Hello everyone xx
I am wondering if those of you that had postpartum psychosis and Bipolar, also have got PME/PMDD and also had HG (severe severe sickness) when pregnant with your little one? I have/ had all of these and I also had an episode when I stopped breastfeeding. I’m highly highly sensitive to hormone shifts. I’m just wondering if there is a pattern here amongst up pp/ bipolar mums?
Thanks xx
Morning,
I had PP and have bipolar 1 too. Really sorry to hear that you’re having to deal with all of this.
I haven’t noticed hormones impact me in a normal menstrual cycle, but I do know that we have to be super careful around the menopause.
The Bipolar UK website has lots of resources on women and bipolar:
bipolaruk.org/blogs/women-a...
They also run a peer support line so might be able to answer any questions you have or point you in the right direction of someone who can.
Hope you find some helpful answers here x
Hello Isabella Yes I can most certainly relate to my hormones impacting my bipolar symptoms. My psychiatrist did say after several months of tracking my cycle that it looks like I may have PMDD. I already had suspected this. I am 41 and already fear turning 50 when menopause will kick in, as I know from looking at several of my sisters that this shift will causes symptoms to occur. I do hope I am wrong about this but we will wait and see. How do you manage when you feel your mood shift at various times of your cycle? Also have you read the book Period Power by Maisie Hill? It is such an empowering book to have as it explains your various hormones at certain times of your cycle and references each as a season. I highly recommend it to any woman. Also do you track your cycle? My baby making days are over. However I still track to ensure I have a heads up as to when I can expect things to shift mood wise. Hope this helps you. Take Care ❤️
I would say I was always very sensitive to hormone shifts, but wasn’t diagnosed with PMDD, maybe because it wasn’t recognized before I had PP. I hadn’t ever heard of it, anyway. I do remember having days before my monthly when I just felt uncharacteristically moody or angry, and I knew it was hormones and would pass.
I was very sick with the second child. I wasn’t hospitalized with HG but was severely nauseous 24/7 for 7 of the 9 months of pregnancy. It was awful. It was after that one I got PP. I distinctly remember going to my doctor about the nausea and having them tell me there was nothing I could do about it. I’ve been angry about that ever since. Women shouldn’t have to suffer that much. I can’t believe there isn’t one single thing available to help pregnant women with that kind of nausea.
Due to breast cancer I went into menopause early and have done much better without hormones in my body. So there’s hope in that, I think.
Hello!
Gosh I’m so sorry you were dismissed and wasn’t given treatment!! They do offer antisickness medication now and iv fluids, things have luckily changed xx
I’m glad to hear that. I think back when I was pregnant they were still scared to death of the thalidomide situation and they just refused to give me anything at all. Thalidomide was given in the 1960s and that was 30+ years earlier! Maybe there hadn’t been enough studies or maybe my doctor was just conservative, I don’t know, but I wanted to die from that terrible relentless nausea. I think it contributed to depression during pregnancy also which may have made me more prone to PP afterward. 😞
great question! I had severe nausea throughout pregnancy- I honestly felt like I was going to die, it was that bad. But then I had severe OCD with psychotic features and the nausea felt like a walk in the park in comparison.
I’ve also always been sensitive to hormonal changes around menstruation. So for me there does seem to be a pattern here.
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