Why Do I Feel Depressed On My Period

Get A Good Nights Sleep

The 6 Signs of High Functioning Depression | Kati Morton

It sounds like an obvious solution, and it really is when you sleep right! People tend to forget the winding down part of going to sleep and as a result dont get those heavenly 8 hours. Ensuring youre fully rested is crucial to fighting pre-menstrual fatigue. Heres how:

  • Avoid caffeine in the second half of the day
  • Turn off all screens an hour before you to go sleep
  • Hit the hay at the same time every night
  • Have a sanctuary that you want to sleep in

Hormonal Birth Control Forms

Use of certain hormonal birth control methods is a possible way to treat PMDD symptoms. Hormonal birth control pills release a steady dose of reproductive hormones in the body throughout the cycle, which makes your hormone levels more predictable and less prone to the fluctuations that trigger PMDD symptoms. It is advisable to consult your doctor before deciding whether to and which hormonal birth control to use for treatment.

How Do You Know If Your Period Is Coming Or Your Pregnant

When you have your period, the flow is noticeably heavier and can last up to a week. Pregnancy: For some, one of the first signs of pregnancy is light vaginal bleeding or spotting thats usually pink or dark brown. This typically happens 10 to 14 days after conception and is usually not enough to fill pads or tampons.

Can PMS cause nausea and dizziness?

PMS is a very common cause of nausea before a period. A person often experiences additional symptoms of PMS, including a headache, dizziness, fatigue, diarrhea, and muscle aches.

Can a heavy period cause dizziness?

Heavy bleeding can also cause a person to feel dizzy. If a person feels lightheaded and has significantly more blood loss than usual, they should immediately get help from a healthcare professional.

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How Is Pms Diagnosed

Your doctor will ask you to keep track of your symptoms on a calendar. If your symptoms follow the same pattern each month, you may have PMS.

Your doctor may want to examine you and do some tests to rule out other possible problems. He or she may also want to talk about your eating habits, exercise habits, your work, and your family.

Staying Sane & Kicking The Period Blues: A Few Tips

 25+ Best Memes About Depression

Now that you know why your cycle can make your moods take a dip, lets talk about what you can do to feel better.

1. Take your experiences seriously and ask for help. Silly memes about PMS pop up online all the time, and while we love a good meme as much as the next person, they can sometimes have the effect of making you dismiss your pain or suffering as unserious and unimportant. But the way you feel matters.

If you suspect your cycle is severely affecting your mood and quality of life, talk to your healthcare provider sooner rather than later. Get screened for PMDD or perimenopausal depression and find out about treatment options, ranging from hormonal meds to antidepressants to cognitive behavioral therapy.

2. Treat yourself well. Self-care does make us feel better. Exercise, eating healthy foods, and getting enough sleep are essential to improving our moods, whatever part of the menstrual cycle were in.

Just make sure youre not too hard on yourself as you work on incorporating these good habitsespecially in the days right before or during your period. A particularly intense PMS day may not be the best time to take an extra-challenging HIIT class . Oftentimes, treating yourself well might mean simply letting yourself take a nap.

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When Is It More Than Just Pms

Between 3-8% of people with periods experience a more severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder . The symptoms are similar to those of PMS, but much more frequent and intense. Where PMS symptoms may last a few days, PMDD symptoms last the entire 1-2 weeks, and theyre severe enough to disrupt your daily functioning. Its a chronic condition that requires treatment.

The main feature of PMDD is the way it affects you mentally. It can cause clinical levels of anxiety and depression, with symptoms like panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, severe mood swings, and paranoia. What sets PMDD apart from other mood disorders is that symptoms go away shortly after your period starts.

Theres also premenstrual exacerbation , which worsens the symptoms of another mental health condition in the premenstrual phase.

Youre Extremely Irritable Anxious And Weepy

Even if you dont have depression, you could still be a have PMDD if you are irritable, anxious, and cry easily.

The Office on Womens Health noted that those dealing with PMDD might experience lasting irritability or anger that may affect other people as well as feeling very sad or very tense. It may also be hard to determine if your level of irritability is normal or not.

If your annoyance level rises to the point where youre lashing out at your family or co-workers, you may have moved beyond PMS. And while you may be weepier than usual before your period, you shouldnt be concerned unless you are regularly without reason.

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The Relationship Between Melatonin And Perimenopause Fatigue

Melatonin, the sleep hormone, has also been found to change profoundly during perimenopause. In the journal Sleep Science, a comprehensive study was conducted to evaluate the links between sleep, melatonin, and menopause. The research demonstrated that melatonin levels decrease during the perimenopausal period. However, melatonin levels decline more slowly compared to estrogen and progesterone. Furthermore, the study found that exogenous melatonin can improve sleep quality in perimenopausal women.

