Menopause and arthritis? Help!

[bitachey]

I'm hoping someone can help.

I'm 49 and peri menopausal -brain fog, night sweats and have an appointment with a doctor next week about HRT.

I've also been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my hands - swollen joints and a bit of aching. I was sent for an MRI to rule out rheumatoid arthritis but it's showing there is a small amount of inflammation in both my wrists and knuckles which could be RA. I've no symptoms there. CRP blood test inflammation marker came back negative.

I am going back in 2 months for further tests - bloods/ultrasound.

Has anyone had any experience of this? Could it be menopause related? The consultant was very dismissive of that. But I have read that HRT can help joint pain but I'm not sure about RA.

Just sad, worried and anxious.Thanks!

HRT helps to rebuild collagen between the joints, and it's the rubbing of the joints that causes pain. So yes, it can help.

Great thanks @JinglingHellsBells

Around a third of people with RA and around 90% of people with PsA don't show routine inflammatory blood markers. That's a very blunt tool used in 'screening'.

It was my dermatologist who finally found my inflammatory markers.

And yep, it all really kicked off in surgical menopause.

I had a lot more arthritis pain during the menopause, but it has calmed down now as I’ve progressed through it. Also made some dietary changes, as in cut down massively on sugar, eliminated dairy and nightshades. Also added green tea to my tea and that helped my hips.

I started HRT for this reason. I had read a few things that seemed to suggest it might help. Nothing definite but I thought it worth a try. Overall I have seen an improvement in arthritis pain but lately my hands have started to flare up a bit but not as bad as before the HRT. I think it might be the humid heat and a quick Google suggests humid heat can worsen arthritis by causing inflammation. We shall see.

My reasoning was to try HRT for 6 months or a year and then decide. I also have very dry eyes and was hoping it would help there but it hasn't. My consultant thought I might have sjorgen disease but can't be sure.

The consultant I saw seemed thrown by my question on HRT. I don't think they really consider it.

Yes, I started to suffer from knuckle pain and swelling in my fingers. 6 weeks after the booster and wondered if it could be related. It comes and goes. Blood test came back normal. Waiting for x-rays.

Yes it helped me enormously.
I had an assessment for arthritis and I was told I had it because of my physical job and long hours.
Started HRT and the arthritis was gone.
Yrs of hardly being able to walk home or pick a cup up or get out of the bath eliminated by get.
I have cut booze out too.

Yes, I've recently been diagnosed with OA. I'm perimenopausal and on HRT and wondered if it was related. OA tends to affect women in their 40s and 50s which suggests a link to me.
I wonder if increasing my estrogen would help with OA symptoms.

This is really interesting. I’m a bit concerned with the mention of the Covid jab too as I had read that elsewhere. I’m no anti vaxxer but my swollen joints became more noticeable and my rings got stuck on one hand around 6 weeks after my booster too.

Let’s keep this thread going and update as we go.

I’m seeing our head of menopause unit (who practises privately) next week and I’ll be asking her all of this.

I’ve just bought a good book “beat arthritis naturally” which has diet, recipe and lifestyle advice.

I felt I coped with the OS diagnosis but the RA one not so much.

Interesting @Nicolacall70 . I wouldn't know where to begin with CBD. Where do you get it from? Is it a capsule?

.

Thanks @Nicolacall70 that’s interesting. I’ve been alcohol free for 2 years so I’ll not do the CBD as anything like that makes me nervous that I’ll start depending on it. It’s brilliant that it’s helped you though! ❤️

Even with HRT crippled with it years of hell with this menopause, I’m off HRT now at least no periods now.

I’ve got arthritis in most joints (due to a connective tissue disorder) and HRT hasn’t improved it tbh. It has help my mood, sleep, ability to cope, dryness and plenty of other symptoms though.

I’ve been prescribed a patch so I will report back.

Good luck mine made me itch so just be aware.

@DrBrennerFan did you get a different one?

No I had to go onto the gel instead.

As I suspected my arthritis flare-up has calmed with the weather temp dropping. Apparently osteoarthritis gets worse in hot humid conditions. So I am still of the view that HRT has overall improved my arthritis pain in my hands and back. It has not improved my dry eyes.

I have tried cbd oil but probably not the good stuff so it had no impact. I will try it again if I get worse and will look for the good stuff.

So glad I found this page, my knees hurt, my back hurts. Can't sleep, so irritable. I'm 47, deffo making an appointment with gp for HRT.

GP told me I was too young for oa last week. Turns out I'm practically anaemic tho.

I still think I've got arthritis, definitely worse now, just turned 50. Hands & feet.

Why on earth would your GP say that @Wombat27A ?@Wombat27A

Pretty sure OA commonly starts in women over 40.