My PMDD is Ruining My Life:

The use of acupuncture to ease the severity of premenstrual dysphoria disorder

Premenstrual dysphoria disorder also known as PMDD is becoming more prevalent condition as more women and health professionals become aware of it. Currently, it affects 3-8% of women of reproductive age. Due to this growing statistic, in 2012, PMDD became a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM-5) condition; meaning that PMDD now has specific criteria for a diagnosis.

At Energy with Jess, we strong believers in looking after our mental health as well as encouraging our clients to be conscious of their reproductive health, and the health of their menstrual cycles. So why have a blog post on PMDD? Because PMDD is a condition that impacts a person’s mental wellbeing along with their menstrual cycle.

Premenstrual Dysphoria Disorder from a bio-medical perspective

PMDD is a severe mood disorder characterised by cognitive and physical symptoms that exceed regular premenstrual symptoms, such as depression, sensitivity to rejection, irritability or anger characterised with increased conflicts, feeling overwhelmed, out of control or feeling on edge. The difference between premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and PMDD can be seen in the graphic below. Further information can be found here

PMS vs PMDD - The Difference

 PMDD occurs 3-4 days before a menstrual bleed and up to 3 days post menstrual bleed but isn’t present in the post menstrual week. Currently, research indicates that PMDD can occur due to the central nervous system being sensitive to reproductive hormones, genetic factors or psychosocial factors such as stress.

Premenstrual Dysphoria Disorder and Chinese Medicine

PMS is normal right? NOPE. Not at all, which means PMDD definitely isn’t a normal experience. Shocking I know. Just like pain, premenstrual symptoms aren’t something anyone should being experiencing.

Now, premenstrual disorders don’t fall under one specific Chinese medicine diagnosis, we take all the symptoms you’re experiencing into consideration before creating a treatment plan specifically suited to your needs and requirements. When constructing a treatment plan, we also look at your diet, stress levels, your emotional well-being, and other diagnosed conditions that could be contributing factors.

From here, the focus is restoring balance, harmony and the free-flowing movement of Qi (the energy flowing through the meridians and the body) to aid with hormone balancing, mood regulation and nervous system regulation to aid with stress levels.

What does the research say?

In 2014, a systematic literature review found 19 studies that included acupuncture in the treatment of PMDD, this included traditional acupuncture and auricular acupuncture, moxibustion, and a range of herbs. The results showed that there had been significant improvements in the results regarding PMDD.

The conclusion found that with minimal to no adverse effects there was found to be a 50% reduction in symptoms associated with PMDD.

Further information can be found here 

Our Approach at Energy with Jess

Part of our mission at Energy with Jess is to help you regain the power over your own life whilst providing a high level of skill and experience along the way. We understand that everyone’s experience is different, which is why we tailor our approach to your appointments, where we address any underlying imbalances.

Don’t let your PMDD control your life, take the wheel back and give acupuncture a try by booking in for an appointment today with our skilled acupuncturists. Come and talk to the team and let’s create a treatment plan that works for you. For more information or to schedule an appointment, see our contact page or click the link below.

For more information on about PMDD we recommend you can check out this article: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0628-3