Do you have or have you had menopausal symptoms?

[Aribah-NRAS]

Did it affect your Rheumatoid Arthritis? Has any healthcare professional talked to you about the Menopause and RA? NRAS and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Rheumatology Forum’s survey seeks to find out what your experiences are to further inform healthcare professionals. What do they need to know to try to make this inevitable event in women’s lives easier for those impacted by RA? We value your opinion.

Get your voice heard! Please click the link to complete our survey: survey.sogolytics.com/r/11X5DW

[Need2knowN]

Hi! I’m on HRT, before I started on it, my pain did get worse but my markers didn’t show disease activity. No one has spoken to me about RA & the menopause.

My dr (private) did speak to me about ADHD & the menopause though. As my ADHD symptoms did get worse too.

[FredaN in reply to Need2knowN]

I have ADHD too and have wondered whether the menopause is/will affect things in terms of pain and the ADHD symptoms themselves. I'm 43 and started having joint problems mostly in hands & feet, amongst other things, last November. Unfortunately, with my diagnoses of ADHD, autism and mental health issues, the Rheumatologist seemed obsessed with Fibromyalgia from the very start, but I was surprised that peri-menopause wasn't even mentioned as a factor. I don't think it's RA actually, but possibly some kind of connective tissue disease.

[Need2knowN in reply to FredaN]

Yes I got a fibro diagnosis last month on top of RA. But o actually think it might be - although I’m hyper mobile so you’ve got my cogs turning. I also am AUHD too & I have an auto inflammatory illness called hidradenitis suppurativa which was definitely hormone influenced.

[Hollyhock123]

Thank you for highlighting this. I’ve responded. I think this is definitely an area that needs more research.

[Stills]

Done, I hope Stills qualifies?

[Hidden]

Thank you for this. I completed your survey. However, there was no option in any of the questions where you could tick that symptoms of RA improved once the menopause began. It was assumed that they would be worse, which I found very odd and not what is expected from a scientific survey. I found this assumption alarming as not all women experience a bad menopause. I had very bad PMT when I had my periods and my RA eased when the menopause ended. I had RA and fibromyalgia from my late 20s and the fibromyalgia went post menopause and the RA also eased. My GP and Rheumatologist said that RA goes into remission throughout pregnancy in some women . I found the menopause sad, as it was the end of my fertile stage in life but healthwise I was better.

[NRAS_SallyM Moderator in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey. Hopefully you were able to take advantage of the other comments question within the survey to capture your situation to give us a more comprehensive understanding of the situation. This is an exploratory survey rather than scientific, which aims at understanding the current situation regarding how far healthcare professionals talk to patients with RA about the Menopause and how it could affect them and their disease. As far as we are aware this is the first comment from 700 responses we've had about positive impact of menopause so thank you for highlighting and we will look out for this in our analysis. Unfortunately, the investigators are unable to change the survey questions at this stage but that we will ensure that we recognise this point.

[Hidden in reply to NRAS_SallyM]

Sorry for thinking it was a scientific survey. I have a science degree and automatically go into science mode. Interesting to see I was an outlier, but the improvement to my RA after the menopause was significant. I accept that the menopause is a difficult time for many and send my sympathy. I also appreciate that good communication is vital and it is important for people to talk freely about symptoms and health matters when required. I wish you you all the best with this survey and ones in the future.

[NRAS_SallyM Moderator in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your wishes and sharing your experiences.