Women's hormones and Crohn's - Crohns Disease Forum - Support group and forum for IBD, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease

cheeky · 05-21-2009, 07:19 PM

hey,

i know threads related to this have been done, but i can't seem to find them.

i've been keeping track of my flare ups. and though i've suspected this was the case before, since tracking the dates, i am positive that my hormone levels are affecting my Crohn's symptoms.

mine seem to be the worst within 5 days after the last day of my period... but i've also had symptoms within 1-2 days before my period (e.g. yesterday i had a mild flare up, today my 'friend' arrived)

so, now i'm wondering is there anything else i can do to help prevent these symptoms? when i mentioned the hormone thing when i was chatting with my rheumatologist, she says she's heard of hormones affecting lupus, i.e. when progesterone levels change, the symptoms worsen and so that may be the case for some women with Crohn's disease.

i don't know if i should go on birth control pills... wouldn't that make matters worse? or have any of you ladies seen an improvement once on the pill?

any suggestions/advice based on your experiences would be great.

thanks!

misscris · 05-21-2009, 08:29 PM

Hey Cheeky.

I've noticed the same thing. Even before I knew I had Crohns I always thought my pain during my period was due to the discomfort of my cramping and the Dr's thought it was Endometreosis since it was so painful. I used to describe it as an alien with spikes trying to come through my stomach. But now (after the surgery) I find that there is no sign of endo and that the pain was my Crohn's. Mine were coming on about 1-2 days before my period and lasting through usually the first few days of my period as well.

So I have been thinking about going back on birth control as well. I stopped it years ago not wanting to continue taking it for so long. But I'm thinking I might need to think about it again .... let me know if you find out anything.

pb4 · 05-22-2009, 02:14 AM

Yes, and most docs (good ones) do recognize that our periods can defininitely exacerbate our IBD symptoms (this can also happen with IBS)...the thing about the pill is that it's just more hormones, I did much worse when I was on the pill but some do okay with them, just be sure you're taking a good probiotic (which is a good idea regardless) cuz the pill can also cause bacterial over growth which also exacerbates symptoms and can increase risks of yeast infections, taking a good probiotic (on the pill or not) is a good idea, daily and indefinitely...they can be very beneficial with IBD and even IBS symptoms.

cheeky · 05-22-2009, 02:33 AM

yeah i am leery about the pill because the last few times i've been on it, i couldn't last longer than 2 months.... just bad side effects... so i think i'm probably in that percentage of women who'd do worse on it... yet, i was just wondering if it depends on the type of pill, to make sure it's the best balance for me.

thanks for the replies misscris and pb4!

kello82 · 05-23-2009, 05:57 AM

heres a thread about it that ding made and quite a few commented on

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=2550

05-21-2009, 07:19 PM	#1
cheeky Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 394	Women's hormones and Crohn's hey, i know threads related to this have been done, but i can't seem to find them. i've been keeping track of my flare ups. and though i've suspected this was the case before, since tracking the dates, i am positive that my hormone levels are affecting my Crohn's symptoms. mine seem to be the worst within 5 days after the last day of my period... but i've also had symptoms within 1-2 days before my period (e.g. yesterday i had a mild flare up, today my 'friend' arrived) so, now i'm wondering is there anything else i can do to help prevent these symptoms? when i mentioned the hormone thing when i was chatting with my rheumatologist, she says she's heard of hormones affecting lupus, i.e. when progesterone levels change, the symptoms worsen and so that may be the case for some women with Crohn's disease. i don't know if i should go on birth control pills... wouldn't that make matters worse? or have any of you ladies seen an improvement once on the pill? any suggestions/advice based on your experiences would be great. thanks!

05-21-2009, 08:29 PM	#2
misscris Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 2,059	Hey Cheeky. I've noticed the same thing. Even before I knew I had Crohns I always thought my pain during my period was due to the discomfort of my cramping and the Dr's thought it was Endometreosis since it was so painful. I used to describe it as an alien with spikes trying to come through my stomach. But now (after the surgery) I find that there is no sign of endo and that the pain was my Crohn's. Mine were coming on about 1-2 days before my period and lasting through usually the first few days of my period as well. So I have been thinking about going back on birth control as well. I stopped it years ago not wanting to continue taking it for so long. But I'm thinking I might need to think about it again .... let me know if you find out anything. __________________ Crohns Diagnosis: March 2009 Resection and Abcess March 2009 W.C.C.....Charter member Facebook: www.facebook.com/misscris214 Myspace: www.myspace.com/misscris214

05-22-2009, 02:14 AM	#3
pb4 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: CANADA Posts: 560	Yes, and most docs (good ones) do recognize that our periods can defininitely exacerbate our IBD symptoms (this can also happen with IBS)...the thing about the pill is that it's just more hormones, I did much worse when I was on the pill but some do okay with them, just be sure you're taking a good probiotic (which is a good idea regardless) cuz the pill can also cause bacterial over growth which also exacerbates symptoms and can increase risks of yeast infections, taking a good probiotic (on the pill or not) is a good idea, daily and indefinitely...they can be very beneficial with IBD and even IBS symptoms.

05-22-2009, 02:33 AM	#4
cheeky Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 394	yeah i am leery about the pill because the last few times i've been on it, i couldn't last longer than 2 months.... just bad side effects... so i think i'm probably in that percentage of women who'd do worse on it... yet, i was just wondering if it depends on the type of pill, to make sure it's the best balance for me. thanks for the replies misscris and pb4!

05-23-2009, 05:57 AM	#5
kello82 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,567	heres a thread about it that ding made and quite a few commented on http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=2550