"More Than a Diagnosis: My Story of PMDD, Healing, and Hope"
In this honest and eye-opening post, I share my journey through years of misdiagnoses before finally uncovering the truth: PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). From gynecologists to psychiatrists, I explored every medical route—only to discover that PMDD is a neuroendocrine condition still not fully understood by modern medicine. Learn about the science, the misdiagnoses, and the limited treatment options women are offered, and why understanding hormone-brain interaction is key to real healing.
Eren Torres
5/24/20251 min leer
For over 15 years, I lived in confusion—experiencing emotional crashes, physical discomfort, and relationship breakdowns every single month without understanding why. I was told it was anxiety. Then depression. Later, I heard it might be hormonal. No one could give me a full answer—until I found the name: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). But even then, a diagnosis wasn’t a solution.
In this post, I take you through my journey across multiple medical specialties:
🔹 Gynecologists focused on my hormones.
🔹 Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) managed symptoms with general prescriptions.
🔹 Psychiatrists offered antidepressants.
🔹 Functional medicine doctors ran endless tests and diets.
🔹 Endocrinologists tried to balance hormones chemically.
🔹 Psychologists and therapists worked on the emotional layers.
All were helpful in parts—but none had the whole picture.
The truth is, PMDD is still not fully understood by medicine. It’s more than a hormonal issue. It’s more than a mental health diagnosis. It’s a neuroendocrine condition—meaning it involves both the brain and the hormonal system—and its root cause is still unknown. What we do know is that women with PMDD have heightened sensitivity to the natural fluctuations of sex hormones, especially progesterone and allopregnanolone, affecting key brain systems that regulate emotion and cognition—most notably serotonin and GABA neurotransmission.
Doctors currently offer three standard treatment options:
SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) – to stabilize mood, particularly during the luteal phase.
Hormonal therapies – including oral contraceptives or GnRH agonists to suppress ovulation.
Surgical menopause (hysterectomy + oophorectomy) – a last-resort, irreversible option for severe, treatment-resistant PMDD.
Despite these options, PMDD is frequently misdiagnosed as:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Bipolar Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Personality Disorders
This happens because many health professionals do not link the cyclical nature of the symptoms to the menstrual cycle, and hormone sensitivity testing is not a standard practice.