Comedian turns her menstrual condition into a stand-up show

Telling hilarious or embarrassing stories from your personal life is something many stand-up comedians do night after night on stage.

But how about turning your period into a joke?

That’s what comedian Bella Humphries did at her debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe after being diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Symptoms of the disease can include extreme mood swings, depression, and anxiety.

But with the Fringe still two weeks away, one of Bella’s jokes has already been named by the Times as one of the festival’s best.

‘Finding the funny’

Living with suicidal thoughts every month was something Humphries was used to.

These types of extreme symptoms started a week before her period, when she was in the so-called luteal phase of her menstrual cycle, and for years, she believed it was completely normal.

That is, until she was diagnosed with TPMD, which can affect up to 8% of menstruators in the UK.

“I had a lot of thoughts about hurting myself or not wanting to be alive anymore,” Humphries tells BBC News. “And I was, yeah, really in a pretty dark place.”

The comedian says she knew nothing about the condition until she started researching some of her symptoms online and was finally diagnosed by a private doctor.

Now she’s turned her experiences of living with PMDD into a stand-up routine for her show Square Peg.

The 30-year-old actress says sharing her experiences on stage has been “very empowering” because she’s been able to “find the humor in some really dark moments.”

“It’s very personal. It’s very honest, a little raw at times, but still very funny, I think,” she reflects. “And a lot of other people have said that to me.”

One of the jokes, which referenced suicidal thoughts, made the Times’ list of top Fringe jokes.

The joke was: “There are times when I feel so bad that I think the only way out is to get in my car and drive as fast as I can and crash into a tree. But I would never do that because I’m a feminist and I wouldn’t want that legacy for female drivers.”

Humphries says she wants to raise awareness about her condition through her comedy, which she hopes will lead to more people being diagnosed sooner.

“A lot of women of different ages came to the show, but the response was very positive,” says the comedian.

She suggests this is relatable to many people, even if they have never heard of the condition.

”And it made a lot of people feel quite emotional, which is really nice to hear, because, yeah, it was really emotional for me to do it.”

What is TPMD?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is an extreme form of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome).

Symptoms may include:

• headaches and muscle and joint pain

• overeating and trouble sleeping

• feeling very anxious, angry, depressed or suicidal

It is not clear what causes TPMD, but it is associated with high sensitivity to hormonal changes or certain differences in genes inherited from parents.

Treatments may include hormonal medications, such as the combined contraceptive pill, cognitive behavioral therapy, and antidepressants.

‘Taboo Topic’

Farah Raja, who was diagnosed with PTSD last year, says hearing someone talk about it in public is “really important” and she hopes it will help more young people recognise their symptoms and get an earlier diagnosis.

“When I first started experiencing symptoms, I had no idea I was dealing with a severe form of PMS,” Farah told BBC News.

“And I feel like for a long time PMS has been ridiculed and kind of trivialized, and people don’t really take it seriously.”

The 27-year-old, who posts videos on TikTok to raise awareness of the condition, says growing up in a South Asian culture meant periods were seen as a “very taboo subject”.

“I think that’s what made it so hard for me to get a diagnosis in the first place, because I was constantly under the impression that it was like no one was supposed to know. So there’s something that I kind of kept to myself for a long time, or just tried to grieve.”

Claire Phipps, a women’s health specialist, says health experts need more education on how to spot the signs that someone has PMD.

“I think it’s often misdiagnosed because women’s health has been neglected for generations,” she explains.

Dr Phipps believes this is much more common than the numbers suggest because there is not enough awareness of the problem.

“It’s something that isn’t talked about enough and women are really struggling,” she says.

“When it’s talked about in this way, as if it’s turned into a comedy, it’s almost like a public health warning, letting people know that these symptoms are not normal and that you don’t just have to put up with them.”

Lottie Dickens says she knew something was wrong as soon as her period started.

During the two weeks off her menstrual cycle, she experienced extreme fatigue, depression, and feelings of hopelessness, as if nothing would ever get better.

Eventually, she ended up being taken off work because the symptoms became so severe.

After seeing several doctors over the course of seven years, Lottie was finally diagnosed with MDD.

“I started crying because I felt so honored to have someone listening to me,” says the 29-year-old.

More education is something she’s also calling for. “It’s crazy that this isn’t taught to us in schools,” Lottie says. “It would have been so helpful to know what is and isn’t normal when it comes to your hormones and your period.”

And she praises Humphries for bringing this topic to the fore.

“The more people are aware of this, the more acceptance there will be that we are dealing with something completely beyond our control.”

Bella Humphries: Square Peg will be on display at Just the Tonic at Mash House through August 25th.