The Menopause and M.E. (C.F.S.)

ME Association

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Menopause patients experience hot flushes, decreased libido and aging skin. Menopausal woman are encouraged to increase their intake of phyto oestrogens as these will increase the hormonal level in the body. This increase in hormones is helpful to the patient with chronic fatigue also. When the body is depleted of necessary hormones the blood sugar level fluctuates. This fluctuation causes inflammation in the joints of the individuals.

The goal is to have a healthy balance of hormones so the adrenal glands do not become stressed. When this gland experiences stress the body will try and recover by over producing adrenaline. This powerful hormone will cause the muscles to flex and over extended periods of time without reduction the muscles become overtaxed and inflamed. Foods to avoid during menopause and those that suffer from chronic fatigue disease are: These cause the blood sugar level to fluctuate which puts added stress on the adrenal glands.

Reduce the consumption of caffeine. Caffeine increases the risk of osteoporosis which is already a risk factor for individuals experiencing menopause. Reduce the intake of dairy products as they cause an acidic reaction in the body which leads to inflammation and osteoporosis. Plenty of ME triggers for me with the main suspect being statins.

Menopause was fantastic for me.

For years my ME symptoms would deteriorate badly every month when I had a period. Even when I'd passed the stage of being bedbound virtually all the time, I would end up spending two days a month in bed. My symptoms would start to improve and then it would all go downhill again a few weeks later. When I reached the menopause my symptoms continued to improve without hindrance.

Also my ferritin levels, that I had been supplementing with high-dose iron supplements for 10 years under the direction of my GP, rose to excellent levels without supplementation. I haven't even had any hot flushes.

My only problem is urogenital atrophy, and unfortunately the usual treatment for this is oestrogen replacement, which doesn't suit me due to my MCS, but I'd trade that for the significant improvement in my overall health any day. As shown in Table 2 , most women who reported a hysterectomy also reported removal of ovaries and tubes. Stratified analysis by type of hysterectomy alone, with bilateral oophorectomy, or with unilateral oophorectomy is presented in Table 2.

CFS was significantly associated with any hysterectomy OR, 5. Early surgical menopause at or before age 45 y occurred in Overall, mean age at time of surgical operation was younger in women with CFS than in controls, respectively: There were no statistically significant interactions between gynecologic variables and BMI.

When total hysterectomy, age at menopause, and BMI were included in the model, only age at menopause remained statistically significantly associated with CFS OR,1. We compared the proportions of the most common reasons for removal of the uterus and ovaries in the two groups in two ways.

Women and ME/CFS

Second, we used a conservative estimate by including in the denominator only women who reported gynecologic surgical operations Table 4. Neither of the other examined reasons—endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, or precancerous cervical lesions—differed significantly between cases and controls. Of these 42 women, 30 When we limited the analysis of hysterectomy to only 30 cases in which hysterectomy occurred before the onset of fatigue, the magnitude of the association of CFS with hysterectomy was reduced OR, 1.

Women with CFS were significantly more likely to have ever been prescribed hormonal preparations to treat irregular periods, menopausal symptoms, or bone loss: Our study supports previously identified associations of CFS with gynecologic conditions: The gynecologic conditions associated with CFS and the possible links between them are summarized in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2 , we suspect that aberrations in female sex hormones may contribute to these associations; however, because of cross-sectional data, our findings do not demonstrate causality.

Schema of possible links between various gynecologic conditions found to be associated with chronic fatigue syndrome in this and other studies. This conceptual model warrants further investigation.

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PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome. In our study, women with CFS were four times more likely than controls to have had a hysterectomy. Most importantly, hysterectomy was performed at a significantly younger mean age in CFS cases than in controls. Our finding that only age at menopause remained significantly associated with CFS in the multivariate model covariates: Indeed, premenopausal hysterectomy even with ovarian preservation precipitates ovarian failure, with documented reduction of estrogen and progesterone levels 18 and elevation of follicle-stimulating hormone FSH levels.

Hysterectomy preceded fibromyalgia diagnosis in Although associations between hysterectomy and severity of illness have not been studied in women with CFS, in fibromyalgia, women who have had hysterectomy have lower physical function and greater severity of pain, fatigue, stiffness, and depression than those who have not had hysterectomy.

Although the numbers were quite small to draw any conclusions, the proportion of current hormone use was twice as high Of the gynecologic conditions examined in this study, the strongest association was found between CFS and pelvic pain unrelated to menstruation with pelvic pain being least reported by controls [2. Possible increased pain sensitivity may underlie this association. Both estrogen and progesterone have numerous nonreproductive functions 29 - A detailed discussion of the various nongynecologic effects of female hormones is beyond the purpose of this study.

Is there research on menopause and ME/CFS?

Notably, however, both physical and mental stressors, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of CFS, can compromise sex hormone production via the hypothalamopituitary axis. Limitations of our study include self-reported not chart-abstracted conditions, potential selection bias from nonparticipation , inability to adjust for tobacco and alcohol use, and possible recall bias.

However, completing the questionnaire at home allowed participants to consult their medical records, which potentially reduced recall bias. The findings may also not be generalizable to all women with CFS because most cases in our study had gradual CFS onset. In our study, some women who have had hysterectomy alone or with unilateral oophorectomy were possibly misclassified as menopausal if their hysterectomy occurred before biological menopause. Therefore, in women who have had hysterectomy with ovarian preservation, age at menopause was probably an underestimate.

Although ovarian function will probably continue after removal of the uterus with ovarian preservation ie, hysterectomy alone or with unilateral oophorectomy , prospective cohort studies with FSH measurement show that ovarian function declines more rapidly and that menopause occurs earlier compared with same-age women who have not had hysterectomy. Furthermore, among women who have had hysterectomy, those who have had unilateral oophorectomy reached menopause 4.

M.E, the menopause and HRT – feedback welcome | 5 June 2015

It should be emphasized, however, that our findings do not demonstrate causality. These findings could be used for further hypothesis generation for future studies. When CFS is suspected, supportive care and appropriate clinical referrals are needed. Similarly, physicians seeing women with CFS need to carefully evaluate their gynecologic history for risk factors associated with CFS and work with gynecologists for further management of identified gynecologic problems.

Early menopause and other gynecologic risk indicators for chronic fatigue syndrome in women

The exact reasons for the reported associations cannot be determined from this study; future studies need to examine whether any of the associations reported here may be pathophysiologically related to the onset or perpetuation of CFS in some women. We wish to acknowledge Elizabeth M. Maloney, MS, DrPH, for her contributions to the source study design and to the gynecologic questionnaire.

Award-winning support for ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia

The findings and conclusions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Author manuscript; available in PMC Dec Lin , PhD, and Elizabeth R. Unger , PhD, MD.

Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. The publisher's final edited version of this article is available at Menopause. See other articles in PMC that cite the published article. Abstract Objective This study aims to examine whether gynecologic conditions are associated with chronic fatigue syndrome CFS. Methods This study includes a subset of women from a population-based case-control study in Georgia, United States, conducted in Results Cases and controls were of similar age.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, Hysterectomy, Menopause, Endometriosis, Menstrual abnormalities, Pelvic pain.

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