Question regarding this
Can the symptoms of this appear in varying degrees from month to month? Some months are worse than others for me. So just wondering if it actually is PMDD or just PMS
This Comment
Hi SD2: This is a good question. The symptoms absolutely do vary month to month because they are influenced by so many things, not least of all your hormones, which also vary month to month, but also your stress level, your diet, and plenty of other factors.
However, variation alone doesn't determine whether it is PMDD or PMS; it's really the number of symptoms, and the degree to which they interfere with your life, and how long they've been troubling you (one year for PMDD, 3 months for PMS)
This page explains exactly the medical definition of PMDD:
http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-pmdd-symptoms/pmdd.aspx
This page explains the medical definition of PMS:
http://www.pmscomfort.com/pms-pmdd-symptoms/what-is-pms.aspx
I would point out though, that the 3 month versus 12 month distinction is somewhat arbitrary. The other thing I say over and over is that PMS can be awful and interfere with your life. People often say only PMDD is bad, PMS is just minor. That's not true. You can have symptoms that don't add up to PMDD but have PMS that truly interferes with your life.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Daniel Heller, ND
www.drdanielheller.com
Silyan, if you click through the links above (the ones explaining the medical definitions of PMS and PMDD) they describe the main symptoms.
To clarify, though, the symptoms of PMDD aren't different from the symptoms of PMS - they are more severe, though, and they impair one's ability to function in life to a greater degree, and they tend to be more in the emotional than physical sphere.
April 7, 2012 - 1:00pmThis Comment