Evidence-based conversations about PMDD, PMS, perimenopause, menopause and women’s mental health, hosted by GP Dr Georgina Standen. Translating the latest research into clear, practical explanations to help you understand how hormones interact with the brain, mood and wellbeing.
Therapy for PMDD: Does CBT, DBT or ACT Actually Help?
Can therapy help premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health, looks at what the evidence says about CBT, DBT, ACT and self-compassion for PMDD. PMDD is a biological, hormone-sensitive condition, so why would talking therapies help? We start with that question, and why therapy works alongside medical treatment rather than instead of it. In this episode: The evidence for CBT in PMDD, including internet-delivered CBT, and why the ...
12 Oct 2026
How SSRIs, SNRIs and Quetiapine Fit Into PMDD Treatment
SSRIs can work within days for PMDD, not the weeks it usually takes for depression — and that speed tells us something real about the condition itself. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen explains how SSRIs and SNRIs actually work for PMDD, why medication doesn't suit everyone the same way, and what happens when none of it is quite enough. In this episode: Why SSRIs can work within days for PMDD, and the luteal-phase-only dosing option that doesn't exist for standard depression treatmentThe ...
5 Oct 2026
PMDD treatment: GnRH analogues
A landmark study using this exact medication was one of the first to prove PMDD is genuinely hormonal, not psychological. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen explains GnRH agonists and antagonists — medication that switches off ovulation entirely — how they're used for treatment-resistant PMDD, and why the research on long-term ovarian suppression from other conditions tells us so much about using them safely. In this episode: How GnRH agonists and antagonists actually work — and why the sam...
28 Sept 2026
Hormonal treatments for PMDD: Beyond the combined contraceptive pill
Not every woman can take the combined pill — and not everything that's commonly prescribed for PMDD actually has the evidence behind it. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen goes beyond the combined pill into transdermal oestrogen, progesterone taken alone, and Slynd — and is honest about which of these genuinely has trial evidence, and which is more contested than it might appear. In this episode: Transdermal oestrogen plus a progestogen — the lesser-known option with real trial evidence beh...
21 Sept 2026
The Pill for PMDD: What It Actually Is, and Which One Has the Evidence
Three pills. Three progestins. Three very different reasons a woman ends up on one and not another. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen properly unpacks "the pill" for PMDD — what actually separates one formulation from the next, which one has the real evidence behind it, and why the way you take it can matter as much as which one you choose. In this episode: What "the pill" actually means — and why the progestin, not the oestrogen, is where most of the real differences liveThe evidence for ...
31 Aug 2026
Brain Fog in Menopause: What's Actually Happening in Your Head
Walking into a room and forgetting why. Losing a word mid-sentence. Reading the same paragraph three times. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen properly unpacks brain fog — what it actually is, what's driving it, and answers the question sitting underneath almost every conversation about it: does this mean something worse is coming? In this episode: What brain fog actually clusters around — and why part of it looks more like an attention problem than a memory problemThe honest answer to "is ...
24 Aug 2026
Menopause and Your Mental Health
Sirona Health Podcast is hosted by Dr Georgina Standen, GP and founder of Sirona Health (sironahealth.co.uk), a specialist women's health practice covering menopause, PMS/PMDD and teen health. Book a consultation at sironahealth.co.uk. This podcast is for general information only and doesn't replace individual medical advice — please speak to your GP or a specialist about your own symptoms. If you're struggling, please reach out for support.
17 Aug 2026
Why Do Some Women Get PMDD and Others Don't? The Genetics Behind It
If two women have identical hormone levels but completely different experiences of their cycle, what's actually different between them? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen goes back a step further than hormones themselves, into the genetics and cell biology behind why some brains are wired to be more hormone-sensitive than others. In this episode: The classic hormone-suppression study that proved PMDD isn't about hormone levels at allWhat twin studies tell us about how much of PMDD is inheri...
