There are quite a few hilarious videos online of men trying period pain simulators. If you’ve never seen one – recommended! For most women watching, the reaction would probably be, “Oh c’mon, that’s a bit dramatic…(*eye-roll*)”. But the fact is there’s PMS and then there’s PMDD. While they technically produce the same symptoms, the differences of PMS vs PMDD on lifestyle are substantial!
Bellow you’ll find what they have in common and what sets them apart. How to figure out if your PMS symptoms are something more. And most importantly, you’ll find out what the best natural treatments are to correct the situation.
Defining PMS vs PMDD
So, PMS vs PMDD – what’s the difference?
Technically, regular premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of recurrent (repeating) mild to moderate physical, psychological, and affective (mood related) symptoms, that take place during the luteal (premenstrual) phase of the menstrual cycle and typically end with menstruation.
Now, you can talk of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) when that set of premenstrual symptoms is severe enough to cause major disruption in social, family, or work life. It’s basically the more debilitating and disabling end of the spectrum of premenstrual issues. (*)
The estimates point to about 3-8% of women having severe enough symptoms to be technically diagnosed with PMDD. Although, another 13-18% might have symptoms bad enough to cause major disruption to their lifestyle, even if they don’t meet the strict medical criteria. (*)
Doctors like to get specific!
Diagnosing PMS vs PMDD
So how can you diagnose PMS vs PMDD? What is this strict medical criteria for diagnosing PMDD? (*)
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Causes of PMS vs PMDD
So what causes PMS vs PMDD? Interestingly enough, they’re not really sure – again, it’s fun being a woman!
Let’s just say that humans are made up of several complex systems we don’t completely understand, working together, so things don’t tend to have an easy cause and effect relationship we can tie up in a nice bow. Try as they may…
However, there is a lot of medical data and a few theories about the systems involved in premenstrual symptoms in general.
Ovarian sex hormones
The fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone levels, triggered by ovulation seem to be related to symptoms of PMDD. (*)
There is no PMDD in young women who haven’t started their period, for instance, or in women who don’t ovulate. They also disappear in women who’ve either had their ovaries removed or their ovulation suppressed (for instance, by taking the pill). The symptoms also diminish or disappear with menopause.
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Progesterone and GABA
GABA is a neurotransmitter present in the brain of all mammals that plays a major role in regulation of stress, anxiety, alertness/vigilance, and seizures.
The metabolism of progesterone has neuroactive properties (acts on the brain) and is part of the regulation of the GABA neurotransmitter system.
There seems to be a reduced sensitivity of the GABA receptor during the luteal (premenstrual) phase in women with premenstrual disorders, in general. (*)
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Serotonin
Women with either PMS or PMDD have also been noted to have a lower density of serotonin receptors and to have an altered serotonin transmission during the luteal (premenstrual) phase of their cycle.
It’s also possible to provoke PMDD symptoms in women with very low tryptophan levels, or by administering actives that interfere with serotonin function. (*)
Tryptophan is an amino acid you find in most proteins that helps to produce melatonin and serotonin, which help to regulate the sleep-wake cycle, appetite, mood and pain. It’s that thing in turkey that’s famous for making you drowsy.
Increased sensitivity
There don’t seem to be abnormal levels of the sex hormones themselves (estrogen and progesterone) in women diagnosed with premenstrual disorders in general, so it might be more a question of increased sensitivity to those circulating hormone levels. (*)
It might negatively affect some women who have a genetic predisposition for it, and even be susceptible to epigenetic manipulation. Meaning, diet and lifestyle factors probably are able to switch those genes on and off.
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Calcium regulation and Vitamin D
Studies have shown that women diagnosed with PMDD have significantly lower calcium levels around the ovulation and luteal (premenstrual) phase of their cycles.
They also seem to have significantly lower vitamin D levels in their luteal phase. Other studies have associated a dysregulated calcium level with symptoms of irritability, mania and anxiety (low levels of calcium), as well as depression (high levels of calcium).
It’s also been shown that general PMS symptoms (mood, water retention, food cravings, and cramps) all respond well to an increased calcium intake, either through diet or supplementation.
When it comes to the vitamin D levels, it seems that it’s not that women with PMS symptoms have lower levels than women who don’t. In fact, in studies both groups start out with the same vitamin D levels (deficient levels in both groups, actually). But there were significant differences in the calcium-vitamin D metabolism throughout their cycle.
Specifically in the luteal phase. Women with PMS seem to have an exaggerated fluctuation of the calcium regulating hormones and a strong drop in vitamin D levels in their luteal phase.
