Am i of the weaker sex?

[frechfield]

It would seem so. I could go on about all the meds I've been on. I read lots of posts on this site with an open mind...some i take a close look at some not so. anyway my Question is does one think lifestyle choices and DNA are all part of the MIX?

[Shalf]

Hi there, I don't think there is any easy answer to your question. I know there will be a mixed bag of replies and that's because no one knows for certain. We can all assume ( I have my beliefs too) but that's what it is. Pre RA/D , we all knew lifestyle was important to health. Now with the disease, I think we simply have to be ultra careful not to upset the applecart anymore than it is! For many people DNA is a huge factor. I will leave it at that. I'm sure there will be plenty replies to this one. Thanks for posting! Xx

[VeronicaF]

in short, yes, it was for me I am sure, and a life bad diet, smoking, and of stress, and heartache, over weight, 10 st 13 where my body said enough is enough, my body is not what it was now 3 and half stone less, and wrecked , I am not what I was, I feel only half of me is left but I think if I carried on how I was, I might not be here at all, I would have had a stroke, or heart attack, so its been a hard bash on me to make me look at my diet, my life style and how much I aloud myself to carry in emotional stress.

life has given me a very hard lesson.

if I had known I had it in my DNA I would have been prewarned and would have not done the above, my gran had it on dads side ,I never thought it might have been passed down to me.

[helixhelix]

By DNA I guess you mean your genetics?

So my answer to you is yes! The genes you were born with, plus how one lives one's life from then on between them influence everything!

Trouble is, scientists have worked out things like the genes that influence your hair colour, but after that it's all a bit unknown. Do I have RA because my great, great grandmother had it? Or because I had lots of illnesses as a kid? Or because I smoked and ate junk food for years? Or because I had a horrendously stressful job for many years?

Who knows, but I've got it now so no point looking backwards,

[Shalf in reply to helixhelix]

Onwards and Upwards!

[Zip1 in reply to Shalf]

Absolutely, no other way to go!

[Mmrr]

Most certainly not the weaker sex ! Men and women just tend to be more susceptible to different health problems. RD is more prevelant in women. So yes genetics do play a part, but so does lifestyle.

[Eiram50]

All part of the mix- I’d say a definite yes.

[HappykindaGal]

I think that more women have it due to sex hormones. I’m adopted and know my biological mother and she hasn’t had this in her family. Don’t know who my biological father is, so who knows! I don’t think lifestyle helps. I’m overweight, eat all the wrong things, used to smoke and a workaholic. Diagnosed almost three years ago when it came from nowhere, bam! The bank were playing silly b******s with my business and my mum died, so quite stressful.

I’d like to say I’ve changed my lifestyle and I have somewhat. Still a workaholic though 🤔

I think the trigger for mine was probably stress. Perhaps we have a dormant dodgy gene that is triggered? No point wishing I’d done things differently now. Waste of energy and I need it for other stuff. 🌻

[Hidden]

I have ankylosing spondylitis, not RA and feel it's all a bit of a lottery really. There is a genetic component - I am hla b27 positive, but you can have the gene and not get AS. One of my parents has the gene, but neither of them has AS. You can also have AS and not have the gene. Their is probably another little quirky gene that has not been discovered yet and all AS sufferers may have that.

Then there is the lifestyle part. Personally I feel a serious case of glandular fever kick started the hla b27 gene to start misbehaving. There is research into a possible link between the Epstein Barr virus and hla b27.

My cousin died aged 7 from complications due to juvenile RA, my aunt has lupus, both on my maternal side. There has to be a genetic propensity towards auto immune diseases within the family. My sister and another aunt are both suffering symptoms of an auto immune diseases but are undiagnosed.

I've not been a junk food eater, I've never been overweight, I got plenty of exercise before becoming unwell. There was the potential to develop this disease within me and it was simply bad luck that I did is how I look at it.

[MandiS]

Hi

My mum and 7 of her aunts had RA. I am overweight by about 2 stone. Never smoked drank moderately and in my opinion ate generally healthy walked daily. I was diagnosed within 6 months of my MIL dying and in the same year lost 7 members of my extended family which caused me lots of stress. I am also a workaholic. Also when I was younger I had mumps and measles but none of my 4 siblings caught it. Also suffered terribly with IBS in my late teens. Yes I think both lifestyle (stress) never slowing down and DNA both play a part. All my siblings have smoked since their teens but none have RA (all in late 40,s and mid 50’s now) so I’m not sure about the smoking link (feel cheated if it’s proved).

I also agree hormones play a part that’s why so many women get it after they have had a baby and why so many women who are menopausal get it. I also read recently that there could be a very tiny link by having the HepB vaccine and RA becoming active if you have a genetic predisposition I had the Hep B vaccine about 10 months before I started getting strong symptoms of RA but I suppose I’ll never really know.

[Leics]

It’s all a lottery. No one in my family has RA or autoimmune disease except me. No one in our family has had bowel cancer at 35 except me. I definitely think hormonal changes are a big trigger and it’s interesting reading about Epstein-Barr virus because I had GF three weeks before my mum died when I was 16.

Pointless thinking why me though, we are all different and it’s definitely made me stronger as a person also I appreciate more everything that my OH does for me I’d be a bit lost without him. I can still kick ass when I need to you just have to keep looking forward never behind because you can’t change what has already happened.

Ever the optimist that’s me, weaker sex non of it not in my case crappy genes or not lol. 😃😃