Can Do MS reposted this
Living with MS, On a mission to find more “soft” (or not so rigid) options for people searching for wearable mobility solutions
A Rare Topic A few weeks ago I was one of hundreds of participants of a webinar hosted by Can Do MS about hormones an MS. This is a topic rarely discussed and is also very hard to find reliable information combining the two. Once I logged in, I was so excited to see that Leorah Freeman, MD, PhD Freeman was one of the two presenters. I have to admit, I’m one of her fans and enjoy reading her LinkedIn posts. When she has something to say, you KNOW it’s gonna be good. The other presenter was Alexandra Rossi, ANOTHER MS expert!! This was going to be fabulous! The combination of hormone changes a woman with MS goes through later in life are tricky. Many symptoms of MS and hormone changes are similar and takes time, patience, and a knowledgeable practitioner willing to help. As Dr Freeman said, finding a doctor knowledgable in both MS and hormones is like finding a pearl. It has been my experience that gynecologists are typically the specialists that help with hormonal changes and can determine if HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is needed. They typically determine this by having a conversation to see how a patient is feeling or what symptoms they endure. As I mentioned before, many symptoms are similar to MS, and a prescribed HRT might not work. Was my fatigue MS or hormones? Many times there is a trial and error period. If you’re lucky and all of your symptoms were due to hormones, not MS, there is probably a better chance of success. I thought there should be a better way to determine and treat changing hormones. I asked my gynecologists if there was a blood test or some other diagnostic tool, but unfortunately, the ones I saw did not believe that blood tests were as accurate as a conversation. I asked an endocrinologist if they could help. I got a different answer without a solution. They were happy to run blood tests, but would not prescribe medication outside of thyroid type solutions. So who are the doctors that have a more precise way of separating MS symptoms from hormone symptoms? Where are these doctors? How can we find them? I refer back to the pearl comment. And this is why there were hundreds of people attending this webinar. It is a topic that has more questions than answers and I’m looking forward to more opportunities like this in the future. Great work to all involved and thank you ALL for taking on a tricky subject! I would also like to add that if you are looking for more information on this topic, here are a few links you might find helpful… Episode 395 of RealTalkMS with Jon Strum… https://lnkd.in/giYrJdma An article featured in MSFocus Magazine… https://lnkd.in/gzHn2d5w And lastly… https://lnkd.in/gvDu9pHS