Hi everyone.
It has been such a long journey since my symptoms began around 2014. That is the same year that I went on bio-identical hormones for menopause. Since then I have developed Raynaud's, Sebopsoriasis, Cutis Marmorata, and that is when my bowel issues started. All of these things developed very slowly with each year bringing more pronounced symptoms. After having a rectal MRI my doctor thinks it is microscopic colitis but I know I have to have a colonoscopy to know for sure. An underlying autoimmune disease has been ruled out by blood tests.
My biggest issue is that after I have a bowel movement I have leaking. A couple of doctors have hinted that the hormones might have brought everything on but there have been very few studies and they say "not the kind we like." I have also found some on my own like this one:https://www.healio.com/news/gastroenter ... ic-colitis
I also always suspected that my nightly habit of of wine for the past 20 yrs had to have something to do with it. I quit last July but have not noticed any improvement which was quite surprising. But I have had wine here and there since so now I've decided to quit all alcohol completely to see what happens.
What does everyone think about the link between hormones and MC? I take 1 mg of Divigel which is Estradiol and have been tapering off this past week to .25 per day instead. I'm also thinking of switching to Estriol which is a weaker form of estrogen.
Menopause/HRT
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Re: Menopause/HRT
Hi Paula,
I see that no one has responded to your question. I certainly don't claim to be an authority on this subject, but since no one else has offered any comments, I'll post my thoughts. Based on the experiences of members that have been posted here over the years, it does appear that hormones, and especially certain hormonal changes, do have a significant effect on many MC patients. And in the cases where they do trigger MC, because they tend to keep the disease active, this opens the door for the development of additional autoimmune diseases.
That said, many women here (members here) have been able to successfully use bio-identical HRT without any problems. In other words, yes, the risk is increased (as the article you referenced points out), but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a high risk, because every MC patient's situation is different. I agree with your current approach, because most people are able to find a solution if they do enough experimentation with different products. This seems to be a gray area that's in desperate need of research so that some guidelines can be established for MC patients.
Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful,
Tex
I see that no one has responded to your question. I certainly don't claim to be an authority on this subject, but since no one else has offered any comments, I'll post my thoughts. Based on the experiences of members that have been posted here over the years, it does appear that hormones, and especially certain hormonal changes, do have a significant effect on many MC patients. And in the cases where they do trigger MC, because they tend to keep the disease active, this opens the door for the development of additional autoimmune diseases.
That said, many women here (members here) have been able to successfully use bio-identical HRT without any problems. In other words, yes, the risk is increased (as the article you referenced points out), but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a high risk, because every MC patient's situation is different. I agree with your current approach, because most people are able to find a solution if they do enough experimentation with different products. This seems to be a gray area that's in desperate need of research so that some guidelines can be established for MC patients.
Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Re: Menopause/HRT
Hi Tex,
Thank you so much for your reply. It is funny, I naively thought my life would get more simple as I got older, but everything seems to have gotten more complicated! And it's true everyone is so very different. I've always heard how much better most women feel after starting HRT but it's been the opposite experience for myself.
Paula
Thank you so much for your reply. It is funny, I naively thought my life would get more simple as I got older, but everything seems to have gotten more complicated! And it's true everyone is so very different. I've always heard how much better most women feel after starting HRT but it's been the opposite experience for myself.
Paula