“It’s just hormones.” “All women get moody before their period.” “Have you tried exercising more?”
If you’ve raised severe premenstrual symptoms with a doctor, a partner, or even friends, and been met with responses like these, you’re far from alone. Many people living with PMDD describe a long road of feeling unheard before anyone took their experience seriously.
Why this happens
There are a few reasons this dismissal is so common. PMDD is still relatively under-recognised, even within parts of the medical system. Because symptoms are cyclical, it can be hard for others to see the full picture — someone might seem completely fine two weeks out of the month, which can make the severity of the other two weeks harder for people to believe. And broader cultural narratives that frame premenstrual distress as an exaggeration or a joke don’t help.
The impact of being dismissed
Being repeatedly dismissed can leave its own mark, separate from the PMDD symptoms themselves — a wariness about bringing things up again, a habit of minimising your own experience before anyone else can, or a quiet loss of trust in your own perception of what you’re going through. This is a completely understandable response to a real pattern of not being believed.
Where therapy can help
Therapy won’t undo a difficult history of being dismissed, but it can offer a different kind of relationship — one where your experience is taken seriously from the outset. This might include processing frustration or grief connected to past experiences, rebuilding trust in your own perception of your symptoms, and developing language and confidence for advocating for yourself with healthcare providers going forward.
If any of this resonates, you don’t need to keep managing it alone. You can read more about PMDD and reproductive mental health support, or begin an enquiry to arrange a free 15-minute call.