We hear about Premenstrual Symptoms a lot, mostly negative. People joke about it, people sometimes even take sexist look at saying that women are difficult to get along during PMS time. But hardly about PMDD.
But all the women know that it is very difficult emotionally and physically to function. In such silence around anything to do with PMS, ever heard of anything to do with Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)?
What is PMDD?
Medical literature available online defines Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) refers to emotional and physical symptoms that one notices a week or two before your period. There is a huge debate around it whether it should be consider a disorder. There is still ongoing studies around it.
Throughout a bodily cycle, body goes through a natural rise and fall in its levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Women living with PMDD might be more sensitive to these hormonal changes.
It has an extreme effect on people, where it becomes extremely difficult to function for women.
Silence around PMDD:
There is a lot of silence around this topic as there is no consensus within medical fraternity whether this is even a disorder. Within doctor fraternity. even though they acknowledge it is a problem, it is consider a theoretical problem. Often people get to know more about it, if they start looking for information around it.
Is there a Clinical diagnosis around it?
Doctors often depend on patients history to come up with clinical diagnosis. The treatment often requires a psychiatrist/ psychologist counselling. People find it very very difficult to find doctors who might be willing to acknowledge or even consider the feelings and its association with menstruation.
We, at Hidden Pockets, can connect you to doctors who will be willing to provide consultation and listen to you.
Symptoms that are considered related to it:
Emotional symptoms of PMDD can include:
- moodiness
- panic attacks
- paranoia
- sadness
- thoughts of suicide
Legal acceptance of PMDD in India :
There have been cases in 2018 in Rajasthan High Court, where judges have acknowledged the effect PMS and related symptoms have on women. Even though it was considered and used an insanity claim, the real issue is that slowly there has been some kind of consensus around it.
More conversations around menstruation and pain :
Even though there are conversations around this issue on various front, the reality is there is very little information about women and pain. There is hardly any acknowledgement about pain women go throughout their lifetime.
What we do need is more clarity about how menstruation affects different bodies and brains. PMDD just might be a beginning.
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