Crohns and hormones

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crohns and hormones

has anyone else noticed a connection with increased crohns activity, and their hormonal cycle? (possibly one for the ladies lol)

i certainly have, and despite asking every doctor i've seen about a possible connection, only one has acknowledged that this has been reported before. the rest have said no - its a coincidence.

but its too reliable to be a coincidence, to me. every single month, leading up to my period, the crohns kicks off, and quietens down afterwards.

i'm borderline premature menopause just now, and am hoping that when i come out of the other side of it and the hormones calm down, the crohns will too.

i'd be really interested to hear if anybody else has this reaction, or has heard of it.

thanks.

dingbat.
 
Hmmm, there was a link on another thread where researchers had linked crohns to lowered testosterone levels (OK, wrong gender, and it was referring to lower levels over time) BUT, I believe the ladies do possess the male hormone to some degree or other (going way out on a limb here) think it's in extremely low range.. (the old XX vs XY thingy)... But menses onset is connected to hormonal swings; as to whether it's a surge in estrogen, a decline in testosterone..thats beyond my knowledge... So, if crohns activity can be linked to one hormone level changing, I can see it happening for others too.

Think this may be a prime example of medical science dismissing what patients tell them cause it isn't in the books yet... Or they can't see to connect the dots
 
im not really sure.. im on the pill so i dont have periods anymore.. ive only had crohns about 2 weeks so i dont really know.. however i have noticed ive been alot moodier since having it.x
 
hi laura

i think mood swings are really common with crohns, and totally understandable, especially when you're first diagnosed. i know i have my blue days, definitely.

have sent you a pm, by the way :)


dingbat
 
Yeah, and wait till you start pred... talk about mood swings then! Sheesh. But I do recall vividly feeling... well, at best, very defensive when my 1st GI started in on whether or not I was a person prone to 'depression' before I was diagnosed. I was a happy go lucky individual, usually very upbeat... but when I became ill, one of the things I noticed that I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and no one seemed able to tell me WHY! That made me very moody

Not sure if that was hormone related, or just any persons response to this IBD
 
I've certainly noticed a co-relation btw my CD and my menstrual cycle. I feel more bowel distress about a week before...( "normal" women can also experience bowel distress during PMS as well), and during the first few days of my period, I have problems with constipation, which leads to fissure bleeds.....sigh. Ain't it great being a girl? After a few days into my cycle, things usually settle down...until the next cycle and it starts all over again...I was on the pill for awhile about 12 years ago, when I was in a CD remission, but the pill kicked my disease back up so I had to go on Sulfasalazine again.
I'd love to hear from other women out there who notice a relationship btw their IBD and PMS.

JMcG
 
Well, the cycle is hormonal.. but, (and there is a clinical term for the situation) the pooling of blood in the abdomen as the body prepares to expell the old lining of the uterus and create a new one... think those perhaps form the basis of related feelings. IBD or not, that heaviness, bloating, cramping.. all would amplify any/all of the issues surrounding menses. and you are most assuredly right, I can't begin to imagine how women makes it thru both IBD & menses... I'm pretty sure none of us guys on here would want to swap places! Right???
 
jmcgonigal said:
I've certainly noticed a co-relation btw my CD and my menstrual cycle. I feel more bowel distress about a week before...( "normal" women can also experience bowel distress during PMS as well), and during the first few days of my period, I have problems with constipation, which leads to fissure bleeds.....sigh. Ain't it great being a girl? After a few days into my cycle, things usually settle down...until the next cycle and it starts all over again...I was on the pill for awhile about 12 years ago, when I was in a CD remission, but the pill kicked my disease back up so I had to go on Sulfasalazine again.
I'd love to hear from other women out there who notice a relationship btw their IBD and PMS.

