By Sunprism on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 04:49 pm:

Hi,

i am a 17 yr old who has just been diagnosed with EDS, either type II or III. i was wondering does EDS have any effect on how regular periods are?

Thanks a lot

Sun

By Liz on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 04:49 pm:

Can't help you on the regularity front, but my pain gets worse premenstrually and everything feels looser!

By Nick Garrett on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 04:50 pm:

Chi Gung helps with pain relief and regularity.

Nick

By Tracy on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 04:50 pm:

I must say my I have never been regular, until recently after a course of hormone injections, and I have suffered with my hypermobility since puberty.(They told me it
was growing pains and I would grow out of them,HA HA HA HA HA HA)I cant say I noticed a drastic worsening of my sypmtoms except my back would ache
worse, but I never got pms until after these hormone injections and if I am stressed anyway, that makes me feel worse. I'll be interested to hear from other sufferers.
Tracy

By Gwen on Monday, June 05, 2000 - 04:50 pm:

Sun, may I turn your question around and ask if your menstrual cycle affects your EDS? I never noticed any real problems during the period I was young, swinging
and taking oral contraceptives but after I went off them I was aware that my joints were much sorer and I seemed to be clumsier just before my period was due. My
hypermobility really showed up during my first pregnancy with sprained ankles, cervical sprains etc. I was told this was a nutural part of the ligaments relaxing to give
birth and would improve after I'd had my baby. It didn't. This was 1980. I saw a rheumatologist in 1991 who diagnosed a hypermobility disorder and said that often
pregnancy can exacerbate hypermobility. It is the hormone relaxin that does it. In some women the ligaments never regain their elasticity and I was one of them. The
good news was that it wasn't progressive and should settle post-menopause, which it hasn't. If anything I have more joints playing up and subluxing than ever before.
As to regularity of menses I can't really comment. Mine were always very regular and I always knew at least a couple of days in advance because of the way my
body behaved. Perhaps some of the other folks can help you on that one. Cheers!

By Lucy on Wednesday, August 09, 2000 - 06:18 am:

Hi Gwen,

I don't know who the rheumatologist was that you saw back in 91, but my rheum. has told me that EDS (I have type III) is degenerative. I only mention this because when I was initially diagnosed back in 89 with HMS they said that it would get better as I got older. Like you, this couldn't be further from the truth. I was first diagnosed due to problems with my wrists. Now every major joint has a problem. I take oral contraceptives. I have found though that where they used to stop cramping and heavy periods, they no longer work. Periods are heavy and very painful, I "clunk" alot more about 2 weeks before it arrives, endure the pain for a week once it arrives and breath a sigh of relief once it's over! Stay well!

By Gwen on Wednesday, August 09, 2000 - 05:51 pm:

Lucy, thanks for that. I was diagnosed by Julian Kirk who was the person who first described HMS as a clinical syndrome so I like to feel my references are "Gold-plated". But a lot of time has gone by since then and different discoveries are being made. The latest article I have read "Pain, Distress and Hypermobility" by Rodney Grahame (Joint Bone Spine 2000;67:157-163)explains that it is the hypermobility that lessens because of the natural ageing process and possible osteoarthritis that we have sustained because of the ongoing injuries to joints but that we are still hypermobile relative to people of same age.
I assume from the article that the acute pain, due to joint injury may lessen but the other neuromuscular pains are still likely to be there because they are part of the syndrome and we will still have the syndrome even though it is masked by overlying conditions.
I have posted a question on this very topic to Prof.Grahame at http://www.hypermobility.org where there is a "your questions answered" section. His response should be interesting.
The abovementioned article is well worth reading if you can access a copy. If you can't and would like one, send me you postal address and I'll photocopy it for you.

By Barbara on Monday, January 15, 2001 - 11:26 am:

During the menstrual cycle, the hormone "relaxin" is released. This is the hormone that allows the hips to move during childbirth. Unfortunately, this also causes increased joint laxity during your period.

I often have trouble with more joint dislocations/subluxes during my period. I also suffer from back pain caused by SI joint subluxing which is probably caused by the normal PMS cramps.