Hormones, Hypermobility and ME

It is well recognised that ME/CFS is a condition that disproportionately affects women and the reasons for this are not well understood. We are also increasingly aware that people with Joint Hypermobility are more susceptible to developing ME/CFS. One thing that potentially links these together is hormones. Hypermobility symptoms can be affected by variations in hormones such as progesterone and oestrogen and ME/CFS symptoms can fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. ME/CFS is recognised to peak during times of hormonal instability i.e. puberty and the menopause and potentially has associations with other hormone related conditions such as endometriosis and PMDD. Very little research has focused on these aspects so this webinar will aim to raise awareness of these issues and discuss how they can relate to the presentation and management of ME/CFS. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion to share experiences among the group.

Dr Vikki Mckeever is a GP and GP with specialist interest in ME/CFS in 2 specialist services. She was also the information and Communications officer for BACME for 4 years and has presented various BACME webinars and conference workshops and contributed to BACME resources. In her GP role she has a particular interest in women’s health including contraception and menopause care and brings that expertise into her ME/CFS work to identify additional factors that can contribute to ME/CFS symptom burden.