When: July 28, 2026 at 12pm ET
Ticket Price: Webinar only = $15.00 + Eventbrite fees | Webinar + CPD credits = $25 + Eventbrite fees
Please note: Eventbrite has decided not to implement in-app purchases for paid online events. This means tickets must be purchased from a web browser on desktop or mobile. We apologize for the inconvenience.
What do people with PMDD actually experience, and what can change when they receive structured, multidisciplinary support? This webinar presents findings from two interconnected studies: a large-scale qualitative investigation of PMDD lived experience, and preliminary data from an exploratory feasibility intervention study.
The qualitative study was conducted in partnership with IAPMD between 2022 and 2024, with 252 participants recruited through IAPMD and clinical and community networks. Six core themes emerged: the luteal phase as an unpredictable intrusion on identity and functioning; shame, stigma, and self-blame; identity disruption and self-doubt; relational impact on partnerships, parenting, and professional life; significant diagnostic delays and systemic failure; and a clear, unmet need for structure, understanding, and a clinical framework.
The exploratory feasibility intervention study that followed drew directly on these findings. The programme, delivered online over 12 weeks in 2023, integrated cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) with PMDD-specific psychoeducation, specialist input from a GP and a nutritionist, and a dedicated session on the relational impact of PMDD and communication strategies for participants, their partners, and loved ones.
Across 12 participants who completed the programme (varying by measure):
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II): group mean moved from 28.4 (Moderate-Severe) to 11.3 (Minimal), a reduction of 17.1 points
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS): increased by 9.8 points, moving from the Low to the Moderate band
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI): reduced from Moderate to Mild
Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS): consistent positive movement, with no participant declining
These are pre-post findings from a single cohort with no control group. A peer-reviewed paper drawing on both datasets is in progress, in collaboration with Dr Lynsay Matthews (University of the West of Scotland / IAPMD UK Trustee).
This session provides the research and clinical context for an upcoming September workshop exploring evidence-based psychological approaches to premenstrual disorders and introducing the CYCLES Menstrual and Hormone-Informed Practitioner Framework that emerged from this work.
Intended audience: Mental health practitioners, medical providers, and researchers working in reproductive mental health and allied fields. People with lived experience of PMDD.
Meet the speaker
Dr. Helena Tucker is an HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist specialising in hormonal mental health, with a particular focus on PMDD and perimenopause. She has lived experience of PMDD. She has worked clinically with hundreds of people with PMDD, perimenopause, and menopause, and has consulted internationally on clinical training and assessment, including as an adjunct assistant professor at Addis Ababa University. She is the creator of the CYCLES Menstrual and Hormone-Informed Practitioner Framework and the founder of the CYCLES Training Institute.