From "Good Marie" and "PMDD Marie" to "I Am Actually Growing as a Person"
01 · MEET MARIE
Ten Years of Living Two Different Lives
Marie is a 24-year-old insurance claims adjuster living alone in the United States. She'd been living with PMDD symptoms since middle school. For ten years she'd been cycling between two versions of herself: the one who showed up for work, friends, & life, & the one who couldn't get out of bed.
She'd watched a relationship end because of her symptoms. She'd called her mum crying at 2am, unable to shake thoughts of self-harm. She was 24, and she'd already spent nearly half her life in this pattern.
"I'm learning how to be happy again because things have been pretty good!"
- MARIE · EXIT
02 · LIFE BEFORE HMM
Two Weeks a Month She Didn't Recognise Herself
Marie came in with a symptom burden score of 263. Two weeks a month in moderate to severe symptoms. What she was dealing with:
- Anxiety symptoms
- Depressive symptoms
- Thoughts of self-harm
- Fatigue
- Brain fog during luteal phase
- Irritability & emotional reactivity that felt out of character
- Bloating, breast tenderness, sleep disruption
- Sense of impending doom in the days before her period
She'd wake up with a pit of dread. Getting ready for work felt insurmountable. By afternoon she'd be fighting back tears at her desk. She was calling in sick 3 to 4 days a month. Avoiding social plans during bad weeks until friends stopped inviting her. Barely maintaining basic self-care.
She felt like she was living two completely different lives. The fear that she'd never be able to hold a long-term relationship or advance her career sat underneath everything.
03 · WHAT SHE'D ALREADY TRIED
She'd Tried a Lot. Nothing Had Connected the Dots.
Marie had worked through multiple approaches.
- Antidepressants
- Supplements
- Diet changes
- Blood labs
- Counselling
- HTMA testing
Symptoms kept dominating half her month. Emotional distress still present. No one had connected her mineral imbalances (already visible on HTMA) to her mood & cycle symptoms. Everyone was treating individual symptoms in isolation. The piecemeal approach was expensive, exhausting, & getting her nowhere.
04 · THE TURNING POINT
2am. Her Mum on the Phone.
After a particularly severe cycle, Marie called her mum at 2am, unable to shake thoughts of self-harm. Her mum told her: 'Honey, this isn't living. We need to find someone who really understands this.'
That conversation pushed her to stop looking for another partial fix & find real answers. She searched 'PMDD specialist HTMA' .. & found Her Mood Mentor through testimonials from other women with similar stories.
"I feel like I'm actually growing as a person now."
- MARIE
05 · THE ROOT-CAUSE APPROACH
Finally Connecting the Dots
Marie's plan focused on what was actually driving her symptoms.
- HTMA-guided nutrition & mineral support
- Personalised daily rhythms
- Symptom pattern awareness
- Nervous system & energy regulation support
- Cycle-synced lifestyle adjustments
- Education on nervous system & hormone connection
- Blood sugar balancing
- Stress response retraining
06 · EARLY WINS
She Started Believing Change Was Possible
Slightly better sleep. Energy improved enough to cook dinner 3 to 4 nights a week. One luteal day where anxiety felt manageable instead of overwhelming.
That one day changed everything she thought was possible.
"I'm learning who I am outside of the symptoms."
- MARIE
07 · THE RESULTS
The Numbers
"I'm learning how to be happy again."
- MARIE
- SYMPTOM BURDEN
- 263 → 51
- 80.6% drop (−212 points)
- SYMPTOM DAYS/CYCLE
- 14 → 2-3
- ~11 days back every month
- ANXIETY SYMPTOMS
- Before: High
- After: Almost completely gone
- DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
- Before: Severe
- After: Almost completely gone
- THOUGHTS OF SELF-HARM
- Before: Present
- After: Gone
- FATIGUE
- Before: Significant
- After: Greatly improved
- BRAIN FOG
- Before: Daily during luteal
- After: Rare
- DAILY FUNCTIONING
- Before: Survival mode
- After: Survival mode
08 · HOW HER LIFE CHANGED
She Found Out Who She Is Without PMDD
Marie's symptoms are almost completely gone. She has energy. She's doing things she'd put on hold for years: hobbies, friendships, dating. She went on her first date during luteal phase & was nervous but present. Not hijacked.
Her work is consistent. Her coworkers have noticed. Her parents are no longer scared for her.
What she didn't expect: how much energy she'd been spending just managing symptoms. Once they lifted, she discovered she had capacity she didn't know existed.
"I feel strong."
- MARIE
"I'm nicer to myself and to my family."
- MARIE
09 · MARIE'S MESSAGE
For Every Woman Who's Been Living Half a Life
Marie spent ten years believing 'PMDD Marie' was just part of who she was. It wasn't. It was a body under strain, sending signals through her cycle that no one had taught her to read. When someone finally connected all the dots & built her a real plan, the other version of Marie became the only version.
"I feel like I am actually growing as a person now."
- MARIE
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Ready to Start Your Own Story?
Her Mood Mentor offers personalised, root-cause support for women with PMDD. Functional lab testing, targeted nutrition & cycle-informed coaching. Real answers instead of more guessing.
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Results vary. This case study reflects one individual's experience & is not a guarantee of outcomes. Her Mood Mentor does not provide medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider about treatment decisions.