The Dr Louise Newson Podcast - 79 – ”I knew it wasn’t depression”: Jenny’s PMDD story

Episode Date: June 30, 2026

For years, Jenny was wrongly told she had depression. She was prescribed antidepressants, saw multiple healthcare professionals and even underwent a hysterectomy, yet no one addressed the underlying hormonal changes driving her symptoms.In this powerful episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Jenny Potkins, who shares her deeply personal experience of living with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe hormone-related condition that can have a devastating impacts on mental and physical health. Jenny describes years of feeling dismissed, the toll PMDD has taken on her family, and why she is now campaigning to raise awareness so that other women don’t have to go through the same dreadful experience.Louise explains why PMDD is often misunderstood, how fluctuating hormone levels can affect the brain and the whole body, and why so many women are still often inappropriately prescribed antidepressants or encouraged to have surgery before natural hormones are even considered. Together, they discuss the importance of listening to women, recognising the cyclical nature of symptoms, and ensuring people have access to informed choice about hormone treatments.LET'S CONNECT👉 Subscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@menopause_doctor?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉   Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/menopause_doctor/?hl=en&utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉 LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/drlouisenewson/?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉   TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@drlouisenewson?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉 Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/7dCctfyI9bODGDaFnjfKhg?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+LEARN MORE👉 Download my balance apphttps://balance-app.com/?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉 Order my new bookhttps://bio.to/ThePowerofHormones?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+👉  Speak to Newson Clinichttps://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/?utm_source=louise_podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=clinic_cross_promotion👉  Visit my websitehttps://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/?utm_source=DLNpodcast+&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=BAU+

This podcast is really important for everybody to listen to. It's about PMDD, premencel dysphoric disorder. I have Jenny with me who has PMDD, and she has struggled for far too many years. She's not been believed, she's not been listened to, she's been given antidepressants, she had a hysterectomy. No one thought about hormones. She's done this amazing picture that we talk through,

showing the contrast between the good days and the bad days of having PMDD. It's a really common condition. It's a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome. But premenstrual syndrome is still not understood enough. It's not talked about enough and it's certainly not treated well enough with the right hormones. So listen to this. Share this episode with as many people as you know because it could not just change lives but save lives too. Jenny, you are here in real life.

You've come down from Stockport. You've got your mother for moral support. It's a big thing that you're here. Yeah. And I'm really excited to be talking about PMDD. Yeah. Which most people don't know what it is, although it's been around forever. It's been called different things.

So premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Yeah. It's a more severe form of PMS, premenstrual syndrome. There's lots of academics will argue and discuss how to diagnose it. But for most women, it just means they're having a really, difficult time throughout their menstrual cycle usually before their periods. And you have had a really difficult time and you're here to talk about it because you are feeling better and you're getting better all the time which is wonderful. So do you mind,

it's not easy I know, but do you mind just talking a bit about what's happened? Yeah. So I went to my GP for years and years and I kept and with depression symptoms and and they kept giving me, I think I tried every antidepressant that there was and none of them really did anything. But I kept saying it feels like it's in relation to my cycle. But they were like, no, no, because my periods were regular, they were like, no, it can't be anything to do with your hormones. So this went on for years and years.

So when did that start? I'd say around 2006-ish. So how old were you then? I was in my 20s. So when your parents, you were? It started with a... Looking back, I think I could have had it since I was a teenager. And then I was seeing a regular counsellor through a charity that's near our house.

After my son was born asleep, we... This charity were really good. And because I was seeing her once a week, she picked up on the side. She picked up on it. And I have chronic fatigue syndrome, so I've seen an ME nurse as well. And she also picked up on it. and she was the one that printed the document out and said, please go take that to your GP.

I think that's when it was PMDD. And when I read it, I couldn't believe it. Because it all made sense. Yeah, it was me. It was just, so I took that to the GP. And they agreed to refer me to a gynaecologist at that point. And what symptoms were you getting? It was more than mood symptoms that I struggled with the most.

