MS and menopause

[Patti23]

For all the ladies out there I was curious to know how menopause before or after affected symptoms you’ve had. I personally have increased drop foot and my speech becomes inarticulate during menstration. Just curious if this will go away when menopause is over or the experiences you have?

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Great question! And I have no answer for you.😔 My MS and menopause happened all at once.. it was not ok!I hope others can help! 🤗💕🌠

[rjoneslaw]

I asked my gynecologist about menopause and how would I know if I was in it. She told me the signs would be hard to tell because of MS the hot flashes because that’s part of MS

She told me as to my situation she said I wasn’t in menopause but I haven’t has a period in 2 years and there’s nothing wrong with me.

[Marshay in reply to rjoneslaw]

Right, it's so hard to tell the difference, I'm going thru it now and have been for awhile, not taking anything for it taking to much meds already. Stay cool.

[rjoneslaw in reply to Marshay]

Strange thing bout me is when I over heat I start to get dizzy ,extremely weak, close to passing out. I get a cold bottle of water I drink that and I run my wrist under cold water.

I’m enjoying the cold weather cuz I’m staying cool. At on point I couldn’t tolerate the cold now it’s my best friend.

[pamgarner]

that is the question,is it menopause,or my age,or ms?sometimes we will never know!

[TonyiaR7]

Menopause was hard for me. I sweat like crazy. The bed was sopping wet. I would bring extra shirts with me. Being hot worsen some MS symptoms. Then I had heavy bleeding. And we tried an endometrial ablation to help control the bleeding. It a was good for a while . Then the bleeding began with a vengeance. I was taking some extra estrogen to deal with the sweating. I did have a hysterectomy because i did have fibroids and the bleeding was excessive. We were suppose to remove just the uterus. I also started to have problems with cystic ovaries too. Do not remove both ovaries just 1 at most, if possible, so your estrogen levels don’t put you into forced menopause. After operation I had complication which surprisingly I survived without a relapse and didn’t die. They discovered that I had a platelet disorder where my blood doesn’t clot when have surgeries or trauma. They gave me 6 units of blood. Pre-tests say I am normal for clotting but they did other tests and my blood doesn’t clot. I had 2 children and all. So now I take some estrogen to keep myself from being crazy. I can feel normal. And you can lower the dose or use creams. But the hot flashes and sweating raises my body temperature. 10 years later I can wear sweater and actually have moments of feeling cold. No one tells you about Peri-menopause or menopause. But I have moments where I am just feel sweaty and warm but not like before. So it did effect my MS. I hope no one has excessive bleeding. I know other women with out MS who experience that problem. It does get better except sex can be interesting. Well my husband is 6 years older. And men can have their challenges too. But I have a friend with MS, who had less complications than me. She suffered with hot flashes and over heating too. It effected her walking.

[mrsmike9 in reply to TonyiaR7]

I had all my lady plumbing removed as I was bleeding like a stuck pig for months. They removed everything as I wanted, which they had to as there were issues with everything. I was fortunate not to experience the major hot flashes or anything. I'm not on estrogen or anything! So I wouldn't be so quick to paint everyone with the same brush. Menopause experiences are different for everyone, just like childbirth, just like MS. Some people have a harder time than others. So some people will be fine without both ovaries. (I get you on the units of blood. I lost so much blood each month I was visiting the hospital regularly until my surgery after which they filled my tank again.)

[anaishunter]

Peri-Menopause is actually what made my MS reared its head and got me finally diagnosed. So it makes me feel that it kind of makes things worse. But now that I am on the other side, in menopause, I feel everything is more stable.

Btw, when I was diagnosed, I went on a strict diet with no sugar. and got absolutely no hot flash or other menopause issues that my non-ms friends keep talking about. For all this pain and misery, there has to be something positive... Hope you'll find your peace with your MS.

[Patti23 in reply to anaishunter]

Did the no sugar help your MS? I may eat a grape or have raspberries and blueberries.

[anaishunter in reply to Patti23]

probably - it's always hard to tell what impacts my MS.

No sugar changed me in very significant ways: my anxiety is gone. It's like I'm a different person. Because I no longer have anxiety, I have far less stress, which is most likely all beneficial for my MS. I have not had any flare up and fatigue has receded.

By no sugar I mean no additive sugar - I eat fruit, but no dessert, no chocolate, no fake sugar either, ... i've removed all processed food and prepare everything myself from scratch.

[TonyiaR7 in reply to anaishunter]

Some women going through menopause, crave sugary foods, which causes unnecessary weight gain. It can be hard to lose the middle that some women get. Eating healthy with fruit and salads. But those empty sugary calories (like diet soda) or processed food, did make a little difference. Eat those types of things when you can burn them off.

