To all you women out there,
I read recently that RA could cause premature ovarian failure (early menopause). If this is true then my onset of RA could have been over 7 years ago when I first went into menopause at the age of 35. My Rheumatologist thinks my RA started about 2 years ago when I first showing signs of joint swelling.
So if it could have started so long ago, did he really catch it early?
Neither of my two women Internal Medicine doctors nor my Rheumatologist questioned the fact that I had gone into menopause at the age of 35. My naturalpathic doctor however thought it is significant and is doing further test to see why my ovaries have stopped working. She says hormones and joint and muscle pains can be linked.
Has anyone else experienced early menopause prior to their RA onset?
I was 41, done and over with but everyone in my family was a lot older. My mom was 57. Hhhmmmmm
Started peri-menopause at age 41, also was having some joint pain. Full menopause by age 43, still undiagnosed. Continued to have some joint pain and inflammation but was told by Stanford arthritis clinic that I didn't have RA. Had joint pain in finger and toes until positive diagnosis at age 52. By that time I was homebound with pain and inflammation and was diagnosed with a severe onset of RA. Damage had been done and not correctable. Symptoms of menopause and RA started about the same time. LindyYou know - when I first got sick my mense changed to shorter and shorter days between onsets. When I started AP it dropped to every 16 days! I was freaked. It stayed that way for a few cycles then switched kind of back and forth between normal cycles and short cycles. Now I'm back on track. Normal cycles again.
Hmmmmm.
Pip
i am 41 and have not had a period in 6 mths.40 for me. Very interesting.I was just thirty four. I had endometriosis so badly, it has left untold damage inside. I started having periods every six months at 33. By the time they took everything out they could not even stimulate periods with the pill. My mother and all her sisters had very early menopause. So did I. But guess what? We all have/had RA or one of the sister diseases.My period has gone haywire. I figured it was because of the IUD (first time using one) and side effects from MTX. Could it be early menopause - at 28????Wow, I was looking way back and saw this post, I have been having irregular periods with heavey heavey bleeding, and just had an ultrasound, which showed a couple small fibroids, which they feel would not be causing such heavey bleeding. I meet with my OB. on Friday to go over the blood tests she ordered as well, to see if it is hormonal, ie, perimenopause. I am just 40.