Hormonal & Cycle Health
For many women, emotional well-being is deeply connected to the hormonal cycle — and not in the dismissive way that phrase is often used. PMDD, cycle-linked depression and anxiety, and luteal phase mood changes are real, measurable, and treatable. Therapy helps you understand your patterns and build tools that actually work with your biology.
What It Can Look Like
- check_circle Severe mood changes in the 1-2 weeks before your period that improve after it starts
- check_circle Cycle-linked depression, anxiety, irritability, or hopelessness
- check_circle Feelings of being out of control, unlike yourself, or unable to cope during the luteal phase
- check_circle Difficulty in relationships or at work during specific phases of the cycle
- check_circle Physical symptoms alongside mood changes: bloating, fatigue, breast tenderness
- check_circle A sense of dread as the luteal phase approaches each month
- check_circle Significant functional impairment that clears predictably with menstruation
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is estimated to affect 3-8% of women of reproductive age, and cycle-related mood disturbances are even more common. Despite this, many women spend years being told they're "too sensitive" or dismissed when they try to describe the pattern. If you know something changes at a predictable point in your cycle and significantly impacts your life, that's worth taking seriously.
The key distinguishing feature of PMDD is the pattern: symptoms appear in the luteal phase (after ovulation), significantly impair daily functioning, and remit within a few days of menstruation. If you're not sure whether your experience fits this pattern, cycle tracking is an important first step — and something I often help clients set up.
Therapy for PMDD and cycle-related mood issues works on multiple levels: building targeted coping strategies for the hard days, addressing underlying anxiety or depression that gets amplified by hormonal shifts, and working through the relational and occupational fallout from months or years of this pattern.
My Approach
I use a data-driven approach to cycle health — we start with tracking and pattern recognition, then build targeted interventions for specific cycle phases. I draw on CBT for mood management, mindfulness for emotional regulation, and psycho-education to help you understand what's actually happening in your body. I also collaborate with OBs, gynecologists, and other providers who can address the medical dimensions.