Chronic pain currently affects around 28 million adults in the UK, with research from Mamedica revealing that 51% of UK adults report dealing with chronic pain every single day. However, women are disproportionately impacted, as 56% report feeling ignored or dismissed by medical professionals regarding their pain. This is further supported by our data that shows almost 80% of women have accepted physical pain and discomfort as the norm, compared to 66% of men.
Women also suffer from female-specific pains; particularly in their pelvis, including period pain (dysmenorrhoea) and the pains associated with conditions such as endometriosis and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). A survey by The Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) found that 69% of women say they had a negative experience at work due to their period. Yet 25% of women said they have tried at least three different medications for their pain but have not found any to be effective.

The life-changing impact of medical cannabis on Lucy’s life

Mamedica patient Lucy Hartshorn shared her experience with the Daily Mirror on her decade-long battle with receiving her diagnosis for PMDD. Lucy found life-changing relief from medical cannabis after years of being dismissed and even receiving a wrong diagnosis.
“For a long time, I didn’t realise that is what it was, I was misdiagnosed with all sorts for years and years. I thought something was really wrong with me and everyone wrote it off as being just moody.”
Lucy battled severe PMDD symptoms including cramps, headaches, joint and muscle pain, along with emotional symptoms such as feeling suicidal. She first noticed a change when her period stopped due to her pregnancy. This is when she was able to pinpoint that the two were connected. It eventually led to her final diagnosis of PMDD after the birth of her daughter.
Now, Lucy finds relief in medical cannabis, which not only eases her period pain but also helps regulate her mood.
Read about Lucy’s story here.

Can medical cannabis help you?

Since its legalisation for medical purposes in the UK in 2018, the benefits of using cannabis-based prescriptions to treat a range of health conditions as well as symptoms commonly found in women have been well-documented.
Medical cannabis interacts with your body’s endocannabinoid system through CB1 and CB2 receptors and helps regulate various physiological functions such as sleep, mood, appetite and pain, and can help improve memory too.
The most well-known cannabinoids, CBD and THC, have been shown to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that could be beneficial for conditions such as endometriosis and PMDD. These compounds can also help regulate hormonal imbalances, stress, and anxiety, which can have a direct effect on how women tackle their pain.
With waitlists in the healthcare system reaching unprecedented levels, patients are facing delays in receiving diagnoses and treatment. Furthermore, reliance on traditional medications like opioids frequently results in patients having to deal with severe side effects.
This brings up the urgent need for natural treatments like medical cannabis,that provide a personalised approach to symptom relief. This is further supported by Mamedica’s research which highlighted that over a third (34%) of UK adults felt that their treatment was not tailored to their condition.

Moving to the Twin Cities next month and need to continue care with a GYN/OBGYN. Looking for a trustworthy doc or practice that has experience with endo specifically, but a practice that handles related disorders is a plus (hormone issues like PMDD or physical co-morbidities like pelvic floor issues).
I was lucky in that the major university in my current city has a large medical center with a specialized Women’s Clinic that handled all sorts of complex cases, and I had all the docs I could possibly need in one place. Devastated to leave that behind. Not sure if UMN has anything similar, but if anyone has experience with something like that too at the U, that would be great to hear about.
Thanks in advance!

Hi! Im a 29yo female on 100mg of Pristiq and take a few supplements (l-methylfolate, vitamin D3, women’s multivitamin, birth control for PMDD). Started 75mg IR just over 6 weeks ago due to low motivation. I have generalized anxiety disorder so they wanted to start off low and slow. But I’m finding my anxiety is worse, more irritable, less energy, still have low motivation.
Lots of side effects. Dry mouth was terrible for a while, somewhat manageable now but barely even with biotine. Lots of headaches, starting to subside. I dont drink coffee or really anything with caffeine. Stomach aches here and there usually right before dinner 6pm. Constipation even with fibelots of water. Lately waking up early and cant fall back asleep so tired throughout day. Especially in late afternoon/early evening I crash. Took gene test years ago, wellbutrin was in the green category.
My prescriber left so I have to start with a new person (first appointment is tonight). Im trying to figure out if I should tough it out a few more weeks, increase the dose, or just ask to try something else (maybe abilify?).
Wondering if anyone else had a similar experience/any advice

38F, 5’4”, 130lbs Diagnosed: maybe relevant—degenerative disc disease Probably unrelated but maybe not?: bipolar 2 (I know the medications could be related but I don’t know if the actual disorder is), adhd and a few other mental things (anxiety mostly) edit: forgot to add PMDD and hormonal migraines Medications: Wellbutrin, lamictal, lyrica, adderall, buspar
So, to start, I’m pretty sure there are separate issues going on here but I guess the various symptoms could be related. I’ve been having random muscle twitches mostly in my thighs and generally in the evenings when I’m sitting down (not like RLS feeling). They’re not huge but enough to jerk my legs and they almost always happen in my thigh muscles, occasionally in my calf muscles but always in my legs. This started several months ago and has been increasing slowly in intensity and frequency. I’m assuming this is maybe some of my medications?
I’m also having intermittent difficulty swallowing. It’s like I have to time it right or wait until it feels right somehow. It’s hard to explain but it’s kind of scary when it happens when I’m eating and I’m not totally sure it will all go down. Not sure it’s related though.
I also have occasional single night events where I have chills/sweats/feel feverish but have never taken my temp bc I’m always in bed. Happens around 4am usually. When I wake up I’m nauseous and throw up a couple of times then I’m fine. This is possibly anxiety related as it often happens the night before therapy (not every time but probably 75%) though I have no conscious anxiety about going and enjoy my sessions. It happens maybe once a month or once every couple of months. I had a 6 month period where it happened every month but it’s slowed down.
The muscle twitches and difficulty swallowing are probably my primary concerns and wondering what might be going on there and if it’s probably my medications? But the random “sick” nights have been baffling me for awhile as well and while I doubt they’re related it’s weird and I wondered if anyone had any thoughts about either of these?
Thank you for taking the time to read all this!

