If you've felt out of control in your body some weeks of the month, thought maybe you were bipolar or had a personality disorder, felt suicidal or manic out of nowhere, you might not be broken. Your cycle might just be signaling that your progesterone is tanking when it should be at its highest, and once you know that, everything changes. This is Monica Grohne's story, and she's here to tell you that you don't have to stay a victim of this diagnosis.

In this episode:

• Why thinking you have a personality disorder or bipolar diagnosis might actually be PMDD, and why so many therapists are starting to catch this.

• The diagnostic process for PMDD and why there's no single lab test, which means it requires cycle tracking and usually a few months of data.

• Why your standard OBGYN might run normal bloodwork and miss the root cause, because "normal" lab ranges aren't the same as functionally optimal.

• What low progesterone actually does to your brain chemistry when it should be highest in your luteal phase, and why GABA tanks with it.

• How energy deficiency and high cholesterol can play a role in your progesterone conversion and what to do about it.

• Why cycling SSRIs works for some people but isn't your only option if you actually address the foundations.

• The foundational things that matter for PMDD (spoiler: it's the same blood sugar and sleep and stress management that matters for everything else).

• Why women are terrible at boundaries and how that directly impacts your ability to take care of yourself and your hormones.

• What it actually looks like to live with your cycle instead of against it, including how to plan your month and adjust when life doesn't cooperate.

• How to reframe from "I'm softer so I need to avoid things" to "I'm actually in control of what's best for me".

PMDD is real, it's not your fault, and it's not a life sentence of suffering. But you have to be willing to do the work to understand your body instead of just accepting that you're crazy. Monica did it, and so can you.

Leah's Favorite Things: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/favorites

I'm Leah Brueggemann, a Functional Diagnostic Nutritional® Practitioner and Hormone Health Coach, helping you balance your hormones in effective and realistic ways so you can live a healthier, happier life.

Through the Balance Hormones Naturally podcast, you'll discover why your cycle is so important to your everyday health and how you can use nutrition to help support the rise and fall of your hormones and finally feel truly amazing. We dig deep to understand and heal the root causes of your symptoms so you can achieve lasting results through manageable and realistic lifestyle changes, allowing you to live a healthy and balanced life without a long-term pharmaceutical prescription.

Let's connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balancinghormonesnaturally/
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_brueg/
Website: https://www.leahbrueggemann.com/
Email: [email protected]

The recommendations presented in this podcast are not a substitute for medical advice from a qualified doctor. Before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle, please consult with your healthcare provider.