The worst one was the feeling, like, not wanting to be here anymore. It started where it was about maybe one week of the month. But as it got more towards the end, it was, I was feeling like that three weeks of the month. So three weeks of a month you were feeling like you didn't want to be there? Yeah. And then it would hit, and then I'd feel okay and then it would hit me again. And it was just a constant cycle of,

and it was feelings like not feeling good enough. And a lot of mine, I would say, were mental, but also, So another one of the symptoms is binge eating, which I was struggling with, which actually turned into an eating disorder, I think, because my PMDD was left so long. Yes. So then that was like another thing to battle. That's really hard. And we know with the hormonal changes, our hormones work in every cell of our body.

So they affect our brains. So the mood, the irritability. Some people get very angry as well. Yeah. But then also it can affect our metabolism. and people can get changes in their insulin and glucose as well. Yeah. And a lot of people listening will, I'm sure, have had times where they have sugar cravings.

Yeah. That those days are for your periods. But all you want to do is think about food. And, you know, I've had it. We've all had it. But then suddenly realise, oh, yes, my period's come. I don't feel like the same with food. But if it's more extreme, for some people, like you say,

it can really affect the way that you eat, can't it? Man got to a point where it wasn't that it was, someone explained it as like a form of self-harm. So, and it wasn't that I didn't want to eat healthy. It was my head was telling me I wasn't good enough to eat an orange or to eat fruit or salad. Yeah. It was, no, you need to eat food that's going to heart. You know, like I wasn't good enough.

Yes. So it wasn't just that yet a lot or there was a lot more. More than that. And that's really important to talk about actually because we know that a lot of women with PMDD and PMDD effects, we don't know that, because a lot of people aren't diagnosed, but at least 5%, which is a lot, one in 20 women, probably more. And some studies have shown around 80% of people with PMDD self-harm.

Yeah. And you can self-harm in different ways, as you've just described with eating. And for some people, they can physically harm themselves as well, can't they? Yeah. Yeah, I've heard of people that do, I think my heart. head was doing it in a way that people couldn't see. Yeah. Apart from the weight, it wasn't something that people, there was no physical marks or people. I think my head was trying to hide what was going on, different of other people.

And then did you have any other symptoms that didn't affect your mental health? So any palpitations? Looking back now, there were things that the doctors looked into, which looking back now was probably the BMD. like the heart pounding, even like the chest, like anxiety, like flutters and aches and pains as well. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but... How much is related, yeah. Looking, the more you learn about PMDD, affects so much of your body. And did you get any skin changes, any skin dryness or itchiness or anything? I do get itchiness and trying us, but I have muscle activation as well.

And my hormones have affected that. It's the whole balance of hormones. It's so important. And many people will know the graph that we're often taught at school where people get a little surge of hormones when we ovulate in the middle of our cycle. Then we get a surge in the second half. It's called the Luteal phase where we get higher amounts of estrogen, estradi, but also very high levels of progesterone that then fall very high.

quickly and that fall very quickly can trigger symptoms for a lot of people and often people have underplayed really the power of hormones yeah and when years ago you you might know and then in the 1960s a doctor called Katrina Dalton coined the term premenstrual syndrome and she wrote about it and she talked a lot about PMDD premenstrual dysphoric disorder and she gave a lot of women natural hormones especially production testosterone. She lectured on it. Lots of people came to her clinic. Really, she transformed a lot of people's lives. But a lot of people didn't like the way she was lecturing. They thought she didn't know much. She was only an inverted comma as a GP. And the antidepressants were coming into

play. And the psychiatrist decided to label it a psychiatric disorder. And Prozac, you know, the antidepressant Prozac was green. And they made one that was pink and purple specifically for PMD. Oh, that's awful, isn't it? That's frightening. It's really frightening. And so then it became a psychiatric disorder. Now, it's very likely related to changing hormones.

