Has anyone completely skipped their menstrual cycle since starting on MTX?
I'm not preggo, or anything else.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Phats
My gynecologist told me Mtx will bring on menopause within a year. Personally, i can't wait. I'm sick of painful monthly's. Had my tubes tied 12years ago.Yes it can miss with your Periods. It is a side effect of the medicine.
Mine have always come weird and not on schedule. Now...they vary. They have never been missed but they may only last 2 days.
I am still wanting to have at least one more baby...but...I am scared that by being on MTX that chance won't happen for me.
My mother went into early menopause. They told her she couldn't have children because she waited to late and her menopause was through. WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL....the doctors didn't know everything...Cause she got pregnant with me. LOL
So,
I pray...there is still hope for my husband and I.
Sure did for me. In almost exactly one year. I'm now 36 and in full blown menopause!I was told by my primary doc that ra itself can bring on early menopause. Which I think I am going thru now but I am the opposite....my periods are extremely heavy and painful and last for over a week. I can't wait.....I say tooo.....bring it on...can't wait to have no periods.I had never been told that about MTX. I took it for 17 years and it never effected them, I wish. My periods slowly ended over a two year span of time(I was gonna say period again) I thought it was menopause, but now I think it was anemia, because when the Dr. said the ACD was gone, three days later, I started my period! So much for gloating about the easiest menopause I'd ever heard about. Now I haven't had it again, maybe it was just a tease to buy 2 big boxes of tampons. So if my next blood work says the anemia is back, I will ask the dr. what she thinks about my theory.
DeidreDoes anyone have info regarding RA and early menopause???
Also, what is considered early??? I am 40. what is the norm age?
"My gynecologist told me Mtx will bring on menopause within a year"
Jennee your gyn doesn't know what she is talking about. I was on MTX for over 18 years and I know many others who have long term use, none of us experienced menapause in a year
Hula,
here are some links.
http://www.medicinenet.com/premature_menopause/article.htm
http://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/premature-menopause-cau ses
oh, so cool! thank you.But hey, different strokes for different folks is the general rule of thumb.
As we have all learned from our different reactions to the same drug.
Buck; it happened to me. Not long after the first year. For me; early meant 32/33. Now at 36 I haven't had a period in about two full years and I've been on HRT about that length of time.
For me it started after the first year with irregular periods. They went from lite to heavy and everywhere in between often coming every two weeks. Then suddenly they stopped! For a while I would have spotting now and then......now nothing.
It does and can happen. My doctors never even mentioned there was a chance. I personally don't mind it; but it would have been nice if my doctor would have at least mentioned the possiblitly.
I'm wondering after reading all this, if RA isn't somehow hormone related. I'm sort of the opposite end of this spectrum, as I had a total hysterectomy/oopherectomy at the age of 36 - one year almost to the date of my onset of RA! I'm wondering if all of those who went into menopause early, did so as a result of RA, and not necessarily because of methotrexate? Has anyone else gone into early menopause who has RA and has not been on mtx? Very interesting topic, indeed!My ra started after several miscarriages and fertility treatments.|
Miscarraige and RA-- I never made the connection but did have a miscarriage 1 1/2 years before onset of RA? HMMMM
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Although I'd had many symptoms earlier than the year I was dx'ed it wasn't until after the birth of my daughter that I was dx'ed with RA.
10 years later Menopause. They did tell me that they weren't sure if it was the MTX or just RA itself; but it was likely related somehow.
I find this all very interesting. I'm NOT on mtx but I am wondering if the RA has a connection. my periods have always been normal. about 6 years ago, when they started to get heavier (yet not heavy yet--they lasted 4-5 days instead of 3) I got an endometrial ablation so I wouldn't bleed anymore. well, now I have no idea when my period is happening unless I have cramps. for the past year or so, I have started cramping (which I never did before) and they HURT. so much so I went to the doctor and got pain pills. it feels like a knife stabbing me. I also get lower back pain. last month wasn't bad, just hurt one night, but month before was horrid. incredibly painfull.Lovie,
I don't disagree that it can happen. Where I took exception was the claim that it absolutely will happen which is incorrect
That's certainly true and needs to be made clear. It can happen.....but not nessesarilly will happen. I sometimes hesitate to make to big of deal out of my situation here with the younger ladies because I don't want them to panic.
Of all the ones you hear that it has happen to.....you hear about 100 or 1000 more that it hasn't happen to.
I think the chances are less likely that it will happen; but as my doctors love to keep telling me; I'm living proof this stuff can happen. It is possible; although rare.
[QUOTE=hula]I find this all very interesting. I'm NOT on mtx but I am wondering if the RA has a connection. my periods have always been normal. about 6 years ago, when they started to get heavier (yet not heavy yet--they lasted 4-5 days instead of 3) I got an endometrial ablation so I wouldn't bleed anymore. well, now I have no idea when my period is happening unless I have cramps. for the past year or so, I have started cramping (which I never did before) and they HURT. so much so I went to the doctor and got pain pills. it feels like a knife stabbing me. I also get lower back pain. last month wasn't bad, just hurt one night, but month before was horrid. incredibly painfull.
my doctor said the ablation caused endometrial fluid build up in the scar tissue so when I'm bloated, the fluid is trapped and causes pain. he suggests a partial hysterectomy. now my mind is thinking that if I do end up in early menopause, then why do the hysto?? or maybe I should do it? it's partial so my ovaries would be left instact.
anyway, thanks for the info. the links were very educational. I personally think that all these "autoimmune" diseases (I have RA, the endometriosis, and en coupe de sabre) must be related. I guess at this point, only time will tell. in the meantime, I have to decide on whether or not to have the hysto.
[/QUOTE]
Hula,
I also had an endometrial ablation several months before I finally gave in and had the hysterectomy. We knew I had endometriosis, but even my doctor was shocked to find how bad it was once I was in surgery. I had it everywhere, and not to gross you out or scare you, I had it so bad on my bladder that it had to be scraped off. I had so much trauma to my bladder that I had to be catheterized for a solid month afterwards! There was no saving my ovaries at that point, so I woke up from surgery to the news that they also had been removed. I'm happy to say that I recovered fine, and the only regret that I have is that I didn't have the hysterectomy sooner...that was my fault, as I was trying to avoid it. Unfortunately, that simply allowed my disease to become worse.
I just can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with RA....
Hi,
I know that MTX is a chemotherapy drug (although the doses used for RA/PA are much much lower than for cancer patients) and that chemotherapy CAN cause early menopause in SOME patients but not necessarily WILL in ALL patients. Excuse my capitals but just wanted to make that distinction. The risks are lower with the lower dose we take. As for the link between auto-immune diseases and fertility problems I can see why really, if your body is all messed up and you're using so much energy to "power" your immune systems tirade against your body there won't be much left to deal with ovulation, fertilisation, implantation, full term gestation and birth. Personally my fertility issues came about 10 years before my PA, I have polycystic ovaries and have not ovulated for well over 10 years, I don't have periods naturally but (on advice from my Gynaecologist) I have a bleed every 3 months or so (caused by having a pill-free week). I take a contraceptive pill that is also an anti-androgen because of the hormonal imbalances. So I suppose fertility is an issue I've already "dealt with". I have noticed that I bleed more heavily since I started the MTX, 7-8 days of heavy bleeding as opposed to 2-3 days previously. I have found this discussion really interesting - it always amazes me what different information we all get told! Thank goodness we have here to share it...
KT
uh oh , so what you all are saying is this board is loaded with not just women who have RA but also are going through the change. That sure explains an awful lot me .