Did You Start To Experience Any Additional Arthritis Symptoms
I went to my GP a handful of times as I had been having a few difficult months and every time my bloods were okay. I was then referred to rheumatology, offered counselling and anti-depressants. Also, I was advised to go back on amitriptyline due to my pain and fatigue levels.
The next time I called my surgery, I spoke to a female GP and she said, Has anyone spoken to you about menopause? and I said, No, I havent thought about it.
We had a fantastic conversation and she suggested that I start on the HRT pill first, this did nothing and so I went onto the HRT patch. I didnt know what to expect as I didnt know if the pain and fatigue were due to my arthritis or something else.
Gradually, I noticed my mood lift, and this helped me to manage my pain better. I decided to come off the contraceptive pill after I had advice from a homeopath who I met at a networking event. I didnt have a period, only some initial spotting on and off and period pain.
I had lost my sex drive and that has come back since being on the HRT patch!
Is Bone Fracture Common During Menopause
When you have reached menopause, bone breakage becomes a common thing. Bones are weaker, which leads to various problems later on. Slight injuries also pose risk of bone breakage therefore you will suffer more from the problems, which are associated with health implications. Studies have indicated that during menopause, the estrogen levels are declining. This makes your bones lose their density faster and this is the reason why osteoporosis takes place. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disorder which can be treated with the help of corticosteroids. Therefore, in case of Rheumatoid Arthritis, your bones will suffer from inflammation, which has major problems for you.
What Causes Sweating With Ra
Health care providers, rheumatologists, and researchers dont know for sure what causes people diagnosed with RA to feel overheated and to sweat excessively. One study on RA symptoms during flares noted that a participant reported feeling that theyre burning up as though they have a very high temperature during flare-ups. However, there have not yet been studies dedicated to researching sweating, in particular. Self-reported symptoms like overheating and sweating can be hard for doctors to observe and for researchers to quantify in studies, experts say.
It may be the case that some autoimmune disorders like RA can affect the bodys ability to maintain a normal temperature. One study from Michigan Medicine suggested that RA inflammation may affect the brain, which plays a key role in regulating body temperature.
Some people with RA also have a condition known as autonomic dysfunction, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Autonomic dysfunction occurs when the body isnt properly managing the autonomic nervous system, which controls body temperature, among other automatic functions.
Some of the medications used to treat RA have also been known to cause hot flashes, night sweats, and excess sweating as potential side effects .
See what RA specialist Dr. Iris Navarro-Millán says about weight loss and night sweats in RA.
There are many approaches to managing sweating with rheumatoid arthritis. Talk to your rheumatology expert to find the treatment plan that will work for you.
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You May Go Through Menopause Earlier
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. Symptoms start about 4 years before a womans final period.
Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic condition involving inflammation of the joints. Most people with PsA also have psoriasis.
Menopause may start earlier for people with PsA. A 2011 study of more than 1.7 million women of reproductive age found that participants with chronic inflammatory diseases including psoriasis were up to five times more likely to experience menopause before the age of 45 or premature ovarian failure before age 40.
Research suggests that fluctuations in female hormones during menopause may also cause PsA and psoriasis flares to worsen. Other studies have found that a reduction in estrogen after menopause may exacerbate psoriasis.
Symptoms of menopause and PsA flares can overlap. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the source. For example, you may have trouble sleeping or have changes in your mood leading up to a PsA flare. Those symptoms may also occur during perimenopause.
Common menopause symptoms can also make PsA flares feel worse. Sleep disruptions linked to menopause may make you fatigued. This may in turn increase your perception of pain from PsA.
Tracking your symptoms, diet, sleep, and stress levels can help you to pinpoint and manage your potential PsA triggers. If you notice more frequent or more severe PsA flares during menopause, check in with your doctor about adjusting your medication or lifestyle.
Hrt May Help With Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a major concern for menopausal and post-menopausal women. In fact, in the Womens Health Initiative, approximately 77% of the post-menopausal women in the study reported joint pain. Also, 40% noted joint swelling.
Many of the women in the study that started estrogen replacement therapy noted that the frequency of joint pain went down after starting treatment. Therefore, HRT may help reduce joint pain for those with osteoarthritis.
However, another recent study suggests that HRT may even help slow the progression of osteoarthritis. The study conducted in Korea and published in the North American Menopause Societys journal, Menopause, noted some interesting findings on the effects of hormone therapy and knee arthritis.
In the study, the women who were on HRT for one year or longer had lower rates of osteoarthritis. Rates of arthritis in thehormone replacement therapy group were about 30% lower than those who didnt take hormones. The researchers also noted that hormone therapy may help reduce the deterioration of cartilage as seen through X-rays.
