Lessons Learned From Living With PMDD for Five years

It's been a while since I've addressed pmdd specifically. I'm excited to do that today and plan to do so off and on going forward. Today I share some things I wish I'd known 3 years ago--when I was early into my pmdd journey. Hopefully these will help you be able to be healthier and live a better life... especially if you have pmdd (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) or other premenstrual issues. 

Take Aways

• The "5 Keys to Living Well with PMDD" are still applicable. Listen here to review those.
• Lesson 1: There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution for women with pmdd.
• Lesson 2: Your general health matters. It impacts the severity of your pmdd symptoms. (So make attempts to be healthier!)
• Lesson 3: Mindset matters.
• Lesson 4: You know better than anyone else your body and what is best for you right now.
• Lesson 5: Support makes having pmdd bearable.
• There is hope. 
• You're not alone.

Want to feel better? I'd love to help. Book a 30 minute call with me (Heidi) here. 

Heidi's links:

• Heidi's website
• Heidi's Instagram

Are you here for pmdd support? I've got you.

• 5 Ways To Feeling Better with PMDD: I created this free download to help women with pmdd feel better. I wish it had been around when I first learned I had pmdd. 
• Semaine PMS and Period Support Supplements: These supplements have reduced cramps and helped level emotional downs that I (and my teen daughter) experience. Book a one off support call Just need some friendly advice about your pmdd journey? A support call is Free support call with me. 

Music 

• Music- Island Breeze by Surf House Productions |...

Transcript

5 Takeaways from 5 years of PMDD

[00:00:00] Hello, this is the Living Well with PMDD podcast. I'm your host, Heidi Bradford, certified life coach, mom of five and PMDD Survivor. Happy to have you here. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be considered health advice.

Today I will share with you the takeaways that I have looking back on the last five years regarding PMDD, premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. That's how long I have been diagnosed with PMDD, and there's a lot of learning that's happened for me in these past five years.

I could honestly talk for hours and hours and hours about everything that I've gone through and about the [00:01:00] good and the bad and what I would suggest for you, what I would, uh, hope to lead you away from. But I recognize that in our lives, we need things kind of condensed and that's what I wanna provide for you today.

I chose five takeaways to share with you from the last five years of my experience with PMDD. Obviously it is not all, um, encompassing. There are so many takeaways. I hope this comes across in a hopeful fashion. That is always my underlying motivation in sharing and in podcasting and in coaching. I really want you to have hope. Um, life is worth living. Even when it's hard and even when it [00:02:00] stinks.

All of that to say, I'm really excited to share this with you. I haven't done a specific episode for women with PMDD for a while, so I'm just happy to do this again. Some of my episodes this year will be, um, specifically to you if that's you. And if it's not, you can still take away from any episode that has to do with PMDD, that there are women around you suffering with this or something similar. So have compassion, have grace.

I did an episode back when I first started podcasting, titled Five Keys to Living Well with PMDD. This was in 2024. I had been diagnosed at that time for about three years. I said the keys to living well with P-M-D-D-R, you need to find out about it that PMDD is a thing. [00:03:00] You need to tell someone that you think you might have it. Third, you need to be willing to try things. Fourth, you need to track your symptoms and your period. And fifth, you need to open yourself up to Grace.

Two years past that, now I'm five years in to having PMDD. I still think those are key. If there's something about that that you haven't done, uh, one of those five things, that's still in effect, I guess is what I wanna say, it's still very valid.

Um, and maybe there's an area, as you just heard me list those that you think. "Man, you know, I haven't really been willing to try very many things or anything." Or maybe you realize, "I haven't tracked my symptoms so I don't know on day seven what to expect or what is my kind of normal [00:04:00] quote unquote normal." Or maybe it's opening up to grace. Maybe you realize that's a piece that I am missing. Because if you do wanna live well with this disorder. You've gotta give yourself grace. And for me, opening up to the grace of God is very important.

The five takeaways I wanna share with you today are about what I've learned and hopefully it can help you wherever you are on your journey. I'm gonna list these five takeaways and then I'm gonna just kind of talk about 'em a little bit.

First one, there is no one size fits all solution for women that have PMDD.

Second, your general health impacts the severity of your symptoms.

Third mindset matters.

