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UC and Hormones

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 10/28/2010 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
You Girls made me think...I got first symptoms after birth of my first baby, then when I was pregnant with my second one, my UC was worth, but right after I had him, I had NO UC for about 5 month (first time since I got diagnosed), and then it started again! [img]/community/emoticons/shakehead.gif[/img] Uuuu, I hate it!!!









(I edited your post to include a title.)

Post Edited By Moderator (songlady) : 10/28/2010 1:59:34 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/28/2010 6:47 PM (GMT 0)

It seems like there are a lot of women who first had symptoms during their pregnancy or shortly after.  It really makes me think there is some sort of hormone relationship. Or is it because pregnancy is a state of decreased immunity making us more susceptible to a bacteria that triggers UC...

Posted 10/28/2010 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
I believe even researchers are aware there is a link between hormones and IBD...it's a well known fact that the birth control pill is highly suspected as being one of many possible triggers specifically for crohn's disease and that alone guides researchers on the path that hormones likely have a strong connection to IBD.
Posted 10/28/2010 9:04 PM (GMT 0)
I wonder...When I started having symptoms, I hadn't had my period for quite awhile. (Due to weight loss, poor diet, who knows what) I wonder if the lack of hormones is what triggered my first flare.
Posted 10/28/2010 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
When I quit BC pills about 3 years ago I started getting really bad acne, including cystic acne behind my ears. My periods, when I wasn't preggers, have been kind of wacky too. I always thought my hormones were messed up since coming off the pill. I wonder what would happen if I went back on the pill. I was also thinking about seeing someone to check out my hormones once I am not pregnant anymore.
Posted 10/28/2010 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
I think hormones contributed to my IBD. That and BV. I seemed to have a lot less issues before taking the pill. I guess I was also young when I started the pill, maybe it is not connected and it just seems that way because of the timing. I do not have any children.
Posted 10/29/2010 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
I started the pill in my teens and shortly after I developed the crohn's perianal skin tags and although I never had any other CD symptoms at all (the anal tags would just come and go on their own) until about a yr and a half after I had my first baby is when my CD became full-blown active (internally and the anal tags were horrible, unlike anything they ever were before) It's also highly suspected that BC pills are a trigger for crohn's....of course ppl can have more than one trigger as well.  Anyways, we all know how crazy our hormones become as a result of pregnancy so I'm sure that was a big impact on the development of internal CD for me as well.
Posted 11/1/2010 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
I started birth control pills when I was 16, and that's when my UC symptoms started shortly after.  Around 18 I saw a GI dr and got a colonoscopy which only showed mild inflamation and it didn't look like UC. I was off and on bc pills for years.

At 24 (this past May) I was hospitalized from severe symptoms and pain. They were attempting to treat me with prednisone, anti-inflamatories, anti-biotics, and all kinds of medicines. The hospital dr took me off everything (including birth control pills) and my symptoms cleared up after a week or so with only mild flare ups.

3 months later I got pregnant with my first child. At 5 weeks of pregnancy my symptoms started getting worse. After a couple of weeks I was in so much pain and couldn't keep anything down. I got another colonoscopy and was diagnosed with UC and saw it was EVERYWHERE in my large intestines. The next day I was hospitalized because the pain was so bad. Oral pills for UC made my pain and symptoms much worse (pills like asacol). Prednisone was the only thing that helped.

Currently I'm 12 weeks pregnant, being tapered of Prednisone, and started Remicade. I have been worried about the side effects but I definitely need the meds to stay healthy.

With me I know there's a link between hormones and my UC flare-ups, I'm just not sure that something like birth control pills could cause UC? I would be interested to find that out too.

 

Posted 11/1/2010 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hormones definitely affect my UC. My symptoms are always a bit worse around the beginning of my period. After months of relative normalcy I got pregnant and within 2 weeks after conception I was beginning to flare again and within a couple of more weeks was in the worst flare I've ever had. I don't think any of this is coincidence.
Posted 11/1/2010 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
Yes. Mine started immediately following birth of 1st child - I assume when hormones crashed and immunity starts to rise again. Now on HRT and wondering about the coincidence that it's back.
Posted 11/1/2010 11:05 PM (GMT 0)
I started birth control pills at age 16, but didn't have UC symptoms until age 19 after a course of Keflex for strep throat. However, I do believe that hormones play a huge part in my, and others, UC symptoms. In fact, I was in complete remission during my first pregnancy; before I was diagnosed with UC, but after having debilitating symptoms for 6 years. To this day I still have some minor rectal bleeding, occassionally, just before my (few, and far between) periods.

My sister, who was also diagnosed with UC (actually, Ulcerative Proctitis), has had absolutely NO symptoms since having a hysterectomy about 8 years ago. She insists that since I am peri-menopausal I should talk my GYN into letting me have the surgery too. My GI didn't shoot down the idea as nonsense, but didn't give it a ringing endorsement, either.
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