JMcG
Click to expand...


thanks JMcG - i suspected there'd be other women out there who have noticed a connection between their cycle and their crohns activity.

your description of events is similar to what i was experiencing. its interesting that you say the pill made it worse - that makes me more convinced that hormone fluctuations affect crohns.



kev - you may have hit on something there too - there is definitely a build-up of blood and other fluid retention in the lower abdomen around that time... i guess it would affect any condition present in the pelvic area.

dingbat.
 
you are not imagining anything. every time i ovulate i feel horrible and it just culminates into some sort of a mini flare up between then and period time. usually my bowels shut down completely and the cramping/bloating/constipation is terrible, then the period starts and so does the toilet party. it has to do with prostiglandins....
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/408847_2
you have register to see the rest of the article, it's pretty interesting
i am having a hysterectomy next week, as a matter of fact, cos my periods/pap smears are messed up due to chrons. i'll either have no period, too much of one or the cramps are outrageous. my pap smears are always weird and now i show cin3 carcinoma in situ on my cervix and i cannot fight it off due to my immune system being disfunctional. it went from 1 to 3 in six months due to having a nonstop flare over the summer. i'm also on steriods which tends to mess things up...ugh.
so, my doctor seems to awknowelege there is a correlation between chrons and periods/reproductive issues..and we are hoping i can get a little relief from some of these problems with the hysto.
btw..hello, i'm pollyperfectpants..i've lurked here for awhile now...:)
 
hi pollyperfectpants (great user name :D )

sorry to hear you're having such a tough time with everything - good luck with the op next week, and i hope it relieves a lot of your troubles. & i'm glad you have such an open-minded and understanding doctor - it makes such a difference to not be made to feel you're imagining things...

really interesting to read you have the hormonal mini flare-ups too.. and thank you for that link. i'm going to register with medscape and read up on this prostaglandin issue.


dingbat.
 
hi dingbat :)
i am glad i could submit something useful here. i gathered info on it cos i figured i'd be in for a fight with the doctors, but suprisingly enough all of them that i have had to deal with have been great, and you are right, it does make a total difference. my pcp always thinks i'm overdramatic or making stuff up. thank goodness i don't have to see her very often :/
i hope you get all the answers you seek and maybe there is something to help alleviate your issues every month, too.
thanks so much for your kind thoughts, and i'll let you know what happens when enough time has passed. i'm quite excited!! :)
 
Hullo all! I just found this site through a Google search when I absent-mindedly wondered if anyone else has the same issues! Every "week before" and continuing for the first half of the "actual week" I have -severe- abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation, nausea, lethargy... you name it. =/ Being quite slow it took me a year to put two & two together, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. =)
 
Deschions said:
Hullo all! I just found this site through a Google search when I absent-mindedly wondered if anyone else has the same issues! Every "week before" and continuing for the first half of the "actual week" I have -severe- abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation, nausea, lethargy... you name it. =/ Being quite slow it took me a year to put two & two together, but I'm glad I'm not the only one. =)
Click to expand...

i also experience this prob and my specialist did say that this was a possibility.
 
Kev said:
Yeah, and wait till you start pred... talk about mood swings then! Sheesh. But I do recall vividly feeling... well, at best, very defensive when my 1st GI started in on whether or not I was a person prone to 'depression' before I was diagnosed. I was a happy go lucky individual, usually very upbeat... but when I became ill, one of the things I noticed that I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and no one seemed able to tell me WHY! That made me very moody

Not sure if that was hormone related, or just any persons response to this IBD
Click to expand...

im quite moody any way so god help me if i have to go on something that will make me worse. i suffer a little bit with depression anyway..although i havnt seen a doctor or anything. i know the feeling f feeling sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and ive only had this a month!!!
 
i also eperience all sorts of pain before my period.it seems that all my crohn's activity is related to my period, almost with no exception.
 
Just to throw this on the table: guys have a "cycle" too, it's hormonal related, obviously there's not as much of a signal, but it's on a ~4 week pattern as well. Of course there's no bleeding (well, for those of us with IBD, uh...)....but, I'd surmise that due to there being a hormonal cycle, there's an emotional cycle too.

The man period, who'd have thought...
 
Well, the little I've heard or read about the 'male' cycle is that it varies, not only from man to man... but with the changing seasons. That it can range from a low of a few weeks in the winter to a high of every 3rd or 4th day in the spring time.
 