Estrogen is one of the regulators of vitamin D. Because estrogen peaks around ovulation and early luteal phase, there should be an increase in both calcium and vitamin D levels (as is the case for women without PMS symptoms).
As it turns out, the opposite actually happens for women with PMS and PMDD. Both calcium and vitamin D levels see a marked drop in the luteal phase.
PMS vs PMDD treatments
The treatments for PMS vs PMDD are not in fact different. Doctors most typically prescribe either the pill (to suppress ovulation), or SSRIs (a type of anti-depressant) to regulate the serotonin levels.
Both are known to be effective in controlling the severity of some of the PMS and PMDD symptoms. Of course, both also come with their own set of (serious) problems and unpleasant side-effects. (*)
If you want to address any PMS symptom naturally, the most effective things to focus on are:
Dietary changes
Reduce caffeine, salt, refined sugar, and highly processed foods to start with. (*)
Focus on a more hormone balancing diet. The cycle syncing diet is a perfect and very effective example of a more intuitive way of eating. It helps to regulate the changing hormone ratios and levels throughout your cycle.
By doing that it helps to correct all kinds of disorders of the reproductive system, maintain a steady mood, and boost wellbeing. It should be the basic starting point for anyone suffering from PMS or PMDD.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise has been proven to decrease PMS symptoms, more specifically bloating, fatigue, brain fog and mood disturbances. (*)
Aerobic exercise in particular is the most studied and is recommended for PMS relief and prevention. (*)
Increase serotonin levels
You can do this through different ways.
- Eating serotonin boosting foods, like eggs, cheese, salmon, nuts and seeds, poultry, or pineapple. And eating more complex carbs (particularly in the week before your period) and probiotics.
- Adding more aerobic exercise, like cycling, walking, jogging, swimming, etc. (*) Although -any exercise will boost your levels.
- By getting a massage.
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Increase levels of calcium and vitamin D
The calcium can be from food sources or by supplementing with about 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day (check with your doctor and do your research). Both have been proven to be effective.
As for the vitamin D, the best thing is to get some sunshine, but otherwise check with your healthcare provider to supplement with D3.
Personally, I’d been taking a maintenance dose of vitamin D for well over a year. I decided to have my levels checked and opted to double the dose for a few months, to try and increase it more.
On the month that I started to take double the dose of vitamin D I had practically ZERO PMS symptoms. I don’t usually suffer much from them anyway – I get some bloating on my lower belly the week before and some very light cramps for a few hours on the day my period starts. It doesn’t really affect me much. But to feel no discomfort at all and very little bloating was truly unexpected and most likely due to the increase in vitamin D, since nothing else had changed in my diet or lifestyle.
I definitely recommend you try supplementing with vitamin D – it’s absolutely essential for a well-regulated immune system as well!
Increase your vitamin B6
Another vitamin that’s been shown to have a positive effect on PMS and PMDD symptoms is vitamin B6. However, supplementing with only B6 can have unpleasant side-effects. (*)
The best thing would be to increase your general vitamin B levels by eating foods rich in the B-complex. Things like brewer’s yeast, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, as well as dairy, meat and fish – just eat a variety!
Or alternatively, to supplement with a good B-complex vitamin – make sure it contains all 8. They tend to work best and be most helpful to the body when taken holistically, in a set.
Fix your sleep
Women with PMS and PMDD have been shown to have dysregulated circadian rhythms. (*)
This messes with the natural sleep-wake cycle through the dysregulation of the cortisol-melatonin timers, which are heavily influenced by natural sunlight.
Bad sleep will also prevent your body from making the essential daily repairs it needs to maintain proper functioning of all the complex systems meant to keep us healthy and strong.
I’ve written a whole blog post on the easiest and most scientifically proven ways to regulate your sleep-wake cycle naturally in just a few days. Go check it out!
There are not that many differences in the treatment of PMS vs PMDD. Since one seems to be an aggravation of the other, it makes sense that they probably have the same root cause(s).
Luckily premenstrual disorders in general respond very well to lifestyle and diet changes. I’ve had this experience more than once in my lifetime.
Aside from the more recent vitamin D case. For instance, in my teens I changed my breakfast from cheese on toast to cooked oatmeal one month and it practically eliminated cramps. And I used to HAVE cramps!
Try to make a couple of good changes and see how you do. Follow a more cycle-syncing diet for a few months. In just one cycle you should be able to tell if it’s doing something good. And let us know in the comments!
