After the birth of her third child, mum Erica Derbyshire knew something was seriously wrong with her health as she began to suffer debilitating physical and mental symptoms. She experienced extreme fatigue, anxiety and craved unhealthy foods resulting in her putting on three stone after a lifetime of keeping fit and healthy.
She would become so tired that after dropping off her children she would often fall asleep in her car – only waking up again in time to pick them up at the end of the day.
She sought the help of her GP, explaining her symptoms, but was surprised to be diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Despite following the advice to manage that condition, her symptoms only worsened.
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Erica continued to search for answers, and endured months and months of tests. Different medics suggested it could be everything from post-natal depression to perimenopause.
Erica was told by her GP that they didn’t have any further suggestions on what could be causing her symptoms and suggested seeking help from a private specialist.
She ultimately paid for a number of private consultations eventually revealing the real cause of her symptoms – a disorder Erica had never heard of before.
She was diagnosed with PMDD – Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder – a condition that many women, including Erica, knew nothing about. Her symptoms were all classic red flags for the disorder, but none of the NHS GPs she had seen had ever diagnosed anyone with it before and hadn’t considered it as an option.
Erica, 42, is now talking about her experiences in a bid to help others, and to share how she managed to get her life back on track after diagnosis. The treatment that has worked for Erica was ultimately to have a hysterectomy – it had an almost instant effect in relieving some of the most debilitating symptoms the mum-of-three had been suffering.
Erica, from Prestbury, is mum to Faith, 16, Charlie, 12, and four-year-old Freddie. She said: “Four years ago I had my third child, the earlier two births were absolutely fine. But I became quite poorly after I had Freddie and I really didn’t understand why.
“I was very tired, beyond tired and fatigued, I was gaining weight because of this. I craved carbs which I’d never done before. I was suffering from headaches and irritability, those were the main symptoms. I went to my GP and they told me I was gluten intolerant.
“I was put on a gluten free diet for about six weeks before I went back as it was not working. I was getting very heavy periods, they were becoming unbearable as well as being fatigued.
“I used to drive to school, drop the kids off, and then be too tired to drive home. I’d fall asleep in the car and then pick them up, in between all that I’d maybe just grab a sandwich to keep me awake.
“I felt frustrated, my memory was foggy, I was sweating, my vision was blurry. I was getting sinusitis every month around my period. I went back to the GP who suggested antibiotics and HRT.”
The pain and frequency of Erica’s sinusitis became so bad she was told she needed an operation to wash and redrill her sinuses. It was only later that she would be told by her specialist consultant that sinus problems can be one of the main symptoms of PMDD.
Erica said: “My consultant explained that with PMDD your body doesn’t produce the right amount of oestrogen and so produces its own lubrication, and therefore sinusitis is a classic symptom of it. Now, I can’t smell anything – after having an operation I don’t think I even needed to have – due to lack of knowledge around the condition.”
Erica believes more women and GPs need to know about the symptoms of the disorder. She said: “When I went back to my GP I was told I was the first and last person they’ve ever known to have this.
“And I thought, is that just because women aren’t speaking out about it? Are people struggling to speak out that their PMS is that bad, because nobody even realises this condition is a thing? There must be so many women who battle on not realising they have got this condition. From a young age we are conditioned to think that extreme PMS is “normal” and we should learn to “cope” with it.
“I must have spent £30k to get where I am now, because I saw so many private consultants. It was only by chance I saw the consultant who knew about PMDD. there’s a lot of misunderstanding around the illness, I don’t feel people know enough about it.
“It’s completely debilitating – it’s pre-menstrual symptoms but with a vengeance. For me personally it was a typical four week cycle so the first week after your period you feel very fatigued, tired and emotional, second week start to feel irritable and tired, third week of your period you get the anger, the rage, craving carbs and sugars and then on the fourth week it’s just too much to handle, you sink into a hole of depression from those symptoms and then you start again on the first week.”
Erica had never suffered with the disorder before the birth of Freddie, and consultants believe it could have been the birth that triggered it. She underwent tests on her ovaries which were able to establish that she had the condition.
After diagnosis, her surgeon suggested a full hysterectomy and Erica says: “I feel like women are so scared of the idea of a hysterectomy, but for me I wish I’d done it years ago.
“After having it done I could not believe the change – four days later I was decorating the house, I felt so motivated for the future. It was overwhelming, it changed my outlook completely.
“Over those four years I’d left my career, lost friends, lost self-confidence and gained three stone – I just basically needed to rebuild my life.”
Erica had always been active, maintaining a healthy diet and fitness regime such as running half marathons and weight training before the onset of her PMDD, but through the battles had seen her weight steadily rise – going from a dress size 8 up to a size 14. Eager to get her fitness back after her operation in July 2023, she went to visit her local Ultimate Performance Fitness centre in Alderley Edge in November.
“Someone had suggested UP in the past but I’d dismissed it at first because it was expensive for me as I’d recently left work,” she said. “I was so unhappy having the weight on because I’ve never been big before, but I felt liberated with my new life.
“I had met with a large number of PT’s but having done a lot of training previously, I didn’t feel like any of them focused enough on technique or progression with training, a lot of them suggested crazy diets which I knew were unsustainable and unhealthy.
“So at that point I thought I’m going to visit UP and have a chat. I went to UP and within the first hour of meeting with my personal trainer Adam Newton I knew it was the right thing to do. Adam is extremely professional and the most knowledgeable PT I’ve met, all of the PTs at UP are experts with the training focused around technique.
“They are committed to your results and they provide an education which if adopted, will change your life forever. Adam for me is more of a life coach than just a PT.”
“I still have to balance my medication, I have HRT after the hysterectomy, and there are times when I still struggle, or feel too tired to train. Adam is good at reading this situation and is there to coach me through when I find it challenging but equally, gives me space and backs the pressure off when I need him to.”
She joined Ultimate Performance in November, signing up to one of their 3-month body transformation programmes, training three times a week at the gym while getting more active in her personal life too, aiming for over 10,000 steps a day. The programme provides an education around diet and fitness to ensure a healthy transformation with a bespoke regime.
She has been amazed with the results of the training, slimming back down to a size 8 from her starting size of 14. She has lost 10.5kg in weight in total and gained body mass of 4kg, with her body fat down to an impressive 15%. Her partner Dan, 44, was also inspired to join and undertake his own shape up journey too.
Erica’s programme was due to finish in April, but she’s enjoyed it so much, she’s now carried on with the trainers – and is now retraining as a PT herself.
She said: “I’ve spent my whole life in senior HR roles. But I’m now retraining to be a PT because I want to be able to give to other people what it’s given to me.
“I want to share my experiences and educate people who might also be struggling or want a better quality of life.”
Erica’s weight loss journey
Height: 5′ 5″
Start weight: November 2023 – 74kg, dress size 14/16
End weight: April 2024 – 63kg, dress size 8/10
Typical diet before
Breakfast: Cereal or toast
Lunch: Ham sandwich, crisps and chocolate, snacks
Dinner: Home-made meal but a huge man-sized portion with a lot of bread and carbs with it
Typical diet after
Breakfast: Yoghurt, blueberries and chia seeds
Mid morning: Two eggs and half avocado
Lunch: Chicken and veg
Dinner: Fish and veg
Snacks: Protein yoghurt, apple and orange.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