That's odd it's seasonal, wonder if it's got anything to do with the flaring being occasionally seasonal. Like if there's a link to us guys getting moody/stressed at different times and making symptoms worse, etc...
 
Heard/read that testosterone surges in spring, and declines over the winter. Don't know if that's an offshoot of some sort of seasonal affective disorder; or some sort of weird 'throwback'... Men who fathered more children during the spring had more offspring who survived the winter; and 'these' passed on "Dad's"seasonal preference... Once mankind moved out of the caves, I think it became less of a heard thinner... And, of course, that's without temperature or climate change coming into the equation. Wanna raise your testosterone? Go sit in cold baths... you're sperm count will go up, and with it, testosterone..

Why??? Good question.. Could it be humans living in colder climates needed to have more offspring to improve the overall chances of offspring survival? That's a $64 question. But, if the scientific theory that the size of the male testes say whether males are apt to be more monogmous (sp?) or proliferate (sp?) holds water... then it might explain it. I dunno. Some folks on here have noted they now have much lower libidos, some have also noted declined hormone levels. I don't know if there is a direct cause/effect link to our disease, or its treatment.
 
Well, during lifting research before IBD, I'd read several times that caloric intake is linked with test levels. More cals= more test. Thus, if one is consuming a lot less food (or the body "thinks" it is because it's shooting through you due to flaring symptoms and not absorbing any nutrients/cals) then test levels drop some. Perhaps that has something to do with Crohns/test levels (reduced food intake). Perhaps it's got nothing to do with it.....
 
So glad I found this thread

dingbat said:
has anyone else noticed a connection with increased crohns activity, and their hormonal cycle? (possibly one for the ladies lol)

i certainly have, and despite asking every doctor i've seen about a possible connection, only one has acknowledged that this has been reported before. the rest have said no - its a coincidence.

but its too reliable to be a coincidence, to me. every single month, leading up to my period, the crohns kicks off, and quietens down afterwards.

i'm borderline premature menopause just now, and am hoping that when i come out of the other side of it and the hormones calm down, the crohns will too.

i'd be really interested to hear if anybody else has this reaction, or has heard of it.

thanks.

dingbat.
Click to expand...
I have yet to be diagnosed with Crohn's but have been suffering with it or something like it since I was a kid (I'm 42 now). I have been in my latest 'flare' for over a year and a half now. I just put together the worsening of symptoms with my cycle. (Not sure if it has been going on all along or more recent) I feel at my best DURING my period up to about day 10 of my cycle then things start to go down hill. I wish none of us had to deal with this, but at least I now know that it's not all in my head! I just joined this forum and I think I'll post on the newbie thread...I have some input into high dose, long term predniZONE...and it's effects on me...that I'll post there (I was put on 45 MG of pred. for another issue almost 9 years ago. Anyhow, thanks for this post, it helped me :)
 
I KNEW there was such a thing as a man period!! haha..

I am definitely more moody than I was pre-Crohn's when I'm about to have a visit from Aunt Flo...and I find that my symptoms increase immensely in the first 2 days, and then taper from there.

It's not my fault I'm moody...my husband never puts his laundry away...THAT'S why I'm moody!! haha.
 
i have always suspected this but really have never been able to be sure.
my periods have always been all messed up cause im constantly losing and gaining weight.
i got my first period when i was 15 (super late due to pred) and at that time i totally crashed. that was when my abcess blew up and became a hige problem. then of course i lost weight and period went away. it came back sometime later and of course....i crashed again. i investigated going on the pill hoping that maybe if i stopped my periods then i would have a better chance of staying out of the flares, but i never did it.
when i was 18 i had a few months where i was very healthy weight wise and had a few months of regular cycles, but still had awful bowel symptoms. then, this past summer, i started losing weight again and my periods have been gone since.
SO yes it seems like there is a correlation, but i can never be sure.
and np, no doctor has ever really believed me either.

on a side note...it is so funny when i go in for surgery. the say "what was the date of your last period?"
i say "last july"
they say "ohh...did you give a urine sample? we need to make sure youre not pregnant."
people i am 83 POUNDS! there is no way i have a baby inside of me, much less be able to keep it alive in there, i cant even get enough nutrition for myself!

but i know they just have to do their jobs, but it still makes me laugh
 
Aww, Kello, your posts always make me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I sure do admire your positive spirit.

