PMS My S!

FYI this blog is about menstruation. If you are uncomfortable then I would not read it.

In 2003 when I was 11 years old I got my first period. It lasted seven days. From then on I began having irregular periods that would last differently each time. I would be left bed ridden on the first day because of the extreme cramping. I became increasingly depressed, tired, sometimes I'd sleep anywhere from five to tweleve hours. At the age of 15 I was placed on birth control to try and treat my symptoms. In the last five years I have been on three different birth control pills. Each one took care of the symptoms, but gave me another problem. Now I finally have one that doesn't affect me that much. The reason for my extreme symptoms is something called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or pmdd.

PMDD doesn't last for your full cycle. It begins at the end of ovulation and ends at the beginning of your cycle. Symptoms include: increase depression and anxiety, sudden mood changes, lack of or increased sleeping, and more. For all of the symptoms you can visit...
http://pmdd.factsforhealth.org/what/symptoms.asp

What would happen with my pmdd is that because of being bed ridden I would miss school. I had two classes that I need medical excuses for. One of the teachers would accept the note that my mom would write, but the other (a witch) didn't. She said that she needed a medical excuse. Since my mom knew that the problem was my menstruation she didn't see any reason to take me to the doctor every month for an excuse, and netiher did I. Our hair dresser told us a few years later about a clinic that specializes in hormone treatment. We both went for a little mother/daughter hormone treatment day, and were given a series of tests to assess the problem. For me I wasn't lacking or producing too much of one certain hormone. I have pmdd and irregular menstruation, so I was given the option of birth control or an IUD (intrauterine device) that I would have to change once a month. I can't even remember what day it is how was I going to remember to change an IUD once a month? I chose the pill after discussing the options with the doctor and my mom. We found the treatment that was right for me.

In the last five years my symptoms have decreased enormously. I am rarely depressed or anxious, my cramps aren't as severe, I am not always tired or unable to sleep, and I'm regular. Now like I said in my introduction blog I only speak from experience. Just because something is right for me doesn't me it is right for you. Just because I have pmdd doesn't mean you do. I had all of the symptoms that's how I realized what was wrong. Talk to a doctor before ever choosing a treatment to find out what is right for you. I knew it wasn't just pms. PMS my S!

Keep Livin'
Kayla Dawn