(Pictured is Christina Elizabeth Bohn Rudd, who lost her life to PMDD in November 2021.)

The purpose of this petition is to respectfully push the Department of Health and Human Services for more funding to research a cure for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). It is also an effort to encourage universities to direct more focus into learning about the intricacies of the female hormonal system and its impact on mental health.  

I am just one member of a large community of people who experience an array of symptoms every month including: fatigue, anger, anxiety, crushing depression, irritability, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, the list goes on.

PMDD is a debilitating condition that affects an estimated 5% of women during their reproductive years. While it may not seem like a large percentage, we have over 169 million women living in the United States. This means that well over 8 million women in this country suffer, often in silence, every single month. Women like myself live in fear of their next period because they know well the onslaught of unbearable emotions and physical sensations it brings. While every case is different, many women report feeling the symptoms creeping in when ovulation begins. Ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before the period starts. If we consider that the average cycle is only 28 days, this is half a month before the menstrual cycle begins. That means that women with PMDD are in psychological agony for up to 2 weeks before they find relief. 

Sadly, not all women experience relief with the start of their period. Some continue to feel worse until their period is over. This leaves them only one week a month feeling some semblance of normalcy.

Women have lost their marriages, friendships, careers, and their overall well-being due to this disorder. There is no waiting it out and the outlook is bleak. In fact, the closer we inch to menopause, the worse it gets. This is a life sentence. 

This. Is. Not. Living. This is surviving, and to date, the only real "solutions" we have are to remove our reproductive organs or take psychotropic drugs that may or may not mask the symptoms effectively.

In an effort to find more information on PMDD and research that could provide answers, I scoured through scholarly journal articles. I was dismayed to find that the studies are incredibly limited and the conclusions are theoretical and propose SSRIs as a solution. Currently, the "gold standard" of treatment for treating PMDD are SSRIs. Some women, myself included, do not respond to PMDD treatment using SSRIs. This is not a cure, only a bandaid. 

We need more answers. We need more research. This is for your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends. Please help us join the fight in finding a cure for this.