And just for the record, I have definitely been noticing a link b/t my periods and my Crohn's. The abscess around my fistula always seems to get swollen and sore right before my period.
 
I totally agree about the hormone/CD flare corelation!!
The week before my period and even during my very short two-three day period my stomach is terrible!!!
Not to mention how bad my stomach does when I am pregnant. It is a mess cuz of the increase in hormones!

They also have male menopause to :p
 
aww shady i dont want my posts making people cry!! just laugh at them :D lol!

ladyb- thats interesting that you said your stomach is worse when you were pregnant, ive heard of some cases where women who were pregnant said that they felt the BEST the ever had crohns wise!
how weird.
 
I've heard the same thing, Kello. I think it depends on what your hormone levels were to begin with. And what your bodies 'right' level of hormone balance is, as everyone is different.

My first pregnancy was a breeze, it was just the last two that were horrible. They are also the worst behaved out of all three kids....a link to their behaviour???? LOL
 
I told my doc that I get worse during my menstrual cycle and he said that women with Crohns do have more problems during their menstrual cycle. He is sending me to see a gynecologist. I want to get a hysterectomy.
 
hi & welcome to jlyn and weaverfam :)

wow it really does seem a lot us have noticed Crohn's being affected by our hormonal cycle!
 
has anyone had a hysterectomy that help reduce their flar ups, from hormone changes because of their cycles. Did that make sence?
 
That is a great question weaverfam! I'd be willing to get everything removed if it would help!!

Although I know it can take some time before they get the hormone levels right. My sis-in-law had a hysterectomy and she is on hormone replacement therapy. It took them a little while before they had her balanced.

My hubby might get the sh*ts of me before they get mine regulated...it can be like pms times 10...lol
 
The doc said he will lieve the fallopian tubes, so I won't go into menopause. We'll just have to see if it helps.
 
Last edited:
Wow! Listening to eveyone on here is amazing. I can't believe how many other people have some of my same symptoms. I have never been able to take birth control because it has made my crohns flare so bad. I have tried so many types but no luck. Thank god my husband was not afraid of a little sugery since I had already had my share:) My pregnancies on the other hand were a breeze as far as the crohns. I know it sounds crazy but I have said I wished I could be pregnant forever... That is probably why my husband RAN to the surgeon. lol
 
Crohn's & Hormones

dingbat said:
has anyone else noticed a connection with increased crohns activity, and their hormonal cycle? (possibly one for the ladies lol)

i certainly have, and despite asking every doctor i've seen about a possible connection, only one has acknowledged that this has been reported before. the rest have said no - its a coincidence.

but its too reliable to be a coincidence, to me. every single month, leading up to my period, the crohns kicks off, and quietens down afterwards.

i'm borderline premature menopause just now, and am hoping that when i come out of the other side of it and the hormones calm down, the crohns will too.

i'd be really interested to hear if anybody else has this reaction, or has heard of it.

thanks.

dingbat.
Click to expand...




I am in peri-menopause and the last 5 months have been very difficult. I retired in December and thankfully so, because I could have never worked with my symptoms. I experienced headaches, poor sleep, restlessness, sore eyes but the worst was the cramps, bloating and pain. It was erratic too. Some good days, some horrible days. It wasn't like my usual Crohn's flair-ups, but those would eventually occur too. My family doctor put me on Progesterone & Estrogen, but after 10 days I had swelling in my calfs (I've had a history of blood clots due to the pill). She took me off everything and I got a saliva hormone test done. The results showed my estrogen was actually on the high end. Progesterone was on the low end (I am on progesterone cream now). My DHEAS were below range and Cortisol was low end. The interesting thing about Cortisol and DHEA is that they are steroid produced by the Adrenal glands, are associated with chronic illness, makes the thyroid work more effectively (I had part of mine removed due to cancer) and they regulate the immune system and control inflammation. Low cortisol levels may contribute to immune system disfunction by stimulating inflammation. From what I understand there really aren't meds, other than homopathic/health store for DHEA and Cortisol. I am going to discuss this with my doctor next week. She did agree with me that the hormone problem gets my Crohn's going.