10 Aug 2026
What Brain Scans Actually Show: From PMDD to Menopause
What does a brain scan actually show us about PMDD — and does the same evidence tell us anything about what happens after menopause? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen walks through the neuroimaging research, from how PMDD brains respond differently to hormones, to what a major new study reveals about the postmenopausal brain. In this episode: Why gonadal hormones appear necessary for the prefrontal cortex to function normally — and what that means for mood and concentrationHow the emotiona...
3 Aug 2026
What Is Reproductive Depression?
Had PMDD in your twenties, postnatal depression after having children, and now feel unlike yourself in perimenopause? These aren't separate problems. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen explains reproductive depression — the idea that one underlying trait can show up again and again at every major hormonal transition in a woman's life. In this episode: Why PMDD, postnatal depression, contraceptive-related mood changes, and perimenopausal depression are so often treated as unrelated — and why...
27 Jul 2026
Why Doesn't My PMDD Look Like Everyone Else's?
Tried to identify with PMDD, but your worst week doesn't line up with the "classic" post-ovulation pattern? You're not alone — and you're not imagining it. In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen introduces DASH-MC, emerging research showing there isn't just one pattern of hormone sensitivity, but at least three. In this episode: Why PMDD has traditionally been described as one condition — and why so many women don't recognise themselves in that descriptionType 1: the classic post-ovulation prog...
20 Jul 2026
It's Not Your Hormone Levels, It's Your Brain
If your hormone tests keep coming back "normal" but you still feel awful — this episode explains why. Dr Georgina Standen breaks down the real science behind PMS and PMDD: it's not about how much oestrogen or progesterone you have, it's about how your brain responds to it. In this episode: Why women with PMS and PMDD usually have completely normal hormone levels — and why that's not a dead endThe lab research showing PMDD cells respond differently to the same hormone exposure, right down to g...
12 Jul 2026
Diagnosis - Why It Takes So Long, and Who Can Actually Help
Why does it so often take years to get a PMDD diagnosis — and once you suspect it, who should you actually go and see? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen explains why this condition falls through the gaps in the healthcare system, and how to find a clinician who can actually help. In this episode: Why PMDD diagnosis is genuinely complex — hormone tests are usually normal, and treatment has to be individualisedWhy so many women aren't believed the first time they raise their symptomsHow PMDD...
12 Jul 2026
PMS vs PMDD: Understanding the Key Differences
What's actually the difference between PMS and PMDD — and how do you know which one you're dealing with? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen breaks down the two conditions clearly, without the mystique. In this episode: What defines PMS, and why it's so commonWhat makes PMDD a distinct, more severe condition — not just "worse PMS"Why there's no blood test for either, and what tracking actually showsHow diagnosis leads to different treatment pathsMentioned in this episode: Belle app: https://...
12 Jul 2026
The Numbers and the Picture: How Common Are PMS and PMDD, and What Do They Actually Look Like
How common are PMS and PMDD, really — and why does the research seem so contradictory? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen unpacks the numbers behind these conditions, and the full picture of symptoms that goes far beyond bloating and a bit of tearfulness. In this episode: Why estimates of PMS prevalence range so wildly across studies — from 12% to 98%What the actual research says about how many women meet criteria for PMS and PMDDThe 200+ documented symptoms of PMS, and which specific clust...
12 Jul 2026
Diagnosing PMS vs PMDD and Getting a Diagnosis: How PMS and PMDD Are Actually Diagnosed, and What Cycle Mapping Adds
There's no blood test for PMS or PMDD — so how do you actually get diagnosed? In this episode, Dr Georgina Standen walks through the real diagnostic process, and introduces cycle mapping, a tool that goes far beyond simply tracking your period. In this episode: Why diagnosis relies on daily tracking rather than a single test — and why two full cycles mattersThe screening tools and diagnostic criteria doctors actually use (PSST, DRSP, DSM-5)What gets ruled out along the way, and whyWhat cycle ...
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