The Sirona Health Podcast: PMDD, Hormones & Mental Health

Tried to identify with PMDD, but your worst week doesn't line up with the "classic" post-ovulation pattern? You're not alone — and you're not imagining it. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen introduces DASH-MC, emerging research showing there isn't just one pattern of hormone sensitivity, but at least three.

In this episode:

• Why PMDD has traditionally been described as one condition — and why so many women don't recognise themselves in that description
• Type 1: the classic post-ovulation progesterone and allopregnanolone pattern
• Type 2: the lesser-known pattern driven by falling oestrogen around your period — often showing up as low mood, brain fog and fatigue rather than irritability
• Type 3: the surprising pattern linked to the oestrogen surge around ovulation — impulsivity, risk-taking and difficulty controlling urges
• Why this matters for ADHD specifically, and for choosing the right treatment

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.

If your hormone tests keep coming back "normal" but you still feel awful — this episode explains why. Dr Georgina Standen breaks down the real science behind PMS and PMDD: it's not about how much oestrogen or progesterone you have, it's about how your brain responds to it.

In this episode:

• Why women with PMS and PMDD usually have completely normal hormone levels — and why that's not a dead end
• The lab research showing PMDD cells respond differently to the same hormone exposure, right down to gene expression
• Why SSRIs can work within days for PMDD, when standard depression treatment takes weeks
• The traditional progesterone-and-GABA explanation — how allopregnanolone should calm the brain, and why it doesn't always
• Why hormonal contraception can be so unpredictable for PMDD specifically, and why more isn't always better
• How stress, sleep, and alcohol can amplify an already-sensitive system

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.

Why does it so often take years to get a PMDD diagnosis — and once you suspect it, who should you actually go and see? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen explains why this condition falls through the gaps in the healthcare system, and how to find a clinician who can actually help.

In this episode:

• Why PMDD diagnosis is genuinely complex — hormone tests are usually normal, and treatment has to be individualised
• Why so many women aren't believed the first time they raise their symptoms
• How PMDD sits between gynaecology, psychiatry and general practice — and why that gap slows diagnosis down
• What GPs, gynaecologists and psychiatrists are each trained to spot, and where the gaps are
• What actually matters most when choosing who to see — and why it's rarely about job title

A full transcript of this episode is available above.

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.

There's no blood test for PMS or PMDD — so how do you actually get diagnosed? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen walks through the real diagnostic process, and introduces cycle mapping, a tool that goes far beyond simply tracking your period.

In this episode:

• Why diagnosis relies on daily tracking rather than a single test — and why two full cycles matters
• The screening tools and diagnostic criteria doctors actually use (PSST, DRSP, DSM-5)
• What gets ruled out along the way, and why
• What cycle mapping is, and how it goes beyond period-tracking to reveal how your hormones and symptoms move together
• Why regular periods don't always mean regular ovulation
• Who cycle mapping is especially useful for — including women without regular periods to track against

Mentioned in this episode:

• Belle app: https://bellehealth.co/
• Flo app: https://app.flo.health/
• DRSP via ROCG (appendix III): https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/premenstrual-syndrome-management-green-top-guideline-no-48/
• Mira hormone monitor (up to 30% off with SIRONAHEALTH): https://shop.miracare.com/products/fertility-max-starter-kit?variant=45163642224933
• Sirona Health PMS/PMDD page: sironahealth.co.uk/pms

A full transcript of this episode is available above.

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.

How common are PMS and PMDD, really — and why does the research seem so contradictory? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen unpacks the numbers behind these conditions, and the full picture of symptoms that goes far beyond bloating and a bit of tearfulness.

In this episode:

• Why estimates of PMS prevalence range so wildly across studies — from 12% to 98%
• What the actual research says about how many women meet criteria for PMS and PMDD
• The 200+ documented symptoms of PMS, and which specific cluster defines PMDD
• Why symptoms can look completely different from one woman to the next
• Why perimenopause so often brings a resurgence of PMS/PMDD-type symptoms — and what that pattern actually means

Mentioned in this episode:

• Belle app: https://bellehealth.co/
• Flo app: https://app.flo.health/
• Sirona Health PMS/PMDD page: sironahealth.co.uk/pms

A full transcript of this episode is available above.

Sirona Health specialises in menopause, PMS/PMDD and teen health. Find out more at sironahealth.co.uk.

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.

What's actually the difference between PMS and PMDD — and how do you know which one you're dealing with? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen breaks down the two conditions clearly, without the mystique.

In this episode:

• What defines PMS, and why it's so common
• What makes PMDD a distinct, more severe condition — not just "worse PMS"
• Why there's no blood test for either, and what tracking actually shows
• How diagnosis leads to different treatment paths

Mentioned in this episode:

• Belle app: https://bellehealth.co/
• Sirona Health PMS/PMDD page: https://www.sironahealth.co.uk/pms

The Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, a specialist women's health practice. Further information: sironahealth.co.uk 

This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.