Mood swings, irritability, or hopelessness the week before your period, gone once it starts? A 25-question self-reflection on cyclical, luteal-phase mood patterns. A self-reflection tool, not a clinical diagnosis.
No signup needed — your result appears instantly.
DSM-5-TR Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder criteria domains (Epperson et al. 2012) · Original 25 items — no dominant copyrighted PMDD instrument exists to adapt from. A PMDD diagnosis requires confirming the pattern across at least two cycles with a prospective daily tool like the DRSP (Endicott, Nee & Harrison, 2006); this is a single-administration self-reflection screener, not that diagnostic process.
No. This is a free, self-reflection tool, not a clinical diagnosis. PMDD can only be confirmed by a clinician, typically using prospective daily symptom tracking across at least two menstrual cycles, not a single questionnaire. What this check-in can do is give you a plain-language snapshot across five symptom domains, a useful starting point if you're wondering whether your premenstrual pattern is worth looking at more closely with a doctor.
Most menstruating people experience some premenstrual symptoms, and that alone is normal and not PMDD. PMDD describes a more severe, more consistent pattern: mood and physical symptoms that are intense enough to noticeably affect relationships, work, or daily functioning, that show up reliably cycle after cycle, and that ease again once the period starts. The size and consistency of the pattern, not just its presence, is what separates PMS from PMDD.
Postpartum depression centers on a specific window in the weeks and months after childbirth. PMDD is unrelated to pregnancy, it's a monthly, cyclical pattern tied to the luteal phase that can affect anyone who menstruates, year-round. General depression or anxiety, by contrast, isn't tied to cycle timing at all. The defining feature of PMDD is that the symptoms rise and fall with your cycle, appearing in the week or so before your period and easing once it starts.
Start by tracking your symptoms daily alongside your cycle for at least two months. That log is the key piece of information a doctor or gynecologist needs to confirm PMDD and rule out other causes. Effective, evidence-based treatments exist, including SSRIs (which can be taken cyclically, just in the luteal phase, for PMDD specifically) and hormonal approaches. Bringing your tracking log and this check-in's summary to that first conversation can help focus it.
Taking our test should not be viewed as a comprehensive or precise evaluation of your abilities. Results are for informational and self-reflection purposes only.
Mood swings, irritability, or hopelessness the week before your period, gone once it starts? A 25-question self-reflection on cyclical, luteal-phase mood patterns. A self-reflection tool, not a clinical diagnosis.
This check-in looks at cyclical mood patterns through five domains tied specifically to the week or so before your period: mood lability (quick emotional shifts, sudden tearfulness), irritability and anger (a shorter fuse, more conflict), depressed mood and hopelessness (low mood, self-criticism, feeling overwhelmed), anxiety and tension (feeling on edge, "wound up"), and physical symptoms (breast tenderness, bloating, joint or muscle aches, appetite and sleep changes). Every question is anchored to timing, the days before your period, because timing is what separates this pattern from mood symptoms that show up steadily, unrelated to your cycle.
That timing is also the defining feature of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), and it's what makes PMDD different from two things it often gets confused with. First, ordinary premenstrual symptoms: most menstruating people notice some mood or physical shift before their period, and that alone doesn't mean anything is wrong. What stands out with PMDD is the combination of intensity, consistency cycle after cycle, and a clear pattern of easing once the period starts. Second, this is not the same thing as postpartum depression: postpartum depression centers on a specific window after childbirth, while PMDD is a monthly, cyclical pattern tied to the luteal phase that can affect anyone who menstruates, year-round, whether or not they've ever been pregnant. A general depression or anxiety screener, by contrast, looks at mood without regard to timing, PMDD is defined specifically by its relationship to the menstrual cycle.
This check-in is a self-reflection tool, not a diagnostic instrument, and it does not replace an evaluation by a licensed clinician. PMDD is formally recognized in the DSM-5-TR, and it is typically confirmed through prospective daily symptom tracking across at least two menstrual cycles, not a single questionnaire. If your results suggest a strong cyclical pattern, a doctor or gynecologist is the right next step: they can review a cycle-tracking log, rule out other causes, and discuss treatment options, including SSRIs (which can be used cyclically for PMDD specifically) and hormonal approaches, both of which have solid evidence behind them.
See how much your mood swings, sudden sadness, tearfulness, emotional intensity, in the week or so before your period.
Get a read on irritability and anger, whether a shorter fuse or more conflict with people close to you shows up before your period.
Understand your depressed mood and hopelessness pattern, and whether it lifts once your period starts.
See how much anxiety and tension, feeling on edge or "wound up", builds in the days before your period.
Get a read on physical symptoms, breast tenderness, bloating, joint or muscle aches, appetite and sleep changes, tied to your cycle.
Walk away with a plain-language summary across all five domains, useful as a starting point for cycle tracking or a conversation with a doctor.
In the week or so before my period, my mood can shift quickly — from fine to tearful or irritable within minutes.
25 questions, 5 min. Auto-advance — no manual Next.
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Mood swings, irritability, or hopelessness the week before your period, gone once it starts? A 25-question self-reflection on cyclical, luteal-phase mood patterns. A self-reflection tool, not a clinical diagnosis.
No signup needed — your result appears instantly.
DSM-5-TR Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder criteria domains (Epperson et al. 2012) · Original 25 items — no dominant copyrighted PMDD instrument exists to adapt from. A PMDD diagnosis requires confirming the pattern across at least two cycles with a prospective daily tool like the DRSP (Endicott, Nee & Harrison, 2006); this is a single-administration self-reflection screener, not that diagnostic process.
No. This is a free, self-reflection tool, not a clinical diagnosis. PMDD can only be confirmed by a clinician, typically using prospective daily symptom tracking across at least two menstrual cycles, not a single questionnaire. What this check-in can do is give you a plain-language snapshot across five symptom domains, a useful starting point if you're wondering whether your premenstrual pattern is worth looking at more closely with a doctor.
Most menstruating people experience some premenstrual symptoms, and that alone is normal and not PMDD. PMDD describes a more severe, more consistent pattern: mood and physical symptoms that are intense enough to noticeably affect relationships, work, or daily functioning, that show up reliably cycle after cycle, and that ease again once the period starts. The size and consistency of the pattern, not just its presence, is what separates PMS from PMDD.
Postpartum depression centers on a specific window in the weeks and months after childbirth. PMDD is unrelated to pregnancy, it's a monthly, cyclical pattern tied to the luteal phase that can affect anyone who menstruates, year-round. General depression or anxiety, by contrast, isn't tied to cycle timing at all. The defining feature of PMDD is that the symptoms rise and fall with your cycle, appearing in the week or so before your period and easing once it starts.
Start by tracking your symptoms daily alongside your cycle for at least two months. That log is the key piece of information a doctor or gynecologist needs to confirm PMDD and rule out other causes. Effective, evidence-based treatments exist, including SSRIs (which can be taken cyclically, just in the luteal phase, for PMDD specifically) and hormonal approaches. Bringing your tracking log and this check-in's summary to that first conversation can help focus it.
