Actress and TV personality Helen Flanagan has opened up about her ongoing struggles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
The former Corrie star, who admitted she’s manifesting a comeback to the ITV soap opera, was first diagnosed with PMDD in 2023.
According to Mind, Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a “very severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).”
“It causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms every month during the week or two before your period. It’s sometimes referred to as ‘severe PMS.'”
Helen Flanagan reveals her struggles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder
In an Instagram reel shared on Friday (March 29), Helen said she was inspired by former I’m A Celeb winner Vicky Pattison to open up as she revealed the pair “message sometimes about PMDD and I always love her posts on it and the awareness”.
While Helen said her PMDD has been “more manageable recently”, the 34-year-old explained how it has affected her.
“I always feel like I have four personalities in one month and any boyfriend I’ve ever had knows how bad my PMDD can be. The Luteal phase for me can be the very worst. I always feel like I have four personalities in one month and any boyfriend I’ve ever had knows how bad my PMDD can be,” she wrote.
She continued: “I used to have very bad intense symptoms for about 10 days, severe depression- sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, anxiety/ ocd- ocd so crippling I thought I was going mad, exhaustion, brain fog.”
“Now I get about 4 days before my period where I don’t feel myself mentally. I also get severe bloating before my period where I can pass off at being pregnant.”
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‘I was put off medication’
Helen stated she is “always so desperate to come on my period as I know how much happier I will feel when I bleed and I will just feel more able to cope with anything life throws at me and feel I have my sanity back”.
After being prescribed Sertaline, Helen shared that it “didn’t work” and made her “feel angry”. She later tried the Yasmine contraceptive pill to help with the control, but that also didn’t work, making her feel “really sick” and “low”.
After taking tablets for ADHD for many years, Helen started to feel unwell and was “put off” medication. She was first diagnosed in 2016.
As a result, she wanted to go through “a more natural route”, insisting she was left with “no choice”.
After discovering Cycle Syncing with her friend, Helen said she got “such a better understanding of myself and my cycle”. More importantly, the different stages helped her “take more control back” as she “worked out strategies”.
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