Stomach pain, sleep problems, pimples: the time before your period is annoying. But some women become extremely sad or incredibly angry. When is there a serious illness behind it?
© Frederic Cirou/plainpicture; Johner/plainpicture
Before Nora* makes plans with her friends or agrees to appointments at university, she always checks exactly where she is in her cycle. The 26-year-old’s schedule includes the days between her ovulation and her Menstruation marked. In this phase of the cycle, the so-called luteal phase, Nora does not feel like herself. She is depressed, insecure and often acts impulsively. The reason: Nora suffers from the so-called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD for short.
It is not unusual for menstruating menstruators – including women, trans men and non-binary people – to experience physical or psychological problems in the period before their period. Up to nine out of ten For example, women have already had Chest, headache or back pain, before they got their period. They were also irritable, had difficulty concentrating or had problems sleeping. About 20 to 30 percent suffer from a veritable bouquet of these symptoms.