I dont have a time of the month anymore but I do know when its time for it cause I just hurt all over not that is anything different but it is so I guess yes I do flare up
JO

Good question i was told i was on the change of life 5 months ago because i hadn't had a period for over 2 years, i was 28 pound underwieght & was having real bad hot flushes then 5 weeks ago i had a normal period after i put on 24 pound in wieght, during my period the pain my hands, back & rist were 10 times worse, once my period was over it was more bearable. I haven't had a hot flush since i put on the wieght......!

Yep, I do notice a correlation.

YES!! I've been told time and time again by docs that one doesn't have to do with the other. My doc now says that it can cause flares.

I say if you don't have it then you don't know. Sometimes you can't always count on medical books for answers. Not to add but mine is so HORRIBLE that I go through 14 overnights in less than 3 hours some months. I'm miserable beyond miserable. I have to have a D&C and something I forget it's like a hot roller in my uterus. I'm going to be knocked out for sure!

Hope this will give me relief. Hope you feel better soon.

Jenn

and if you don't have that anymore, I do notice when there is a full moon

I have to agree with Sandi I always know when it's a full moon. Don't have that time of the month thank goodness.

I think there is a strong correlation between hormonal shifts and flares. I think my total hysterectomy was the trigger for my RA which showed up 3 months post-op. I stopped wearing my hormone patches which are changed on Mondays and Fridays because when I put a new patch on, I ached all day eventhough they are time released. It took me a while to put together the connection. When I stopped wearing the patches, less flares ... go figure.

I have always notived that my stiffness takes longer to go away and my pain is worse for a couple of days. It doesn't help that we are having a huge storm roll through. I'm in Arizona, so for a storm to even be here is rare. I know we aren't as cold as back east. I can only imagine wha tyou feel there!

I never thought about it correlating with a full moon. Any ideas why that would be?

I am also post menopausal but yes definitely absolutely, it made/makes me have flares!
I only got recently dx (offficially) in the past 2 months and won't meet my rheumie until Tues. (2 more days yippee)
I don't even want to mention this hormonal thing to him since there is such a good chance he will think I'm crazy.
BUT I have had "female issues" my whole adult life and had kept a symptom diary for years and I know beyond a doubt that it is related.
(even my gums would hurt and bleed and I'd have more toothaches during that time of the month which a dentist confirmed to me , does happen..he said the hormones cause inflammation or something like that)
I am fascinated by some of the comments....irieness, I do know that estrogen is stored in fat cells so I wonder if that has to do with your changes RE weight gain?
(but have they actually checked your hormone levels? I would ask for that if it were me)
to the women who mentioned the full moon=thank you!
I thought it was just me ; and even during and after menopause, I'll be darned but I still have some PMS type issues the week prior to the full moon !

A resounding YES!!! As a matter of a fact, I'm just coming out of a menstrual enduced flare. Sometimes, I think they can be the worst of the flares. If you ask the doc's though, they'll say no. Then again, they don't have it, just treat it.

Anyone who says hormones don't cause flares is CRAZY!!! Even if they're a doctor! I didn't have any symptoms until a few months after the birth of my first child, symptoms were completely in remission while pregnant, then YOUCH a few months after the birth of my second child. Hormonal triggers for SURE!!! My doctor (and research) shows that a lot of women first get symptoms after the birth of a child! :) Good post, definite truth to your thoughts!!

Last night I started and normally I only get cramps in my thighs and lower tummy but last night my lower back hurt so bad i couldn't stand it. My hips and lower back had been bothering me lately but i think that my cycle just made it like 10x worse and is still bothering me. What made it worse is my heating pad wouldn't work then finally it turned on. Needless to say I went out today and bought a new one. Don't want that happening again.

Most definitely...! I flare up when it's mid cycle too and getting ready to start. Then I kinda sigh in relief for the two days after cycle begins becuz I seem to be the least pain-free.

{{{hugs}}}

Hi, yes I find I am worse around that time and have fluid in my knee so I know when it's going to happen....IT's interesting that it happens like that and I am suprised there has not been more research in to medication to do with hormone levels and arthritis. I tend to rest more around that time and eat healthy. But I am glad you posted that as I have been wondering that a long time...