Hi everyone, I’ve never posted here but I’ve been in this group for awhile now. A little bit of a backstory, ever since I was 14, I’ve gained and lost and gained and lost large amounts of weight (I’m 25 F now). Four years ago I lost 80 lbs, went from 210 lbs at 5’6 down to 130 lbs. The last 20 lbs were kind of unintentional, I was still working out a lot but I started a medication (Wellbutrin) that made it hard for me to eat at times. I’m still on it but it doesn’t have that effect on me anymore. In 2021 my fiancée and I got back together after quite some time apart, I started to put a bit of weight on because I tend to be one of those people that gains “happy weight” in my relationships (obviously from overeating lol). It turned into 60 lbs over a two year period, back up to 190 lbs. Anyways, starting last year in 2023 I started trying to lose the weight again. I started calorie counting which I’ve never been able to stick to before due to my past disordered eating patterns. I’ve struggled with that and body dysmorphia since I was 14. It’s worked for me this time, and right now I’m at 150 lbs. Sometimes I’m happy with my body and other times I’m not, I deal with PMDD and suspected but not diagnosed endometriosis, so it honestly seems like 2 weeks out of a month I’m struggling with bad cravings, water retention, a huge swollen belly that makes me look 6 months pregnant (common in endometriosis, extremely painful). The thing is, back in 2021 I was less active than I am now, I worked less hours, I was eating a ton of snacks and sweets and I still maintained at 130 lbs for a year. 130 lbs is an ideal weight for a 5’6 female, but on my frame it was really small. I have an hourglass figure, wide hips and I felt like I could see every bone in my body. I had times where my sternum would stick out so much that it would pop my bra open at work and I’d have to run to the bathroom to deal with that lol. What I’m getting at is there such a thing as a weight your body naturally wants to stay at? I’ve been going from 148-152 lbs since like February of this year. I track my calories and have my off days, but even when I’m doing well it seems like my weight just won’t budge. My goal is 140 lbs so it’s not that big of a difference. I work a full time job where I’m on my feet all day, I work out 4-5 times a week, I play badminton and other outside games daily, when I’m not at work I’m up cleaning my house, I basically never sit around. I eat balanced, and track and weigh everything, I get 10,000+ steps most days. I eat 1500 calories a day, give or take the days where I eat a bit over, it’s never over 2000 at the MOST and that isn’t often at all. If I go under 1500 I feel terrible. It just seems like my body naturally wants to stay around this size. Has anybody else every felt this way? I just don’t know what else I could change in a sustainable way

Hi all. I am new. I am kind of confused. I am going to start my period in a couple of days give or take ans I am a complete mess. I am crying, angry, hopeless, sad.. etc. My baseline anxiety is already high as I hsve panic disorder and agoraphobia. But I am wondering if I suffer from pmdd. I have not been diagnosed.. but curious if what I am feeling is caused by pmdd.

I got the nexplanon implant for my severe PMDD. And the next 20 days, I was in misery. I was depressed, argumentative, isolating, couldn’t do ANYTHING, and crying at the drop of a hat. I got the implant right after my period ended, so, ostensibly, I should have been in the best part of my cycle, which is why I knew it was definitely not regular PMS. I also started experiencing pretty bad breakthrough bleeding and AWFUL cramps five days after I got the implant. I ended up self harm relapsing after something like seven months clean and became extremely suicidal. It got so bad that I tried to carve it out of my arm. I know. I WISH I was joking. Guys, I went insane. Note: I do have pretty bad bipolar and depression, but those symptoms had been in control for a while now. I think the nexplanon just made them come back with titanic force. Note also: I’ve done worse to myself, so I thought it was just my self-destructive tendencies coming back. Anyway, the cutting out of my body didn’t work bc of the weird angle, so I finally called my women’s clinic. I explained my situation, and they said my side effects were definitely Not Normal and called me in for immediate surgery to get the implant out. I got it out and within three days all my symptoms went away. I would highly recommend that if you have severe PMDD, bipolar, suicidality (or are on lamotrigine bc I know that can interact as well), or any mood disorder + PMDD, I would have a looong conversation with you dr abt the implant. I’ll be honest the nexplanon has completely disillusioned me to birth control as a way of managing my PMDD. I think I’ll stick to my mood stabilisers and anti-depressants. I know ppl have had great experiences, but I also thought I would share mine. I will admit I am very grateful the nexplanon is reversable, I gotta give it that. Stay safe out there folks

