PMDD Policy Council
Because Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is too serious to ignore.
The PMDD Policy Council is a bipartisan coalition committed to catalyzing a national response to PMDD through policy that expands research, strengthens education, increases awareness, and improves lives.
Our Mission
The PMDD Policy Council is a bipartisan coalition of people with lived experience, parents, partners, clinicians, research scientists, public leaders, and advocates committed to catalyzing and informing a national response to Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) through policy that expands research, strengthens education, increases awareness, and improves lives.
Press Release
PMDD Policy Council Welcomes Federal Women's Health Initiative, Calls for PMDD to be a National Research and Suicide Prevention Priority
Nonpartisan Council Calls for Clinical Research, Public Awareness, Physician Education, and Suicide Prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The PMDD Policy Council welcomes President Donald Trump's October 19, 2026, executive order, "Advancing Women's Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life," and the announced White House Women's Health Task Force and new Women's Health Division at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"This is an important step towards addressing the crisis in women's health. We applaud this development and urge the administration to include PMDD as a research, education, and suicide prevention priority."
— Emily Blout, President
An Overlooked Women's Health Concern
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a severe, cyclical, hormone-sensitive disorder that causes debilitating emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms in the days or weeks before menstruation. Symptoms typically improve shortly after menstruation begins. PMDD can profoundly affect family life, intimate partners, friendships, career, academics, and mental health.
The condition can be life threatening, even lethal. In a 2022 study of nearly 600 women with PMDD, 34% reported at least one suicide attempt.¹
Despite its prevalence and devastating consequences, PMDD remains widely misunderstood, frequently misdiagnosed, and inadequately studied. Too many people endure years without answers or effective care.
An Urgent Call to Action
The Council calls on the Administration, NIH, NIMH, and the White House Women's Health Task Force to:
- Recognize PMDD as a women's health policy priority.
- Expand research into hormone sensitivity, neurosteroid signaling, diagnostic methods, and evidence-based treatments.
- Promote public awareness and improve education for obstetrics and gynecology, primary care, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and mental health professionals.
- Include patients, families, clinicians, researchers, and advocates in federal planning and stakeholder discussions.
The Council recognizes the longstanding contributions of NIMH researchers, including Dr. Peter J. Schmidt and colleagues, and stands ready to collaborate with federal leaders and healthcare organizations to translate scientific progress into timely care.
Research Reference
¹ Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., et al. (2022). Prevalence of lifetime self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in a global sample of 599 patients reporting prospectively confirmed diagnosis with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. BMC Psychiatry. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8933886/
What is PMDD?
PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a cyclical, hormone-based disorder affecting menstruating women and girls.
PMDD causes severe emotional, mental, and physical symptoms, including (but not limited to):
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Extreme fatigue
- Irritability
- Brain fog
- Suicidal ideation
These symptoms occur in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (7–14 days before a period starts) and can dramatically disrupt one's career, relationships, social life, and mental health.
Learn MorePolicy Priorities
Four Pillars of Action
01
Research
Advocating for increased federal funding and institutional support for rigorous scientific research into PMDD's causes, mechanisms, and treatments.
02
Education
Strengthening medical education and clinical training so that healthcare providers can accurately identify, diagnose, and treat PMDD.
03
Awareness
Elevating public understanding of PMDD as a serious, biologically-based condition that demands a coordinated national response.
04
Lives Improved
Ensuring that policy outcomes translate into real, measurable improvements in the lives of the millions affected by PMDD across the United States.
Who We Are
A Bipartisan Coalition
We bring together a broad and diverse community united by a single purpose: ensuring PMDD receives the national attention it demands.
People with Lived Experience
Parents & Partners
Clinicians
Research Scientists
Public Leaders
Advocates
Your Voice Matters
Policy change requires collective action. Join advocates, clinicians, and policymakers working to ensure PMDD receives the national response it deserves.
Take Action