This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616153622.htm

In their study, MU researchers removed the ovaries of pigs, which have a reproductive cycle similar to humans, to create postmenopausal conditions. Two months after the ovaries were removed, they observed dramatic differences in the brain’s vascular system. There was a huge loss of micro vessels, and blood vessels became “leaky.”

That doesn't sound great for us women, I was looking forward to menopause.

Right now I need all of my micro vessels.

Before menopause, the vascular system depends on estrogen for maintenance. When the body decreases its estrogen production, the body is unable to regulate blood vessels like it did before. After a period of deterioration, the body learns to adapt to the estrogen loss and eventually maintains the system in a different way.

It doesn't say what the different way is.

Blood vessels becoming leakier doesn't sound good either, particularly if our blood vessels are already leaky.

Oh, this is just what I needed to hear
After getting the very first signs just recently that I might be in the company of the "M" word in the not too distant future....

I wonder if low dose estrogen could be helpful.

I wonder if low dose estrogen could be helpful.

The article Cece provided a link to discusses this. They seem to think that the body adapts naturally over time and that supplementing with estrogen might do more harm than good. But they are talking about healthy women, not WWMS.

Also in their study of the pigs, they didn't use pigs naturally going through menopause, they surgically removed the ovaries from the pigs, causing healthy young pigs to suddenly go through an artificial and extremely abrupt menopause. This might be very different then the gradual natural process women go through, where hopefully the body has time to adapt.

Still its disconcerting, and I'm planning to keep my vitamin D level near the high end of normal as one way to combat this, since according to research studies, vitamin D is a vasodilator.

Mary Ann

ThisIsMA wrote:But they are talking about healthy women, not WWMS.

Could this help to explain 'late onset'.. those presenting first symptoms at middle age?

There is a paper on Estrogen and HRT in the book I mentioned about Vascular Dementia. I scanned it, looking for clues on whether E2 or HRT influences blood supply. While it is clear that it does, I think they wanted to stay clear of any recommendation of HRT, and did mention some of its problems. http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-16748-da ... sc-30.html

PCakes wrote:

ThisIsMA wrote:But they are talking about healthy women, not WWMS.

Could this help to explain 'late onset'.. those presenting first symptoms at middle age?

It could be a factor, I would think.
I'll look into this further, I hate to draw too many conclusions from a study on pigs. (1eye, I'll start with that link.)
There are many things we can do to improve endothelial health, even if menopause is a thing that is bad for us, it might be possible to compensate with other things (diet, laughter, sunshine, vitamin B12...basically whatever is on Cheer's endothelial health program!)
I felt bad having posted bad news about menopause.
With the discovery of CCSVI, we are in the midst of so much good news for people with MS, it is unprecedented.