Her Shift with Anna Pearce-Roberts

Struggling with mood swings, rage, anxiety or cycle changes after 35? Learn the difference between PMDD and perimenopause, why symptoms often worsen, and what women aren’t told about the hormonal overlap. Trauma-informed, practical guidance + link to Her Shift Podcast.

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Is This PMDD or Perimenopause? Understanding the Overlap That’s Wrecking Women Right Now

If you’re between 35 and 50 and suddenly feel like your moods, cycle, sleep and sanity have gone rogue… you’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not the only one Googling:

“Is this PMDD or perimenopause?”

“Why am I so angry all of a sudden?”

“Why does my cycle make absolutely no sense anymore?”

This confusion is one of the most common and emotionally charged issues women face in midlife — and yet nobody warns us how messy, unpredictable, and identity-shifting this phase can be.

So let’s break it down, because clarity is power — and women deserve more than “just hormones, love.”

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🔥 What’s the Difference Between PMDD and Perimenopause?

Here’s the simplest way to understand it:

PMDD = cyclical

You feel your worst the week before your period, then symptoms usually lift a day or two into bleeding.

Perimenopause = unpredictable

Your cycle becomes inconsistent — long one month, short the next, skipped entirely, and symptoms can appear any time.

But here’s the kicker…

The overlap is where women get wrecked.

Because both conditions impact:

• mood

• emotional regulation

• sleep

• irritability

• energy

• anxiety

• cognitive clarity

…and when they hit at the same time?

Even the strongest woman feels like she’s falling apart.

And if you already have PMDD?

Perimenopause can turn the dial from “manageable chaos” to “full emotional demolition mode.”

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💥 Why Symptoms Often Get Worse After 35–40

Women report:

• sudden rage

• crying spells

• anxiety with no trigger

• fatigue

• poor sleep

• brain fog

• forgetfulness

• tension in relationships

• irritability that feels alien

These aren’t personality flaws.

They’re physiological responses to fluctuating oestrogen, progesterone and serotonin — and nobody gives us a manual for how to survive it.

If you have a trauma history, are sensitive, or have been dismissed by professionals in the past?

This phase can reopen emotional wounds you thought were healed.

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🌙 The Emotional Side Nobody Talks About

Hormones don’t just affect the body.

They affect identity.

Women describe feeling like:

• “I don’t recognise myself.”

• “I feel unhinged.”

• “Everything is too much.”

• “My tolerance is gone.”

• “My emotions feel outsized.”

• “I feel broken.”

You’re not broken.

Your brain is trying to operate while your hormones are playing musical chairs.

This is why compassion + context matter.

You’re not weak.

You’re not dramatic.

You’re not failing.

Your body is transitioning — and it’s loud.

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🧩 Signs You’re Experiencing BOTH PMDD + Perimenopause

If this list feels familiar, you’re not alone:

• Symptoms used to be predictable — now they’re not

• PMDD flare-ups feel more intense

• You feel rage that scares you or comes out of nowhere

• Brain fog feels like you’re “running on 1% battery”

• Your cycle length changes constantly

• You feel oversensitive to stress or conflict

• Anxiety hits in waves

• Emotional reactions feel amplified

• You feel disconnected from who you used to be

This combination is one of the most misunderstood hormonal experiences women have — and it’s rarely acknowledged in healthcare settings.

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🌿 What Helps When You’re Stuck in the Hormonal Crossfire

Here are supportive tools women consistently report help them regulate:

✔ Nervous system work

Not fluffy — genuinely stabilising when hormones amplify old patterns.

✔ Tracking symptoms

Not to be perfect, but to create context and a sense of safety.

✔ Sleep hygiene

Perimenopause destroys sleep for many women; restoring some rhythm makes everything easier.

✔ Reducing overwhelm

PMDD + perimenopause + stress = emotional grenades.

✔ Trauma-informed emotional work

Your triggers get louder when your hormones get wilder.

✔ Asking for help

This isn’t weakness. It’s survival.

✔ Listening to your intuition

Your body knows when something is off — even if a doctor dismisses it.

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🎧 Want the Deep Dive? Listen to the Episode HER SHIFT PODCAST

This blog is just the surface.

In the full episode of the Her Shift Podcast, I unpack:

• the exact symptoms women mislabel

• the emotional identity crisis of midlife hormones

• why trauma + PMDD + perimenopause is a perfect storm

• what actually helps

• how to get your power back

👉 Listen here: HER SHIFT PODCAST

👉 Follow on IG/TikTok: @theannapr

And if you want support, conversations, book club, tools and a place to unravel the chaos…

💗 Join THE ROOM — the private, supportive, transformational space for women in this chapter.

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