Hey, it's Chelsea—I'm the co-founder of Looni.
Thank you for being here—we apologize that our Looni hotline was OOA last month, we’re back up and running now and here to support you, so if you feel like a chat, or need some moral support, just send us a text at 877-MY-LOONI (877-69-56664)
🏰 STORY
Before I began tracking my cycle and gained awareness of cycle syncing, I hadn't realized how my feelings and behavioral patterns were cyclical. In fact, they were so cyclical that I could pretty much pencil them into my diary ahead of time. It looked something like this:
July 25th: self-esteem will begin to dissipate.
July 26th: cue paranoia that friends don't like me.
July 27th: starting to feel terrible about my physical appearance and wondering if I'm in the right relationship.
July 28th: begin hating my boyfriend and considering pulling the plug on our relationship.
July 29th: feeling low about myself and imagining friends & people generally don't like me. Self-blaming and instigating breakup chats.
For half of the month, I felt happy, confident, and extraverted. Then my premenstrual phase would hit (the last week of the luteal phase, roughly a week before my period), and suddenly, it was as though someone hit a switch in my brain. I was taken from being what I like to consider a (fairly) sane and grounded individual to an unstable, irrational, and totally dysfunctional mess.
It was like clockwork every month, up to ten days before my period: I'd become wholly engulfed with anxiety and depression, baffled at how my life could feel so good the week prior, and then abruptly shift into a space so foggy that I could barely see out.
As I began tracking my cycle, I realized that my radical mood changes were probably a symptom of monthly hormonal shifts taking place in my body. Each month I'd do my best to hold on tight as this unhinged rollercoaster tested my sanity, taking me through a diverse spectrum of emotions: from sadness to rage and paranoia to cognitive fog. Whenever my bleed started, however, these thick dark clouds would lift instantaneously. By the second day of my period, the melancholy had dissolved, and life would feel lighter, easier, and just...”normal.”
While I subscribe to humor being one of the best remedies for healing and acceptance (and happily joke about these mood swings with my friends, despite considering myself a feminist)—for the three out of four people with PMS and one in twenty people struggling with PMDD1, this topic isn't really funny at all.
For so many, it's impossible to control the impact these mood swings have on our work and relationships, even while knowing that they correlate with a specific "time of the month".
My boyfriend is very familiar with this pattern and, unless at the mercy of my wrath, gently tries to remind me that my fragile state of being is connected to my period and will pass in due course. As many of us can relate, even if the intention is sweet, these types of comments aren't always helpful, especially when we've already plunged into unplumbable depths of despair.
While I've never been officially diagnosed with PMDD, many of my historic symptoms apply. It often seems that women with PMDD are misdiagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder—and treated accordingly—which feels dangerously out of sync for the body.
Unlike a lot of women, I didn't choose to take the birth control pill, despite being offered it for my endometriosis, cramps, acne, and to stabilize my mood. I've always considered it to be a band-aid that would eventually need to be ripped off (more on that topic for another newsletter).
I have, however, been able to achieve profound improvements in my mood swings over the last few years. While I can still get a bit more low, angry, irritable, or teary than usual in the days leading up to my period, it doesn't feel like a such a severe bout of depression with irrational anger served on top—just proportionately and understandably angry.
I support my hormone metabolization and serotonin levels with a combination of supplements. I stick to an anti-inflammatory diet of low sugar and avoid gluten where I can. I quit caffeine because I've come to accept that it does not help my anxiety—instead, I opt for decaf because I love the ritualistic aspect and taste of coffee. I strive to exercise most days, apart from the week leading up to my bleed and, of course, during it when I opt for rest and gentler movement. I aim to practice mindfulness/meditation daily, even if it's only for ten minutes. I notice a huge difference when I meditate as it helps me manage my stress: not only when I'm stressed but throughout all my moods (high cortisol levels only make these symptoms more pervasive).
I use a combination of botanicals and herbs to support my energies. Whilst I know it can be expensive and isn't available to everyone, acupuncture has also been one of the most effective tools for helping me manage my PMS symptoms, particularly in the week leading up to my period.
