PMDD and You.

An estimate of 5% to 8% of menstruating individuals are said to suffer from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder according to the London Gynecology website. In layman’s terms, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is caused by an abnormal reaction or neuro-sensitivity to regular changes in hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle. It causes severe psychological and physical symptoms including depression and suicidal thoughts, anxiety and intense mood swings, insomnia and fatigue, and changes in appetite and bloating. Doctor Hannah Short describes PMDD as ‘an extreme form of PMS that is estimated to effect around 1 in 20 women’.  

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Although society’s awareness of the disorder’s symptoms is growing, partially as a result in the rise of mainstream media coverage surrounding thousands of women’s experiences, including reality tv star Vicky Patterson. It is said to take an average of 12 years to receive a full diagnosis of the disorder, leaving many menstruators undiagnosed, unmedicated, untreated and often suicidal as a result. However, what is being left without consideration is the holistic impact these symptoms have upon an individual’s life. Including the difficulty of maintaining relationships, both platonic and romantic, whilst battling PMDD. 

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I interviewed actress and upcoming TikTok star, Ellisha Blake, on her experience with PMDD and the impact it has had on her platonic, familial and romantic relationships. Ellisha built her ever-growing social media presence through the publishment of her PMDD awareness videos to her 14.7K followers on the popular social media platform, TikTok. She has since been seen to partake in a radio interview with BBC Radio 1 to continue the conversation surrounding the impacts of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder upon those who suffer with it.  

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Blake stated that she had “a very difficult childhood” and expressed an awareness of the link between early onset trauma and the development of anxiety and depressive disorders throughout adulthood. Whilst she states that “for a long time I thought maybe I am just depressed and suicidal”, she recalls that it was only upon further research and conversations with several doctors, women’s health specialists and gynecologists who had all suggested it was merely PMS, that she self-diagnosed with the disorder at the beginning of 2023. 

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I asked Ellisha how she feels her PMDD symptoms impact her relationships, she stated that prior to her diagnosis, she recognized that she would feel “distant” from her partner of seven years during her luteal phase. She stated that she became “so irritable that I would just pick a fight with him over the tiniest things, it made our relationship very difficult at times.” 

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“I was rude and would say things I didn’t mean; I even began to question our entire relationship purely due to the severity of my symptoms.” 

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Ellisha continued to relay the huge impacts her symptoms have on her relationships, discussing how during her luteal phase she has “that week where I am simply missing in action. I can’t seem to function at all so maintaining contact with family, attending plans with my friends and ensuring that I am being the best partner I can be to my boyfriend feels impossible”.  

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Blake now uses her social media platforms to relay advice on how she has managed to minimize her symptoms drastically. She shares the herbal remedies, nervous system resets and stretching exercises she says have saved her relationships.  

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However, she is not alone in feeling that her Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder symptoms drastically impact upon all the relationships within her life. It is estimated that around half of the individuals that suffer from PMDD have lost an intimate partner as a result of the severity of their symptoms.  

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98% of PMDD sufferers who participated in the survey stated that their symptoms put a significant strain on their intimate partner and 97% stated that their PMDD puts a great strain on the relationships they share with their families also.  

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