My doctor put me on about 6 wks of Prednesone just so I could have a reprieve from the constant stomach pain, which took away the pain totally, even though I hate being on it! I've been off the Prednesone for 3 days and my period is due in a week, and BAM, yesterday was horrible. Bloating, cramps, pain.....again!!

I have made an appointment with my Crohn's specialist to see if he can shed any light on this.
 
Laparoscopical hysterectomy

So I am going in on the 9th of July to have a laparoscopical hysterectomy done. We are hoping it will help with the flare ups that I have during my monthly cycle. We tried birth control pills and it made it wores. He is going to leave the ovaries.
He wouldn't even be doing it if it wasn't for the Chron's. He is going to take the appendix too. So I hope it does help I will let you know.

Shawna
 
hi...in reply to dingbat's post...i'v had crohn's untreated for 2 years ...6 months to figure out something was wrong...the other year and a half waiting to see doctors and testing a colonoscopy was done and the doctor told me i have CD..and YES i have noticed my cd is worst before and a bit during my cycle as a matter of fact i know when my cycle is comming......i get very sore, swollen ,head ache more bowel movements and more pain so yes i do feel maby theres a connection who knows!!!!!good luck to you.
 
That's interesting Shantel - I'm another who always always always has more CD trouble when it's that time (actually I think it may have been one of my first ever questions, whether it was normal or not). Bizarrely though, I get constipated - lasts about 3 days, and it's the only time I don't have D. I then have about 3 days of quite severe D, and then it levels out again. Weird things, bodies.
 
when i had periods i definatly had more mucus in my stump. i say when as i have only had 1 period since april. apperntly i am going through the change. i m only 40 yrs!!
 
Interesting. I've only just been diagnosed with Crohns and only had sporadic problems over the past few years, but I have definately had some poo issues around period time. Having to go WAY more often and feeling this and the cramps were more poo related than period related. Makes sense then eh?
 
it's amazing to see how many of you do see a link between hormonal activity and your Crohn's... now i know i wasn't going crazy lol.

well, i've just had my blood test results back to see what's going on with my hormonal state. after a year of debilitating headaches, migraines, feeling generally under the weather, and recently horrendous hot flushes all day and night.. i think the results speak for themselves....

follicle stimulating hormone is normally 50iu/L after menopause. mine was 86.5.

luteinizing hormone is normally 12-55ui/L after menopause. mine was 69.7.

yup.. i'm in the late stages of menopause, and as per usual with me, i'm doing it big-style :ylol2:
 
Shantel said:
Why are those numbers sooo high??? I'd think if you were in late stages they would be lower?? Is it your body's last hoorah as you go into menopause and it is just acting wacky??
Click to expand...

i don't know why mine are so much higher than 'normal'... i guess it's just my goofy body lol. seriously, i've probably been heading towards menopause for years, since i had an ovary removed back in 1997, so that might have something to do with the readings.

but these aren't estrogen and progesterone readings, which do drop during and after menopause... they are the hormones produced by the pituary gland which initiate follicle stimulation and ovary activity, and their levels are naturally higher than normal towards the end of menopause and after.
 
Well.. Seems my period through me into a flare again. This has been going on for so long now. Even the prednisone didn't prevent it :(. There has to be a connection.

Weaver, how did your gyne appointment go?
 