Hi. I am a relatively new RBT (well.. 6 months in…) and ever since I started this job my stress levels and mental/neurological wellbeing has taken a significant hit. I’ll try to be as concise as I can be but this may be kinda lengthy.
First to lay some groundwork: I’ve worked with kids my whole life. I’m 31 and started babysitting neighbors kids at 10. I’ve mostly worked in daycares, preschools, as a nanny, or substitute teaching, with a few years of food service work sprinkled in there. I graduated in 2015 with a BA in psychology that I have never “used” until now. Even though I technically didn’t need it to get my RBT certification.
I also have some chronic issues worth mentioning: migraines, bipolar disorder type II, generalized anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD. I take medications for all of this though I would say it still hasn’t been well managed by them.
So I started this job in November. I’m at a facility and they have higher standards than most and therefore only promote from within and require all new RBTs (certified or not) to go through their 40-hour training in person at the facility.
I started with one kid who started when I did so I had her all day until she had more RBTs and I had more kids (my facility does typically 3 sessions a day per kid each with a different RBT).
The clickers, data tallying, timing, session notes, supervision logs, competencies, etc. was incredibly overwhelming and I cried a few times just feeling like I couldn’t keep up. Then I got my other two kids and I lost it. Had total meltdowns trying to keep up with things and feeling so stupid when I’d freeze up under supervision and just start bawling. Some people have always been super kind and understanding but there are some people who (COMPLETELY fair imo) do not want to supervise/support me anymore (like SITs/BCaBAs) because I’ve just broken down and been a big emotional burden and they can’t get their shit done. I’m like another kid here.
So after being denied mental health days several times, my manager took me off of one kids case and has me supervising groups of kids during lunch. It can be chaotic but not having to have notes and logs and supervision to worry about makes it loads easier. Honestly the kids are not the challenge for me, it’s the work itself and the stress I feel when I have to deal with my supervisors and SITs.
So down to two kids. Chronic migraines will not relent. I was suffering greatly. Multiple headaches a week. I went to the ER 3 times in a couple months. Missed 1-2 days a week pretty regularly and on the off week I made it through, I’d get a nasty migraine that took me out for the whole weekend. Did nothing but come home and watch tv at night and on weekends because I was SO exhausted really just from the stress.
So then my manager and I discussed me going to PT. I now watch lunches and my afternoon kid. I love her to death. She’s the first kid I had. And she loves me too and is so sad when I’m not here.
I’ve started driving for Uber to make up the difference and a week of that made me realize how much easier of a time I could be having. I’m in the process of applying for disability bc my mental conditions are unpredictable and debilitating. With Uber I can drive longer on good days and if I get a headache or have horrendous anxiety and PMDD and can’t fathom driving, I don’t have to call out or disappoint anyone. I don’t have friends here either and the social interaction from driving was really nice. I feel like I came home in better moods.
So my dilemma… I think I know what I need to do. I think quitting is inevitable. But I keep telling myself I need to stay til August when my client is supposed to go to kindergarten. I also have insurance through this job and have upcoming therapy, psychiatry, optometry, neurology, and dental appts that I really need to go to because I haven’t had insurance in ages. And some of these appts aren’t until July. My parents were also so happy that I finally have a “real job” but my mental capacity is not what it was in college ten years ago. Bipolar episodes and some head trauma have definitely impacted my cognitive functioning. It’s embarrassing when all these kids I work with are ten years younger than me, straight out of high school, never even worked with kids, and somehow they seem to be having the easiest time.
I have been stressed and a wreck and sobbing so much. Going to work gives me insane anxiety. I’m fighting with my boyfriend all the time because I’m so selfishly negative and lost in my problems and it just feeds off itself and I unintentionally become addicted to the negativity and being a victim because it’s how I’ve felt for so long.
I just need input. My biggest concern in quitting is abandoning my client. My biggest concern in staying is ruining my relationship with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. Obviously more important in the long run for me but idk the impact on the kiddo.
I guess, given all the context, I’d appreciate some people just weighing in. How important is it that I see my client through til august? Is there a way I am not seeing things? Can anyone relate?
I’m desperate. I just want to be happy. I just want my kid to keep progressing and be happy. And I want my boyfriend to be happy.

Maybe this is too extreme of a rule and it's just my PMDD speaking. But recently there was a post here with over 200 upvotes which means it probably made it to some people's reddit front page. I saw people who have never commented or posted here participating on that post like it was just a discussion board to say whatever they want. I know this is reddit and that behaviour is normal everywhere else but for our sanity can we please stop it?
They don't know what it's like to experience or have a partneloved one with this condition and their comments are often off-point, tone deaf, or they can't "read the room". It's really frustrating. Especially when it's clear from what they're saying, their user name, the emojis they use, etc., that they're a cisman so have never even had typical PMS. This isn't a place for people without the condition (or loved ones) to just say whatever they want tangenitally related to the original post. This isn't a place for people without PMDD to postulate like armchair scientists over our disorder. This is a place for us to find community and share common experiences about a very difficult disorder.
So I have two ideas:
1) What if we have a rule that "If you saw this on the front page of reddit and you don't have PMDD (or don't suspect you have it), or don't have a loved one with this condition, don't participate".
2) I've seen other subreddits that have a bot post on popular posts with a pinned message that says "Welcome from the reddit front page, here are the rules...". Maybe that would help?

