PMDD: What it is and Documenting Symptoms

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a very severe form of premenstrual syndrome. Symptoms are similar to those of PMS, but they're more severe and last longer. PMDD generally has more psychological symptoms than physical symptoms compared to PMS.

Psychological symptoms include severe depression, anxiety, irritability, and anger. Often, affected women feel like these feelings are uncontrollable and that they turn into a completely different person. Symptoms may interfere with everyday life, affecting personal and work relationships, job performance and social interactions.

Symptoms start about 10-14 days before menstruation begins and stop within several days after menstrual bleeding starts. Since this disorder is dependent on the menstrual cycle, only women who menstruate suffer from PMDD.

The American Psychiatric Association has established diagnostic criteria for PMDD. It requires that a certain number of symptoms are present for a certain length of time during most menstrual cycles. The symptoms must interfere with work, social activities, relationships, etc.

If you want to find out if your symptoms fit the criteria for PMDD, the best thing to do is discuss it with your doctor. An accurate diagnosis requires that you document your PMDD symptoms for at least two menstrual cycles. Then you’ll be able to recognize a pattern in your symptoms, which will aid in diagnosis.

A good way to record your symptoms is by using a calendar. Whatever you use, there should be enough space to take detailed notes about symptom type and severity. You also may want to note diet choices, exercise, events, etc. that occur that day. Different things affect women differently, and you may notice a pattern of lifestyle habits or events that worsen or improve your symptoms.

Start documenting symptoms on the first day of your next period. Make sure to note how long menstruation lasts and any symptoms for every day of the month. Write down your overall feelings for the day, not how you felt every hour. That’s too much detail when you're looking for a pattern.

After you’re done documenting your symptoms for several months, you can work with your doctor on getting a diagnosis for your symptoms. You may want to talk to your doctor first to see how long they want you to document your symptoms.

It's also a good idea to continue to note your menstrual cycle and symptoms after the initial two months is over. Then when you start to treat the PMDD symptoms, you can see what's working and what's not, according to if your symptoms improve or stay the same.