Education only—not medical advice. Discuss choices with your clinician.

Short answer: Some people find relief on certain combined pills, others feel worse; bodies differ. Track carefully.

Birth control was one of the methods I tried for PMDD. Several of them to be exact, but unfortunately, I was one of the ones where it did not help me. I went from being a "punctual" part time psycho, to an erratic, unscheduled psycho the majority of the time. It was rather terrifying to be frank, but there are people that it helps tremendously. 

I'll get more into what helps me soon, but here's the options for managing PMDD symptoms with birth control:

Options overview (plain language)

• Combined estrogen/progestin pills: some report symptom smoothing; others get mood dips

• Progestin-only methods: variable mood effects; monitor closely.

• Continuous/extended-cycle use: fewer bleeds may help; experiment with clinical support.

Side-effects to watch

New/worsening depression/anxiety, headaches, sleep changes-log daily.

FAQs

How long until I know?
Give it 2–3 cycles unless major side effects

Can I combine with SSRIs?
Often, yes. Coordinate with your prescriber

There's a lot about PMDD and birth control we don't know yet, but we do know that it makes a difference for some. If you've tried birth control and it didn't work for you, you aren't alone. 

I'll be sharing what helped me along the way.

Until next time...