Women with MS?

by Katie
(WV)

Have women with MS experienced the same issues I have?

Ever since I was diagnosed with MS I have noticed that around the time of the month my symptoms seem to get drastically worse. So awful I can't eat, don't want to get out of bed, and am so tired. Even a couple of times I fainted and food isn't very appealing. Could MS be the cause of everything drastically being presented and worse at this time?


Reply:

According to the National MS Society (opens a new window), there was a small study done via questionnaire, about this. Here is a summary of the findings.

"...researchers at an MS clinic distributed a questionnaire to female patients. Of the 149 women with MS who answered the questionnaire, 70% reported that their MS symptoms seemed to change at a regular time in their cycle. Most of those who reported a change indicated that the change, usually involving a worsening of their symptoms, occurred within one week of onset of menses. Weakness, imbalance, fatigue and depression were the symptoms most frequently reported to worsen."

I don't have very much info on this, only because we deal with MS from a man's perspective. Perhaps a few women could shed some light on this subject.

I imagine that there would be some changes that occur just because of the changes that normally happen for most of us during this time of the month. So, it would stand to reason that something like this would be the case.

Thanks in advance for anyone who would like to answer this question.