If you’ve ever had hopelessness and suicidal thoughts before your period, know that you’re not alone. Even if you don’t have a diagnosed mood disorder, you may have suicidal thoughts due to hormonal fluctuations during your cycle.
Hormones and suicidal thoughts
How we feel during the month, physically and mentally, depends largely on three sex hormones: testosterone, estrogen and progesterone.
These hormones fluctuate depending on where we are in our cycle, so we may feel positive during some weeks (ovulatory phase) and negative during other weeks (luteal phase).
These fluctuations can cause women to experience extreme negative emotions, such as anger, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Studies show that there may be a direct link between the severe drop in estrogen and progesterone after ovulation and increased suicidal thoughts in women.
Research shows that suicide is the second leading cause of death for teenage girls in America, with 22% of girls reporting suicidal ideation, compared to 12% of teenage boys, and could be due to hormonal fluctuations that teenage girls experience . Even women without diagnosed mood disorders (such as borderline, depressive, or anxiety disorders) may experience suicidal thoughts due to hormonal fluctuations.
The largest study to date looking at PMDD and suicide found this 34% of women who suffer from PMDD have attempted suicide. Researchers have confirmed that suicide attempts due to PMDD are independent of depression, PTSD and other disorders. 67% of women who never received another mental health diagnosis reported active suicidal ideation, compared to 72% of women who had other mental health disorders.
What is also interesting is that a recent Swedish study found that women who experience PMS and PMDD are also more prone to various forms of injury, not just suicidal behaviors, such as car accidents, falls, and other accidents.
What is PMDD?
PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, is a disorder “characterized by severe mood disturbances, including profound depression, anxiety, and irritability, that usually begin one to two weeks before menstruation and decrease when menstruation begins style,” explains the certified sex therapist. Aliyah MoorePh.D. It affects 3-8% of women of reproductive age.
PMDD is not depression or other mood disorders and has symptoms such as:
- Depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness or suicidal thoughts
- Anxiety, tension, feeling “locked up” or “on edge”
- Persistent and intense anger or irritability
- Decreased interest in usual activities
- Lethargy, easily tiring or severe lack of energy
- Significant change in appetite, overeating, or cravings for certain foods
- Hypersomnia or insomnia
- Other physical symptoms include breast tenderness or swelling, headaches, joint or muscle pain, a bloated feeling, or weight gain
Researchers are still not 100% sure why some women have PMDD. However, some do research suggests that women with pre-existing mood disorders such as major depression and anxiety disorder could be more prone to experience PMDD.
PMDD vs. PMS
Most women will experience some degree of PMS (premenstrual syndrome). Some may have more severe symptoms, which may affect their lives more, while others barely notice and can go about their days as usual.
It is important to note that PMS and PMDD are not the same. PMS is treatable and doesn’t affect your life or make you a completely different person, whereas PMDD can significantly affect your daily life and healthy functioning
Is there a cure?
While there is no magic cure that will make severe hormonal fluctuations or PMDD go away completely, there are things you can do to manage the symptoms. According to Harvard Healththere are two ways to manage PMDD:
Antidepressants
Certain types of antidepressants that slow the reuptake of serotonin, known as SSRIs, could help some women manage severe symptoms during the luteal phase of their cycle. What’s interesting is that according to Harvard Health, women with PMDD don’t need to take antidepressants every day, but can only do so during the luteal phase of their cycle, when symptoms are most severe.
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes could also affect symptoms and help manage severe mood swings. Eating less caffeine, sugar, and alcohol and focusing on an unprocessed, whole-food diet, as well as incorporating some aerobic exercise, can help improve symptoms. Mindfulness can help manage stress, which can also have a positive impact on women struggling with PMDD.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
There is some elements that CBT could potentially help women minimize and even completely eliminate PMS symptoms.
What to do when you feel down
Many women tend to suffer in silence when they experience PMDD symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. It is important to understand that you are not alone and that any discomfort you feel is temporary.
If your symptoms are severe, contact your doctor, who can help you find a treatment that’s right for you. Otherwise, consider seeing a therapist to see if talk therapy can help.
