Episode 2 - The Syndrome

This week on Anecdotal, we explore the history of PMS - from wandering wombs to attempted murder, to accusations that big pharma is inventing conditions where there aren’t any. We discuss the lingering debate about whether PMDD exists, and we’re left with one question: if a diagnosis can provide a pathway to healing, does it really matter whether or not it’s “real”? 

Also discussed: the Victorian Inquiry into Women’s Pain, and the importance of electing women into positions of power. (Click here to contribute a written submission to the Victorian Inquiry into Women’s Pain.)

Special thanks to Jonathan Skourletos for the audio production support.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might enjoy the following:

• The Hormonal Causes of Premenstrual Tension (1931) — first ever medical paper to explore premenstrual symptoms in women

• Women’s experiences of receiving a diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a qualitative investigation (2020) — firsthand accounts of women’s experiences after receiving a PMDD diagnosis

• I hit puberty, then burned down my family home (2021) — in her own words, the story of Nikki Owen, who made legal history in 1978 by successfully using PMS as a criminal defence

Episode sources:

Gender Pain Gap Inquiry: 

1. https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/gender-pain-gap-revealed-and-women-arent-surprised 

2. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/16/weve-come-such-a-long-way-labors-jacinta-allan-on-pushing-gender-equality-forward-in-victoria 

PMS & PMDD: 

1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/archneurpsyc/article-abstract/645067 

2. https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome 

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7716601/ 

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5313351/ 

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2629848/ 

6. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/premenstrual-syndrome-1953-raymond-greene-and-katharina-dalton 

7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2016383/pdf/brmedj03441-0005.pdf 

8. https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2947&context=mlr 

9. https://www.psychiatrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/24797_history-evolution-diagnosis-premenstrual-dysphoric.pdf 

10. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct1jz3 

11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC353031/ 

12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33115437/

13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34415776/ 

14. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jwh.1.1999.8.663?journalCode=jwh.1 

15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8036722/ 

16. https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aogs.14360

17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC353031/ 

18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38090047/