Climacteric stage and rheumatoid arthritis

[VickyG]

Does anybody knows if a premenopause stage affects and worsens an existing arthritis condition? If yes, in what ways? This stage is usually associated with muscle and joint pain. How we can tell the difference between those symptoms and our arthritis?

[helixhelix]

This has been a hot topic on some forums (no pun intended) with opinions split. My personal opinion is that there is some connection, but can't point you to any research to back this up. I'm merely basing it on personal experience, plus all the coincidence of hormones being close to steroids in their effect and that loads more woman than men get RA so there may be some vague link to our female hormonal system involved somewhere. Anyway, my experience that the type of joint ache was different - I sure as hell noticed when RA popped up as a completely from the menopausal symptoms I was already being treated for, and several scales of pain greater.

[Hidden]

Hi Vicky. Yes I'm one of those who asked this question when my RA symptoms disappeared completely for just over three weeks following the start of the first and only period I've had in 2 and a half years. At the stage prior to the period it had been assumed that I was post menopausal - so I naturally wondered if the disappearance of RA type of problems meant that it wasn't RA but was just menopausal joint pains. I hadn't had a formal diagnosis of RA at this stage so I went to the Menopause Matters site and asked around on their forum. I was shocked to find that lots of women were assuming that their often quite extreme arthritic symptoms were all down to Meno? There was a long thread started by the site's founder on this and she did say that arthritis (by which I mean Osteoarthritis) often started during or after meno but there was no mention of RA. Several people had had the rheumatoid factor test but it had come back negative which led them to assume that they didn;t have RA despite having many of the classic traits i.e couldn't move in the mornings, symmetry of joints affected, flu- like symptoms etc.

After the RA returned for me I was on Prednisolone and had to see the gynae about a polyp. He said he had never really heard of menopausal joint problems and certainly not anything like RA in extremity. But he did also say that oestrogen is a steroid (not just steroid like Polly) and that it would have a similar effect on inflammation of RA as the Prednisolone.

So I agree with Polly - meno joint pain is going to be far milder than the pain of RA and if your arthritis type symptoms are severe it would be wrong to think it was just a symptom of menopause. But for me I think it might well have been the trigger of the RA and I suspect, although not a scientist, that hormones are a huge factor in triggering RA in people of all ages including children. Hope this helps. TT

[thinkpositive]

HI Viki,

Half way through my meno I was suffering joint pain hands and feet and asked

my Dr about H.R.T.My joints improved. After 3 years Dr said i should come off it , as there had been lots about it in the paper pros and cons,it was safe then it wasnt l decided to come off it.my joint pain increased .After a few months got worse so asked if i could go back on it, which she reluctantly gave me after giving me papers to read about the could be affects of H.R T.It certainly did improve my quality of life.just thought you may be interested in this opinion.

Pat

[Hidden]

I wonder why doctors worry about the effects of HRT compared to MTX and other DMARDs? Are you on anything else Pat apart from HRT and have you a diagnosis of RA as well? TTx

[thinkpositive]

I HAVE BEEN ON HRT FOR YEARS TILDA,CO=CODAMOL.NAPROXIN FOR MY JOINT PAIN HAVE OA, HAD POSITIVE BLOOD RESULTS FOR RA STILL WAITING FOR DIAGNOSIS;ALSO ON DIABETIC MEDS . ATTENOLOL FOR HEART PROB ALSO STATINS.OTHER THAN THAT AM FINE.HAVING A GOOD DAY TODAY HOPE U ARE THE SAME TILDA SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS. PAT

[Hidden]

Thanks Pat - actually I was about to get back to you and say that when I was on the meno site for a while I got quite a big response to my question about the hormonal joint pains. Someone said that she thought I was right to query the previous thread because her colleague at a school where she works has been diagnosed with RA about a year ago and has sustained really awful damage from years of misdiagnosis. She was told by doctors about ten years ago that her joint pain was all menopausal and was put on HRT. Now they have confirmed that she has RA but it's too late as so much damage has been done in the interim.

This same woman also pointed out that Meno wouldn't account for raised inflammatory markers or swollen knuckles - so if you have them they are a sign that it's more than simply menopausal joint pain or OA Sounds like you need RA like a hole in the head on top of all the other stuff Pat so here's hoping it's not. Positive RF not definitely a sign of RA of course but with the symptoms makes it much more likely i guess. TTx

[thinkpositive]

Thanks for that Tilda, sounds very familiar to my own situation,i never was refered anywere ,Given co=codamol and diclofenac ,had to stop taking diclofenac because of heart problem.It was my Diabetic Nurse Practioner who examimed me, my hands which at the time were very inflamed also my feet were very sore, so iwas given a blood test which came back RA

positive. I too think its a bit late in the day, my hands and feet are damaged with time .I love to walk but my feet have gone absolutely terrilble,i just hope they can delay any future damage,then i can carry on walking its so important !!!!

thanks again Tilda . PatX