If you relate to any of these shared sentiments, please remember that you aren't alone, nothing is permanent, and that if you're journeying through the more challenging part of your cycle, "this too shall pass".
🎵 SOUNDS
Here is a little something from us to you—whether you're loving yourself or a partner, let the Looni tunes set the mood.
🩺 SCIENCE AND SPIRIT 👁️
🧑⚕️ from Looni's medical adviser, Dr. Stephanie Colantonio
We learn very little about premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in our medical training. This is surprising given that an estimated 75% of womxn experience some PMS symptoms, and 3% to 8% report extreme symptoms consistent with PMDD2. Numbers vary based on age and culture.
PMS refers to the physical and affective symptoms that occur up to 2 weeks before menstruation and resolve with bleeding. PMDD is a more debilitating version of PMS but occurs at the same time. People who live with PMDD are often affected by marked irritability, anger, anxiety, and/or depression that interferes with daily life and cannot be explained by an underlying psychiatric condition.
When I was 10, a woman gave a talk to our 5th-grade class on preparing for our periods. She said, "Some people get PMS. I don't. But know that it can happen." Her tone implied superiority in not having this thing called PMS. When I developed cyclical depressive symptoms before my period, I felt ashamed. I share this to echo Chelsea in saying you are not alone. We need to talk about it without shame. PMS communicates important information from our bodies.
What do these communicators tell us? Perhaps a hormone imbalance needs to be addressed. We don't have a clear understanding of what exactly causes PMS and PMDD, but a large body of evidence suggests it is mediated by serotonin.
Estrogen increases serotonin, amongst other feel-good neurotransmitters3. When estrogen lowers in your luteal phase, it is thought that serotonin activity does too. Folks who are more sensitive to this decreased activity or perhaps who have bigger drops in estrogen may experience more symptoms. Progesterone may also play a role. It is a calming hormone that modulates the neurotransmitter GABA4. Although not proven, it is thought that folks who have lower progesterone levels may also have more symptoms like anxiety.
🪄 SOOTHE 🔮
from Dr Stephanie Colantonio
✍️ I encourage patients to intentionally reflect on the triggers that upset them during this time of their cycle. Sometimes these symptoms are our bodies' way of not-so-subtly screaming at us to slow down and rest, go inward, and spend some time in beautiful solitude. For many, it can be a time of heightened intuition. Pausing each month to tune in can help answer questions or solve challenges that we're confronted with in our everyday life.
🌱 PMS and PMDD present differently for every individual. What works for one person may or may not work for another. Some go-to herbal infusions for common mood or cognitive concerns:
Dandelion is a wonderful ally for sadness and/or anger. It has the added benefit of liver support for healthy hormones. It also acts as a gentle diuretic to help reduce bloat.
Passionflower leaf and Motherwort are both wonderful for anxiety and irritability. These lovely nervines calm the whole nervous system.
Rhodiola is an adaptogen that helps the body adapt to stressors. It can support feelings of depression, fatigue, and brain fog.
Until next time,
Chelsea and Tatiana x
Co-founders of Looni
📚 SOURCES
Potter, J., Bouyer, J., Trussell, J., Moreau, C. (2009). Premenstrual Syndrome Prevalence and Fluctuation over Time: Results from a French Population-Based Survey: Journal of Women’s Health; 18(1): 31–39.
Steiner M. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: guidelines for management. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2000;25(5):459–68.
Bethea CL, Lu NZ, Gundlah C, Streicher JM. Diverse actions of ovarian steroids in the serotonin neural system. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2002 Jan;23(1):41-100. doi: 10.1006/frne.2001.0225. PMID: 11906203.
Freeman EW, Frye CA, Rickels K, Martin PA, Smith SS. Allopregnanolone levels and symptom improvement in severe premenstrual syndrome. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2002 Oct;22(5):516-20. doi: 10.1097/00004714-200210000-00013. PMID: 12352277.
i read this article a few months ago when received via email & it just reads as if it were written by me! seriously girl >>> those symptoms speak to me. i have found that completely cutting out sugar & alcohol has helped, but am yet to nail it 100%..
thanks for the great work you're doing, i appreciate you x