Sjogrens World Forums

Curious as to what you have experienced. Please add comments on your specifics!

Menopause was when the dryness really kicked in. Before that I had episodes of neuropathy and balance issues and no diagnoses.

I am not positive one way or the other. They certainly didn't get better!! I didn't get my diagnosis until many years after menopause. I had other auto immune problems before though that came on after age 40 when menopause hit me. My thyroid went out first, then I had colitis, then morphea, then SJS/RA. I hope it stops there!!!!

I had fatigue, weakness, joint and muscle pain, exhaustion and poor endurance long before menopause. Dryness long before menopause along with many episodes of bladder pain and other issues. I could list a lot of things but I would have to sit and think as I was sick so much. Had hysterectomy and put on Premarin day after surgery and hardly knew any difference as far as menopause symptoms. Sometimes over the years I would think that during my period I was feeling really lousy but it was an uncertain thing to try and figure out.I was ill from age 21 and didn't get diagnosed until age 60. Irish

Irish, I also started to develop problems from age 21. The reason I am asking is that I just turned 38. I asked my mom when she went through menopause. "Sometime in my 40s." She has to look it up. In part I'm asking because I'm coming to terms with not having kids. (Viable eggs tend to run out about ten years before menopause. ) Secondarily I wonder about what I can expect with my health, especially my teaching career. It may be a short one if I get worse with menopause. On the other hand, it could be that there will be significant advances by then. My mom has done really well on bioidentical hormones for all these years.

You may not have a lot of issues with menopause. I had a lot of health issues during those years that I know was autoimmune disease. I would not have even thought of menopause being to blame. I was having hot flashes when I was 18 along with periods of profuse sweating. Guess I just was sort of used to all that was going on and learned to live with all the stuff. Irish

I was already in menopause when diagnosed.
I had lupus diagnosed in my twenties.
Some other autoimmune related issues as well over the years.
The lupus was basically in remission.
Had a very bad year in several different ways...emotionally, medically etc.
About six months or perhaps a little more into that difficult year...
the next thing I knew, I got the Sj Syn. dx.

I was already in menopause too when diagnosed but probably had SJS before that. My corneal erosion got worse with age and so had brain fog and fatigue and pain. It was great tho to not have the up and down of menstrual cycle! that was awful, it felt like I spent a week recovering from period, a week being messed up having it and then at least a week of bad pms lol There was always a couple days during it that I would be completely weak like my body was a noodle and it was hard to plan trips and work because of not knowing always when those bad days were going to be.

Wendy, I know what you're talking about! I used to have endometriosis-type symptoms before I becam gluten free and D-supplementing. Earlier this year I had one horrible period, worst I have ever had, frozen to the floor then throwing up with pain... out of the blue from my problem free periods. So weird. Hope that never happens again. My POTS also cycles with my cycle... so maybe menopause will be the end of it? One can be optimistic!

Nymph I think some things could be lot better for you once done with that cycle! of course there are other things lol that come up then instead but I sure am grateful to be done with that cycling.....and quitting gluten did help some of that for sure back in the day....

Yes, it's not all bad for sure! Thanks for putting a positive spin on things.   8)

That's about when the symptoms started.

Bump. Would love more responses!

Nymph,

My family always has late menopause and I am very much like my mother who followed in that line.  However, I had an uncharacteristic early menopause!  Surprised me.  I had Sjogren's symptoms before menopause and thought it was just "normal aging". 

To be honest, I believe my Sjogren's symptoms caused my early menopause.  I'm convinced of it😞.  I felt like I just "dried up".  Sad, but true.  I still wasn't diagnosed until many years later and much suffering.

The good news is that menopause itself wasn't as bad for me as my mom.  She had a horribly long drawn out menopause.  I just simply "stopped" everything and my menopause symptoms weren't that bad at all.

Good luck to you and I hope you have a good and fruitful career.

Kathy

Thanks, Kathy! That's really interesting. I just read an article about early menopause being connected to lupus.

I was fine until I hit menopause, then it was like an old fashioned clock suddenly burst open spewing parts everywhere. I developed food allergies, my sugar readings increased, I got infection after infection, GERD came on like gangbusters, dryness started, fatigue was relentless, my weight decreased to 99# and I had many more issues.

It was surreal, a nightmare, and took years to be diagnosed. Thank god for my PCP who realized that I must have a systemic disease and kept sending me to docs until I was diagnosed.

Over the past year I developed nerve issues, e.g., neuropathy.  Last year I also finally found a treatment plan to address symptoms. I cannot take Plaquenil so meds address symptoms only.

FYI I had taken hormones prior to menopause, my neurologist believes that it probably kept me from developing SjS sooner.