Skip to main content
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine logoLink to Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
. 1992 Oct;85(10):612–613. doi: 10.1177/014107689208501008

A pilot study of the effect upon multiple sclerosis of the menopause, hormone replacement therapy and the menstrual cycle.

R Smith 1, J W Studd 1
PMCID: PMC1293688  PMID: 1433038

Abstract

A questionnaire enquiring about changes in severity of symptoms of multiple sclerosis with the menstrual cycle, menopause and use of hormone replacement therapy was answered retrospectively by 11 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women. Eighty-two per cent of menopausal women reported an increase in severity premenstrually. Of the postmenopausal women 54% reported a worsening of symptoms with the menopause, and 75% of those who had tried hormone replacement therapy reported an improvement. The results of this pilot study indicate the need for further research to clarify the effects of the menopause and hormone replacement therapy upon multiple sclerosis.

Full text

PDF
613

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brincat M., Moniz C. J., Studd J. W., Darby A., Magos A., Emburey G., Versi E. Long-term effects of the menopause and sex hormones on skin thickness. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1985 Mar;92(3):256–259. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1985.tb01091.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. KURTZKE J. F. FURTHER NOTES ON DISABILITY EVALUATION IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, WITH SCALE MODIFICATIONS. Neurology. 1965 Jul;15:654–661. doi: 10.1212/wnl.15.7.654. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Korn-Lubetzki I., Kahana E., Cooper G., Abramsky O. Activity of multiple sclerosis during pregnancy and puerperium. Ann Neurol. 1984 Aug;16(2):229–231. doi: 10.1002/ana.410160211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Magos A., Studd J. Effects of the menstrual cycle on medical disorders. Br J Hosp Med. 1985 Feb;33(2):68–77. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Manyonda I. T., Pereira R. S., Makinde V., Brincat M., Varma R. T. Effect of 17 beta-oestradiol on lymphocyte subpopulations, delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity responses and mixed lymphocyte reactions in post-menopausal women. Maturitas. 1992 Mar;14(3):201–210. doi: 10.1016/0378-5122(92)90115-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McKinlay S. M., Jefferys M. The menopausal syndrome. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1974 May;28(2):108–115. doi: 10.1136/jech.28.2.108. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Nelson L. M., Franklin G. M., Jones M. C. Risk of multiple sclerosis exacerbation during pregnancy and breast-feeding. JAMA. 1988 Jun 17;259(23):3441–3443. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Poser S., Poser W. Multiple sclerosis and gestation. Neurology. 1983 Nov;33(11):1422–1427. doi: 10.1212/wnl.33.11.1422. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sridama V., Pacini F., Yang S. L., Moawad A., Reilly M., DeGroot L. J. Decreased levels of helper T cells: a possible cause of immunodeficiency in pregnancy. N Engl J Med. 1982 Aug 5;307(6):352–356. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198208053070606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Studd J., Savvas M., Waston N., Garnett T., Fogelman I., Cooper D. The relationship between plasma estradiol and the increase in bone density in postmenopausal women after treatment with subcutaneous hormone implants. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Nov;163(5 Pt 1):1474–1479. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(90)90608-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Thompson D. S., Nelson L. M., Burns A., Burks J. S., Franklin G. M. The effects of pregnancy in multiple sclerosis: a retrospective study. Neurology. 1986 Aug;36(8):1097–1099. doi: 10.1212/wnl.36.8.1097. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Weinshenker B. G., Hader W., Carriere W., Baskerville J., Ebers G. C. The influence of pregnancy on disability from multiple sclerosis: a population-based study in Middlesex County, Ontario. Neurology. 1989 Nov;39(11):1438–1440. doi: 10.1212/wnl.39.11.1438. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine are provided here courtesy of Royal Society of Medicine Press

RESOURCES