Being taken
seriously
By Ben Jonas Goedeke · 3 min read · checked against its sources
Many people with severe premenstrual symptoms have been told it is just hormones, or stress, or part of being a woman. If that has happened to you, it says something about the appointment, not about you.
Bring the record
A dated record changes the conversation. It moves it from how you come across in ten minutes to what happened over two months. Hand it over at the start.
Say what it costs you
Doctors are trained to ask how much a symptom interferes with life. Be concrete. "I called in sick twice last month." "I nearly ended my relationship, and a week later I could not understand why."
Ask directly
It is fine to say: "I think this could be PMDD. Can we look at that?" If the answer is no, ask what else it could be and what the next step is. You can also ask to see someone else.
Keep the record your doctor needs. Tideline is a period and mood tracker for iPhone: write one sentence a day, and after two cycles it puts the week before your period next to the week after it starts. Free to track, no account.
Get Tideline on the App Store
Keep reading
Sources
- IAPMD: What is PMDD?
- ACOG: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- NHS: PMS (premenstrual syndrome)