Fourth, you know better than anyone else about [00:05:00] you and about what's best for you.

And last, number five, support makes having PMDD bearable.

Okay, so our first one, no one size fits all solution. I have read a lot of books about and articles about PMDD and about women's health, and there is not a specific thing that works for every woman. So just because it worked for your friend doesn't mean it will work for you. And just because it didn't work for your friend doesn't mean that it won't work for you.

So try things. Um. I have tried so many things. I've tried medicine, I've tried supplements. Alongside with that I've followed doctors' recommendations. I've followed naturopathic doctor's [00:06:00] recommendations. I had a homeopathic doctor for a time. I've used a wellness clinic that was all about diet and chiropractic.

The hope from this is that There's lots of people searching for answers and lots of people looking for solutions, you're not alone. There are doctors, there are parents that have lost their daughter to suicide because she couldn't handle this and couldn't figure out this, uh, disorder.

As we keep living, there will be more opportunities for things to try and perhaps a greater understanding for people from the outside in and hopefully resources for us who are in it to understand ourself, and our body and what's going on.

Along with this, no one size fits all [00:07:00] solution I wanna say that change is okay. Something might work for a time and then stop working. When that thing stops helping as much as it was helping, let that be an indicator that you need to look for something else to go along with the thing or, um, to do instead. Instead of, a huge letdown like, "oh my gosh. Now, everything is gonna fall apart because I don't have my PMDD under control." It's okay to go to that place sometimes. There is sadness, there is desperation, there is hardship with having a disorder. It's okay to indulge in that some of the time and for a little while, just don't stay there too long. move past it. Hope needs to be your best friend.

It needs to be with you. When you're just with yourself, [00:08:00] um, when you're not feeling supported, and also when you are feeling supported. Hope just needs to be right beside you.

Okay. The second one, general health impacts the severity of your symptoms. One of the first doctors I talked to, um, about having PMDD and I I kind of expected there to be a, an answer like, "Hey, follow this routine and use these medicines and you'll be okay." That wasn't really her answer. She said, " I've never seen any woman be able to get through with this disorder and live, like her words weren't live well, that's, those are my words, but get through it without exercise, a good diet and a medicine. They all mattered. I have found that if I don't exercise, where I actually get my heart rate up and sweat three times a [00:09:00] week my symptoms, my life, my mood is lower. It's hard to tell is that pMDD or is that just like being alive and being a human being? But I don't think the point is to be able to differentiate. The point to me is that I recognize it and even if it is just being human, that lower mood makes my symptoms worse.

As far as food: if I am trying to limit toxins and trying to have mostly whole foods and getting vitamins and nutrients that I need my PMDD symptoms are decreased. The severity, how long they last they are decreased. The point is, um, your general health, your efforts to be generally [00:10:00] healthy will make it easier for you to have less PMDD symptoms. So it's well worth the effort. Decreasing your screen time. Increasing your time in nature, figuring out how you deal with stress and trying to deal with it in more healthy ways. Decreasing any non-natural sugar. Avoiding ultra processed foods most of the time.

I'll leave it at that for general health, just those efforts that you make, they matter. Oh, one thing I was gonna add is that I do not exercise the same when I'm on my period. Exercise during your period can add extra stress to your body. There are those that say, "take it easy and let your body have all of its energy going [00:11:00] into the, the process that's happening during our period. Dr. Patrick Flynn is one that talks about it in that way.

Okay. Third takeaway mindset matters. Along with addressing your physical aspects: doing all the things or the thing you think you need to try next or incorporate, if your beliefs are overall negative, you will have a harder struggle. Some approaches are helpful and some approaches are not helpful. "I will fix this." "I will get rid of this for good." Those approaches tend to not be helpful because the feeling coming along with them is usually desperation. It can be coupled with determination, which determination for helping yourself is great, but determination to [00:12:00] fix yourself or to get rid of an aspect of yourself. Isn't very reasonable and it's harmful to your overall soul, your body, and your spirit.

I encourage you not to use those approaches. Some helpful approaches are "I'm going to do what I can to help myself with this disorder." Or "I'm going to learn all I can about PMDD", um, or "I'm going to look at some solutions and choose one to try next."

