Content note: this article contains references to suicidal ideation that readers might find upsetting

In 2019, three years after having her son, Eleanor was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe hormone-based mood disorder characterised by abnormal brain sensitivity to normal hormonal fluctuations, which flares up a week or two before a menstrual bleed starts.

“I was having really awful depression, despondency, despair and thinking about killing myself,” Eleanor recalls. “I never attempted suicide, but I thought about it regularly even though I was living a very happy life. I had a lovely, beautiful little boy and a successful career. We even moved to Thailand to take a break, but I experienced my lowest point in my mental health there.”

According to the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD), 34% of women with PMDD have attempted suicide. As is so often the case with women’s health, the prevalence of PMDD is underestimated, with many people going undiagnosed. Data from the University of Oxford found that this condition is likely to affect around 31 million women and girls globally. The allopathic treatments available are largely for managing symptoms – antidepressants, pain relievers and contraceptive pills. However, emerging research in psychedelics has revealed the potential for a new PMDD treatment. Given their illegal status in the UK, women like Eleanor are turning towards this potential solution alone and without medical supervision, taking important factors such as dosage, frequency of use and integration of the experience into their own hands.

“Taking psychedelics saved my life”: women are turning to LSD to manage PMDD symptoms – could they help other menstrual issues?