I go to a mental health clinic for people who are low income and have been for 8 years now. I saw the same psychiatrist there for the first 5 years and he was great, but I've realized some things with him were odd and I need to know if I should tell my current psychiatrist?
With the old one, I had a huge crush on him, which my therapist said was common. I was really shy and hardly talked much because I had such a strong crush on him. It was to the point that it held me back on getting the medications I needed for years. About 3.5 years into seeing him, I lost a ton of weight on vyvanse but it also made me manic. I bleached my hair platinum, got lip fillers, and got obsessed with looking super feminine and started wearing really feminine clothes, all in the span of about 6 weeks in between appointments. When I sat down at the next appointment, he got really silent and just smirked and said "you look really.....really....really good. Like, you really do."
It made me squirm in my seat. But it also perpetuated this infatuation with him. I started to feel like he was interested in me too, and it messed with me sexually. At one point I became hypersexual and had to take an Ella pill which is a strong version of plan b that is prescribed.
At my next visit after being prescribed the pill, my psychiatrist was acting really weird towards me. I was no longer manic at this point and was super nervous because I wanted to bring up PMDD to him. He was super surprised and was like "oh! So you did get your period??" and this is when I knew he could see that I had been prescribed the Ella pill by another doctor. At the end of the visit, he had his nurse sign a release of information with me because he wanted to request my ob/gyn records. I had been prescribed the Ella pill on Nurx, so there was nothing in my ob/gyn records about that. But there was a lot of info (presumably) on a surgery and follow up I had for an ovarian torsion (more on that later). The follow up included a LOT of transvaginal ultrasound reports, because the ovarian torsion I had was really traumatizing for me, and every single time I felt even a tiny pinch afterwards, I went to the doctor and demanded they look at my ovaries because I was terrified.
My psychiatrist didn't immediately bring up the medical records and I actually didn't think he had ever read them. But then a couple months later we were talking about a new career I was interested in, and he said "oh, you could be an ultrasound tech" out of nowhere. It was so subtle. But I'm not crazy. I was trying at this point to convince myself to not have feelings for him because I knew it was insane, but this really confused me. In another appointment, he told me I should sign up for the trauma-informed yoga classes at their center. I said it wasn't my thing, and he kept saying I might like it. Another appointment, I showed up and his office was covered with pictures of his wife (presumably) and he kept bringing her up.
These little comments here and there continued until COVID hit, then we transitioned to phone appointments. I found out he was partially retiring and leaving the practice. We had one last phone appointment where he told me he had actually been dealing with lymphoma from the past year or so and that was the reason for leaving. I tried to continue the conversation, but he cut it short and that was the last time I spoke to him. Over the next couple of years, I went through massive grief and confusion over this. I was so confused and felt crazy, and thought about it nonstop. I felt mind-fucked.
I still haven't been able to speak about it to anyone for multiple reasons. One, being that he was the medical director of this mental health center at the time and had worked there for like 30 years. Two is that the female therapist I had been seeing at the time at the same location, had made a sexual comment to me and was extremely emotionally abusive towards me. Telling me sexual abuse stories of minor patients and told me about a patient who got a rash every time a man ejaculated on her. It was disgusting. I reported it once and switched therapists and refused to talk about it out of fear, and no one at the mental health center has ever brought it up to me again, in all the years I've been there. But I'm scared that since it was reported to my mental health center once, they won't believe me about my psychiatrist.
Both of these experiences have traumatized me and I have never been able to speak of them. My current psychiatrist at the health center is amazing and I want to tell him but I'm scared they will terminate me as a patient. I told another therapist in eating disorder treatment about the female therapist that made the sexual comment, and she filed a state board report. There was a year-long investigation and an outcome which I can't talk about, but I never got to actually speak to anyone about how it made me feel.
Circling back to the ovarian torsion thing- in 2017 when I was 2021, I had an ovarian torsion, which is an extremely painful emergency medical thing. I ended up in a primary care doctor's office because my Mom thought I had just hurt my back, and they accused me of being there for drugs, and did an incredibly aggressive and lingering manual pelvic exam on me that traumatized me. I have labeled it as sexual assault since that happened. My new therapist outside of the mental health center reported it to the police 3 months ago even though I was an adult at the time it happened, because there was a chaperone in the room when it happened who did nothing, and my therapist said it sounded like it was like the chaperone was groomed to hide the abuse the doctor was committing, and the doctor may still be seeing children since they are PCP. I am currently in limbo with deciding whether to press charges against this doctor. But I don't trust my own judgment. I wonder why I am so prone to abuse by doctors and therapists. I was abused by my parents and wonder if it made me an easy target? Or if it's because of my autism? I even question whether what the PCP did to me was even sexual assault, or if I just took it that way because I was projecting abuse from my psychiatrist onto him?

I just need a lot of advice and guidance. Who do I talk to about all of this? It's just too much and I feel like no one will believe me. 

I go to a mental health clinic for people who are low income and have been for 8 years now. I saw the same psychiatrist there for the first 5 years and he was great, but I've realized some things with him were odd and I need to know if I should tell my current psychiatrist?
With the old one, I had a huge crush on him, which my therapist said was common. I was really shy and hardly talked much because I had such a strong crush on him. It was to the point that it held me back on getting the medications I needed for years. About 3.5 years into seeing him, I lost a ton of weight on vyvanse but it also made me manic. I bleached my hair platinum, got lip fillers, and got obsessed with looking super feminine and started wearing really feminine clothes, all in the span of about 6 weeks in between appointments. When I sat down at the next appointment, he got really silent and just smirked and said "you look really.....really....really good. Like, you really do."

It made me squirm in my seat. But it also perpetuated this infatuation with him. I started to feel like he was interested in me too, and it messed with me sexually. At one point I became hypersexual and had to take an Ella pill which is a strong version of plan b that is prescribed. At my next visit after being prescribed the pill, my psychiatrist was acting really weird towards me. I was no longer manic at this point and was super nervous because I wanted to bring up PMDD to him. He was super surprised and was like "oh! So you did get your period??" and this is when I knew he could see that I had been prescribed the Ella pill by another doctor. At the end of the visit, he had his nurse sign a release of information with me because he wanted to request my ob/gyn records. I had been prescribed the Ella pill on Nurx, so there was nothing in my ob/gyn records about that. But there was a lot of info (presumably) on a surgery and follow up I had for an ovarian torsion (more on that later). The follow up included a LOT of transvaginal ultrasound reports, because the ovarian torsion I had was really traumatizing for me, and every single time I felt even a tiny pinch afterwards, I went to the doctor and demanded they look at my ovaries because I was terrified. My psychiatrist didn't immediately bring up the medical records and I actually didn't think he had ever read them. But then a couple months later we were talking about a new career I was interested in, and he said "oh, you could be an ultrasound tech" out of nowhere. It was so subtle. But I'm not crazy. I was trying at this point to convince myself to not have feelings for him because I knew it was insane, but this really confused me. In another appointment, he told me I should sign up for the trauma-informed yoga classes at their center. I said it wasn't my thing, and he kept saying I might like it. Another appointment, I showed up and his office was covered with pictures of his wife (presumably) and he kept bringing her up. 