[Marshay in reply to Patti23]

No sweets are really great in helping with it and spicy foods. Although, yes we're different yet the same in so many ways😍💥

[HensTooth]

Same thing here, peri-menopause at the same time as the onset of MS. I’ve heard that’s common. The symptoms were getting all mixed together, and so the doctors kept dismissing every crazy symptom, and chalking it all up to hormones.

(Warning guys, graphic info / TMI) My ob-gyn says I am NOT menopausal, according to my blood tests / hormone levels... Yet I haven’t had a period in almost 5 years... Hmmm. For a while I’m like, “oh great I have cancer too”, but a pelvic ultrasound found nothing wrong.

[Patti23 in reply to HensTooth]

I have low back pain which honestly only came during my period. Right now I’m a week late and low back is hurting. I 50 years old

[anaishunter in reply to HensTooth]

good to hear your story and know that I'm not alone in that boat. My PCP put everything on my perimenopause because all my blood tests were always perfectly normal.

[goatgal]

Interesting question but I can't be much help. I hit menopause fairly early (50) but never had the hot flashes that trouble most women. However, now, at 80, with my interior thermostat on the fritz, I will feel cold during the day (and layer on the sweatshirts, shawls, neck wraps), and at night break into a sweat, throw the covers off the bed and can't use my flannel sheets or wool blankets. Go figure!

[HensTooth in reply to goatgal]

I was 45 when my periods stopped. I thought it was a surprise pregnancy. (Finding out it was not, remains one of the saddest times of my life.) My doctor said my lack of menses finally proved that all the MS-like symptoms I’d been complaining about and documenting were “just you going through menopause like every other woman”.

[goatgal in reply to HensTooth]

When I look back, my periods stopped abruptly at the same time I had the fist classic MS symptom of optic neuritis. The attack was not diagnosed as MS, (actually the first doctor told me it was a brain tumor before referring me to a hospital) but it lasted for months and left my eyes damaged by scarring on the optic nerves, something I still struggle with. When the periods stopped, I was prescribed estrogen replacement therapy for a while by my Internist, but there was never another period after that. Since periods were always painful, I welcomed their absence.

[ahrogers in reply to goatgal]

I have had the feel cold all day and hot at night most of my life 😁 however, I am currently not as cold during the day and have to keep the bedroom colder than before (thermostat is set at 62) pso know I am likely going through menopause. Not looking forward to summer weather and the electric bill to keep me cool. Like others here I had a hysterectomy for bleeding fibroids at age 50. Took the uterus and tubes but kept the ovaries. I am 52 now and noticed the temperature changes about a year ago. I think the Gabapentin I take for vertigo helps keep the hot flashes mild.I do feel that my weakness and foot drop is a little worse and varies throughout the day. I had an MRI last year that was stable. I will have to ask my neuro about it when I see him later this month.

Great question!!

[Elizt3]

My sensory symptoms used to get worse around menstruation - I don't see those variations now that I've been in menopause for a year. Just constant sensory symptoms. I also get warm at night so I can only wear summer nightgowns even when it's 15 degrees at night. Over the past year, I had weekly episodes of feeling really warm (in my face) but have never had a fever. I assume that's related to menopause?

[TonyiaR7 in reply to Elizt3]

It sounds like it. I watched my white friend’s blushed and turn red. Then it passed. Then we do some thing and it would happen again. She was younger than me, but I was not looking forward. My grandma would sweat horribly. That is where I must have had inherited my sweating. My mom has a hysterectomy in early 40s, she and my grandma had a fibroid the size of a grapefruit - they looked pregnant. I glad that didn’t happen to me.

[CrazyCatWom]

Interesting to consider. I don't know how related it was to my menopause, but I know I was going through "The Change" when my human hands became vibrating flippers.

[HensTooth in reply to CrazyCatWom]

Love that description! So right. I used to say it felt like a sewed-on cadaver arm was gripping a cellphone on silent mode. Doesn’t really roll off the tongue like “vibrating flippers”! 😆

[kycmary]

Ji Patti23 I started having terrible night sweats in my mid 30's was Dx with MS 1 month before I turned 41. When I was 47 I went round & round with my OBGYN as I wanted my tubes tied. Instead they did a partial hysterectomy as they found several fibroids, put me on a HRT for a yr. I still had hot flashes off an on for a while I don't remember any bad things happening. Ot has over 20 yrs. now & I still get a hot flash now and then.

[Tracelr]

Menopause it was a breeze for me and blood heavy for six weeks stop for two weeks played again for six weeks that went on for about seven months and then it stopped that was in 2011