The Cycle

I got this as an audiobook from the library as part of a personal curriculum on menstrual cycle disorders. I thought this book would be more like a textbook, but it’s really a memoir that focuses on the author’s struggle with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). PMDD is a disorder where a person becomes depressed or mentally unstable during the luteal phase of menstruation (the phase the occurs between ovulation and menstruation). This is thought to be tied to struggle to adapt to hormonal shifts that occur during this time, or changes in serotonin reuptake that occur with the rise of progesterone. Treatment options include SSRIs, suppressing ovulation through hormonal means, or surgical removal of the ovaries.

I thought this was an informational piece on disorders tied to the monthly hormonal cycle while still including thoughtful commentary on the stigmatization of these types of disorders due to misogyny, societal discomfort with acknowledging menstruation, and lack of research. People with PMDD often don’t want to acknowledge that the menstrual cycle affects their mental health to such an extreme degree, because many people hold the belief that menstruation makes a person “crazy.”