Our hormones work everywhere. And one of the things, as you know, in the clinic, we ask people lots and lots of symptoms and we've increased it. So it's the same as the symptom questionnaire on balance. And a lot of those are other symptoms. So like you say, the palpitations, skin changes, urinary symptoms and so forth. Oh, that was a big one for me. Was it?

Actually, I forgot. Yeah. And so if people have all these other symptoms, it's very hard for me as a doctor to say it's all depression or it's all a psychiatric condition. Yeah. Because if it's all in your brain, your heart and your bladder and your muscles shouldn't really be affected. No. But sometimes in medicine, doctors don't ask the right questions. So then you don't get the right answers.

he does concentrate on one thing rather than looking at the bigger picture and that's one thing I've learned. Yes. Need to have open eyes and look at the bigger picture. I know professional struggle with time and things, but it makes such a difference. Absolutely. So you've seen lots of different healthcare professionals.

Yeah. Haven't you? Yeah, lots. And you've not always got the best advice from them either, have you? No. So when I got referred to the gynecology, she did some ultrasound scans. She was brilliant at the beginning.

And then they put me on the waiting list. They decided I was having a hysterectomy. So remove your ovaries as well? Yeah. So they actually gave me, it was it, pro-stop. Yeah. So that's to block your, so hormone blocker, isn't it? Yeah.

So they gave me that, but after two injections or two months, it affected my blood pressure. Right. So they took me off it. Well, your blood pressure went up. It went really high, yeah. Yeah, that's because, it's a lot. I'm sure you know, you don't have your natural hormones which help reduce and lower your blood pressure.

So it was through the roof, like dangerous, like I, so they took me off it. I did, in the short time I was on it, I did see improvements. And because of that, they said, we'll put you on the waiting list for a hysterectomy. That's the best option for you. So I went on to the waiting list.

There was a, COVID was a factor in it as well. But I was on the waiting list. list two years. And in that time, I was coping with the PMD. I was waiting to see an eating disorder specialist who told me I wasn't allowed to be on any diets until I'd had a treatment. And this consultant was telling me to lose weight from my surgery. I was like stuck in between two professionals. And this went on for two years. And after this two years, I got took off the waiting list because of my BMI. And this doctor knew that I was, see, I can use this word now. I've never been able to use it until recently.

I told this doctor that was suicidal for three weeks of the month. And there was no compassion. She just kept going on about my weight. And then when I questioned this, I was told that the training in gynecology, not mental health, so they don't know what to do with what I told them about feeling suicidal. And that's one thing that made me wanting to do my awareness, because I'm lucky I've got really good family and friends to support me,

but not everybody does. And that could have really tipped somebody over the edge. So it's just looking at the bigger picture again. So how did you manage to find somebody to help you with your hormones? At this point, I went to see a private gynaecologist, which was hard because I was already struggling because I'd not been able to work for. I think I'd not worked for about four years up to this point. And this gynaecologist, he put me on Solid X.

Another hormone blocker. Another hormone, which does the same as the prostate. Yes. So he put me on that. And my blood pressure was okay. So they kept me on that. And he was a lot talking about my mental health as well. Until I went back two months later and he looked PMDD up and he apologized

because he said he genuinely didn't know the effects of it. And that was him apologising was actually quite nice because it made me... It validates you more, doesn't it? And that's what made me want to do my awareness as well because he was a gynecologist and he didn't know about it. And it just gave me a bit of a light bulb movement.

I thought if gynecologists don't understand it, we're not going to get the right treatment, sorry, because that's who you get referred to. So he gave me the solidusolodex for a while. and then because he knew like I was struggling with money-wise and he helped me as much as he could because he knew how I'd been treated. He transferred me back to the NHS to another consultant

and he couldn't have referred me to about he was lovely. Great. Yeah, he was lovely. And the day of my surgery was the calmest day. Nice. I didn't know you then. But since I've learned things from you, hysterecting maybe what there might have been other options to not have gone down that such

serious route yes they could have been other um options they could have tried with hr-t and other hormones couldn't they i think from what i've learned from you yes but you don't know what you don't know that's the problem and now you are taking some hormones aren't you some natural hormones well even after my hysterectomy i was told um after six weeks you go on hr-t um so six weeks came and the first six weeks I actually felt incredible. But then maybe about week seven, everything changed. And I thought the PMDD was coming back, which confused me because I'm like, how can it come back? Everything's gone.

