Not Just Common PMS: Understanding PMDD When Mood Swings Become Extreme

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, Jakarta – Have you ever experienced severe mood swings before your period? From sudden, uncontrollable feelings of sadness, anxiety, and anger, this condition has long been normalised as premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

However, if emotional distress becomes more extreme, recurrent, and disrupts work and daily activities, it may not be mere PMS. According to obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Thejaswini, this extreme condition could be a more serious clinical symptom known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

She explained that PMDD occurs during the luteal phase, the period after ovulation and about a week before menstruation begins. She added that PMDD triggers significantly more severe emotional distress than PMS.

‘PMDD is often mistaken for a simple hormonal imbalance, but the condition is far more complex,’ said Dr Thejaswini, quoted from Hindustan Times on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.

She noted that PMDD sufferers may experience depression, anxiety, anger, extreme mood changes, and heightened sensitivity to rejection. Physical symptoms often include heaviness in the body, fatigue, and bloating.

She stated that most women with PMDD have normal estrogen and progesterone levels throughout their menstrual cycle. The primary issue lies in the nervous system’s heightened sensitivity to natural hormonal changes.