What doctors say
Dr Tan does not know the number of women suffering from PMDD here but thinks it should not differ too much from worldwide figures.

He sees one or two new cases a month, calling this the “tip of the iceberg”.

“Many women suffer in silence and do not come for treatment. They may not even know that they can be treated,” he said.

He hopes that more women will come for treatment as the latest scientific studies show that the Pill is an effective treatment for PMS and PMDD.

“In Singapore, we co-manage these cases with psychiatrists, who may prescribe anti-anxiety and anti-depression drugs such as Prozac,” he said.

General practitioner Dr Tan Kok Kuan, chief medical officer of Robertson Medical Practice, said that the practice’s two GP clinics see about 60 women every month
who suffer from PMS. Of these, 10 to 20 have PMDD.

Dr Adrian Wang, consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, who has one such case every few months, said: “Many women don’t like the idea of seeing a psychiatrist, so the GP or O&G will often manage this condition,” he said.

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