And then I contacted my GP. And they were like, we'll just wait for the hospital. Anyway, it got to about three months and they still hadn't been given any HRD. And then they finally gave me a patch. which wasn't doing anything at all. And it wasn't until I found you. And you've helped me with different hormones. Before we continue, I'd like to tell you about Newsome Clinic,

the sponsor of this podcast. I founded Newsome Clinic to improve access to expert, evidence-based hormone health for women. Our specialist clinicians support women with perimenopause, menopause, PMS, PMD, postnatal depression, endometriosis, PCOS or PMOS, and other hormone-related condition. My Clinic makes this podcast possible, allowing us to continue sharing free education and information to help women better understand their hormones and health.

To learn more about Newsome Clinic or book an appointment, visit newsomehealth.com.uk. This link is also in the show notes. It's really interesting and important actually that people realise this because I see it a lot with any hormonal imbalance, but especially with PMDD, because people in some ways rightly think the hormones are to blame. Let's just remove the ovaries and then we won't have hormones. Now, there's a couple of problems with that. One is that our hormones are made in other organs, not just our ovaries. They're made in our adrenal glands. They're made in our brain.

You can't take out your adrenal glands. take out your brain. So it will help some of the imbalance, but not all. But the other thing is, a lot of people have the symptoms because of the change in hormone levels. And our hormones are really, really beneficial for us as well. They have lots of beneficial effects. And you're young as well. You know, you want hormones for your bones and your heart and future health. And so it's a very sort of wrongly too simplistic thing to remove the hormones. And I remember years ago, it must been about eight or nine years ago, a 74-year-old lady came to see him in the clinic. And she had more sort of PMS, maybe PMDD. I mean, the symptoms are similar. It's just the severity, really.

But she'd had a history extreme when she was in her 40s. But she said, every month I still get symptoms. She said the beginning of the month, I get a drop in the mood. I get anxiety. I get palpitations. And I remember listening to her and thinking, well, she's had her ovaries removed. Why is that? But I've always been taught to listen. believe your patients. So I thought, I've got to understand more. And then I realized, well, of course, her brain has got this cyclical hormonal changes going on. So of course it's right. And I gave her hormones because I said, well, I'm not sure about these changes, but I'll give you hormones for your bones and your future health and might help your symptoms. And she came back a few months later.

She said, I feel amazing. I wish I'd done this years ago. So then I thought, well, we shouldn't just be blocking hormones. We shouldn't just be giving these hormone blockers or removing ovaries without talking about having those hormones back. Yeah. And a lot of women with PMDD, once you get the level of hormones and the same all the time. Yeah. Because that's the big difference. It's the change, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. And for you, there were more downs and ups. Some people, it's just a few days. But for you, it was the majority of the month. Because it did get longer as tired. So I don't know if it's

because it had been going on so long. It often can be, can't it? Yeah. And it's really hard sometimes. In medicine, when we have a patient in front of us, we focus on what's happening on that day. Yeah. If you see what I mean.

Yeah. And one of the things I've really learnt when I'm trying to work out, whether it's hormones or not, is just ask the patient, do you feel the same every day of your cycle? Yeah. And if someone had asked you that many years ago, once you'd worked it out yourself,

it was very clear that you didn't feel the same every day of your cycle. Yeah. And that's what I think all doctors and nurses and pharmacists and healthcare professionals should be asking anybody with any mental health symptoms because so often people are focusing on just today's symptoms and not putting it into context and then they're forgetting about hormones. Yeah. Yeah.

