PMS and PMDD

Our team at Westminster Women’s Clinic are here to support you if you suffer from Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

Many women experience mild physical or emotional PMS without it being too troublesome. Some women (up to 47% and likely under reported) experience moderate to severe physical and psychological symptoms in the luteal phase (after ovulation) of their menstrual cycle which disappear or reduce with the onset of menstruation. Such symptoms affect interpersonal relationships and a woman’s ability to perform day to day activities.

Our expert team of hormone specialists, gynaecologists and psychotherapists will help you reach a diagnosis, understand your hormones and provide a tailored care plan to help get on top of your symptoms.

In your consultation, you will be given a range of treatment options that can be tailored to your specific symptoms.

These may include:

• Lifestyle – Exploring ways to reduce any stress, or improve diet and exercise.
• Complementary therapies – Exploring the use of Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Calcium.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – Our Psychotherapist Jo Benians (hyperlink) specialises in women’s health and can assist you with strategies to manage your symptoms.
• Medical therapy – PMS is thought to be related to cyclical ovarian function. Many of the available treatments aim to work by suppressing ovulation, which alleviates the distressing cyclical symptoms that accompany it. These include Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills and Hormone Replacement Therapy for example.
• Surgery – In severe cases where medical therapy has failed to improve symptoms, a woman may be referred for consideration of a Hysterectomy and Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy, permanently removing her ovarian cycle.