Hope everyone is doing as well as can be. Don’t get on here so often these days. Life has been hectic and taking its toll!
Ladies, can you tell me if any of you had a worsening of your MS symptoms with the menopause. At first, I thought I was relapsing, but the symptoms fluctuate. At times, the stiffness, muscle and joint pain is horrendous, but then it eases, (sometimes with the help of paracetamol) and that doesn’t usually happen with relapse. Bladder urgency is also worse, but there is no infection. Wondered if it’s to do with temperature changes. Any comments would be helpful and any views on HRT.
Some women can have worse symptoms during menopause and periods.However I am not.I have been menopausal for 5 years and I see a steady worsen of the condition for the past three years.It has not worsened with the Menopause its an gardual onset of become more and more disbaled.Nore do I feel worse during a period.
l am all in favour of HRT - are hormones were OK when the average life-span of a woman was 50 - but as we all live so much longer- then the ‘natural’ thing to do is to replace what we have lost. l was put onto a mild HRT - Livial - when l was 45 - now nearly 20yrs later l still take them. My skin is good - no wrinkles - and if it does that to my face it must be doing good for every where else.
My elderly neighbour was put on HRT - when she was about 68 - because she kept having uti’s. The urologist said her skin was so dry in her uterus/bladder that he felt it was necessary for her to go on to hrt . She is now 87 - and still takes them. Still very upright - not bent over with osteo-porosis.
My symptoms definitely got worse during menopause, in fact I didn’t even know I had MS until then; as I think that the Oestrogen was protecting me. I did try HRT but had some problems and gave it up. In retrospect I wonder if it may have been better to stick with it.
Hello, My situation is like Wendy’s above. I was 1st diagnosed as possible MS 26 years ago and had next to no problems with it (benign or possibly a very few minor sensory relapses) until I entered menopause about 10 years ago. Diagnosed as SPMS 7 years ago now, but probably SPMS for 9 years. Have long thought the menopause (plus major stress at the time, trying to cope with work/life balance) was a trigger.
My hormones have always played havoc with my ms and now that I am going menopasual its been a lot worse. The aches and joint pain are awful and although I have tried Magnesium it upsets my digestion (unfortunately) so I have just started taking Glucosamine Complex vitamins to see if it helps with the joint pain. It has Omega and flax seed oils incorporated as an extra also. It has affected my bladder control also having gone from sleeping through the night undisturbed to getting up 2/3 times to us the loo. Not sure about taking HRT as eostrogen seems to have a weird affect on me.
I was going through the menopause when I started with ON, and I would say yes temperature in my case had a bearing on how bad my symptoms were. I bled constantly for 6 months during which time I had recurrent ON which left me blind in my left eye. I have grainy, foggy vision back but of no use whatsoever.
My legs used to go from under me and I felt so tired, now I know its the fatigue, but having stomach pains, temperature fluctuations and ms symptoms all made it a bad mix.
I havent been offered HRT, wish I had because I now suffer osteoporosis. Apparently it runs in the family, so couldnt miss that bullet either.
Hello Tina, just to say my symptoms have got worse with the menopause too. I have had MS since I was 20 but it started getting worse in my forties and now I am 54 it is spms. Think that might have been happening for the last ten years or so. Think ignorance was bliss before as I just thought I still had ‘benign’ ms!! xkatie