Intro/story thing!

[jen]

Hello I thought I would post an introduction/journey thing here. I LOVE talking about periods and find the whole cycle quite interesting (as well as hellish). Unfortunately none of my friends do!

I started menstruating when I was 11 and I've been tracking my moods since I was about 16 and thought something was wrong. I remember asking my mum about PMT and if I seemed different, she told me she hadn't noticed a problem and that everyone gets it. So that put me off asking anyone else for several years.

When I was in university, with a few years of mood/period tracking behind me, I decided to go on the Pill. I started on Microgynon (has a new name now but I'm not sure what...) first which messed me right up. I was only on it for about a month and became extremely physically sensitive to everything, couldn't sleep, cried all the time. I realised it was probably the pill and threw them all in the bin whilst crying at 3am! Then went onto Cerazette (I think) which was amazing. I can't for the life of me remember why I came off... although, I do remember feeling kind of bored of it. Without the highs and lows I felt kind of dampened and not myself. Now, as an adult that's supposed to do things like have a job and clean the house, I'm ready to go straight back on it!! 

[immmgy]

Hello I think this forum is such a great idea!

So here's my story, I guess.

I started my periods when I was 12. By 15 I was suffering pretty badly with heavy periods & pain and went on the Pill (Can't remember which to be honest). I came off the Pill at 17 as there was an issue with the medication I was just starting to take for my OCD. When I think back now, I can see I was already having certain mood issues around ovulation but at the time I wasn't tracking my periods at all. At 19, I had an unexpected ectopic pregnancy and my periods went nuts. I bled/spotted for a whole year (had to take iron tablets) and had severe cramping pains in my back. After numerous operations to try and find the cause, different pills, different diagnosis, the doctor essentially told me she had no idea. Lucikly, after simply letting my body do its thing, by the time I was 25, the cramping pains stopped and my periods became normal, regular and pretty much pain free. Unluckily, that's also when the severe mood symptoms began. It took a while to connect the moods with my periods as it made my already existing anxiety issues worse and I thought it was just that. I tracked my period for a year before going to the doctor at 27 and finally got a diagnosis of PMDD. By that point it was obvious as my symptoms came around like clockwork, almost to the hour, each month.

I also began to have very painful pelvic floor spasms at ovulation which are a joy. But my periods themselves are still relatively pain free so that's something (although i'd take that over the mood problems any day). Now, I am treating it only with SSRIs (which I take for OCD anyway, upping the dose before ovulation) as well as CBT. It's not ideal but after the problems had with birth control before, I'm scared to go down that road.

So that's me!