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Case report, 2022

Can stopping the menstrual cycle help women whose arthritis gets worse before their period?

One woman whose arthritis flared severely before her period improved significantly when her menstrual cycle was controlled with hormones.

Early or limited evidence 49-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis

What they did

Case report of a 49-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who had severe flares 10 days before menstruation. Despite strong medication treatment, her symptoms kept coming back. Doctors treated her with an injection that stops the menstrual cycle, plus estrogen gel and a hormonal IUD to prevent menopause-like symptoms.

What they found

After treatment, her arthritis symptoms improved significantly without major flares, and she did not develop menopause-like symptoms.

What it means for you

The menstrual cycle may trigger arthritis flares in some women, and stopping the cycle with hormones might help. But this is only one woman, so we cannot know if it works for others.

1

patient

10 days

before menstruation when flares started

49

patient's age

About the study

Original title
Successful control of menstrual cycle-related exacerbation of inflammatory arthritis with GnRH agonist with add-back therapy in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors
Ueno A, Yoshida T, Yamamoto Y et al.
Journal
The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Year
2022
Study design
Case report
What was tested
An injection that stops the menstrual cycle, plus estrogen gel and a hormonal IUD

Topics