Research has further suggested that a decrease in melatonin may be linked to the onset of perimenopause. While a decline in melatonin has been linked between perimenopause and extreme fatigue, it is important to note that men also experience a decline in sleep quality around the same time as women. Along with a decrease in melatonin secretion in both men and women, aging also leads to impairments in your circadian system. Therefore, changes in sleep quality are a part of the normal aging process in both women and men.

Despite knowing that your sleep changes as you age, it still doesnt make living with fatigue any easier. Many women in perimenopause find their fatigue extremely debilitating. For example, fatigue can cause depression, poor concentration, and an overall decrease in quality of life. Fortunately, there are many ways to improve fatigue during menopause.

Acknowledge And Express Your Feelings

Is This Why You’re Depressed? Stop Should-ing on Yourself

Allow these feelings to be there and give yourself permission to feel them.

Dont judge yourself or suppress these feelings as this can cause anger outbursts at a later time.

You have a right to experience your emotions, and maybe there are unmet needs that are trying to be expressed.

Write down how youre feeling so you can express it in some way, or use a creative approach to express these feelings.

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Finding A Way Forward

For Lily, finding out that she had PMDD was a lifesaver. Before I understood what was going on it was like Id spend three weeks feeling more and more panicky, like oh, its coming, and the fourth just losing my mind. But after being diagnosed, she says, things have become brighter and easier. Lilys gynecologist put her on birth control and shes learned some techniques to help her manage her emotions. Before it was like a tsunami, she says, uncontrollable and just totally devastating. Now its more like little waves. Its not perfect, but it is a lot easier and I can deal with that.

Why Does Pmdd Happen

While the exact reason for PMDD is yet to be discovered, studies have pointed to certain potential causes.

A recent research conducted by the National Institute of Health found that the cells from women suffering from PMDD react differently to fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels than in women without PMDD.

This heightened sensitivity affects the brains chemical and neurological pathways that regulate the mood and feeling of well-being, possibly leading to depression around period.

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Management Of Depression In Perimenopausal Women

Current consensus guidelines for treatment of depression in perimenopausal women recommend an antidepressant for severe depression.58 Data indicate that an SSRI may be preferred to a tricyclic antidepressant for women who are not postmenopausal. For women with previous episodes of depression, the general guideline is to prescribe the antidepressant used in the previous episode if the patient had a satisfactory response.

Transdermal estradiol may be of benefit for perimenopausal women with major or minor depression, based on preliminary but consistent findings of two new studies.128,129

Minor mood symptoms associated with the perimenopause are also improved with estrogen therapy.116 A progestin must also be prescribed for women with a uterus and may reduce the improvement of depressed mood in some women. Estrogen therapy is generally contraindicated for women with breast cancer, any potentially estrogen-dependent malignancy, active liver disease, and active thrombosis. Speroff et al indicate close surveillance for women with seizure disorders, familial hyperlipidemias, and migraine headaches.136 Other considerations include a history of breast disease, history of stroke, myocardial infarction or thrombosis, and active gall bladder disease or gallstones.

Pmdd Gives Me Severe Depression Every Time I Get My Period

Why Do I Feel So Tired When I

Before I was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, I spent a lot of time in medical offices, exam table paper crinkling under my butt, crying about my period.

I wasnt in physical pain, but I was severely depressed and having thoughts about harming myself even though I felt fine just days before. A few doctors suggested talk therapy, my therapist suggested I see a doctor, and the antidepressants my psychiatrist prescribed didnt help. Every month, I knew what was coming, but I could never fully prepare myself for the sadness, the uncontrollable sobbing, and the flood of disturbing thoughts that came without warning. My period was ruining my life, and it was embarrassing. As an adult woman, I felt that I should be able to get through the day without dissolving into tears because my period was making me sad.

But for me and an estimated 5% of other people who have periods, its not that simple.

Living with PMDD can feel like a constant struggle against depression, anxiety, and pain, with few options for long-term relief. Theres no month where Im ready for it. Theres no month where its easier, said 27-year-old Morgan Coffey, who was diagnosed with PMDD at 16, when she started experiencing severe depression during her period. It never gets easier, is the worst part, Coffey said.

*Name has been changed

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Its Time To Stop Minimizing The Relationship Between Menstruation And Mental Health

Estimated read time: 3 minutes

Snide jokes about PMSing and that time of the month were never funny. Even worse, they downplay the reality of menstruation and mental health. Your period can seriously impact your mental health, and for people with premenstrual disorders, the symptoms can be disabling.

Nikki Glaser

The majority of people with periods experience symptoms around their premenstrual cycle, so why arent more people talking about it? Heres what you need to know about periods and mental health including how to manage it.

