How understanding her diagnosis gave Lizzy the clarity — and the courage — to leave.
Lizzy is 32, born and raised in LA. She is a dancer, an educator, a dog mom. She is currently learning salsa and completely obsessed. She is full of life.
She is also someone who spent years being told she was too emotional, too sensitive — and believed it. What she did not know during those years was that she had PMDD: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a hormonal condition that directly disrupts mood, emotional regulation, and a woman's entire sense of reality during the luteal phase of her cycle.
Nobody told her. Not a doctor. Not anyone.
In 2024, she left an abusive marriage. During the rebuilding that followed, she was diagnosed with ADHD and PMDD. For the first time, she understood why her body and mind worked the way they did. And she understood something else: she had never been broken.
This is her story — in her own words.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm 32 and born and raised in LA. I am a dancer, an educator, a friend, a dog mom, and a daughter. I've recently been learning to salsa dance and I'm obsessed! I spend my time dancing, at the beach, at the dog park, with my amazing group of friends, and driving all around west LA to work with students.
I am working in Educational Therapy, which means I help neurodivergent learners determine the root cause of their struggles. While I work, I'm going to school to get my Educational Therapist license.
PMDD is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed and dismissed conditions in women's health. Women with PMDD are frequently told they are dramatic, difficult, or mentally unstable — particularly during the luteal phase, when hormonal fluctuations cause severe mood disruption, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation. For Lizzy, those labels came from inside her relationship. And she believed them.
@lizzyaklein and maybe they don’t want us to know crying is good for us bc it’s free 🥲 #pmdd #pcos @Bodology ♬ original sound - lizzy klein
Can you share a bit about your story and what led you to this journey?
I have been on a self-rediscovery journey since I left an abusive marriage in 2024. Since then, I have been rebuilding my life and seeking to understand myself at the deepest level possible. Through this rebuilding phase, I've made so many self-discoveries about what I want out of life, what kind of relationships matter to me, what impact I want to make on the world, and how my body operates.
I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and PMDD which has really helped me understand myself on a deeper level.
BODOLOGY NOTE — WHAT IS PMDD?Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) affects an estimated 3–8% of women in their reproductive years. It is not bad PMS. PMDD causes severe mood disruption, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle — directly tied to how the brain responds to hormonal fluctuations. Women with PMDD are frequently told they are overreacting. Most go years without an accurate diagnosis. The symptoms — intense emotional sensitivity, mood shifts, feeling out of control — are real. They are biological. And they are treatable. *A diagnosis is not a label. It is information. — Bodology |
Being called too emotional by an abusive partner is not a personality assessment. For a woman with undiagnosed PMDD, it is a direct attack on the one thing that was already making her feel out of control — her own body. Lizzy did not know she had PMDD when she was inside that relationship. She only knew what she was being told: that she was broken.
What is one experience you remember where you were given a label — like lazy, too emotional, distracted, dramatic — and how did that make you feel?
My abuser labeled me as too emotional and too sensitive. I thought that I was broken because I feel things very deeply. This made me feel hopeless and powerless. After I left him, I was able to realize that my deep feelings are a superpower and they are part of what makes me special.
What message would you want to share with someone who feels like they're falling behind?
There's no such thing as falling behind when we are all on our own individual paths that are not necessarily parallel. It doesn't matter how fast you're going, as long as you're going in the direction that feels right to you.
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BODOLOGY — SUPPORTING PMDD WITH INOSITOL Inositol has been studied for its potential to support mood balance and reduce depressive symptoms specifically in women with PMDD. It works by supporting serotonin and GABA function — the same neurotransmitters disrupted during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. This is what we mean by understanding your body, not just managing it. — Bodology *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. |
ARTICLE BIOS
Lizzy Klein
Content Creator and Educator
Lizzy is 32, born and raised in Los Angeles. She is an educational therapist who helps neurodivergent learners find the root cause of their struggles — work that took on a new dimension when she began finding answers about her own body. Diagnosed with ADHD and PMDD in 2024, she has been on what she calls a self-rediscovery journey ever since. She is also a dancer, a dog mom, and someone currently learning salsa with full commitment.
