate Completely

I strongly believe that to get permanent relief from the symptoms, you need to follow the guidelines below for optimum diet and healthy lifestyle. The hormone drugs, although may be effective for short-term improvement, may be causing a lot of problems as PMDD at its root is a hormonal disorder.

The following foods cause increased levels of estrogen and other hormone imbalance in woman’s body:

All animal-based foods: meats and dairy products
All processed foods: white flour products, fast foods, foods containing preservatives, colorants, sugary foods, fatty foods.
Caffeine, tea, alcohol, sugar.

A diet that is high in animal products and highly processed food products has been show to:

Lower the age of the first menstrual period
Raise the age of menopause
Raise the levels of female hormones in the bloodstream
Increase blood cholesterol levels

Women who eat a diet that is rich in animal-based products, with a low amount of unprocessed, plant-based foods, on average start menstruating earlier and reach menopause later, therefore causing excessive exposure to female hormones during their reproductive lives.

PMDD and PMS Prevention Diet: Foods To Eat

Eat a diet that is based on the following foods:

(1) Whole Foods - You need to be eating food in its purest form – unprocessed, without artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings and preservatives. That is the optimal food for ensuring a healthy body and balance hormones. It’s also most nutritious food available – so you will not need any nutritional supplements or vitamins. Eat Whole, Unprocessed Foods!

(2) Plant Based. Whatever type of diet you follow and whether you include dairy, meat or seafood; you need to reconfigure your plate so the majority of each meal is abundant in raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, legumes/beans, seeds, nuts or whole grains. Eat a colorful variety of plants!

(3) Healthy Fats – Eliminate “bad” fats and get healthy fats from whole plant sources, such as nuts, seeds and avocados. These are rich in micronutrients as well. Try to eliminate (or minimize) extracted oils and processed fats. Eat Healthy Fats!

(4) Nutrient Dense – Choose foods that are rich in micronutrients when compared to their total caloric content. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods!

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder diet

So, to summarize, the following are the foods that should constitute your every-day diet:

Fresh, raw vegetables
Fresh, raw dark leafy greens
Fresh, raw fruits
Whole grains
Legumes
Raw nuts and seeds

These foods are high in fiber, which reduces excess estrogen in your body and prevents constipation and toxin buildup, both of which contribute to various health issues, including hormonal imbalance.

Replace unhealthy fats with essential fatty acids – flaxseed oil or hemp seed oil, and focus on foods that are high in antioxidants – vegetables, greens, fruits, raw nuts, raw sees, whole grains and legumes – as they can help your body get rid of excess estrogen.

Foods high in sulfur-containing amino acids, such as garlic, onions and beans are also considered beneficial.

Another tip is to avoid storing foods in plastic containers, as this has been show to increase estrogen in the body.

PMDD and PMS Prevention Secret Weapon: Green Smoothies and Green Juices

Say bye-bye to processed foods, sugary foods and stimulants. Say hello to green smoothies and freshly made green juices. Green smoothies are simply smoothies made from fresh fruits and greens. They make it super easy to increase your fruit and vegetables intake. They are satisfying and a great way to satisfy your cravings for sweets and unhealthy foods. Read how to prepare delicious green smoothie recipes.

Green Smoothie: Combat cravings with delicious green smoothies!

PMDD and PMS Prevention Tip: Physical Activity

Being physically active and getting enough exercise is extremely important. If you are very out of shape, just start with walking. Walk at least 30 minutes every day, try to increase to at least one hour.

PMDD and PMS Prevention Tip: Other Lifestyle Changes

Get enough sleep and avoid stress. I know this is often easier said than done. but it’s necessary for good health.

Because you are worth it!

Healthy Diet and Exercise is the best Natural Treatment for PMDD

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Do you have a tip that you would like to share with the readers of this Menstrual Cup and Women’s Health blog. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

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