My pain level is definitely worse for the days before and during my period. I mentioned this too my Rheumy and he told me that hormones play a huge roll in RA.

I have found that weight plays a huge part in this for me.. If I am 15 or more lbs over weight for my BMI.. My cycles are heavy, cramps are extreme and I flair horribly.. It becomes debilitating.. I now do my very best to eat clean and exercise daily to control these challenges.. Bad food is just not worth the pain..

I would say yes. Auto-Immune is hormone related (depending on the person, I am sure) Quick story about me, my hormones and RA. I was a late bloomer and had endometriosis at a young age. The doctors did surgery and ended up removing my left ovary and removing the endo from other areas. 1 year later, the endo came back and the doctor put me on medically enduced menopause (it lasted 6 months) When my body started producing the hormones again naturally is when my RA symptoms began. I was formally diagnosed with at 32 (4 years after) At the age of 36 I chose to have a hysterectomy since the pain of the periods was intollerable. So yes, it definitely can be linked.

@A myRAteam Member - Each woman makes her own choice and I realize you didnt ask for advice, however if I could go back, I would not have chosen a hysterectomy at such a young age. It has changed a lot of things in my life including my mood, my skin, my libido...lets just say a lot of things. I am sure you are weighing all the options based on your situation. Good luck to you!

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A myRAtea...

I thought I was going crazy until I saw this post. I never mentioned this to my rheumatologist in fear of him thinking I was going crazy. But yes every month 1 week before my period I have a increase in flares. Since being on Enbrel and Methotrexate they are not as frequent but if I forget a dose it will rear its ugly head. This article made me feel much better and made me realize I need to stop worrying about what people might think about me.

I used to get major flares every month. Menopause was a gift from God!