Signs Of Severe Depression During Period

You may experience severe depression before and during periods due to premenstrual dysphoric disorder . PMDD is similar to PMS, but its severe and sometimes disabling. PMDD can cause extreme mood shifts, which can interfere with your daily life, relationships, and work. Symptoms usually start a week before menstruation and continue a few days after your period begins. Apart from severe depression before and during periods, other symptoms and signs of PMDD are:

  • Tension or anxiety
  • Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
  • Extreme moodiness
  • Hopelessness with extremely negative thoughts
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Binge eating or food cravings
  • Lack of interest in relationships and daily activities
  • Loss of interest in sex

You may manage depression during your period by making certain lifestyle changes and taking specific medications.

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Natural Ways To Reduce Anxiety Before Your Period

No matter what the root cause of your anxiety, there are several ways to minimize its effects while you figure out how best to treat it.

While medications like Xanax are often prescribed and effective in the short term, they can be extremely addictive and difficult to withdraw from should you choose to discontinue use. Theres no shame in leveraging medication to get relief. And at the same time, Id encourage you to investigate why you have anxiety in the first place.

Even if you do choose to go the pharmaceutical route the following natural recommendations can help tremendously as well. And remember, always talk to your doc about your medications before changing or discontinuing them.

Progesterone: The Pms Culprit

Why do I feel depressed or sad after the holidays?

Progesterone and estrogen, the primary female sex hormones, affect the parts of our brains which influence mood and behavior. So, as the progesterone in our body suddenly rises after ovulation, so do depressive feelings. One explanation for this could be that progesterone affects the amygdala . The amygdala is part of our fear-based response system, and since progesterone triggers the amygdala, we become hyper-reactive in the throes of PMS. Heightened amygdala reactivity also leads to increased anxiety, which can make us more depressed. If you experience severe cases of depression and hopelessness during this time, consider speaking to a doctor since you may be experiencing more extreme symptoms of PMS.

There are many reasons a womans period may be late or her cycle may go off schedule. An obvious one is pregnancy. Others include poor nutrition, excessive exercise, and long-term illness. A less obvious reason for amenorrhea or missing a period, however, is depression.

The link between mental health and reproductive health makes sense when you consider that nature does everything it can to create favorable conditions for reproduction.

If a woman is chronically stressed, anxious, sad, or upset, shes really not in a physical or emotional position to go through a pregnancy and then take care of and nurture a child. Under these less than ideal conditions, the female reproductive system can shut down.

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Is It Really Just Pms

Certainly, for some people PMS involves nothing more than mild symptoms, like light cramping, bloating, or increased tiredness.

Keep in mind, though, that this isnt the case for everyone. Many people who experience PMS have more intense symptoms, including:

These symptoms can easily affect your daily life. In other words, theres no just about it.

Yet PMS, as uncomfortable as it can feel, isnt the only explanation for depression during your period. Here are some other potential causes.

Does Hormonal Birth Control Help Or Make It Worse

This works very much on a person-by-person basis. Some hormonal birth control pills help reduce bloating, breast sensitivity and other physical symptoms, as well as minimising emotional symptoms like depression and anxiety. Others, however, have been known to make symptoms even worse. It often takes a few tries to find a method of contraception that works for you and doesnt negatively affect your cycle and PMS symptoms. Always speak to your doctor about the options you have.

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You Can Get Pregnant During Your Period

Itâs time to squash that age-old myth: Your period doesnât protect you from pregnancy. There are a couple of reasons why. First, some women may bleed when their ovaries release an egg each month, called ovulation, and mistake it for their period. Youâre at your peak fertility when you ovulate. So if you have sex during this time, it could actually make you more likely to get pregnant.

Second, you may ovulate before your period is over or within a few days after the bleeding stops. Since sperm can hang out in your body for up to 3 days, having sex during your period could lead to conception.

Use a condom or other form of birth control to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, no matter what time of the month it is.

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How Can You Manage Pms

Why Do I Feel So Upset On My Period

In the throes of PMS, it can feel like youll never return to your regular mood, but its important to maintain perspective throughout the month, and know that what goes down must come up after a few days your mood will stabilise. A great way to maintain perspective is to track your period cycle, so you can identify which times of the month your PMS symptoms occur. Knowing this can help you prepare for symptoms of depression, avoid stressful situations and limit your exposure to anything that will make you more sad, irritated or anxious. Keeping track of when negative emotions appear can help you keep them in perspective. Managing PMS is different for everyone, but some other things to try are:

Remember, if your PMS symptoms feel unmanageable or have increased in their intensity, there may be options you dont yet know about. Being a woman with a period does not automatically mean we have to deal with severe depression, so dont be afraid to ask for help from your doctor or a medical professional.

What are your PMS symptoms like, and how do you manage them? Let us know over in our or drop us a note on Insta . Dont forget that our personalised period subscription box can get organic tampons delivered easily and regularly through your letterbox. So thats one less worry each month!

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