Camilla Luddington recently opened up about her ongoing battle with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition she was diagnosed with after giving birth to her son, Lucas, in the summer of 2020.
Luddington, who has two children, Lucas and 7-year-old daughter Hayden, with her husband, 13 Reasons Why actor Matthew Alan, discussed her symptoms on a recent episode of Call It What It Is, a podcast she co-hosts with Grey’s Anatomy co-star Jessica Capshaw.
Reflecting on her experience of giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Luddington said, “It was, let's be honest, an absolute s—t show, right? And I thought, ‘I've given birth in an extraordinary, crazy time, and that’s where all these feelings are coming from.’”
However, Luddington noticed that her emotional swings persisted even after the pandemic whenever her period was approaching. “I started to notice this pattern before my period started,” the 40-year-old actress explained. “I felt like I had PMS, but I could actively feel myself kind of sinking into a depression.”
Eventually, she was diagnosed with PMDD, which she describes as “basically PMS on crack.” According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, PMDD is a much more severe form of PMS, characterized as a “severe and chronic health condition that needs attention and treatment.” Symptoms begin a few days before the menstrual cycle and last until it ends, including “depressed mood, sadness, hopelessness, or feelings of worthlessness,” along with increased anxiety and irritability. Physical symptoms can include “breast swelling or tenderness, headaches, joint or muscle aches, weight gain, and bloating,” and PMDD can also disrupt sleeping habits and appetite.
Luddington shared with Capshaw how she can feel herself slipping into a depression before her period starts. “I didn't understand what was happening, and then I would come out of it and I was like, ‘What is going on?’” she said. A few days ago, she felt particularly down, thinking, “Something's really wrong. I feel like something's wrong and I'm really sad.” When she realized her period was due, she connected the dots, realizing, “Oh my God, this is the time when I'm starting to get this again.”
Despite the challenges, Luddington finds some relief in having a diagnosis. “Knowing there’s a name for it is kind of helpful,” she said. “[I] know that I'm going to come out of that. Now that it's been named for me, I can be okay. I'm gonna feel better. But it is still hard every month, feeling like ‘Damn it, here I am again.’”
The Quran - Chapter Al-Waqi'ah : 32
abundant fruit—
