PMDD Treatment

What is the difference between PMS and PMDD?

The list of physical symptoms is the same for PMDD and PMS. The emotional symptoms are very similar, but they are far more pronounced with PMDD. Generally PMS emotional symptoms are sadness and mild depression. With PMDD, however, significant major depressive symptoms are present and the sufferer may feel suicidal or homicidal.

Thirty to fifty percent of women between the ages of 30 to 40 with regular menstrual cycles suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome) with regular symptoms every month. Three to five percent of these women experience much more severe symptoms, called PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) on a monthly basis.

Women with PMDD complain of very depressed moods, anger and severe irritability, crying spells for no reason and temper tantrums and verbal outbursts. In addition to these symptoms, some women complain of insomnia, and physical symptoms such as headaches, painful joints and bloating.

What primarily differentiates PMDD from other mood disorders is it appears during the week before and ends a couple days after the menstrual period. The symptoms are severe enough to disrupt daily functioning.

PMDD Treatment

PMDD Treatment - Causes

The exact cause of PMDD is not known, however, several theories have been proposed. One theory states that women with PMDD react to the normal fluctuations of hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone with a decreased level of serotonin levels in the brain. Evaluating the levels of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and GABA levels to gain data of what levels are.

Doctors taking a medical history try to identify if the following symptoms are present, indicating PMDD:

During a year's time, during most menstrual cycles, five or more of the following symptoms must be present:

- Depressed mood
- Anger or irritability
- Moodiness
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Increased appetite
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Feeling overwhelmed or out of control
- Symptoms that inhibit occupational, social or physical functioning

PMDD Treatment - Options

PMDD is sometimes treated with bioidentical natural progesterone in suppository or tablet form. You can choose between brand name formulas, such as Prometrium, or custom-compounded USP (bioidentical) progesterone from specialty pharmacies. Women taking progesterone should have their hormone levels checked every three to six months to ensure that the progesterone is not being converted into estrogen. Other women find that they respond well to different birth control pills. Certain antidepressant medication can also alleviate the symptoms of PMDD or at least lessen them.