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Estrogen Replacement Therapy May Have Anti
Also, estrogen has naturally anti-inflammatory effects. This can help reduce pain and swelling in your joints if you have arthritis. However, once we enter menopause, our natural estrogen levels drop significantly, which may take away much of the anti-inflammatory protection.
Estrogen replacement therapy can help raise estrogen levels in your body, which may also help fight inflammation. This, in turn, can help reduce swelling and pain from osteoarthritis. Therefore, this may explain why women on HRT report less frequent joint pain.
What Is Osteoarthritis
So, what is osteoarthritis? This is a type of arthritis where the cartilage in your joints wears away. This cartilage sits between the edges of your bones as a type of cushion. It helps protect the edges of your bones.
However, when this wears away, then bone starts to grind on bone. This can leave the bone edges indented and rough. Some symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
About 30 million people suffer from this type of arthritis and its one of the leading causes of pain and physical disability. Its more common for women around the time of menopause. In fact, after age 45, it affects more women than men. Because of this divide, some doctors and medical researchers have considered that declining levels of hormones may play a role and that HRT may help with this type of arthritis.
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What Our Patients Say
As of March 2021, I have been a HerKare patient for 3 years. I have driven from the Austin to Ft. Worth and Southlake since March 2018. In fact, today I attempted to drive to Southlake to see the provider, Dania Khoncarly, because she is so amazing, but the roads were too dangerous with the current ice storm in Texas, so I visited the Mansfield location instead as it was closer for me. The patient care has been nothing short of amazing. In fact, I cant imagine my life without HerKare. I struggled with hormone deficiency since 2003 until March 2018. The treatment plan provided by HerKare has positively impacted my way of life socially, emotionally, and physically. One of my closest friends now drives from Copperas Cove to the Mansfield location. I have several friends in my age group mid to late 40s & early 50s who would benefit from HerKare. I understand with our nation experiencing COVID, now might not be the time to open a new location, however, your services could positively impact the well-being of so many women. When the time is right, please open more HerKare locations!
Patient since March 2018
Pros And Cons Of Boswellia:
Q. I wanted to share my experience with boswellia. I read in your column about boswellia being helpful for arthritis pain. I began taking one capsule every morning and after about a week, I noticed some relief from the joint pain.
I am a 58-year-old woman who had a hysterectomy at age 52. The hot flashes Id had for years had begun to subside several months before starting the boswellia.
After taking boswellia for a couple of weeks, I noticed the hot flashes were back with a vengeance. I was not sure if it was the boswellia or a coincidence, so I eventually decided to quit the boswellia.
On the second day of no boswellia, I realized that the hot flashes had practically ceased. What a relief! It is my belief that boswellia caused the hot flashes to recur.
A. Boswellia comes from the resin of a tree, Boswellia serrata, which grows in Africa and India. It has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine and research has shown that it has anti-inflammatory activity . We had not heard previously that it could trigger the return of hot flashes.
Here is a link to the history, ingredients and uses for boswellia. You can also find out more about its activity for arthritis at this link. There is a somewhat similar story about a woman who developed throat irritation and gastritis after adding this supplement to her regimen. She too got relief from joint pain, but the gastritis price was too high.
Susan in Fuquay Varina, NC, added her story to this complication:
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Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Make You Sweat
Rheumatoid arthritis is an unusual arthritis because it is not only about joint problem but also can lead to a systemic condition and affect your overall health. Many sufferers experience symptoms and signs that have nothing to do with the joint, too. For instance it can make you sweat, how and why?!
Excessive sweating and the sign of a medical condition
Actually, sweating is a normal part of the body to respond certain conditions such as when your body needs to cool itself down after exercise or if you work harder than usual. The next question, when is it considered normal and abnormal?
In general, if you sweat a lot without known reason, it may become a sign of trouble. Lets say that the room temperature around you is normal , you are not anxious and not exercising. You dont experience fever, too but you are sweating profusely.
If you have all of these things, that is commonly considered not normal. Because the normal sweating should be equivalent to your normal physical need to sweat!
The good news, not all hyperhidrosis cases are a sign of serious condition, especially if it comes with explainable reason. But if it often comes for no reason, its better to see you doctor!
Medically, hyperhidrosis is divided into two main forms primary focal hyperhidrosis and secondary general hyperhidrosis .
Primary focal hyperhidrosis
Yap, RA can make you sweat excessively!
Hayfever And Excessive Sweating
When you think of hayfever, it is likely that excessive sweating will not be the first thing that springs to mind. The affliction is not normally associated with seasonal allergies but it can occur when a burst of adrenalin triggers your sweat glands, such as when you are under stress, in pain or suffering from adrenal fatigue. Here, our hayfever advisor Louise Baillie explains how excessive sweating can occur during hayfever, and what natural solutions and self-help techniques can reduce the unpleasant condition.
