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Is It Depression & Anxiety? PMS? Or PMDD? How to Tell the Difference and Find Natural Relief

  • Writer: Suzie Herrmann
    Suzie Herrmann
  • May 22
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jun 6

Woman sitting on floor, head lowered, in dimly lit room. There is a depressing atmosphere

Hi, I’m Suzie, the founder of Cycle Sisters Apothecary, and this is a question I had to ask myself—again and again—for years:


“Why do I feel so anxious, irritable, or downright hopeless every month?”


At first, I thought I had depression. Then anxiety. Then burnout. But it wasn’t until I began tracking my cycle that I discovered the truth: my symptoms were cyclical—and hormonal. What I was experiencing wasn’t a chronic mental health issue. It was PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).


That realization changed everything because I finally knew how to prevent and naturally ease my anxiety and depression, at the root. 


So, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m sharing what I wish I had known sooner: how to tell the difference between depression, anxiety, PMS, and PMDD, when to seek help, and how natural support—like our herbal remedies—can help you find relief and reclaim your cycle.


Dried flowers and herbs and a mortar and pestle on a wooden table. Herbal remedies are a fix for hormonal imbalance.

Depression or Anxiety? Or PMS or PMDD? Let’s Break It Down.


PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)


Most menstruating people experience PMS at some point, in fact 85-90% of women do. Symptoms typically show up in the two weeks before your period and might include:


Woman with curly hair gazes out of a window. Depicts how PMS can lead to mood swings or mild depression


  • Mood swings

  • Mild anxiety or sadness

  • Fatigue

  • Cravings

  • Mild cystic acne

  • Breast tenderness or bloating


    Symptoms can be annoying, but usually don’t interfere too much with daily life.




PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)


PMDD is like PMS—but turned all the way up. This is what I was suffering from. It’s a severe, hormone-related mood disorder that can cause:


Woman in a gray sweater hugging herself with eyes closed. Depicts how PMDD leads to anxiety, depression, and mood swings

  • Intense irritability or rage

  • Debilitating depression or hopelessness

  • Panic attacks or heightened anxiety

  • Brain fog and fatigue

  • Social withdrawal

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Severe cystic acne


PMDD symptoms usually occur during the luteal phase, days 14-28 of the cycle (after ovulation) and ease once your period begins.


Key difference: If your mood swings come and go like clockwork each month, it’s likely PMS or PMDD—not a chronic mood disorder.


Depression and Anxiety Disorders

A woman sits on the floor in front of a window, head in hands. Depicts how clinical depression and anxiety can feel

Unlike PMS or PMDD, clinical depression and anxiety disorders are not tied to your menstrual cycle. You might be dealing with one of these conditions if:


  • Symptoms are constant (not cyclical)

  • They persist for more than two weeks

  • You feel disconnected from joy, motivation, or daily life

  • You're having trouble sleeping, eating, or focusing—consistently


Why This Matters During Mental Health Awareness Month (and every month)

Silhouette of a head with colorful flowers emerging from it on a green background. Symbolizes Mental Health Awareness Month

Too often, hormonal mental health symptoms get dismissed as “just mood swings.” But your mental health is your health. That’s why this month, May 2025, during Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re helping break the stigma around cycle-related mental health issues—and encouraging you to track your menstrual cycle and to ask yourself some important questions.


I asked myself those same questions (listed below), and they led me to healing.


How to Tell If It’s PMS, PMDD, or Something More


Start tracking your symptoms. Use a journal, cycle tracking app, or our cycle tracking guide on our cycle syncing pages  to watch for patterns. Ask yourself:

Person holding a calendar. Depicts how you can track mood swings, depression, and other symptoms

  • Do these feelings arrive a week or two before my period?

  • Do they disappear once my period begins?

  • Do I feel mostly fine for at least part of the month?


If the answer is yes, it’s worth exploring PMS or PMDD.


If the answer is no—or if your symptoms are consistent and severe—it's time to speak with a healthcare provider. Hormonal and mental health disorders can overlap, and both deserve support.


When to See a Medical Provider


Please don’t wait if:


  • You feel hopeless or have thoughts of self-harm

  • Your emotions are interfering with work, relationships, or daily life

  • You’re unsure whether it’s PMDD, depression, or both


You deserve professional support. Mental health is just as important as physical health—and hormonal mood disorders are real.


Herbal medicine and wellness concept: spoons with herbs, capsules, bottle, mortar, leaves, and stethoscope on a wooden and white surface.

Natural Relief for PMS and PMDD from Cycle Sisters Apothecary


Once I realized my symptoms were hormonal, I began studying herbalism, cycle syncing, and plant medicine. That journey led me to create Cycle Sisters Apothecary—and it’s where your healing can begin, too.


Our Most-Loved Natural Remedies for Mental Health:

Bottles of Cycle Sisters Full Cycle Tincture 4 Pack with colored labels on a tree stump, surrounded by moss, in an outdoor setting.
The Full Cycle Tincture 4 Pack

Cycle Sync 4 Pack:

A 1-month supply of 4 tinctures, one for each menstrual phase, each individually crafted to support the unique needs of each phase. When taken consistently, the 4 pack works together all month long to support the endocrine, liver and nervous systems, to balance hormones and to prevent and ease mood swings. The 4 pack addresses the root of PMS & PMDD mood swings, so hormonal balance can take 6-8 weeks to feel.

 

Front of bottle of Cycle Sisters Calm Cycle Tincture on a wooden surface. Calm mood, blurred natural background.
Calm Cycle fast-acting tincture for mood swings, anxiety & irritability.
Back of bottle of Cycle Sisters Calm Cycle Tincture on a wooden surface. Calm mood, blurred natural background.
Calm Cycle fast-acting tincture for mood swings, anxiety & irritability.

A fast-acting tincture to calm the mind and the body in anxious, irritable or down moments, especially the 2 weeks leading up to your period. Calm can be felt as quickly as 5 minutes of an anxious moment.


Bottles of Cycle Sisters Hormone Reset Starter Kit on a wooden table with a leafy plant in the background. Labels show different menstrual phases.
The Hormone Reset Starter Kit

Reset your hormones in 2 months, and experience immediate relief with 3 fast acting tinctures. This best-value bundle kit offers both root-cause targeting preventative care, as well as fast-acting symptom targeting immediate relief. It includes a 2-month supply of the Cycle Sync 4 Pack. Since hormonal balance may take 6-8 weeks to feel, we have included 3 FREE fast acting tinctures to support symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, mood swings, insomnia and cramps. 



Final Thoughts from Suzie


If you’re asking yourself, “Is it depression? Anxiety? PMS? PMDD?”—know that you’re not crazy, broken, or alone. I’ve been there. I am you. And once I began honoring my cycle and supporting my hormones naturally, everything changed.


Mental health and menstrual health are deeply connected. This Mental Health Awareness Month, give yourself permission to explore that connection with compassion and curiosity.


You don’t have to suffer every month. Relief is possible. Healing is possible. And we’re here to walk beside you.


Founder of Cycle Sisters Apothecary Suzie Herrmann apothecary for hormone balancing herbs for womens menstrual cycles
Founder of Cycle Sisters Apothecary, Suzie Herrmann, in her garden in the Columbia River Gorge

With love and herbal wisdom, 

Suzie 

Founder, Cycle Sisters Apothecary


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