These little comments here and there continued until COVID hit, then we transitioned to phone appointments. I found out he was partially retiring and leaving the practice. We had one last phone appointment where he told me he had actually been dealing with lymphoma from the past year or so and that was the reason for leaving. I tried to continue the conversation, but he cut it short and that was the last time I spoke to him. Over the next couple of years, I went through massive grief and confusion over this. I was so confused and felt crazy, and thought about it nonstop. I felt mind-fucked.

I still haven't been able to speak about it to anyone for multiple reasons. One, being that he was the medical director of this mental health center at the time and had worked there for like 30 years. Two is that the female therapist I had been seeing at the time at the same location, had made a sexual comment to me and was extremely emotionally abusive towards me. Telling me sexual abuse stories of minor patients and told me about a patient who got a rash every time a man ejaculated on her. It was disgusting. I reported it once and switched therapists and refused to talk about it out of fear, and no one at the mental health center has ever brought it up to me again, in all the years I've been there. But I'm scared that since it was reported to my mental health center once, they won't believe me about my psychiatrist. 

Both of these experiences have traumatized me and I have never been able to speak of them. My current psychiatrist at the health center is amazing and I want to tell him but I'm scared they will terminate me as a patient. I told another therapist in eating disorder treatment about the female therapist that made the sexual comment, and she filed a state board report. There was a year-long investigation and an outcome which I can't talk about, but I never got to actually speak to anyone about how it made me feel.
Circling back to the ovarian torsion thing- in 2017 when I was 2021, I had an ovarian torsion, which is an extremely painful emergency medical thing. I ended up in a primary care doctor's office because my Mom thought I had just hurt my back, and they accused me of being there for drugs, and did an incredibly aggressive and lingering manual pelvic exam on me that traumatized me. I have labeled it as sexual assault since that happened. My new therapist outside of the mental health center reported it to the police 3 months ago even though I was an adult at the time it happened, because there was a chaperone in the room when it happened who did nothing, and my therapist said it sounded like it was like the chaperone was groomed to hide the abuse the doctor was committing, and the doctor may still be seeing children since they are PCP. I am currently in limbo with deciding whether to press charges against this doctor. But I don't trust my own judgment. I wonder why I am so prone to abuse by doctors and therapists. I was abused by my parents and wonder if it made me an easy target? Or if it's because of my autism? I even question whether what the PCP did to me was even sexual assault, or if I just took it that way because I was projecting abuse from my psychiatrist onto him?

I just need a lot of advice and guidance. Who do I talk to about all of this? It's just too much and I feel like no one will believe me. 

I (30F) was diagnosed with Hashimotos in 2020. I was not told much else other than that it was a thyroid condition. What I was not told was about the other condition I was diagnosed with. I changed doctors recently and saw in my file “Hyperandrogenism due to non-classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency.” Firstly what does that even mean? I have looked online but it doesn’t tell me anything.
All my blood work comes back in good standing including my T4. Everything else is slightly out of range but consistent with autoimmune disorders.
Some health background information. I started my cycles at 8. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2017 Then told in 2020 that is was Hashimoto’s not PCOS. I just had my follow up with my endocrinologist and they said I’m in remission. But I still exhibit certain symptoms such as : Severe cystic acne and body acne Difficulty swallowing Hair in non- typical areas such has face , chest and stomach. PMDD Infertility. Severe cramps Depression.
I really am desperate to understand what is going on with my body. I have taken every step on my end from changing my diet and lifestyle to getting on birth control to help with my acne. Can I have both hashimotos and PCOS? What should I do to help with my androgenism ?

32, Female, 185lbs, OCD in the form of obsessive skin picking (excoriation disorder), generalized anxiety, major depressive disorder, PMDD, ADHD.
diagnosed with keratosis Pilaris last year. Doc told me to take bleach baths every day for 2 weeks and then once a week after that, she also gave me a weird liquid topical that smelled like rotten eggs mixed with permanent marker and said to put it on affected areas. Literally nothing changed. Tried tretinoin and that made me insanely itchy.
Fast forward a few months and I'm in school and having a lot of stress and picking. I found a spot on my breast next to my areola that looked like an ingrown hair. I picked it. A couple dark hairs came out. But then I noticed a white patch underneath. I've seen them before and just thought nothing of it, but this time I was inclined to pick.
Well when I was picking at it, I noticed there was ZERO pain and I thought that was weird. I picked some more and SO many little hairs came out. Like... more than 50 hairs, all kind of see through. Some where really short hairs but others were like 1 to 2 inches long. but if I had a couple hairs, I'd roll them between my fingers and it would make this small grey/black ball. So I assumed it was little hairs like peach fuzz or velus hair. If I don't pick at these, they sometimes develop into little zit type things, it goes away and they turn back to this grayish brown colour bump in that first picture. These bumps are shiny waxy looking.
I have these bumps all Over my thighs, hips, stomach, and breasts. I do my best not to dig at them and haven't in a long time until last night. When I realized it was one of those bumps, I stopped picking and showed my BF and bestie because I've never been able to show any one before and it makes me feel nuts.
I asked my doctor about these bumps and she didn't know. She sent me to a dermatologist where I got the KP diagnosis but she quickly said "I have no idea what those are" when I told her about the bumps with lots of hair in them, i suggested velus hair cysts as that was the only thing that makes sense to me when I try to research, but she dismissed that in 2 seconds and said if it was, I would have a lot more and in clusters. I feel like i have a ton.. I felt super rushed and dismissed and I should have advocated for myself but I get a little anxious with new doctors, and she looked to be my age if not younger and I found that intimidating.
First 2 Pic is what my bumps look like before picking. Second pick is after removing the ingrown hair and a bit of skin and then I see the white like in the other pics. I also included a video of pulling some hairs out.
I should note that I have successfully removed all the white before, one that I had on my belly. I removed SOOO many hairs. At the end, some of the hairs would give me a little electric jolt, assuming I was pulling hairs wrapped around tiny nerves or something. When I got all the white out. I found some weird greasy little blob things that sort of resembled the bigger yellowish black heads you can sometimes get. I covers half a paper tower with these little blobs, I stopped because I hit something that made me bleed a lot for like a half hour. After I gave in and stopped, I noticed where I got the blob things from, there was now a little empty gap under my skin that I could feel was like hallow under my skin, about the size of a quarter. I assumed I had removed some subcutaneous fat but I'm no doctor.
I should also say that I have also removed all the white without having to go that deep, to reveal fresh pink skin. I have scarring from it but the grey bump is gone in those places. I wondered if I had more of these on my body and started picking at similar spots on my legs. Some had a bunch of white and hairs come out, some just had a little black head thing and a couple dark hair but that was it, no white underneath.
Also yes I know I was picking with fingers and that's a no no and so is picking with tools but I just can't help it. My fingers look dirtier than they are because I had picked for a few minutes at other areas.
I hope someone has some type of insight. Thank you in advance kind reddit peopl,things

