After the sad passing of my beautiful wife Steph, I would like to use all donations to raise awareness of PMDD and its impact on women's health.

I don't think anyone could articulate what it feels like better than Steph did in her own words. x

PMDD, 28 days, 3 lakes, 2 rivers, 1 quarry, an outdoor pool at night, a waterfall, the North Sea and me.

In February I challenged myself to swim in open water every day in the hope I could raise awareness of a condition I’ve suffered with for around 25 years. Cold water is 1 tool I use to help me cope with the symptoms of PMDD. It stands for Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder and generally speaking no-one’s heard of it. Women tend to struggle in silence, not understanding what’s wrong with them, and if they do talk about it are often met with bewilderment, disbelief or suggestions of how to fix themselves. PMDD is like building a sand castle of good habits and positive mood then twice a month watching it get swept away leaving depression, anger and hopelessness. Basically my brain can’t cope with normal monthly fluctuations in hormones. Very slight changes in levels of oestrogen/progesterone are the difference between me feeling good and able to attack life and feeling so low and overwhelmed I no longer want to be alive. Despite it being cyclical it took me years to figure out it was all linked to ovulation and periods. The chronic lack of research into women’s health didn’t help. Next year after my current course of treatment its planned I’ll have a hysterectomy and oophorectomy (removal of the womb and ovaries) to eliminate the problem. So that’s my story, but I know there are so many women out there suffering at the hands of hormones, and made to feel like they shouldn’t talk about it. Thank you to the lovely, loyal friends who’ve stuck with me without judgement, the consultant who listened and validated the struggle I’ve faced for over half my life and of course to my ever loving Andy. #PMDD #pmddwarrior #pmddawareness #PMDDpeeps #pmddsupport @naps_pmdd