Research suggests that rheumatoid arthritis pain increases during menopause.
A national survey found that four out of five women reported that their arthritis worsened during menopause. In one in ten, symptoms became “much worse.”
Researchers questioned 779 women with rheumatoid arthritis who were perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal.
The study, published earlier this month in the journal Musculoskeletal Care, also found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was not effective in relieving symptoms.
Almost half of the women surveyed were taking HRT, but only one-third said the drug reduced their pain “moderately or significantly.”
Rheumatoid arthritis, which affects more than half a million people in the UK, is a chronic disease that causes the immune system to mistakenly attack the body’s healthy cells, causing swelling, pain and stiffness in the joints.
There are treatments for the symptoms, but there is no cure.
Almost 93% of women report having never had a medical discussion about menopause with their doctor, and the majority of women say arthritis specialists need better training in how to treat menopause. I feel that.
According to a national survey, 4 out of 5 women report that their rheumatoid arthritis worsens during menopause (file photo)
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes swelling, pain, and stiffness in the joints because the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy cells (file photo)
Experts believe that declining estrogen levels during menopause may be responsible for worsening symptoms.
In a review published in BMC Rheumatology earlier this year, the authors said that estrogen levels play a “key role” in this condition.
Other studies have shown that women who experience early menopause are almost three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
“Patients feel that rheumatology team members should receive more training and discuss menopause more,” the study authors wrote.
