b'you notice your MS symptoms also improving.hormones (yes, steroids are hormones) tend Dear MS Nurse,to cause bones to thin, weight to increase, and I am only 58 but went through menopauseother comorbidities such as metabolic disease nearly ten years ago. My MS seems to haveand type 2 diabetes. For that reason, women progressed more rapidly since my periodswith MS may have a higher risk of osteoporosis stopped. I heard that hormone replacementandfracturesatanearlieragethantheir helps slow down MS decline. Is there researchcounterparts without MS. on this and would it hurt to try HRT to see ifDear MS Nurse, it slowed the progression?SaraAre there any natural alternatives to HRT? Binns:Atthe2020meetingof AmericanI try to manage my MS with lifestyle changes Conference on Treatment and Research inand would like to learn more about how to Multiple Sclerosis, there was a presentationmanage hormones naturally as well. Erin indicating women who go through menopauseBinns: Soy products have a natural progesterone early (before the age of 55) may have a morein them and can, in some women, lower the progressive form of MS than those who wenteffect of hormonal changes during the process through menopause later in life. The reportof going through menopause. Also, Mexican also concluded women who had at least oneWild Yam has been known to relieve some of pregnancy carried to term were less likely tothe symptoms of low estrogen and progesterone. have an early menopause or have their MSIt can be found in a supplement form and in progress rapidly after menopause. To readcreams to relieve vaginal dryness caused by the study, visit: msfocus.us/ACTRIMSAbstractlowering hormone levels. Thisstudyalsoaddressesseveralsmaller studies that looked at the effect of HRT on MSIf you are a woman living with MS and are progression.between the ages of 40 and 60 and feel that Dear MS Nurse,hormonal changes are negatively affecting I heard that women with MS have higheryour MS; please have a discussion with your rates of osteoporosis than women without,primary care physician or OB/GYN about the after menopause. Is this true?Madelynnperimenopause/menopause effects on your Binns: There seems to be a slightly higherMS symptoms. Ask about the potentials of incidence of osteoporosis in women with MStryinghormonereplacementtherapyto than age-matched women without, but thatmanage those changes.seems to correlate with the use of steroids toIf you have a question for the MS Nurse,treat MS relapses. Used frequently, theseemail msnurse@msfocus.org. Tell us what you want to see in MS Focus Magazine.Email comments to: editor@msfocus.org or write to: Editor, MS Focus 6520 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 3330951 msfocusmagazine.org'