Age: 35
Conditions: Panic Disorder, Anxiety, PMDD, Anemia
Medications: Xanax, abilify, Xyzal, SlowFe, Vitamin C, d2
I developed anemia while pregnant that lingered into postpartum and I have had issues with low iron since. My doctor prescribed 1 SlowFe tablet daily that I take with vitamin C. It makes me really constipated as where normally, I'm extremely regular and would go twice a day. Is there anything I can do for this? I've tried miralax but that didn't work so well. Thanks in advance!

I hv pmdd so every week or 2 weeks before my period I always feel a strong urge to unalive myself, & the other 2 weeks I also jst generally want to cease to exist. Apart from pmdd, I also hv adhd, agoraphobia, mixed anxiety disorder, social anxiety, ocd & C-ptsd which were all diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist. I’m just genuinely sick of existing, everything is so hard, despite being able to achieve some things, I genuinely jst get demotivated once I achieve things. Also I just dnt like the state of the world. The patriachy, capitalism, colonialism(I’m a black girl in an African country, racism & everything else that is unfair. Apparently I hv a strong sense of justice & that’s why I feel so strongly about the state of the planet. I actually came on here to look for easy & painless ways I can use to unalive myself, my birthday is in 12 days & I genuinely dnt feel like reaching it. I hv lived for a good 24 years & 11 months & I believe I’m ready to go. The things that make me anxious to the point of getting panic attacks are barely to do with my personal life rather hv much to do with the world & I can’t fix the world obviously, so I just want to go. I don’t ever remember there being a time where I was happy to be alive, I’ve always hated being on this planet for as long as I can remember. So please give me suggestions on how I cn go about it.

Hi everyone, I’m still trying to get an official diagnosis for POTS after a lifetime of symptoms, and I’m wondering if anybody with hyperenergic POTS also suffers from BPD (borderline personality disorder,) or any other other mental illnesses that are triggered by flare ups. For example, I’ve noticed that after I work out and my heart rate is elevated for extended periods of time, it’s like a trigger for BPD and I’m just a grenade that’ll explode at any second. I have other diagnosed mental illnesses/conditions (AudHDH, PTSD, PMDD) that are triggered by what seems to be POTS, but i only started dealing with BPD last year- the same period of time where I really started experience crippling POTS symptoms. It makes me wonder if I had proper treatment if it would mitigate a lot of my mental issues. Does anybody else have this same experience?

