PMDD Treatment in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
It’s time to take back control.
You’re not too sensitive, too emotional, or overreacting. Your pain is real, and it deserves real care.
If you’ve been experiencing intense emotional or physical symptoms in the days or weeks leading up to your period—symptoms that are severe enough to interfere with your work, relationships, or sense of self—it may not just be PMS. You might be living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that affects both the body and the mind. Many women with PMDD are misdiagnosed with other mood disorders or dismissed as being “too sensitive.” But the cause of PMDD is tied to how your brain responds to natural fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone. It’s not in your head, and it’s not your fault.
Let Me Help You Feel Like Yourself Again! Get the Right Diagnosis and Treatment
PMDD is a serious hormonal mood disorder, and it deserves serious care. The symptoms of PMDD often begin during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (the time between ovulation and menstruation) and resolve shortly after your period begins. As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner focused on women’s mental health, I offer evidence-based treatment options that are both compassionate and medically sound. If your symptoms feel like more than just PMS, I can help by offering:
Medication Management for PMDD Symptoms
For many, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant, are an effective treatment for PMDD. These can be taken either daily or only during the luteal phase, depending on what works best for you. Some birth control pills may also help reduce symptoms by suppressing ovulation and stabilizing hormone levels. We'll talk through the treatment options, discuss possible side effects, and tailor a plan that feels both safe and sustainable.
Online Supportive Therapy for Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
In addition to medication, I offer supportive therapy to help you manage symptoms, understand the timing of your symptoms, and explore practical tools to improve your quality of life. While not as intensive as long-term psychotherapy, supportive therapy creates space to reflect, process, and build skills, so you’re not just surviving each month, but feeling more in control. Please note, I do not provide weekly therapy, and do recommend partnering with a therapist, which evidence-based care shows gives the best results.
GeneSight® Testing for the Right Treatment for PMS and PMDD
What If Your DNA Could Help Guide Your PMDD Medication?
Many women with PMDD experience a frustrating journey of trying different medications, hoping for relief, but often running into side effects, worsening symptoms, or no real change. That’s where the GeneSight® test can make a difference. GeneSight is a pharmacogenomic test that analyzes your DNA to help determine how your body may respond to specific mental health medications, including those commonly used to treat PMDD.
GeneSight can help us:
Personalize your treatment of PMDD
Reduce the risk of unwanted mental health symptoms or somatic symptoms
Avoid medications that could make symptoms worse or increase severe emotional reactivity
Support a more targeted treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Complement your overall management of PMDD
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers I wish more women had about PMDD.
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PMDD symptoms go far beyond typical premenstrual symptoms or PMS symptoms. Many people with PMDD experience intense mood swings, irritability, sadness, or anxiety in the week or two before their period. These emotional shifts often come with physical and emotional symptoms like headaches, fatigue, breast tenderness, and bloating. If these symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your relationships, work, or daily life, they may signal premenstrual dysphoric disorder rather than regular premenstrual syndrome.
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A PMDD diagnosis is based on timing and consistency of symptoms, not just how severe they are. Most symptoms of PMDD begin in the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle (the time after ovulation but before your period starts), and they typically improve or resolve once your period begins. To diagnose PMDD, we track patterns over at least two cycles to confirm that your psychological symptoms and physical symptoms follow this predictable monthly rhythm.
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There’s still ongoing research into exactly what causes PMDD, but we know it’s related to how your brain responds to the natural rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle. It’s not a hormone imbalance, but a sensitivity to those changes. PMDD may be rooted in a deeper interaction between hormones and serotonin, which helps explain why certain antidepressants are effective in treating PMDD.
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No. PMDD is a disorder, not just a more intense PMS symptom experience. While both involve premenstrual symptoms, PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome with symptoms that are severe enough to disrupt your ability to function day-to-day. Women with PMDD often feel like they’re living in two different realities each month - one before their period, and one after. The physical and emotional symptoms of PMDD tend to be more intense and longer-lasting than typical PMS.
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SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are used to treat PMDD because they increase serotonin levels in the brain, which can help relieve symptoms like irritability, depression, and mood swings. They can be taken daily or just during the luteal phase, depending on what’s most effective for your body. These medications are often effective in treating PMDD and are considered one of the most reliable forms of treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, especially for those dealing with severe symptoms.
More questions? Check out my FAQs page.
