Symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

PMDD can affect your mental and physical health in lots of ways. And these symptoms can have a significant impact on your life.

If you're struggling with PMDD symptoms, we're here for you.

This page is part of our guide to:

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

In the depths of PMDD I tend to just retreat to my bed. I get very depressed and my anxiety goes sky high. I get hugely fatigued and can't keep my eyes open. I sleep for about 18 hours a day.

What are the symptoms of PMDD?

The symptoms of PMDD are similar to the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). But if you have PMDD, these symptoms can be much worse.

PMDD is also different for different people. You might also experience things which aren't listed here.

Emotional and behavioural experiences

Mood swings
Feeling upset or tearful, for example if you feel that others are rejecting you
Lack of energy
Less interest in activities you normally enjoy
Feeling hopeless
Feeling angry or irritable
Coming into conflict with people around you
Feeling anxious, tense or on edge
Feeling overwhelmed or out of control
Difficulty concentrating
Suicidal feelings

If you have suicidal feelings as part of PMDD, this can feel very distressing. Visit our pages on suicidal feelings to learn more, including where to get help.

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, it's a mental health emergency.

Get emergency advice

Physical experiences

Breast tenderness or swelling
Pain in your muscles and joints
Headaches
Feeling bloated
Changes in your appetite, such as overeating or having specific food cravings
Sleep problems

As PMDD is linked to your menstrual cycle, it's unlikely you'll experience symptoms if you're pregnant. But the symptoms may return once you begin ovulating again.

Was this page useful? Yes No Tell us more Tell us more

X

Tell us more

Why did you visit this page? *

For my own mental health
For someone else’s mental health
Academic/educational/professional reason
Other reason

What do you want to tell us about?

Praise – things we do well
Criticism – things we could do better
Errors, mistakes or broken links

Please give us your feedback:

Note:

Please don’t include personal details like your name or email address. If you do, data protection law means we’ll have to delete your comments.
Unfortunately we can’t reply to this. If you want a response from us, see our Contact us page.
If you are in crisis right now and want to talk to someone urgently then you could call Samaritans on 116 123 (freephone). Our pages on crisis services have more options.