Blood boiling through my veins, rage spewing out of every pore, threatening to tear walls down and screaming until my throat is raw. This was never a typical Tuesday afternoon for me before now, but its a side of me I have grown very accustomed to.
I come from a privileged life. Great upbringing, supportive family, no serious history of mental health issues or illness. Just a classic child of amicably divorced parents who both sought to protect me from the harsher realities of the world. It was a sun shining, toes in the sand, beach day kind of life for me every day growing up. Always laughing, I was the first to speak up, I always got attention, but not too much or the wrong kind. I never struggled with my grades, or my sexuality, or dark thoughts creeping in. I was loved so unconditionally, I would never have imagined in my wildest thoughts that my life would not always feel this way. Growing up has a way of diluting the fantasy of what we’re lead to believe life is about or can be while we’re still reeling in our youth. The veil of protection gets ripped away and there’s simply nothing you can do about it but power through, or make though choices.
I don’t even seem to notice, and neither do my dozens of friends or family at first, when these feelings start bubbling up inside me and seeping out in small moments. It starts as what feels like a blip; a moment of irritability, maybe I’m PMSing or stressed from all the bad news and what is going on in the world around me. I am a BIG feelings and emotions type of person, I have always been overly empathetic and whole heartedly take on other people’s heartbreaks and tragedies. But this felt different. I was on edge more days than not, and I could no longer blame the world around me, I knew this feeling was deep inside me. So I try to numb the feelings because I can not make sense of them. This is the first time I don’t have an answer for my feelings and I do not know what to do with that. I always strive to figure out the “why” but with everything in my life going well, I can not come up with a valid reason. I don’t like sitting in this. Some days feel normal and hopeful, but others start to feel like I’m slipping further and further into a darkness I can’t shake.
Not being able to stay on solid ground, and not having answers, I think that’s when my sense of purpose starts fleeting. I can’t even seem to grasp for it anymore, it’s simply out of my sight now and I don’t chase it. I don’t chase it because I don’t feel like it. I don’t feel like doing much of anything. My sense of apathy starts to take over. It begins with work, but then it slowly crawls it’s way through to family dinners, social plans with friends and eventually making its way to my long-term relationship. This was the first real sign for me. Apathy, or the absence of feeling, was not something I was accustomed to. For someone who feels so deeply, why couldn’t I feel at all? I was numb. And once you’re numb, you start to lose reality.
To my credit, I think my brain and body were trying to reject the apathy, but instead of returning to my usual happy-go-lucky self, I start feeling new sensations. I can’t focus, I can no longer multi-task and because of this I am not doing as well in my job. I am angry at myself, I start feeling pathetic, and then sad, and then angry all over again. I can feel anxiety and cortisol spikes in the morning, and then at night, and then soon I don’t know how to quiet my brain at all anymore. I don’t sleep, I don’t eat, I am quick to bite back. I simply cannot function as a productive member of society. Everyone expects so much from me, the happy girl who shows up to everything, ready to go. So how do I tell someone that every email, every text message, every phone call is dreadful, when this is my livelihood? But how can I focus on anyone or anything else when the voice inside my head is screaming at me. I no longer recognize this person. Who am I?
Pretty soon the overwhelming emotions coursing through every ounce of my body can only be described as chaos at it’s finest. I find myself holding my breath for fear of not being able to control my heaving chest once I let the air escape my lips. These manic episodes come on so strongly, it’s like wildfire. I have never been a violent person, but in these moments I do not recognize myself; I am Jekyll and Hyde. If there was something in my hand, I was smashing it. There were moments I was banging my head against my fists, the walls, pulling my hair out, screaming for help, yelling out “I am unwell, take me to the hospital”. I am convinced I had to be bi-polar or suffering from extreme depression. There was no other explanation for the intense surges of anger and emotional turmoil that needed a psychical escape from my body. I am scared to be around the kitchen knives because I have visions of slicing and stabbing them into different parts of my body. In these moments, I feel like it would be a release, and then maybe someone would really notice, or take me seriously?
I always manage to calm myself down and climb into bed but I cannot get comfortable, my muscles won’t relax. When I drift off, I wake up in cold sweats, I jump at every noise, I toss and turn and start to think about all my life choices at 4am. Until one night while in bed alone, I write down what can only be described as the start of a suicide note. The logical part of my brain that is still in there can’t make sense of it, but my body cannot help but put these feelings into words. Why would I want to continue on living with this feeling? What if it never goes away? It came on so quickly, what if this could happen over and over again for the rest of my life? I scared myself.
The next day I wake up and research a therapist. I think to myself, I either needed to talk this out, or be referred to a psychiatrist for medication. After a few sessions with a therapist, I start to realize my issues are not about my life, it’s a feeling inside me that has come on so strong, so quickly. But I’m always of the mindset that everything happens for a reason, so I know it will be a part of the journey for me. It wasn’t until I was out for lunch with my mom a few weeks later when she sits me down and says “I know you are not okay, tell me what it is you are feeling”, and I recount everything from the intense emotional spikes, to insomnia and everything in between. This is the start of my discovery of hormones playing a much more vital role in my body than I could have ever imagined. No one taught me this in school, no doctors warn young women about potential hormone imbalances, and there is certainly no manual on menopause and the symptoms that majority of women experience. I went into that lunch with my mom thinking I had major mental health issue and would need to be medicated, and within a few weeks and an appointment with an endocrinologist, I discover that I have PMDD and my body is mimicking the hormone levels of a peri-menopausal woman at the age of 30.
PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. People with PMDD have PMS symptoms (bloating, headaches and breast tenderness) in the weeks before their period, but PMDD also causes severe anxiety, depression and mood changes. Some people with PMDD become suicidal. That coupled with the complete lack (as in 0 levels) of testosterone and progesterone in my body, I have been a walking time bomb. I have always had extreme menstrual cycles and was finally diagnosed with Endometriosis after almost 10 years of seeing health care professionals. This just seemed like another check mark beside the long list of hormonal issues I deal with monthly. But at least I finally have an answer. I started on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) for 6 months and start to notice slowly feeling like myself again. I can handle stress again, I am thriving at work, my relationship starts to feel fulfilling again and I am able to check my messages without having a panic attack.
Making the mistake of not refilling my prescription for the last 6 months has brought me back to this place where I am reminded of exactly why I went through this journey to begin with. It’s only after I have 3 panic attacks within the span of 4 days, screaming until my voice is hoarse and punching a door that I start writing this down. This is not only a reminder to myself, but a hope that if someone else is going through something similar, there are ways through these symptoms. This does not have to be your life. I refuse to let it be mine.
There is little funding or research on women’s health in general, let alone around hormones, but this may be the difference between life and death for some. I encourage anyone who may feel they are on or have had a similar journey to please do whatever research you can from reputable sources and reach out to your health care professionals. Mental health is not just about therapy, medication, exercise and eating well, (although all of those things are extremely valid and should be taken seriously), but hormones play such a large part in your mental health and regulation of your body. If I even can help a single person with this information, that is all I can hope for.
It’s time for me to stop hiding years of shame and start to share with others who may benefit from hearing my story. Hormone and women’s mental health has become a very important part of life for me now. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. Forever trying to be better and live life one small joy at a time.