I think it goes down to. being listened to again. Absolutely. I don't feel like I was listened to at all. And then when they decided on the hysterectia I was made to think I'd have the hysterectomy and life would be rosy. And it isn't, that's not the and I think if I'd not met you

I'd still be struggling with the patch that wasn't like when you did the blood test just along with my symptoms and you said I'd not had any hormones for I think it was 18 months to two years. And how old were you when you had your hysterectomy? It was two years ago, so 41. So young? Yeah.

Yeah. And even maybe this might help someone else. When you put me on progesterone, I was a bit wary at first because when I was put on the pill, which they put me on to try and help, it made me work so much worse. And I was made to think I had a problem with progesterone. So when you suggested it, I was a bit. Really nervous.

I was nervous and I honestly cannot believe. I had two weeks where I couldn't take it because there was a problem with my prescription and I could tell. It was made such a massive difference. So if other ladies are worried about taking it, it's very important and thank you for saying that because what happens is a lot of people

call the synthetic progesterogens, progesterone. Yeah. Because it used to be called the progesterone-only pill whereas progesterone is the hormone that we make ourselves. Yeah. And obviously you're taking now, prescription but it's a very different substance to the synthetic progestogens and so a lot of people especially with PMDD have quite severe side effects with progestogens either they've had them

as contraceptional they might have had like the mini pell or the implant or a depot or use a synthetic hormonal coil so then they get quite scared yeah and then a lot of people think well if you've had a hysterectomy you don't need progesterone yeah I was told project that I was told they only needed estrogen. I didn't need to testosterone or progester. Yeah, which is crazy really because our hormones, progesterone and testosterone as well as estrogen are made in the ovaries.

Yeah. So to have your ovaries removed, your hormones, although they're made elsewhere, would have been lowered. Yeah. And so having the natural progesterone at the right dose can make a real difference. And it was very frustrating for me, as you know, I spend a lot of my time frustrated,

is that even in the 1960s, it was known that progesterone, the natural progesterone, is a really beneficial treatment for PMDD. Yet. Yet, it's not given, first line. No. So, yeah, if that was prescribed, that could avoid it, like, major surgery and years of trauma. Yes. And it was having this surgery as well.

It's been on the wait and that caused so much trauma. Of course, yeah, yeah. And that's a lot for a lot of women, you know, even the guidelines, as you know, for PMDD don't mention natural hormones. No, they don't. No. It's crazy, isn't it? Yeah, it's just the chemical men of bars and hysterectomy that's. Or antidepressants. Or antidepressants.

So were you given antidepressants? Throughout the years, I think I've tried every antidepressant go in and none of them. No. I'd say none of them. Some of them maybe took the edge off, but didn't make anything. Didn't make anything. No. No.

not at all. So it's very hard also for family members, isn't it? It's not just for the individual who's got PMDD. Because in my story that I've done for my awareness, I've put in there I feel like it robbed my children of the mum, my husband of his wife, and my parents of the daughter, and it cost me a lot of my life, really.

It's robbed me of my time with my children. Yeah. As much as we've done things in our own way, but it has robbed a big part of the life, really, their mum in the life. Yeah, and you're doing a lot of awareness. I'm trying this. So you've done this picture. Yeah.

Which is just brilliant. And I've shown it in loads of presentations, and it's called hormone health, and there's a picture of a womb, and it's two sides, isn't it? Yeah. So I'm just going to read some of the words. I mean, the bigger part says suicidal thoughts on one side. And then you've got paranoid, weight gain, depression, cramps, fatigue, bloating, migraine, anxiety.

It goes on this side. And then you've got a rainbow. And living life to the full, which is what we should always be doing. I mean, life is not good every day for everybody. That's just not life. But you've got smile, enjoy, relax, social. function, self-care, energy, calm, kind. These are all really, really important words.

And it's a real black and white, isn't it? Yeah. It's like night and day, which is what so many people say to me, the difference. The difference, yeah, it is. So if you had a mental health condition, this would be there all the time. Yeah.

