Worsening/prolonged PMS symptoms in my 30s?

[snowflakemidnight]

I was diagnosed with PCOS about ten years ago at the age of 23. My only symptoms of PCOS are the cysts on my ovaries (shown on an ultrasound), very infrequent periods/an altogether bizarre menstrual cycle (e.g. periods sometimes lasting a few weeks, then long gaps of months between them) and a tiny bit of acne occasionally.

Throughout my twenties my body got into a sort of cycle in that I would have around 5-6 periods a year, roughly every 2-3 months. They also became shorter than they were in my teens, rarely lasting more than ten days. (In my teens I once had one that lasted 6 weeks!) However, in the last couple of years this has changed so that now they are much shorter, only lasting about 5 or 6 days and I don't have a regular cycle anymore. This year I had a period in January, one in March, one in early May, one in late June and I have not had one at all since then. It was a similar pattern in 2017 as I had a long gap over spring 2017 when I didn't have a period for about 5 months.

I am finding that as I get older I get terrible PMS symptoms which can last for 2 - 3 weeks before my period. I am experiencing this at the moment and I am feeling absolutely desperate for my period to start because I know it will lift my mood. My moods are all over the place right now. I'm tearful and depressed and keep thinking about dark things and have some suicidal thoughts at times. I am extremely fatigued and I have to sleep more than usual. I fly into rages (thankfully manage to only do this when I am alone) and have to punch my pillow a lot at times to get out my anger. I am usually a keen ice-skater and I can't even balance properly at the moment which is very unusual for me. I don't feel like even going to the rink. I work from home and I am struggling to concentrate on work. I don't feel like socialising or leaving the house much. Other PMS symptoms I have are sore breasts, occasional cramps in my pelvic area, bad bloating, weight gain and craving chocolate. If this lasted just a few days it wouldn't be so bad but because it is lasting such a long time it really disrupts my life. My mum says I change personality when I have PMS. I am normally a relatively cheerful person but I seem to become this horrible version of myself. I revert back to being a hormonal angst-ridden teenager and I can't control it.

Weirdly, I sometimes also get the PMS symptoms but then I don't get a period. This happened in August of this year. I had symptoms for 2-3 weeks and was sure my period would start, but it never did. Then the symptoms thankfully disappeared and I felt myself again for a couple of months.

I've probably always had PMS to some extent but it is definitely getting worse in my 30s so far. I tried going to the doctor about my changing cycle in spring 2017 but the GP was very dismissive and just said 'oh you have PCOS' as if that explained everything and she didn't need to look into it any further. She did prescribe me anti-depressants but I never took them because I am only depressed when I have PMS, not normally. I have been on anti-depressants once in the past many years ago and they made me very sleepy all the time and gain a lot of weight, and I don't want to go through that again.

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Have any other ladies here also got a similar experience of terrible PMS symptoms with their PCOS? Do you get it for weeks before your period too? Have you found any kind of medication or therapy that helps?

Hope to hear from someone soon x

[Hidden]

I don't get PMS anymore because I barely have periods, however I have had rages and feelings of things like ants along my nerves constantly before I started receiving treatment and I believe it's linked to high testosterone. I believe sudden depression is also linked to high androgens and I've had certain medications make me suicidal. Sounds like to me your hormones are all over the place and you should see a GP and get a non androgenic birth control (do not let then prescribe Microgynon) to stop them for a temporary relief and then work on reducing testosterone as much as possible. Weight lifting, coffee, and so on. Also might be a good idea to look into your diet and see if any food is making it worse and bloating you, particularly gluten, grains, starchy carbs and dairy. They tend to be culprits behind bloat. Try eating more protein and fat than carbs.

[snowflakemidnight in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thanks for your reply. I don't think I would be allowed to go on any kind of birth control pill again because I was one it once in the past and unfortunately developed a DVT in my leg. I think that I was tested for testosterone levels years ago and mine were not actually higher than normal. My only symptoms that lead to my PCOS diagnosis were the cysts and the irregular cycles.

Definitely should look at my diet, thanks, as could always do with eating more protein as I exercise quite a lot normally.

[Hols969]

Would you consider being on the combined pill and then take 3 months on the trot as this would reduce it and as long as you have 4 periods a year it is fine.

[snowflakemidnight in reply to Hols969]

Hi, thanks for your reply. That would be a good solution. Unfortunately I wouldn't be allowed to go on birth control pills again because they caused me to develop a DVT in my leg once years ago. So sadly not an option for me.