Symptoms aligning with menstrual cycle - advice?
Hello! 👋🏼
Prior to genetic testing and diagnosis, I had worked out for years that my main symptoms align with ovulation and luteal phase of my menstrual cycle. It means I have 2+ weeks of a flare, beginning with fever, rashes, joint and full body connective tissue pain, insomnia, and some other symptoms. When the fever goes, it rumbles on as general debilitating fatigue, brain fog and worsened reactions until menstruation, when I get relief (despite the other symptoms it brings…😅)! This is not uncommon in autoinflammatory diseases and I’m aware many women experience this.
Does anyone have any advice on how to alleviate symptoms in luteal, excluding birth control?
My GP (not specialist) would like me to go on birth control as a band aid, and though I’m considering it, I have had a terrible time with birth control in the past that has gone unacknowledged, and is now part of a class action lawsuit globally, and I personally would prefer to avoid it.
I am open to any other accessible medical aids, natural aids within reason (I am a physiologist and nutrition scientist so will never go in blindly) or non-medical aids as there may well be things that have never crossed my mind!
I am also open to hearing about successes with birth control if you also have my conditions I listed at the end.
Thank you 🙏
For more info:
I have one pathogenic MEFV variant and two very rare pathogenic variants of two other genes which I cannot recall but are not any of the ones that cause the main, known, conditions. I have numerous VUS for the other known conditions but they are unaware if these are disease-causing variants. My sibling is also affected.
I was tested by the NAC in London and diagnosed by NHS Rheumatology consultant in collab with them. I am yet to receive my letter following the appointment and have not commenced any meds. My CRP has not been raised when tested, though has only been tested at random times. ESR and PV have been raised during random testing, as well as thrombocytopenia, no sign of autoimmunity in bloods.
I have a number of conditions which all overlap/are related in some way, including. Pots, mast cell disease, hEDS, PMOS and insulin resistance (lean), early stage HS (part of overall autoinflammatory picture, also flares in luteal). I believe these all connect to the luteal symptom picture. I take sodium cromoglicate, metformin and fexofenadine.