What is Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) - Health Conditions

What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?

What is pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)?

A small percentage of women (between 2%-9% of the women that experience PMS) have symptoms so severe they can be destructive to their relationships and their life.

When symptoms of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) are very extreme and severe, they are referred to as PMDD, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, a condition which has only been recently identified.

Some PMDD symptoms are similar to major depression, which is why some medical specialists believe that PMDD is a psychological disorder, which is exacerbated during the two weeks prior to menstruation. There is some disagreement in the medical community about the classification of PMDD as a psychological disorder and therefore there is no definite concurrence about treatment of this condition in medical experts.

PMDD symptoms normally disappear (or are reduced significantly) once menstruation starts.

Facts about pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

PMDD is a really extreme and very severe form of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
PMDD only affects a very small percentage of women who suffer PMS (maybe about 3-5%)
An extremely small percentage of women who suffer from PMDD may have an underlying mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety
PMDD is different from PMS where there is no minimum set of symptoms that need to appear to be diagnosed with this disorder
PMDD may or may not be a psychological disorder - the medical experts are not all in agreement about this
It may be advisable to make dietary modifications and lifestyle changes to help reduce symptoms, even if conventional medicines are being prescribed to treat PMDD
Some experts do not think PMDD is an actual disorder, rather that a small percentage of women experience more severe PMS than others
PMDD is a very misdiagnosed and misunderstood medical disorder

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Last reviewed: 15 August 2008 || Last updated: 8 January 2010

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