Is there a "cure" for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?

You may have stumbled across this article by googling, "Is there a cure for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?"  I'm guessing the search results felt both over- and under-whelming.

Overwhelming due to the amount of conflicting information available. For example, you're probably seeing mixed information in forums about what works and what doesn't.  One peson will post what worked miracles for them and then countless people will comment that they tried it and it did NOTHING.  From reading those comments, perhaps you're realizing that there isn't a single treatment that works for everyone with PMDD. If only it were that simple, right?

Underwhelming because all you're finding are stories of suffering instead of the stories of hope that you were looking for when you started your Google deep dive.  Instead of feeling more hopeful, you're left wondering, "Do I just have to accept my fate?"  Yet perhaps, there's something in you that tells you to keep searching for answers.  

Does this sound like you?  If so, let's hash it out and make sense of things together.

Is there a single treatment that works for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?

In our society, we've been trained to think that diagnosis = treatment = cured forever.  A cure implies that something is gone... never to return.

For some, first-line conventional PMDD treatments like anti-depressants and birth control bring relief and help reduce or elimination symptoms.  (If that's you, amazing.  There's no med shaming around here.)  For others, conventional PMDD treatments fall short of complete relief, make things worse, or don't work at all.  When that's the case, we're left feeling more hopeless and searching for other options.  (If that's you, you're not alone.) 

There's no magic pill. Depression isn't a Prozac Deficiency just as a headache isn't caused by lack of Advil.  PMDD is no exception.

I've seen countless clients try medication after medication (or even supplement after supplement) with minimal to no relief. They then wonder, "Why does it help others and not me? What am I doing wrong?" 

There is nothing wrong with YOU:

PMDD is complex and a single pill is often not enough for complete relief.  Why?

Because you're a whole complex beautiful human. You're multi-faceted. And your approach should be too.

Let me say it again: There's nothing wrong with YOU.  But there may be missing components that are standing in the way of experiencing more peaceful periods.  

Is there a cure for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?

So back to the final verdict on the the big question, “Is there a cure?”

It depends on how you define it. There's no cure in the sense that there's no magic pill or SINGLE solution that works for every single person with PMDD to completely eradicate symptoms forever. 

HOWEVER, there are many options (both conventional and holistic) available that can bring immense, if not complete, relief.   I'm here to shout this from the rooftop:

PMDD IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE. 
RELIEF IS POSSIBLE.

It's just a matter of finding what that approach looks like for you.  More often than not, it's a combination of different types of support that works best.  That's also why our program is a comprehensive whole-person approach: it combines nutrition, supplements, nervous system education, and cyclical awareness... all combined into a data-driven 4-phase personalized process.  

With a history of PMDD myself, I'm a living and breathing example of that.  Since taking a root-cause whole person approach, I've had months and even years with minimal symptoms. And it's not just me. I've witnessed client after client achieve the same level of relief.  Yet, I don't kid myself either. I know that if I get out of balance, PMDD symptoms can resurface to remind me to re-calibrate and re-establish the things that brought about that relief.  We'll talk about that more towards the end of the article. 

Finding Hope for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

Here at Reveal Functional Nutrition, we will never market that there's a "cure" for PMDD.  It ruffles our feathers when we see programs do that. To us, it's unethical.  Nobody needs FALSE HOPE that they can erase their symptoms forever with a single pill or supplement.  However, immense relief is possible and we see it every day.  So we're on a mission to spread stories of hope with a dose of realism.  What does that mean?  Keep reading...

You can have hope that: 

• ...immense relief is possible. You can experience stable moods all cycle long.
• ...you can live a full life (instead of losing half your days to debilitating symptoms).
• ....you can live with and honor your cyclical nature. You don't have to live in fear of your next luteal phase.

However, this does not mean that...

• ....you'll be the same all month long. We teach our clients to honor their changing cyclical nature as a path to relief.
• ...symptoms will never resurface. We teach our clients what to do so they can re-calibrate back to peaceful periods.

To get you there, we combine your expertise on YOU with data-informed strategies and PMDD science and then translate that into a sustainable step-by-step plan, just like my client Tess did.  You can check out her story below.  Keep this in mind:  

PMDD is complex but the solution doesn't have to be.

