Body aches and exhaustion the week before your period
About a week before your period, your body starts to ache. Your legs feel heavy and your back feels sore. It can feel like the day after a long hike you never took.
For many people the tiredness is the bigger part. You sleep a full night and still wake up worn out. Small jobs, like a load of laundry, feel like too much.
This timing points to the days after you ovulate. Hormone levels shift then, and some bodies react in a strong way. When aches, deep tiredness, and low mood hit every cycle, a doctor may name it PMDD, short for premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
When to see someone
See a doctor if the aches and tiredness stay with you all month long, or if you run a fever. Swollen joints, a new rash, very heavy bleeding, or big weight loss need a check too. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, get help that same day: call your doctor or a crisis line.
Below is a list of remedies that folk and natural traditions use for PMDD. Each one carries a grade for how much solid research stands behind it. A high grade means more study, not a promise for your body, so talk with your doctor before you start.