Some other helpful things, not necessarily an approach, but as you're just living day to day, is acknowledging that some of this is out of my control. Nobody knows exactly how to help you and your body that is out of your control. We just don't have all of the [00:13:00] information, all of the knowledge. We can't do a body scan top to bottom that measures the electric pulses in our brain to go to the neurology of it and the chemical imbalances in our body. It's not there.

The environment we're in, people yelling at one another or people being really happy and excited or even being in a calm environment. We cannot always control that, and I hope you can live well with PMDD and not try to control all of those things.

There are times where maybe, you know, certain days of your cycle that it's important for you to remove yourself when you feel a certain way. Or to close your mouth when you wanna say a certain thing. That's wonderful, like good awareness. But overall, acknowledge that some of this is out of your control.

Okay? [00:14:00] Number four, you know better than anyone else about yourself and what is best for you? In this past year, I went to a psychiatrist. I did not wanna move from fluoxetine as an antidepressant to another antidepressant, which is what my family doctor, or my women's doctor, I can't remember which one, what they wanted to do. And I was like, "no, I don't just wanna bounce medicines." I don't even like taking things that weren't made for my body to, um, absorb and use.

This psychiatrist, came to the conclusion that I should take a certain anti-psychotic, which she didn't tell me that's what it was so I was not prepared, uh, in that way. But I really appreciated meeting with her and just to get her perspective. I did use the medicine and the low dose didn't seem to do much. I was supposed to use the low dose for a week and then moved to a higher dose, and I did, and [00:15:00] I got really bad restless legs. Is what it's called. And that was just enough. I decided that was not worth doing or trying even if it was going to have a benefit. My physical body really matters to me. And that kind of side effect is not worth it for me personally.

The kind of the things that this psychiatrist said in some ways made sense to me. And then in other ways, I just thought, "I don't think so." I want you to be able to get to that point where you can go in and listen to a doctor and have them recommend something and have them tell you, these are their observations and this is what they, you should do next. And for you to take it as information.

And when you feel that panic of, "oh my gosh, I have to do this thing or I'm not gonna be able to function." Or " this doctor's not going to meet with me anymore 'cause I didn't do what she said." I hope you can [00:16:00] pause and say to yourself, " I'm worth taking the time to think this through and to make this decision from a place of faith and not a place of fear and panic. If that just means saying, "you know, I'm not comfortable doing that right now. Is there something else I could try?" Or "I'm not comfortable with doing that right now. I really appreciate your insights and I might call and and ask for that." And you can decide, uh, do you want them to already fill the prescription or not?

These professionals are trained in certain ways and to do things a certain way, and they have a process and they are following their process. We need to get better about following our own process. We don't go to anyone and just do what they say when it [00:17:00] feels yucky, when it doesn't seem like the right thing to us. Either our body has a natural response, maybe panic, maybe a cold sweat, maybe, um, a pit in our stomach. Or it might be a mind response of " I don't think I can do that, or I don't know what to do." Just like fear. So get to know yourself because we need to be able to take in information. We cannot live just huddled in a corner by ourself or in our house without communicating with people. And I know of women that have had PMDD and they've just secluded themself because they don't trust themself and they don't trust, um, the world around them to be able to handle them. While there may be a time for that, like a short period of time. It's not sustainable. We need the world and we need each other and you need support. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. [00:18:00] But please, you know better than anyone else. You don't have to say that to a doctor's face. We don't need to be combative. It will not help you or our cause. I appreciate women that are very straightforward I just haven't found it to be as useful. I do have to use the medical system because our insurance is through the military and we do not have enough money to use the types of specialists and the types of care that I would like to give myself. We just don't have the money for it, and I don't believe in going into debt for medical reasons most of the time. That debt had so much stress that then that becomes a liability to your health on top of whatever you got in debt for. There is that. Okay, sorry, total tangent, I'm coming back.

Number five, [00:19:00] support makes it bearable. Having PMDD will be easier at times and harder at times. At least that is my experience, my last five years experience. Having support makes it bearable when you need to go and take a moment and just collect yourself, having an understanding coworker or an understanding husband or a child who knows,

oh, mommy's not feeling well. She just needs to go and take a minute." That is so valuable. It's really almost irreplaceable.

