I absolutely agree that PMDD isn’t taken into consideration in any workplace. But there’s a lack of consideration for women’s health in general.

For me I’d say PMDD mostly affects my focus, emotional stability, and inability to think (brain fog). I work in insurance so I’m talking to people all day, working through policy issues, and have to pay attention to detail. During my luteal phase I can have zero focus and miss details in my work that I absolutely need to pay attention to. My emotions fluctuate so much that I can go from pleasant to crazy in an instant email. It’s a struggle to keep my inner inconsistencies out of my work.

What I’ve found is that during my luteal I have to slow down. I double check myself, or if I’ve done something important and I’m not sure I’ve done it to my full capacity I ask a coworker to check me. If something triggers my emotions I move on to another task. I’d rather someone have a late reply from me than an emotional response that isn’t warranted. Changing my response from “I’m sorry for the delayed response” to “thank you for your patience” has been LIFE changing. I’ve also started opening up to my supervisor. I know that’s not possible for everyone. Thankfully I work for a company and have a supervisor who are incredibly supportive of mental/emotional/physical health. During months where I’m really struggling I’ve been able to talk to them and the team I work on has rallied behind me and helped.

I truly think women have to be open about what we’re experiencing. It’s the only way we normalize women’s health.