Contrary to popular belief that m.e is just a 'womans' illness, men can and do get it too. The following is advice for both. Women on this page, and a link at the bottom for the advice for men. Hope it helps. Help and advice for women with m.e
Periods - At the best of times periods can be a nightmare! But for many women with ME/CFS, they experience a worsening of their symptoms. It is not really known why this happens, but it is thought that hormones are affected with ME, and so the disruption of hormones that you experience at “that time of the month” can send things a bit crazy. If possible, it is a good idea to not overdo things just before and during your period, although some gentle exercise can help sometimes if you are up to it. Warm pillows, or hot water bottles can also help ease the period pain, and painkillers such as Paracetamol with codeine and Ibuprofen. When ME symptoms flare during your period, you may feel you need to sleep more, and that is okay too, it may help.
Menopause - ME can be triggered by stress, viruses, and other triggers, but another common trigger is a hysterectomy causing early onset menopause. As if the menopause isn’t enough to deal with, if you also have M.E too then it can be even harder to cope with! Women with ME can find their symptoms worsen greatly when they reach the menopause. As with periods, hormones play a huge part during the menopause, and so affects some of your symptoms. For example, people who previously experienced hot flushes with ME suddenly find that the frequency and intensity of them increase. Also emotions you have to deal with in having such a misunderstood illness, can seem ten times harder to deal with.
Pregnancy - This can be tough, even without ME. However, some women find that pregnancy has negative affects to the ME, but there are some that find their illness goes into remission during the pregnancy. This is thought to be due to the higher levels of hormones in the body which support the immune system in order to protect the foetus. A medical review shows that 25 out of 27 women with ME felt an improvement in their condition during pregnancy, but also that one third of them felt worse after the baby was born. It is likely to be a concern to you and your partner about whether the baby will be born healthy, but Dr. Charles Shepherd reassures on this one by saying “There is no evidence that women with ME are more likely to have a miscarriage. Neither are there any reliable reports of such women producing anything other than perfectly normal healthy babies.” He also says, “There is, however, a small but theoretical risk of passing a persisting viral infection across the placenta. Consequently it may be better to err on the side of caution if you are continuing to experience infective-type symptoms.” Something else that must obviously be considered is that some medications can be harmful to a baby when you are pregnant. Most supplements and over-the-counter medicines are best avoided, except for folic acid which is advisable for all pregnant women to decrease the risk of spina bifida in the baby. But, if you have any concerns or queries it is important to discuss them with your doctor. The most important thing if you do become pregnant, is to communicate well with your midwife and everyone else involved in the preparation for your birth, to make things as comfortable and stress free as possible.
Childbirth - If childbirth alone isn't tiring enough (or painful enough!!) a big factor for anyone with ME considering having children is how you will be able to cope with the birth. Caesarian section is an option, but it isn’t an automatic necessity. The main thing to do is to read up as much as you can about birthing options, before deciding on which would suit you and your baby the best. Various positions and options can ease the pain and difficulties you may face during the birth, and it is very important to research the different drugs and pain relief available and decide which to go for. It is also very important to ensure that the birth is as little stress as possible, for both your sake and that of your baby.
Motherhood - A supportive and understanding partner, family and friends network is a definate bonus to any new mother, especially those with ME, and is essential in at least the first month after the birth. Try to involve as many friends and family members as possible, that may be able to help out in various ways, you will probably find they are pleased to help out anyway. Another option is to contact social services and ask if there is any help they can offer, even things like someone coming in once a week to do a few household chores can be a big help, and one less thing you have to worry about. Use energy saving methods, in order to make life as easy as possible and minimize excessive energy use. A handy tip is to keep things like extra sets of changing supplies in more than one room, so you don’t have to keep going upstairs or into another room each time you need to change your babys nappy. Make a list of all the things that help you and keep it nearby for future reference. This will help both yourself, and those helping you.
