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Does peri menopause make multiple sclerosis worse

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tam34579
tam34579

Im just wondering if anybody here might have experienced going through peri menopause with multiple sclerosis. Im wondering if anyone with ms has tried hormone replacement therapy here and if they did was the ms made worse by it or did they do ok on it. Also i woukd like to know if there is anything natural that actually has helped with hotflashes. Im not having them yet but i want to be prepared and know how to fight back . I missed my period this month and im feeling exhausted , i had mild cramping and i am so irritable. Its too the point i feel like i need a vacation no laughing matter. I want to get educated on what i can do. I have been having extreme sweating every night almost for six months and i still have my periods is that normal for peri. My cloths are soaked , even pajama bottoms are wet..please help advise me. That alone is exhausting. Has anyone else has this

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • michelle92591
    michelle92591 tam34579

    Posted

    Hi Tam, I was diagnosed at 46 with ms. So for me it's hard to distinguish between that and my hormones. Once I started to miss my period at 50 I then started the sweats.Nights can be awful,I wake constantly from the sweat. You are not alone. Not on hrt. What have you discovered having ms and your hormones? Have not found anyone else to discuss this with.

    • tam34579
      tam34579 michelle92591

      Posted

      Michelle, thank you so much. So glad to find someone here to discuss this with. My doctor asked me if hormone therapy would make my ms worse. I dont know and thought someone here might have experience with it. So thankful there are ladies here to relate to with ms. Like you i have not had snyone other to discuss this with. Dont know how i can reach you again. Im going to think we can reply back here to my question to touch base again. Take care and reply if you learn anything new for us smile or just to chat.
  • jane66356
    jane66356 tam34579

    Posted

    Hello Tam34579,

    Yes – perimenopause seems to have brought my MS out of remission.  I was undiagnosed for over a decade…had a couple of bouts of optic neuritis..one at 28 and 31 years old…no flare ups for years until I hit my early/mid 40s.  Once I started into perimenopause and hot flashes/night sweats, I started having many flare ups – enough to get me finally diagnosed and on medication.  I have to believe the hormone fluctuations must have really causes chaos to make my MS flare up so much. 

     

    One thing that helped me with hot flashes/night sweats is soy isoflavones.  Check with your doctor first if it would be ok for you.  I take those nightly.  I was having horrible problems with heart racing/panicky/hot flashes about 6 years ago.  Once I started taking the soy, it seemed to calm that down.  Another thing that was recommended to me was a bit of Ibuprofen..like 200 mg during a really bad hot flash/insomnia.  I do still get some bouts of insomnia like last night and it put me right back to sleep. 

     

    MS is hard enough…then throw perimenopause on top of that!!  What a challenge.  If I think of anything else, I will post more later…

     

    Take care!

    • tam34579
      tam34579 jane66356

      Posted

      Thank you Jane for your reply. I cant believe i got 2 replies here from others with ms. My ms is all over the place now thst i have started peri menopsuse. Your answers made me have hope for the future. With everthing else going on i cant imagine hot flashes to boot. I had the optic nerve issue. One eye dialated bigger than the other in the very beginning before diagnosis. I feel for you knowing you have something and not getting diagnosed until it worsend. Alot of people have a terrible time getting diagnosed . My dad had it so thst helped dr. To consider it buti never dreamed it would be that inhad it. I knew nothing about ms . My dad had only had it about 2 years so it eas new to me . Before that i or my family had never heard if it. I just had the right things go wrong to give me a ms diagnosis. I have had rr for 14 year. I had a lesion on my brain stem and one spinal lesion and some small on my brain and i got a diagnosis right away .I have done not too bad so far but lately my leg has been much ,much more fatigued. Its frightening the changes i have had . For women i think everything is tied to hormone function. Maybe the hormones would help with ms symptoms since the ms seems to get worse during peri. I wonder if it settles down once we reach menopause. I wil talk to my doctor before i try anything new but i am very glad to know something may help me because i have been feeling warmer and lightly sweating at times during the day . I have my reservations about hrt but they might go out the window if this gets worse. I wonder if my issue with sweating is related to peri since you didnt start that until later on . Maybe it varies from persin to person . It seems there are so many questions that come up and issues we experience going through this even without ms. Yes please do reply if you think of anything else. I hope you will reply back here occassionally as well so us with ms can share and keep in touch. Thank you for any more info or tips and i hope i hear from you again .
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