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What Are The Results
If the joint that was treated is the source of pain, you may notice pain relief starting two to seven days after the injection. Pain may be relieved for several days to several months, allowing you to participate in physical therapy. If injections were helpful and you experience a later recurrence of pain, the procedure can be repeated. If you donââ¬â¢t experience any pain relief, other treatment options may be available.
Other Possible Explanations For Feeling Hot With Arthritis
A couple people we heard from on Facebook noted that in addition to inflammatory arthritis, they also have something called autonomic dysfunction. This occurs when the body isnt properly managing the autonomic nervous system , which controls subconscious functions like breathing and surprise body temperature. The Cleveland Clinic lists autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis as a secondary cause of autonomic dysfunction one journal paper even suggests that the autonomic dysfunction may precede RA.
But this still doesnt answer the question of why.
Another study suggested that inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis may affect the brain, although that research looked more specifically at the development of cognitive dysfunction and fatigue. But, through the field of psycho-neuroimmunology, we now understand that immune cells do reside in the brain as well as the rest of the body, so all of these systems are connected, says Hillary Norton, MD, a rheumatologist in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Since the brain plays a key role in regulating body temperature, perhaps if inflammatory conditions like arthritis affect brain function, it could help explain the link between inflammatory arthritis and body temperature fluctuation. But this is all still theoretical and more research is needed.
Read Also: Is Osteoarthritis The Same As Rheumatoid Arthritis
What You Can Do
Women living with inflammatory arthritis should work with their doctors to make sure their arthritis is as well-controlled as possible, which will help minimize risks. Dr. Bermas also counsels keeping blood pressure under control, monitoring cholesterol and quitting smoking to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
To minimize the risk of developing osteoporosis, Dalit Ashany, MD, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, advises monitoring for it and starting bone density screenings earlier for women with inflammatory arthritis than other women. She also recommends doing weight-bearing exercise and getting enough calcium and vitamin D.
Hypertension Symptoms In Women Often Mistaken For Menopause
Sophia Antipolis, 27 January 2021: Pregnancy complications and early menopause increase womens future risk of heart disease. Cardiologists, gynaecologists and endocrinologists recommend how to help middle-aged women prevent later heart problems in a European Society of Cardiology consensus document published today in European Heart Journal, a journal of the ESC.1
Physicians should intensify the detection of hypertension in middle-aged women, states the document. Up to 50% of women develop high blood pressure before the age of 60 but the symptoms for example hot flushes and palpitations are often attributed to menopause.
High blood pressure is called hypertension in men but in women it is often mistakenly labelled as stress or menopausal symptoms, said first author Professor Angela Maas, director of the Womens Cardiac Health Programme, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. We know that blood pressure is treated less well in women compared to men, putting them at risk for atrial fibrillation, heart failure and stroke which could have been avoided.
A womans life provides clues that you need to start early with prevention, said Professor Maas. We have to assess female patients differently to men, and not just ask about high cholesterol. This will enable us to classify middle-aged women as high-risk or lower risk for cardiovascular disease.
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Also Check: What Can Help With Arthritis Pain
Symptoms Of Hot Flashes
Many people experience hot flashes in addition to other symptoms of menopause. The primary sign of hot flashes is increased skin temperature, particularly around the face, neck, and chest. You may also experience:
- Flushing or red tint to the skin, similar to blushing
- Racing heart or heart palpitations
The symptoms of hot flashes usually come on suddenly and resolve quickly. Hot flashes generally dont last for more than five minutes. Still, their impact can be significant, and many people report sleep loss due to hot flashes that happen at night, known as night sweats.
Dizziness Hot Flashes Joint Aches And Joint Pain
Last Editorial Review: 6/15/2020
There are a few different medical conditions that are strongly associated with:
While the symptoms above can be considered a guide to help associate symptoms common among the conditions below, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms. Below are the top condition matches for your symptom combination from MedicineNet:
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Hrt May Help You Maintain A Healthy Weight
One of the most important risk factors for osteoarthritis is obesity. Many women gain weight during menopause and some attribute this in part to a lack of estrogen. Estrogen may play a role in how your body distributes fat. Women on HRT may have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight. This could be because of estrogens effects on body fat distribution.
Another potential reason why women on hormones for menopause may have an easier time keeping extra pounds off is because HRT can help reduce symptoms that make it difficult to follow a healthy lifestyle.
For example, many women experience sleep problems during menopause because of night sweats. Hormone replacement therapy can help reduce night sweats so you can get a better nights sleep. When youre well-rested, its often easier to exercise to keep your weight in a healthy range.
This is just one example of how HRT may indirectly affect your overall health in ways that may also help with arthritis. While research continues, these studies are an exciting development in the world of hormone replacement therapy.