For women on Dialysis.....

[Cordelia]

Can dialysis put a woman into experiencing pre menopause/peri menopause symptoms?

 what do you ladies think - Dialysis can be the cause of it?

[Annig83]

I just asked this question a few weeks ago because I was having those issues.  Turned out to be a hormonal imbalance, BUT YES!  Dialysis or ESRD can cause a slew of pre-menopausal symptoms and stop the menstrual cycle completely.  They've done some studies in women by giving them hormones to correct the problem, but it often causes other issues with BP....

Here is a website that explains more:

http://www.aakp.org/aakp-library/Menopause-Treatment/

[Cordelia]

Thanks so much for the link!         I'll check it out!  I guess there are debates out there about hormone replacement therapy, I can imagine?

[Lillupie]

yes,
 I will have to admit I do somewhat wish I would be one to stop all peroids! I will tell you this much I complained to my ob/gyn about my few chin hairs, one chest hair that keeps spouting out, my mustache, shrinking boobs (lol).
 I asked for birth control, and he said no because I have lupus, and because my mothers family is from Italy replacement hormones wont work because my moms side is from that part of the world where women have facial hair.

 So he did blood work, and yes my hormones are elevated, like the testorone, and a few other ones.

So I went to a reproductive endrocrinologist (sp?), and he told me that dialysis is pretty much a filter, and not eveything goes through the filter. So to rule out tumors, etc. I also had another blood work to check levels again. And this time some werre still high, and I had an ultrasound of the ovaries to look for tumors,a nd none were there. So, dialysis doesnt get rid of every single thing, like we all knew....with me it deosnt get rid of all of my male hormones. no wonder I have such a high sex drive

Lisa

[rsudock]

2 months into dialysis I stopped having periods...I was on D a total of 11 months. Now approaching 5 months into transplant...still no periods.... maybe D put me into menopause! I am dragging my feet getting it checked out.

xo,
R

[Cordelia]

I would seriously LOVE no periods! LOL         I must ask, does anyone go to a Obgyn who "specifically" deals with  people who are on dialysis? Is it even possible to ask to see one that's really familiar with Dialysis?   Because I'm seriously thinking/wondering if this is even possible to be referred to a specialiist who does.

[Annig83]

 I don't go to an Ob/GYN specific for dialysis but he is a high-risk doctor and correlates all my treatment with my nephrologist. It's nice to know that my doctors work together specifically for my issues

[Cordelia]

LOL I just realized now that may have come out the wrong way on my end, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I wondered if any ob/gyn 'knows a lot" of what dialysis can do to a woman's body, like......an understanding how it can affect.

That is good like you said, they work together, for you   

[Riki]

I've said a million times that I'd trade my period to be able to pee again.. *LOL*

When I was 13, I went to a gynecologist, on the advice of my nephrologist, because he couldn't explain why I got bloody drain bags while I was on my period.  The gynecologist explained it to us quite well, then drew a picture for the nephrologist. *LOL*

In his defense, he was a pediatric nephrologist, and was not used to having patients over the age of 12.  Of his patients who were teenagers, I was one of only 3 girls, and the only one on pd. The rest were all boys

[Cordelia]

I've never done PD. Is that something common to have happen during a period, to have bloody drain bags? 

[Annig83]

Yes!  In women, your Peritoneal Cavitity and uterus have an opening between them.  When the lining is being shed, some of the blood and solution from PD get mixed together and can leak into the drain bag.  Some women get it worse when it is a heavy period, or if they have a longer menstrual cycle.  Surgery in the abdomen or belly can also cause it as well, but it usually goes away.

[Cordelia]

Is that a common thing to have happen? I'd never heard of that happening before.

[Riki]

Is that a common thing to have happen? I'd never heard of that happening before.

very common.  It happened to me every months.  Usually about 2 days before my period would start, my bags would be bloody.  We'd always take a sample in to be tested, just to be on the safe side, but the bloody bad was my warning that my period was going to start.  I have no warning now.  I've thrown away a lot of underwear in the last 3 years.

A cloudy or bloody bag is also a sign of peritonitis, which is why we had it tested.  It's too bad that when I actually did have peritonitis, my bags were clear.

[tbarrett2533]

I am so glad that I came accross this thread....... since I started the D 13 months ago, my periods have slowly started to go away, some months I will not even have one now, this is fine if you are 60 or never want to have chidlren, its not fine if you are 32 and are childless like I am. It is only a matter of time for me that mine stops all together, and I keep hearing these horror storries about these women who had transplants and their periods never came back and they NEVER were able to have children.......it goes to show some people out there (mothers) how blessed you really are

I HATE what kidney failure has took from me!!!!!!!!!!!! BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!!!                            (sorry)

[jbeany]

The only thing that applies to all women on D is that there is no single experience.  Some women do stop having periods, and go into early menopause.  We have members on here who were told they couldn't get pregnant while they were on D - and then did.  I was told my periods would stop almost immediately.  Instead, they became more frequent and heavier.  And heavier.  And heavier.  From what I've read from members on here, that's not an uncommon experience either.

[Cordelia]

        Tbarrett

When I went into renal failure, my period stopped, then it came back 5 months after starting dialysis, then it came back with a nasty venegeance meaning it's been so heavy since. Don't know whether to blame it on the heparin or if it's pre menopausal.  I'm sick of the heavy periods and the major PMS'ing.   

[Riki]

I wish my periods would stop.  I gave up on the idea of being a mother a long time ago.  I don't figure I'll ever be healthy enough to carry a child to term, considering this is my third and longest dance with dialysis.  I'm at 7 and a half years this month

[The Lady]

My periods were so heavy, I was so anemic and my hemoglobin was 4. After starting D and having transfusions they put me on Megace which is some sort of hormone normally used to stimulate appetite in cancer patients.

It seems to work though. My periods are much more manageable now. I sometimes skip a month but that doesn't break my heart.

[Cordelia]

I wish mine would stop         

[cassandra]

Hi Cordelia why can't you use the anti-conception pill? tha would stop your periods wouldn't it?
lol

[Cordelia]

No, I can't go on the Pill, risk of blood clot, what not. Plus, I already had my tubes tied 10 years ago, no risk of pregnancy for me anyways.

[Riki]

I have no risk of pregnancy either, but it's not because of anything medical... *LOL*

[Cordelia]

I had a lot of problems in the Pill. Helped my period when I was on 17 years ago, however, it made me awfully moody and I had no sex drive on it at all.