A PMDD Story of Hope: Tess

Tess came to us STRUGGLING with debilitating PMDD symptoms that were impacting every area of her life, including her sense of self.  If you are currently struggling with debilitating symptoms of PMDD, you may see yourself in this story.  Here's an inside look on the power of a strategic and personalized approach. 

The Before

Before working with us, Tess started where you may be today. Here's what she shared:

I had been experiencing debilitating anxiety, anger, and loneliness in the weeks leading up to my period for 16 years. My symptoms were so bad that I would be anxious all month long, and would try to mask them with over-achieving, people-pleasing, and perfectionistic tendencies. This led to intense feelings of self-loathing, shame, and dark intrusive thoughts about my self-worth. Sometimes I just wanted to run away from everything.

Life felt like trudging through cement before this program. I "played it safe" in almost every arena of my life. I missed out on a lot of joy, exploration, and healthy relationships in my late teens and twenties.

Can you relate to any of that?

She came into the program with a lot of fear and skepticism, like many of our new clients:

When I discovered this program, I was in the middle of Googling everything I could about PMDD. I was afraid that [the program] just wouldn't work. 

The Process

But she took the leap and gave the program her all.  She joined the PMDD Revealed^TM program and followed the Reveal Method^TM.  Our 4-phase Reveal Method combines what we know from PMDD research with the data we gather on YOU.  We translate that data into actionable steps so you know WHY you're feeling like this, WHAT to do, and HOW to do it.  Then we measure and assess progress along the way so we're always tweaking and refining your plan to achieve as much relief as possible. 

Here's a recap of what that looked like for Tess: 

Phase 1: Reset

During the first month of the program, we covered foundational changes for quick relief.  She began cycle tracking using the Reveal Method.  She set doable nutrition goals to support blood sugar regulation using our meal prep tools designed for PMDDers.  We also outlined a streamlined supplement to support taking the edge off of the symptoms while we prepared for testing to do the deeper root-cause work.  Just from these foundational changes, she experienced 48% symptom relief in the first month.  

Phase 2: Reveal

For each client, we customize which tests will be most helpful to fuel our data-driven approach.  For her, we did both extensive bloodwork and a comprehensive stool analysis.  We uncovered metabolic challenges that were impacting her hormones along with microbiome imbalances that were influencing both her mood, nutrient absorption, immune health, and histamine response.  If you've ever been told your labs are "normal", rest assured that we dig deep to find the imbalances that may be contributing to symptoms.     

Phase 3: Rebalance 

Fueled by her lab data, we worked together to bring those systems back into balance.  Step by step, we made targeted nutrition and lifestyle changes and brought in strategic supplements to address the root-cause factors we had identified.  During this time, she also continued to explore her relationship with her cycle to create cycle and nervous system "maps" to create a personalized toolbox to navigate each phase of her cycle in the way that works best for her. 

Phase 4: Reclaim 

After doing doing the deep work during Phase 3 to address the underlying imbalances, she was ready to graduate from the program with a streamlimed protocol to sustain her progress.  We outlined exactly which nutrition and lifestyle changes were most important to sustain her progress and created a simplified maintenance supplement plan.  She graduated with clarity on how her needs change throughout the cycle, how to support each phase.  She now knows exactly how to work with her cycle, instead of against it. 

The Result

As a result of working with us through each phase of the Reveal Method, she experienced 87% reduction in PMDD symptoms, 80% reduction in severe PMDD days, and 88% reduction in total body symptoms.  Yep, read that again. Massive, life-changing relief.  Her skepticism dissipated with each moment of experiencing more peaceful cycles.

You can see that we measured her progress over 3-4 months below.  However, notice in the graph below that she experienced massive relief in the FIRST MONTH, 48% reduction to be exact.  Here's what she said:

There was a specific moment where I felt like I had finally seen the "light" of myself again, and these moments now outnumber the "dark" moments.

Yet, the goal is not just to reduce symptoms.  It's so much more than that.  We are here to help people live their lives fully and fulfill their purpose.  She gained so much more than symptom reduction.  Here are some of the takeaways that will last her a lifetime: 

I have more energy.
I have learned how to fuel my body and rest when I need it.
I have learned how to tune in to and tend to my needs all month long, so that my symptoms don't hit me like a ton of bricks during my luteal phase.
I have learned how to eat more intuitively and mindfully, and this has allowed me to lose weight that I had gained when my symptoms were at their worst.