Along with that, there's been years where I've used a Facebook group for support and for learning. Um, I like the international association of Premenstrual Disorders. I don't do a ton with them and I don't watch like all of the webinars, but I love their mission. One of the new [00:20:00] things is the, uh, oh, what's it called? It's a neuro thing that goes on the head. I think that's really interesting. I'm not comfortable with doing it myself yet. Getting support from other people and support through knowledge and understanding. Through prayer. You know, reaching out to God, asking him how you can possibly get through a day with how you're feeling. Also support through outside resources like medicine, supplements, vitamins, chiropractic, using a wellness clinic, talking to a counselor, tracking your symptoms, those are all support for you. And when they feel heavy and like they're just weighing you down, it's just a signal that you need to back off in that area.

Tracking my symptoms became that way and has become that way off and on for me. I was writing too much of the negative. [00:21:00] Even once I felt better, like I was rereading to kind of remember, I realized, oh my gosh, this is too much. I need to be okay when I'm okay and when I'm not okay

I need to record some things, but I do not need to record every negative thought, every person that annoyed me. Like, that's too much. If you have a problem with self negativity and maybe over control. I think they are pretty common for women with PMDD. Get support in that area. Learn, go online and learn. How do I let go? How do I stop being a controlling person? Take in some new information. Get some new tools for your tool belts right to use and apply.

Lastly, I just wanna share with you where I am [00:22:00] currently on all of these things. I check my mindset. I am improving my health. In the last, um, what six months, I chose to lose 18 pounds because I wondered if I could be healthier at that weight and I am healthier at that weight, and it makes exercise easier, which makes me more likely to exercise and exercise feels good and I feel strong. I still try different things. Currently I am taking micronized progesterone or natural progesterone 300 milligrams from about day nine of my menstrual cycle until the day that I bleed, and then I don't take it until day nine.

I will tell you, I'm considering taking it even sooner because at the end of my period I'm noticing around day five or six, I'm starting to feel anxious and, [00:23:00] uh, controlling. So we'll see. But that was a recommendation by Dr. Lara Bryden. B-R-I-D-E-N. She's a naturopathic doctor out of New Zealand and that was her recommendation. It's working as well as the Fluoxetine worked for me when it worked. It did take three months. I've been taking it since I think September, and I noticed a difference in November. It was December that I was like, yeah, this, I can feel my body, like my body temperature kind of rising and me wanting to feel anxious and I'm not, though. I can feel that that's where either I've trained myself to go in this situation or I'm just feeling that way. Um, so that is something I'm doing. And it, it's working well enough.

Um, I'm currently using exercise. More high heart rate, like above one 20, [00:24:00] exercise a few times a week. I am journaling more often. That's form of expression, right? I think it's really helping.

I am eating less ultra processed foods, eating less sugar, processed sugar. I still have fruits. I'm following food windows, uh, which. It's something I've taught my weight loss clients for a while, but I had just never really established mine. But now I have food windows and I take breaks between eating so that my hormones can rebalance, so that my insulin can decrease. It just doesn't increase. It resensitize in between my meals and snacks.

I've been trying to get in nature more often. I am not using any sort of medicine, you know, [00:25:00] prescription or otherwise.

I am using vitamins, but not as consistently as I would like. The vitamins I do use are some magnesium glycinate, some fish oil, coq 10, and vitamin B, like guess vitamin B mix. I also take a Flintstone vitamin and vitamin C every day. Those are two constants.

As far as supplements I use the PMS and period support occasionally my teenage daughter uses them regularly. Those were really, really helpful for me in my first years of this disorder. I've been able to change my diet more that I don't need it as much.

I also use the Primal Kitchen Chocolate Coconut Collagen Blend. One scoop every day either in hot cocoa mixed in with other hot [00:26:00] cocoa or with a protein powder. Right now we use Jocko Fuel. That's what I'm doing right now. I hope that you have found things that are helping. If not, uh, reach out. I would love to support you. I offer one-on-one support at a very, very affordable price. Talk to you next week.

Thanks so much for listening to the Living Well with PMDD podcast. To learn more about life coaching with me, visit my website Heidi, H-E-I-D-I, bradford coaching.com. Until next time, keep hoping, keep loving, and remember that you are not alone.