Helene's Story

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I’m a storyteller, marketer, and women’s health advocate.

Moon Quest is my brainchild.

I’ve lived with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) since my teenage years but spent more than a decade not knowing what it was.

After years of misdiagnoses, self-blame, and confusion, I finally learned the truth: my heightened emotions were a biological response to hormonal changes.

Professionally, I’ve spent about a decade working in digital marketing and brand strategy, helping global companies build human-centred experiences that connect through empathy and storytelling.

Moon Quest was born from my personal mission: to make premenstrual disorders visible, understood, and manageable through gentle education.

2026, 34 years old

On an SSRI (antidepressant) for a year, working on living more in harmony with my cycle. Added a drospirenone combined pill to manage heavy periods and exhaustion.

My quest continues...

2012, 20 years old

End up at counselling service due to suicidal thoughts. Get told I have separation anxiety and daddy issues.

I don't return.

2011, 19 years old

Go to university far away from home. Get into a toxic relationship, mental health deteriorates.

2023, 31 years old

Discover PMDD, start having conversations with people struggling with the same things I am.

Go to the doctor armed with knowledge (and my husband).

I get an official PMDD diagnosis.

2021, 29 years old

Get pregnant for the first time. I've never felt this stable before. All my premenstrual symptoms go away.

2018, 26 years old

Meet Jasper, now my husband, who notices I seem to turn into a different person before my period.

2002, 10 years old

I get my first period. The cramps are so bad that I have to miss school every month. Once, I pass out from the pain.

2008, 16 years old

Start taking the birth control pill. No more heavy periods or pain, but I gain loads of weight. I feel ugly.

My Cycle Timeline

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What is PMDD?

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that affects mood, energy, and daily life. It happens in the two weeks before a period, when hormone levels shift, and can cause intense emotional and physical symptoms.

Around 1 in 20 people who menstruate experience PMDD.
Up to 75% experience milder PMS symptoms, but PMDD symptoms are much more severe and life-disrupting.
Suicidal thoughts affect around one-third of those with PMDD during the worst part of their cycle.
Most people go years without a diagnosis. It often takes over 10 years to get answers.
Despite its impact, PMDD is still largely misunderstood and under-researched.

Sources:

Oxford University (2024), Frontiers in Psychiatry (2024), NIH / MedlinePlus, Harvard Health Publishing.

You're not broken. You're cyclical.

Understanding that changes everything.

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