Multiple Sclerosis and Menopause - What is All the Fuss About HRT?

Since multiple sclerosis is most prevalent in women some of the most important questions asked by women are about MS and menopause. With menopause many women tend to suffer from hot flashes, which while they can be somewhat uncomfortable are manageable. However for the woman who has MS and has been told by her physician to avoid anything that might cause her body temperature to increase these hot flashes can very unpleasant to say the least.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that combining MS and menopause can have a major effect on the bodys ability to regulate its own temperature even more so than it already struggle with. One noticeable difference for most women is that they tend to have more problems sleeping which affects their levels of fatigue. Thus it can be difficult to decide which of the different symptoms such as headaches, eye problems, PMS symptoms and others are caused by either MS or menopause.

One of the treatments that are commonly recommended by many doctors is hormone replacement therapy or HRT, but this is not necessarily the best solution to the problem. HRT has been proven in several studies to relieve the hot flashes and to reduce other problems like the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, but there some side effects that can be unpleasant at the least and frustrating at best. These include nausea, PMS symptoms and a lack of motivation which can affect the way you eat, this last one is especially important.

When you start using HRT as a treatment for menopause and MS you cannot afford to stop eating the healthy. It has been proven in many research studies that a good healthy diet is essential to keeping your MS symptoms under control and can have a definite effect on how your body copes with the onset of menopause.

You should be prepared to talk to your gynecologist and your Multiple Sclerosis specialist about menopause and MS to see if HRT therapy is right for you. If you have a family history of heart disease or osteoporosis you might want to consider it otherwise you may be doing more harm than good. In general many of the issues can be better taken care of by keeping to a very healthy diet that is rich in green leafy vegetable, fruits and lean meats.

Take the time to research as much as you can and talk to your specialists to make sure they fully understand any problems you might be having so that you have a better understanding of your choices. HRT might work well for some and not for others, but you should only consider it if you have done your homework and can make an informed decision.