Lyme disease and menstrual cycle

What do you know about Lyme and your cycle? Does anyone else experience flares near/during your cycle?

I started plaquenil last week and almost lost my mind. The emotional and mental herx was the most intense I've ever had. BUT, then I realize that last week was the week prior to my period. Connection here? Could increasing medicine when your hormones are already out of whack cause a bigger herx? Could it just be the hormone fluctuations itself that caused such an emotional reaction? What do you do to help support your body during the hormone fluctuations?

Thanks for your help.

Girlie, did you lyme doctor check your sex hormones? I've never had mine checked.

MA10 said...
Girlie, did you lyme doctor check your sex hormones? I've never had mine checked.

Yes - prelyme diagnosis - my GP tested them...I went from having periods to no periods. No perimenopausal symptoms either. She just did the 'regular' blood test..

I've had them tested via saliva with ZRTLabs since - a couple of times.

These TBDs are notorious for affecting the menstrual cycle. Any PMS sx you had before will probably get worse. Periods can be uch more irregular, even without being near peri or menopause.

Also, menstruation is a type of detoxing itself. You're shedding the uterine lining so that it can better 'creceive' the egg, etc. That's also why the hormones change, etc.

What I've noticed after starting Lyme & Co tx is that my periods are much better because I'm detoxing. I knew nothing about everything before learning about Lyme and detoxing, etc... Binders are particularly helpful for me (they have helped me in so many ways, I know I sound like a broken record), my diet changes have helped (no sugar, dairy, low carbs, low grains). But I've also been mostly organic and "natural" for almost 2 decades (diet and products I come into contact with) so I know I have reduced toxin load from several sources.

Even more impactful on my period was busting biofilms! Wooahh --- my period stopped for the first time in my life for 2 cycles, then resumed when I went off the biofilm herbs. This was disturbing but not sure how to understand it.

Regarding the neuro-psycho sx (emotional and psychological chaos), I still suffer from this SIGNIFICANTLY. Despite being almost done w/ abx and doing pretty well with detoxing (although not as great recently). I need to dig into rebalancing neurotransmitters and for me, that's a very complicated journey.

THey get worse with my cycle but the cycle is not the main source. The Lyme & Co infections and the tx can exacerbate symptoms because of toxins, adrenal and HPA-axis struggles. An unhealthy gut is key to neurotransmitter imbalances (remember the gut-brain connection and all of the antimicrobials we're on, diet changes).

And stress can cause hormonal changes all on its own---without the help of a body in crisis and a world gone haywire.

I would try the following things and see if you can affect the sx. If not, talk w/ your LLMD -

- Take or increase gut binder (my fav is PURE cholestyramine - it's expensive and requires an Rx but it's more important for me right now than anything else I'm taking) or OTC products: activated charcoal, bentonite clay, psyllium husk, diameticious earth (DE)

- Detox brain with herbal support like Nutrimedix Pinella and Burbur

- Increase other ways to detox through skin (soaks! sweat!) and support lymphs and circulation

- Check your thyroid and adrenal functions - those functions work in lock-step with reproductive, digestion and immune systems.

- Despite an increase in cravings, the last thing you want to do is eat sugary, processed, high-carb, salty foods. Be good to yourself.

- De-stress, BREATHE (some great breathing youtube vids), sleep more, ratchet life down, do less, delgate more, avoid trigger people and situations, have more sex.

- And try using organic tampons - I think there are fewer direct ways to soak up those chemicals than through the vaginal wall.

Hope you're feeling better soon - let us know.

-p

One year, I went six months without having a period. The doctors said I was just "too thin" and "too stressed" to have a period. They also said I was anemic [I wasn't]. I was convinced I had ovarian cancer, or was going through menopause--I didn't have a diagnosis of lyme disease at that point.

This year, when my lyme flared up, everything started two days before my period started. I thought it was just really bad pms. That was back in April. I'm now in the worst lyme flare I've ever had.

MA10, wow that's interesting. I'm not sure how beneficial that would be either, but maybe it would help. Unfortunately I can't use birth control, as I've gotten really sick from it in the past.

Finding this thread very interesting since I attempted to take Tini, had maybe a herx (I think), and then my cycle came very early. I've never had any menstrual irregularities. Have always been about 27-30 days, and until Lyme I've never skipped a period. Since the Tini incident I've noticed my breasts are very sore, I'm bloated, and it feels like I might have another period even though I'm not due for a long time. So Lyme can bring on menopause?

Thanks
Denver1

Can anyone help me and let me know how can I space out the activated charcoal to prevent herx/detox. Thank you

I don’t remember if Dr J tested my estrogen - I should look for my testing results that were ordered after my initial consult.
There was a ton of labs to do.

SBF0724 welcome to the forum.
I'm reading lots of reports of women who are having multiple cycles per month, after getting the covid vaccine.
Have you had that vaccine by any chance?

I wish it was spoken about in the media or something because from what I'm reading online it's a lot of women reporting this.
You should be able to find more information by doing an online search. Something along the lines of "covid vaccine mentrual cycle" should get results.
If you can't find anything let me know, I'll go through my internet history to find it.

my Partner had a bunch of things flare to do with her mensural cycle

anxiety attacks - resulting in complete loss of control rages would typically occur around her period - typically in the week leading up to - occasionally the week after

her periods stopped for 1-2 months occasionally - or reduced to almost nothing - or became very heavy. timing started to change - sometimes 1-2 weeks early sometimes a week late with accompanying hormonal shifts

she also suffered extremely swollen and sore nipples repeatedly - as these hormonal shifts waxed and waned.

all of this started to resolve to a large degree as she recovered

I didn't get my period until at 17, it was induced. I needed to be on birth control otherwise i never got it consistently. Years later when diagnosed with lyme at 27, my doc told me that I might have had lyme for a long time and that's why my period wouldn't come. I have been my period without birth control for two years until this month when covid set me back.