Book report time... without the book, more like; research report time. More like, super informal writing style but super informative report time. This is about periods and ovulationsss, okay?? I'm sharing because, well maybe it can help one of you!
So in 2019, I got off of birth control for the first time in 11 years. I THOUGHT, "Well I'm going to be celibate, so why not cut the bc and be all-natural." Plus my latest form of bc gave me A LOT of physical issues. Anyway, after being off of birth control for about 6 months, I had some crazy, unsexy, uncool, things happening to me. I started breaking out like crazy, having horrible flu-like symptoms EVERY month for about 3-4 days until my cycle came, migraines before and during my cycle, cramping like crazy, nauseous, bloating, backache, muscle spasms, and more, and I know, I KNOW... Some of you are like "Yea duh Sis, PMS"!! Well, before, for over a decade actually, I never had PMS and didn't experience all the issues I heard other women discuss. So for ME, this was A LOT. Each cycle got worse and worse, physically and mentally. With each "period" (I'll explain quotations later) I started feeling less and less like myself and the feeling would last for longer and longer. It was weird because it felt like after my period, but before my period too. How does that make sense? Like I would be in physical pain (PMS) before my period, during my period all is well, right after my period I would be in mental PMS. So I decided to track my cycle, track my symptoms, and figure out if my period was driving me crazy, or if I needed to seek therapy, IMMEDIATELY.
I tracked it for about 6 months and took notes and here's what I learned/found out:
Leading up to my period for about 3-4 days I feel sick, in pain, not as energetic, but overall ok.
The moment Ms. P shows up I feel great. All during my period for 90% of the time, I feel great except there's blood coming out of me.
The moment I start ovulating I feel depressed. I feel sad, lonely, irritated, extremely fatigued, and like I could lay in bed all day.
Now to take a quick break, there have been NUMEROUS times in my life where I have had sad days or moments, but I always had joy and could decipher where the pain or sadness was coming from. I literally ask myself all the time "Are you ok? If not, what's wrong? What about this bothers you? How can it be fixed or changed?" I assess and move forward. But during these strange days I couldn't answer any of my questions, nothing was wrong with me, but everything was wrong with me.
I learned that my ovulation period lasts for different lengths of time each month. The shortest being 5 days, the longest being 14! Which explained why some months my duration of these feelings would be longer than others.
This made me research "Why the heck am I depressed while I ovulate?"
That lead to PMDD! Exciting right?
So, what's PMDD? It's called, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or, PMDD.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a much more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and can happen after your cycle during your ovulation period. It may affect women of childbearing age. It’s a severe and chronic medical condition that needs attention and treatment. Lifestyle changes and sometimes medicines can help manage symptoms. The exact cause of PMDD is not known. It may be an abnormal reaction to normal hormone changes that happen with each menstrual cycle. The hormone changes can cause a serotonin deficiency. Serotonin is a substance found naturally in the brain and intestines that narrows blood vessels and can affect mood and cause physical symptoms.
Over a year, during most menstrual cycles, 5 or more of the following symptoms must be present (I'll bold what I experienced):
Depressed mood
Anger or irritability
Trouble concentrating
Lack of interest in activities once enjoyed
Moodiness
Increased appetite
Insomnia or the need for more sleep
Feeling overwhelmed or out of control
Other physical symptoms, the most common being belly bloating, breast tenderness, and headache
Symptoms that disturb your ability to function in social, work, or other situations
Symptoms that are not related to, or exaggerated by, another medical condition
So I decided to try some natural stuff, I up'd my take of L-theanine which is a supplement that promotes relaxation without drowsiness and also restores a sense of calm. and I ordered a supplement called DIM it helps regulate your estrogen. DIM supplements aid in hormone balance by supporting the body’s metabolism of excess estrogen; For women, Diindolylmethane supports during menopause, PCOS, night sweats, hot flashes, weight loss and hormonal acne, and more. Estrogen is essential for women’s health, but that doesn’t mean that women can’t suffer the side effects of having too much of it. In fact, potent estrogen excess is to blame for many of the most common hormone-related difficulties that women experience throughout every stage of life.
Your body is already really smart. By supporting your natural hormone metabolism, DIM allows you to regulate potent estrogen without ever worrying about decreasing your levels beyond what they should be
Here's a link to try DIM: https://amzn.to/2S7x4v9
Here's a link to try L-theanine: https://amzn.to/3iaZdvZ
Here are some links for you to read up about it: