Pronounced: PRE-men-strawl dis-FOR-ick dis-OR-der
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe and less common form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMDD causes physical and emotional symptoms that happen 1 to 2 weeks before a menstrual period. These problems impact life.
The cause is not known.
PMDD is more common in women of reproductive age and women who are White. Things that may raise the risk are:
Menstruation causes many hormonal changes, which may play a role in PMDD.
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Severe problems may be:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. This may be enough to make the diagnosis. You may be asked to keep track of the problems you have over 2 menstrual cycles. This may confirm PMDD.
In women who do not menstruate, blood tests may be done to check hormone levels against symptoms.
The goal of treatment is to ease physical and emotional symptoms. PMDD is first treated with habit changes. Medicines may be used when symptoms do not get better with these changes. Choices may be:
There are no guidelines to lower the risk of PMDD. The cause is not known.
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
http://www.acog.org
Office on Women's Health
http://www.womenshealth.gov
Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
http://www.sogc.org
Hofmeister S, Bodden S. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Am Fam Physician. 2016 Aug 1;94(3):236-240.
PMS and PMDD. MGH Center for Women's Health website. Available at: http://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/pms-and-pmdd. Accessed January 17, 2020.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder.html. Updated May 14, 2019. Accessed January 17, 2020.
Premenstrual syndrome. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/premenstrual-syndrome. Updated August 22, 2019. Accessed January 17, 2020.
Last reviewed September 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Beverly Siegal, MD, FACOG