But you've got to have glimmers of this. Yeah. I think that's what makes it. harder as well, having the glimmers and then being hit by brick wall. Yes, yeah. And I know having spoken to many people with PMDD, even when you're the rainbow side, you've got the other side hanging over you because you know it's going to come. It's coming, yeah.

So which is really difficult, isn't it? It's like a wait, waiting for the wave to come and knock you over. Yeah. So I spoke to someone at the weekend, I did a consultation and she's had PMD. and she's in her mid-20s. And she couldn't sit her exams, her A-levels, because they came when her, just before her periods. Yeah.

So then she couldn't get into university that she wanted to. She couldn't get the job she wanted to. She's under a gynecologist who said, well, I think they have a hysterectomy. She hasn't had children. She doesn't know whether she wants them. And they said,

or we could give you two coils together, Marina coils, and put two in together, and that might help some of your bleeding. And she doesn't like the synthetic progestergens. So she said she didn't want that. And they said, well, that's their options. So I worry about younger people

because they're not reaching their potential. Yeah. You know, you've been really lovely and great and honest about the impact it's had on your personal family life. But the only way I think we can change is awareness and choice. And I'm not here saying we can't have these other treatments, but we have to think about the basics and hormones as well and the balance of those hormones.

Yeah. You know, you've had difficult time, but you are improving, which is wonderful. I'm not to the point of living life to the full, but I'm on my way. But you're on your way and you've come down here. I can see the road ahead now. Yeah, which you couldn't before. I didn't even want to wake up in the morning. No.

And now I can see the lights on its way. Yeah. Well, that wouldn't have been possible without you. Yeah. Because if you'd not done the HRT, I'd still be struggling. Yeah. And you've come a two-hour train journey into London. It's a massive thing.

I can't even overestimate how much it's been for you to come here. Yeah, it's been a big deal. And you've done so well, but it's so important because, you know, can learn from me as a doctor, but actually I learn so much from patients. Yeah. And other people need to learn from real life scenarios because it will resonate. and I know your story will resonate with a lot of people. I think because it's so real as well.

Yeah. It's so real, but also you're getting better. Yeah. Because you've got the right balance of hormones and the motivation and now the knowledge and the reassurance as well. I think having the right HRT as well. I can function a bit better,

so I can function a bit better if I can help myself a bit more. Absolutely. They all go together. Before I couldn't function at all. So it's so important. We're doing a lot of work about PMDDD through balance app as well. well because the more people that have that knowledge to share, the better.

Your work is so important too. So before we end, I always ask for three take-home tips. So there might be people listening today who've either think, oh my goodness, I've got PMS or PMDD. It actually doesn't matter in the respect that the treatment is still with hormones. So they might have PMDD or they might think, goodness me, that's my daughter, that's my niece, that's a colleague at work. So what three things, Jenny, do you think would be important for people to know

when they're just learning about PMDD? Firstly, to make sure you speak to someone. Your family, maybe first, just and speak to them about how you're feeling, just so they're aware, and that might help them help you a little bit. But don't give up with professionals. Keep going. If you have to go to your GP, keep going. Don't let them make you, like, I felt really.

dismissed. Yeah. Don't let them do that because don't give up. And I was told I wasn't entitled to a second opinion. But since then I've learned you are entitled to a second opinion. And a third and a fourth. Yeah. So don't let them say no and make you feel like giving up.

Keep going. You'll find someone that will listen. It might take hopefully by this podcast, it might not take us long. But you will find somebody that will listen. and it might take a few professionals, but you will find someone. Yeah. Really important. Really important to advocate for yourself,

to speak up, to listen, but to share. Which is really hard when you're in that. It's so difficult. It really is. Yeah. But yeah, you need to be brave enough to, which is hard. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

So thank you so much. I'm so grateful that you've come today. Thank you. And I know this podcast will help so many people. So thank you so much for asking me. Thank you. So just a quick one, it would be really great if you could follow or subscribe to this podcast. This will really help me reach more people with evidence-based information about hormones and their future health.

And also means you never miss a future episode. Thank you.