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Premature Menopause in Crohn's patients?

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Posted 4/9/2008 3:04 AM (GMT 0)
I was curious how many women have suffered from premature menopause since being diagnosed with Crohn's and what ages?  I am having possible symptoms and am 34 years old.  Crohn's came on just over 3 years ago for me.  I have an appt scheduled w/my gyn to discuss & also followup on an abnormal pap w/HR-HPV.  Please respond & share your situation.  Thanks.
Posted 4/9/2008 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
Not me...I'll be 41 this yr and have had active CD my entire 17 yrs now.

:)
Posted 4/9/2008 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Not me, altough I had an abnormal Mammogram a month ago.
Posted 4/9/2008 7:31 AM (GMT 0)
I am also 34 years old and I have CD for the last 9 years.  The only thing that changed after I got sick, is that my periods are much "heavier", lots of blood, and of course my CD symptoms are much worse when I have my period, diarrea is worse, my intestines are grumbling, etc.

It is very rare to have menopause symptoms at our age (34), but as far as I know it also depends on your family history e.g. if your mother had a premature menopause, it's likely that you will have it too.  My mom went into menopause when she was around 55 years old, so I'm guessing I still have to suffer from my periods for 20 more years.....

Posted 4/9/2008 11:15 AM (GMT 0)
I have been having a lot of period problems the last two months. Constant bleeding & such. No idea why. I have not had my hormones checked, I think it has something to do with that....

I can't believe it would be perimenopause yet, I am only 33.

What symptoms are you having?
Posted 4/9/2008 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Not me...I'm 42 and want menopause to come! If I'm not going to have kids, I might as well at least get the warmth of the hot flashes :-)
Posted 4/9/2008 1:50 PM (GMT 0)

My Mom, who also had CD, started menopause around 34 or 35. She thought she was pregnant.  She had only been diagnosed for a couple of years, but had been suffering for a very long time.  I was diagnosed almost 20 years ago and am 43 now but still no sign of menopause, so I don't know what's up with that.

There was a post recently about this, so you might want to do a search on it, you may get some more info.

Posted 4/9/2008 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
I was just looking this up recently. Apparently crohn's and other autoimmune disorders are related to Premature Ovarian Failure. This is a little different than menopause.

http://www.earlymenopause.org.au/content/view/144/196/
http://www.sharedjourney.com/dx/pof.html
Posted 4/9/2008 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
I went through it at the age of 42, coincidently it was when I first began Remicade which I stopped taking in 05 and switched to Humira. Not sure if it was a coincidence or being sick most of my adult life. Also had Osteoporosis diagnosed back in 05.
My sister is 7 years older than I and her menopause began about a year after mine so, I figure it was not a hereditary thing but my health issues that induced it earlier than the norm.
I do not miss the monthly one single bit so other than the night sweats and moodiness I am okay with it happening early.
Posted 4/9/2008 6:09 PM (GMT 0)

HabsHockeyFan said...
Not me...I'm 42 and want menopause to come! If I'm not going to have kids, I might as well at least get the warmth of the hot flashes :-)

LOL, I thought the idea of menopause was good too...until I saw what my oldest sister is going through...not fun...we're out shopping having a nice time and boom she's got sweat pouring down her head all over her face (hot flashes) yup, the grass really isn't greener on the other side...she said with that and other symptoms she'd rather deal with bleeding for a few days every month then daily symptoms of menopause.

Careful what you wish for LOL!

:)

Posted 4/9/2008 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Robyn,

I just went through this about 5 or 6 months ago.I was convinced that I was starting what is called peri menopause,& I am 35.I read that peri menopause can start around my age & I definitely had a few of the symptoms.

Anyhow,I went to my gyn. & she checked my hormone levels.They came back normal & she ruled out peri menopause.I never found out what was causing the symptoms,most of them just went away on thier own.

Good luck & take care!
Posted 4/10/2008 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all your responses. I will do some more checking. I am having labs drawn tomorrow, so I'll likely report the results back here friday. I just over the last year have been having night sweats, which I had previously just attributed to my crohn's as that was common before I started remicade. But now my cycles are varying, and I have turned into a psycho the 48-72 hours preceding my period. LOL, I told my coworker I could never sit on a jury against a woman that claimed pms, because this month I was ready to injure anyone even looking at me. I have never ever felt so on edge. Today I laugh about it. But at the time it wasn't funny :) Just ask my husband. And I wouldn't mind the hot flashes if I didn't feel cold when it was over! lol. My sister has Crohn's as well and perimenopause came in her late 30's, but her treatment and symptoms are opposite of mine. She was originally dx'd as Ulc Colitis 25 years ago and was in remission on Asacol. I really appreciate this forum to be able to reach out to others for input and support. Thanks again to all!!
Posted 4/10/2008 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
Each time I went on an immuneomodulator my peroids wacked up, heavy etc.
After my hysterectomy at 37years old I was on 6mp and started having hot flashes and all those menopause symptoms. I still have ovary function. When I stopped the 6mp the hot flashes went away!
I think it is possible that the immune drugs can mess up hormonal function don't you think?
So, I am staying off them for now. I was getting hot flashes about 10 times a day.
Posted 4/10/2008 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
I am 46 and the first signs of both peri menopausal symptoms and my CD began around age 35. My mother was 45 when she went through menopause and according to my father she began having wicked mood swings in her early thirties that he believes was related to early menopause. My periods are irratic, heavy and my CD is always worse during this time. Pray God will stop the madness soon! Incidently I am a menopause baby...my mother had me at age 44, appx. one year before she completely crossed over the threshold.
Posted 4/14/2008 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
I find it interesting to find this thread. I was just diagnosed with Crohn's in Dec, but was diagnosed with UC at 21. Had my total colon removed at Duke at 28. The thought is that I have had Crohn's for some time, but was not diagnosed until the recent problems - fistulas. I started going menopause at 39. My mother was in her 50s. I am not fully through - as I had a hysterectomy in Aug. And let me tell you, I'd much rather be having the monthly 'stuff'. Had been just miserable - the hot flashes are almost unbearable at times, as they come sooooo often, and even after changing meds a couple of times. Anyway, just think it's interesting that so many do seem to go through earlier....
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