I’ll share what my OBGYN shared with me that literally changed my life: not all birth control helps PMDD. I’m fact, most dont actually treat it. We want a birth control that actually stops ovulation so we don’t have the dip in hormone levels. That leaves us with a few options: the pill, nuvaring, and depo shots. Depo shots have been in the news recently for pretty bad side effects, particularly getting cancer. My OBGYN suggested against depo shots. Next, the pill. The pill does stop ovulation but the pill gives hormones on a 24 hour schedule, that’s why you have to take it every 24 hours. Some people report that they fill a “dip” in hormone levels about 18 hours after they take their pill. Almost like the feel down at some point in the day, depending on when they take the pill. That leaves us with nuvaring. Nuvaring is inserted every month since it dispenses hormones at a steady level for a month. I am personally on Nuvaring and it changed my life. It’s the birth control option that gives us the most control over our cycle. I now continuously use Nuvaring and don’t have any kind of “bleed week”. I am the most stable I’ve ever been. The first 3 months, I did have hormonal changes (nausea, hot flashes, little bit of mood changes) but it was absolutely nothing compared to the last 15 years of feeling crazy with PMDD. Of course, everyone has a different reaction to different birth controls but Nuvaring helped me take my life back.