I went off birth-control pills in October because I was about to turn 50, and I seem to have indeed started menopause. It seemed like my body just decided to fall apart right afterward -- hot flashes, acne, anxiety, trouble sleeping, widespread pain and stiffness, all sorts of fun stuff, which I've posted about in other threads. I had a flare of my ulcerative colitis in December, my first in years. It seemed to get better for awhile, but now I seem to be flaring again, so I'm wondering about the effect of menopause on this condition.
I've been trying to research, but it seems like there's been very little research into this. I found one study that said HRT could help with colitis, and another that said the exact opposite.
My gastroenterologist said some women have worse flares around their periods, but didn't know about menopause.
Is there anybody here with an inflammatory bowel disease? I'm wondering what other women's experiences have been with menopause and hormone-replacement therapy affecting their colitis. Did you find going through menopause changed or worsened your colitis? I'm considering hormone replacement -- did using it have any effect on your UC?
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Topic: Menopause, HRT and inflammatory bowel disease (Read 784 times)