For Women . . .MS and Hormones
 

I was once told that hormones don't effect MS symptoms. I completely disagree with this. I have more spasticity and trouble walking as well as other MS symptoms closer to my period. In fact, I never worry if I have symptoms and I'm a week away from my period.

Recently, I have come to the conclusion that I am entering peri-menopause. My hormones are changing and my body is reacting both with MS stuff (more spasticity and muscle pain) and non-MS stuff (swelling joints, PMS - which I never had before, etc.).

So, I was just wondering what some of you have experienced with your MS and hormonal changes and what has helped you. And for those who are going through the change or have gone through the change, did it effect your MS symptoms?

I have found that anything and everything physical (including hormones) can effect Your MS, negatively and sometimes, positively!

Yes, hormones affect MS. There has been legit studies that back that idea. Don't ask me where they are, but I have read them before somewhere! My MS clinic nurse also said that they are a factor.

I also find that the week before my period my symptoms increase. It took me a really long time to figure that out. At the first sign of issues I check the calendar. It's kind of "nice" to know that is just P/MS and not a relapse.

I would get totally more fatigued right after my period, which was eons ago, because they were too heavy and long. I was neutered for painful cysts and fibroids. I have been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) since then, even now.

When you don't have your ovaries you only need Estrogen. If you have them and are in menopause, you may need Estrogen and Progesterone combo pill. Or nothing if you can't take them, or your dr won't give them to you for other reasons.

They are right now doing a clinical trial.gov on Copaxone and Estrogen. They have had positive results with Estrogen (in many forms of Estrogen) alone. Why they add it to Copaxone I'll never know. How can they tell which one is working or helping the other?

Maybe a head to head trial of each one. But a combo.

This trial reasoning is because women make more Estrogen during pregnancy which seems to stop relapse and MS for that time. Hormones decline with age, and at the end of a birth too.

Do hormones affect MS or does MS affect hormones? That is the question my doctors cannot seem to answer but they all agree I am both hormonal and MonSter attacked.

Let's see, I was told I was going through early menopause, now I cannot stop the flows that come whenever they feel like it with no schedule at all.

Oh BTW, either the hormones or the MS also affect my "bipolar" disorder which may not really be bipolar as it may be from the hormonal imbalance that is either worsening the MS or being worsened by the MS.

Confused yet? me too.

Ummm, Legz, yes I'm confused. :D

I do think there is a connection between hormones and MS. Which one triggers the other, I have no clue.

Lady - I've heard of that study. I don't know why they decided the Copaxone either. Maybe they just picked one of the DMDs for the study. Or it could be the interferons cause flu like symptoms and that my throw the study? Who knows.

Thanks for your responses. It was good to hear others experience similar issues close to the periods and hormone fluctuations.

i've got something different going on. i was dx'd with breast Ca in '08. as such i've got to take tamoxifen for 5 yrs; 2 1/2 yrs to go. they don't want a stitch of estrogen left in my body. i even had to change my AD because it came up as interfering with the effectiveness of the tamoxifen.

during these 2 yrs i can't say that i've gotten worse.

only now have i been experiencing more sx's.

but, it's an interesting theory.

Neuro that dumped me 2 yrs ago gave me one of his medical papers showing trials. 1 with the least side effects was Estriol (one of the 3 estrogens) which put me on the estogen/progesterone research hunt. I uncovered so much corruption within drug co's and fda that I gave up however - I did get the estriol I was after. 4mg with 4mg progesterone. The progesterone needs to be at least 50mg I believe. I know progesterone helps TBI yet I don't think it's widely used. And after the news story last night & nght before on progesterone that went from 20$/shot to 1500$/shot overnight cause FDA approved it for preventing premature births, i'm gonna stop here.

Yes hormones play a role. Please keep researching this for all of us. Was my 1st thread I believe when I joined this site and why.

I really do believe that there is a connection. I will have to "hunt" for it again, but there is a book co-written by a woman who had MS. During the peri-menopause stage of her life, things got worse for her. She writes a little bit about it in the book. Once she got her hormones balanced some of the MS symptoms lessened and/or went away. If I find it again, I will post it. I saw a little bit of it on google books but I can't remember what I was searching.

I had a hystro in 2002 but I still have part of 1 ovary....been hell with the hot flashes and night sweats which in turn, do to the heating up of the core part of my body, plays hell with my ms..........it is getting harder to deal with all he time and am actually dreading this summer because of this all....
I too think there is common ground....