An Australian novelist’s ‘masterful’ memoir taught me more about my crippling hormonal mood disorder
Laura Elizabeth Woollett’s Hell Days explores her diagnosis of PMDD, an extreme form of premenstrual syndrome – drawing on research, interviews, reading and more.
In her memoir Hell Days, Australian novelist Laura Elizabeth Woollett explores her personal experience with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a "crippling form of PMS" that affects 5.5% of reproductive-age individuals with menstrual cycles. Woollett was formally diagnosed with PMDD in 2019, her mid-20s, after several years of troubling symptoms, including once contemplating her own death.
She was prescribed an oral contraceptive after a specialist in women's health affirmed her concerns. Woollett's book, a blend of memoir, detective novel, and thesis, delves into the history of PMDD, its interactions with other conditions like ADHD, autism, and trauma, and the politics of health and medicine. She discusses the development of the oral contraceptive pill, including the ethical concerns surrounding early trials that led to the deaths of three women.
Woollett's experiences resonated with others who have struggled with PMDD for decades, providing relief and a sense of identification for readers.
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