Surgery and MS

[Suebee]

Girl1,
Trust your doctor, but verify it's best approach for you. Unfortunately, I have found few GYN/ obs are really familiar with how birth control, pregnancy, birth, pregnancy, and menopause are best managed for MS patients.

I see it as three issues: what is effect on MS for 1) stopping long time use of birthcontrol pills; 2) elective surgery/ impact of anesthesia; and 3) induction of menopause?

Unfortunately, I think all three have been implicated in worsening of MS symptoms.

With regard to anesthesia, I had required surgery over 2 years ago and although I didn't have an acute flair afterwards, I lost a lot of strength and endurance that I never regained.

With regard to menopause ---No surprise, there are few studies on how menopause effects MS, BUT it is known that there is a statistically significant increase in worsening of MS symptoms, likely due to reduction of estrogen.

Most significantly for your purposes, at least one study found hysterectomies worsened MS symptoms more than natural menopause!
"To explore the impact of menopause on MS symptoms, Bove and her colleagues surveyed 513 women with MS using an online research platform. Of those women, 53 percent were postmenopausal. Those who'd had surgically-induced menopause (removal of the ovaries) reported having more severe MS symptoms than the premenopausal women or the women who'd gone through menopause naturally. Surgical menopause happened at a younger age than natural menopause and was associated with higher rates of hormone replacement therapy. The results of the survey were published in January 2015 in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
excerpt from https://www.everydayhealth.com/multi...women-with-ms/
Good luck Girl1 and always be an advocate for you!

[girl1dir]

Thanks SueBee!

I am my best healthcare advocate -- we found my MS 7 days after being admitted to the hospital for steroids. The one and only "relapse" I have had was Optic Neuritis that helped us find the lesions in my brain. =) I'm a bit of a "Poke the Bear" kind of girl.

We have decided to stay on the pill. We weighed the options, risks, acceptable and unacceptable unknowns - and while I am so incredibly tired of taking the pill, we're going with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy.

FYI: In my case we would be leaving the ovaries so it would be a partial hysterectomy.

There we have it. Status Quo until there is a medical reason to do something else.

[Marinadca]

Hi Girl1

Is Mirena or something similar an option for you?

I was on the pill and skipped the off week on and off for over 10 years before I gave up and got the Mirena. No period at all after getting it. Regarding IUDs in general - I have heard that Paragard can cause longer period.

[girl1dir]

Originally Posted by Marinadca

Hi Girl1

Is Mirena or something similar an option for you?

I was on the pill and skipped the off week on and off for over 10 years before I gave up and got the Mirena. No period at all after getting it. Regarding IUDs in general - I have heard that Paragard can cause longer period.

Nope. IUD isn't an option. Too small of a cervix. They also usually have some hormones to go with them which I would like to get away from.

I have been skipping the off week for about 18 years.

The risks that go along with elective surgery, the out of work time, the recovery time, the possibility of having a relapse when I haven't ever had one are too much for us accept at this time. We have opted to stay on the pill. :'(