I recently had blood work done and the results came through my online health portal. Everything was normal except for my platelet count, which was showing quite high. I have never had this come up on blood work in the past. It's a holiday today so I don't expect to hear back from the doctor till later this week as to whether this requires follow-up or not. I'm a bit of a worrier, so I'm wondering if this is an indication of a serious health problem or not - can someone let me know if I have cause for alarm?
For reference, I am F39, I have PCOS that presents with insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes (both well controlled). I take Ozempic for the diabetes 0.5mg/week) and spironolactone (100mg/day) for the hirsutism and acne that comes with PCOS. I weigh around 157 pounds, having lost nearly 90 pounds via Ozempic, diet changes, and excersize over the past 18 months. I am pretty active - I run about 3-4 miles 3x a week, swim for an hour 2x a week, do strength training at least once a week, and walk about 2 miles a day with my very high energy dog. Eat a mostly pescatarian diet. My BP is good, my cholesterol is good, most recent pap smear was normal, A1C is 5.1 and fasting glucose is between 87 and 90. I currently take birth control pills but will be switching to the Mirena IUD at the end of my current cycle in hopes that it will eliminate my period as I suffer from really bad PMS (might be PMDD). History of major depressive disorder but have been stable for years.
I know this is not a substitute for actual advice from a doctor and will discuss the elevated platelets with my doctor this week but again I am a worrier so wanted to get some advice so as to mentally prepare. Happy to answer any follow up questions.

i think i have to get a pelvic exam. because all of my symptoms sound like endometriosis, but since i have PMDD, BPD, GAD, and PTSD diagnosed... it just feels unbearable. it's like these mystery hormone imbalances are heightening my disorders to be at their worst. i am always suicidal, always reliving trauma, always anxious, and it takes all of me to just make my heart rate something normal and bearable.
i'm in so much pain cramping all the time that i can't sleep and moving hurts too much, so it's hard to walk and make something to eat or even drink. yesterday i was so dehydrated bc the only thing i drank in almost 2 days was iodine for my CAT exam. i have gotten so many tests saying everything is normal, but endometriosis doesn't typically show up on imagings.
everyone in my life thinks it's that. my dad is a doctor and thinks it's that, and my relatives with endometriosis think it's that, too. but it requires a pelvic examination.
i have, 1) never had one before. i have PCOS so i should be, but i have avoided the gynecologist for YEARS bc of my PTSD. and 2) i am terrified of any touch in that region to the point where i avoid anything that involves it.
those things mainly being sex and any procedure doing internal exams. it's so dangerous to avoid them, too, but i just cannot do it. i really can't. being touched there is like one of the few triggers i have that give me flashbacks and i get violent, too. completely lose control of myself. it's terrifying and i don't want to hurt people but it's impossible not to. my legs kick and my arms punch out of pure instinct.
i don't know what to do. my PTSD makes me feel so goddamn hopeless right now. it's either, "get violated and relive trauma" or "be suicidal, infertile, and in severe pain for the rest of your life."

My mental health in general has already been a big stressor in my marriage. My wife has been incredibly patient and understanding with me. I have Bipolar Disorder, OCD, PTSD, PMDD, and suspected BPD. So it’s a struggle.
Last November my wife almost called it quits after I let my (previously) untreated bipolar disorder wreak havoc. I got treatment and she took some time to decide if she wanted to stay with me. After some time, she decided to stay.
But there were things that she said and brought up when things were rocky between us that stuck with me. The fear of us not being together definitely stuck with me. And even though she decided to stay together and things started improving between us, my mind couldn’t let go of all of the fears. Suddenly everything seemed like a sign that she didn’t really want to be with me. Every little thing felt like proof that she didn’t have feelings for me or that she was going to threaten to leave again. I started becoming more and more irrational in my thinking. The smallest thing would trigger thought patterns that I couldn’t get out of. I’d have intrusive thoughts about something like her asking for a divorce and become convinced that she was going to do that and I’d look for proof in her actions. I started developing weird habits to make me feel better (i.e. if I only use these coffee mugs we’ll stay together, or if I make sure all of the labels on things are facing the same way everything will be okay).
I felt totally panicked all of the time. It drove me to tears frequently. She began trying to ask what was going on in my head and I started explaining some of it to her. Unfortunately this led to a pattern of constant reassurance seeking behavior. Before I realized the damage I was causing I had started sharing every negative and fearful thought with her. She began to feel accused and attacked even though I tried to explain I wasn’t accusing her of anything (simply sharing the nonsense I was battling in my mind). And all of the negativity started to weigh on her. I leaned on her too much. I shared too much. I asked for too much reassurance. She began to feel like being around me meant always having to talk me out of my irrational obsessive thoughts and deal with the mess that I was, instead of just being happy and having a normal relationship.
Now she’s had enough. She’s back to trying to decide if she wants to stay with me. I’ve hurt her with my poor mental health. I’ve made her feel alone because instead of having a supportive partner, she has a partner she’s always having to put back together. Something horrible happened 3 years ago and I’ve been spiraling since then. She says she doesn’t recognize this constantly negative and fearful person that I’ve become.
She’s asking for a lot of space. We’re barely speaking or spending any time around each other. She seems miserable any time she has to be around me or talk to me. I’ve fucked up so bad. I really felt like I couldn’t control my thoughts the last few months, and I’m so angry at myself for not trying harder or doing things differently. I made the very thing I feared come true. I really don’t know if she’ll want to stay together. I hope to god she does. She is the love of my life. We’ve been together for over ten years. I can’t picture life without her.
I’m just really hurting and feeling alone right now. And feeling guilty for everything I’ve put my wife through. I’m literally doing everything I can to get better. I’m on meds for bipolar, depression, and anxiety. I’m in therapy. I’m going on birth control to help with the PMDD. I’m getting a job again so my mind has less time to ruminate. I don’t know what else to do. I’m thinking it might be time to ask my therapist about ERP.
Any kind words or wisdom appreciated. Thank you for reading my novel ❤️

My wife has depression. We've been dealing with it on and off since we started dating in 2017.
Now we have a mortgage, two little boys, and it came back in full swing.
In the past, we tried on a few occasions to seek help from therapists, but the experience was never truly fruitful, and always too expensive to maintain.
She is from a SE asian country, I'm from a central european one. We live and work here in NL.
To be a bit more specific, apart from depression itself(since teenage years), my wife also has some sort of hypersensitivity to hormones and hormone changes. We are convinced (to the best of our knowledge) that she has PMDD - premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Does anyone have any recommendations, anything whatsoever? How to find the good therapists? How to make it not so insanely expensive? Any good resources, anything...