But why does that all matter? Because now she's living her life, the way she wants to live it. 

I am able to live and explore life in a way that feels enriching and authentic.
The deep loneliness I felt for years has subsided almost entirely. 
I have grown closer with so many people in my life as a result of this program.
I have learned how to love myself as I am. My relationship with my partner has never been better.

Hear it straight from her in the video below:

The "Ripple Effect"

With her newfound capacity, now she's giving back.  We call that the "Ripple Effect."  It's our term for when someone can now live more fully and give back to their community while living out their purpose.  In her case, that's changing the lives of teenagers who are now getting the menstrual cycle education that I wish we all would have received back in the day.  She's teaching her highschool students menstrual cycle awareness and they are appying what they've earned.  We're celebrating that there's a group of Gen Alpha students that now think menstrual cycles are SIGMA instead of OHIO.  Wait, did I say that right?  Here are a couple notes from Tess about that:

As an anatomy and physiology educator, I have continuously been impressed by Mandy's content and ability to break down information into manageable chunks. This information has resonated with me so much that I am integrating some of menstrual cycle awareness pieces into my reproductive system unit at school - I've seen huge interest in my students! 

Beyond her professional life, her personal life has transformed as well.  Before working with us, she questioned whether she was worthy of love and marriage.  She wondered, "Is a healthy relationship even possible with raging symptoms?"  (Have you ever wondered those things?)  Just a couple weeks ago, she shared some big news in our community: 

From Fear to Flow: Feeling Safe within Your Menstrual Cycle (even with PMDD) 

The skeptic in you may be wondering, "But has she MAINTAINED her progress?"  Let's talk about that.  A few months ago, she shared with us that she has had a slight uptick in symptoms the last few cycles due to increased stress with work and moving.  Again, we accept the reality of PMDD and we create a strategy to re-calibrate if symptoms resurface. In fact, it's even integrated into our modules and process.  She used her toolbox and followed our process and navigated the stressful months like a pro: 

I just got my period and the emotion I am feeling is intense PRIDE in how I handled myself throughout the past 3 or so cycles. Because of nervous system techniques I've learned from you I was able to release judgement and shift myself back to a safer nervous system. I am feeling a sense of stabilization on the horizon.

She knew just what to do and now to recalibrate and get her symptoms back down to her new baseline.  And that's exactly what happened.  In the graph below, you can see the short-term increase after a major stressor and how she got herself right back on track.  

The result?  She is no longer terrified of her cycle.  She no longer lives in fear of the debilitating symptoms because she knows just what to do if symptoms ever start to resurface. That's part of our mission:

To help our clients feel SAFE in their cycles. They graduate from our program knowing how to support themselves, no matter what happens.  We take clients all the way home to peaceful periods... because having a few months of relief isn't enough.  

How do we do that?  We take a systematic root-cause approach that combines the science of functional medicine with the art of cycle awareness to untangle your PMDD web. Once you know both the factors that contributed to your symptoms and what got you relief, you'll know how to sustain that progress and recalibrate if symptoms ever resurface.

Is hope possible for YOU?  

Tess' life, relationship, and career are forever changed because she decided to move past the skepticism, take the leap, and do the work.  What about you?

What would it be like to stop losing days to PMDD symptoms but ALSO stop living in fear of those symptoms returning?

What peace of mind would it bring you to rest assured that you know how to "reverse engineer" your own cycle?

You have a whole life to live. It's time to live it.

Click here to schedule a Strategy Session to start the process.

Has not believing that relief possible has been holding you back? Rest assured- no marketing gimmicks or promises of a cure here. We don't come at PMDD with rose-colored glasses or toxic positivity because we know what it's really like.  Instead, we balance hope and optimism with realism. We balance compassion with hard science. We balance acceptance with action towards relief.

If you're ready to experience our special sauce of root-cause functional medicine combined with community & cyclical awareness, click here to set up a 1-on-1 chat to decode your PMDD pattern and map out a path to relief.

DISCLAIMER: All information is meant for education only and is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of disease, nor does it serve as a substitute for medical treatment or advice. You should seek the advice of a physician with any questions or concerns regarding personal medical conditions.