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What is PMDD?

Episode 140: What is PMDD?

A conversation with Jen Butler who struggled with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and how she healed.

Show notes

In this episode of GynoCurious, host Dr. Amy Novatt welcomes back bestselling author, speaker, and life coach Jen Butler for an in-depth conversation about premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)—a severe, debilitating condition affecting 2–8% of women of reproductive age that remains widely misunderstood and under-diagnosed. Dr. Novatt opens with a clinical overview, defining PMDD according to the DSM-5 and distinguishing it from typical PMS, while noting that it can take up to 12 years for women to receive an accurate diagnosis due to medical dismissiveness and lack of awareness.

Jen shares her personal journey of recognizing that something was wrong—first by tracking her daily moods in a journal and noticing a striking cyclical pattern, then navigating a frustrating initial encounter with her gynecologist who dismissed her symptoms as "just bad PMS" and prescribed birth control that triggered daily crying and a full-blown panic attack. It wasn't until a doctor friend identified her as "textbook PMDD" during a neighborhood walk that Jen finally had a name for what she was experiencing. She speaks candidly about the initial shame and stigma she felt around needing an SSRI, and how that same medication—taken just two weeks per month—has been life-changing. The conversation also covers the lifestyle changes Jen made in parallel, including quitting drinking, adopting a regular fitness routine, abandoning diet culture, and beginning CBT, all of which helped clarify her diagnosis and support her overall wellbeing.

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Produced by Jennifer Hammoud and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff

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Jen Butler

Jen Butler

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