Every period I have ever had, was always accompanied by constipation or D, even before I had Crohns. It is better on the pill but a doctor once told me that the bowel goes into contraction along with the uterus while menstrating. Now, some months are bad and other months better but always the bowels are worse when Aunt Flow comes to visit...
 
hey, carolyn!
My Gynecologist said exactly the same when I told her I ALWAYS have pain and diarrea while having a period, since my very first period. The same hormone that contracts the uterus so that the period can actually happen, causes contractions in the bowels. In someone who has a sensible bowel already, you figure...
 
I have always noticed a connection between Crohns symptoms flaring up at that time of the month too. I have also had previous surgery and now a recurrence of uterine fibroids - waiting on a public health waiting list to see a gynacologist about this. For a long time I have wondered about possible hormonal links with Crohns because going on the pill triggered my first flare up (diagnosed in 1980). It was interesting to read all the entries here and see others thinking along the same lines.
 
When I first started my periods I would get D along with the cramping. Since going on the pill I don't get much pain (only for about 3 hours before my period starts) and I don't get any D either. Last month I did have increased symptoms (pain bloating, more bms than usual) but then I did try takeaway chicken for dinner and I don't think that agreed with me!

Btw, this may be a bit late, but a sensible bowel? I don't think anyone here has one of those!
 
I have terrible issues around my period too. Not so much now that I have my stoma, but still bad cramps. I do think that there is a connection for sure, but I also know a lot of normal gals who have issues with D and C when their periods hit. Oh the joys of being a woman!
 
I definitely had way more Crohn's issues around my cycle than other times. I ended up having a hysterectomy at 32 (6 years ago) and my both my GI and OB/GYN told me Crohn's increases your risk for an early hysterectomy. I wish I had known that earlier....I missed my opportunity to have a family. :(
 
I was diagnosed with Crohn's before I hit puberty, so I can't compare before and after in my own body, but definitely more Crohn's symptoms during PMS for me... and here I thought I just had nasty PMS... lol!!
 
Jeannette, i am so sorry about your early hysterectomy. I am so fearful that will happen to me as well.
 
You know, I think it might have been prevented if I had got my PAP/pelvic exam more often. The OB/GYN had said I didn't "need" to have them every year; I could go every three years because I was in a monogamous relationship.
Well, I ended up growing a large fibrous tumor in the meantime. I find it ignorant that doctors recommend pelvics based on your number of sexual partners;that's fine for STD's, but my tumor didn't seem to care that I was monogamous. I was admitted to the E.R. in excruciating pain because the tumor was laying on my kidney and had grown to the size of a cantaloupe. By then I had no other treatment options; so I recommend going every year at least. My new OB said with Crohn's she would even recommend every six months.
So hopefully my story will encourage all my Crohn's sisters out there to insist on getting examined more often.:)
 
Thats a real shame Jeanette, really sorry
I had a hysterectomy 9 years ago, I was in a right mess, I was only well for 1 week in every month, quite suicidal in fact!
It's changed my life forever, and reduced Crohns symptoms. (I didnt know I had Crohns tho at the time!)
My gynae told me that I was full of endometriosis and that these had glued themselves all over my bowels, so every month I was in agony!
There has to be a connection, I advise all lady Crohnies to tell their gynae that they have Crohns, and to get endos checked, and to tell their gastro about their period patterns and to look for endos during scopes.
Inflammation and endos, bad mix!
If I knew then what I know now, I couldve saved myself years of misery and pain.
 
I go to my gyno every year, but perhaps now that I have been diagnosed with Crohn's he will want to see me more often. If only insurance would pay for more than once a year...I'll have to wait until august.
 
I don't know if Crohn's makes my hormones worse or not, but I definitely notice that I have a mini-flare of Crohn's the first two days of my period.
 
Hi Everyone,
I was on the computer searching "Crohns and hormones" and found this forum.
I am 53 years old. Got Crohns at 17, no operations. Crohns was active 17 - 24 years. It went into a remission all those years until I hit 51. I went into menopause and now the Crohns is coming back. I have always been thin. The last two years I look like a pot belly pig. I don't eat a lot, but I'm always extended. I believe hormones play a huge part in Crohns Disease. Science just has not discovered it yet.
 

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