Pbc and menopause

[Mikaela2]

Hi all! Did any woman here experience worsening / acceleration of PBC progression after menopause ?

Thanks in advance !

[Readlots]

Hi, I’ve been through the menopause with PBC. I didn’t find that PBC worsened, as in my bloods stayed pretty stable but many of the symptoms of menopause are the same as PBC and those definitely worsened: brain fog, fatigue, sleep disturbance. I took HRT with my liver consultants blessing and it helped massively, but I know that not everyone can take it. For me the benefits outweighed the risks. It helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis which is linked to PBC, and it reduces the risk of bowel cancer, which runs in my family so this balanced out the slightly increased risk of breast cancer for me. I do know that changes in hormones can affect other parts of your biology. HRT meant I needed more thyroxine, so that contributed to the fatigue until I got the balance right.

[Lu11 in reply to Readlots]

Thank you so much for mentioning HRT and Thyroxine! This answered my question! I’ve been on HRT for a while and recently I found out that my T3 is low. However, I had a hard time with Levothyroxine side effects so for now I’m not taking anything and will retest in 3 months.

[Readlots in reply to Lu11]

You’re welcome. I found that soya helped too with the menopause. A soya latte once a day (plus the HRT) seemed to reduce the hot flushes and mood swings. I don’t think there is much alternative to thyroxine if you need it, but I’ve heard people talking about the brand making a difference. It’s a question of finding a brand and dose that works for you. Pharmacists tend to be the best people to talk to about that sort of thing. It’s fun being a woman some times!

[Lu11 in reply to Readlots]

Thank you for the suggestions! I will talk to the pharmacist and Dr. about switching from generic to brand. Yes! that’s what say…it’s fun being a woman! 😂