Looking for study or article on ME and menstrual cycle disturbances

A friend's young adult daughter with ME has been in hospital for over a month due to extreme weight loss after 3 IV iron treatments. By the time she entered the hospital she weighed just over 60 pounds and they took right to ICU. My friend has tried to educate the hospital staff about ME, getting a number of them to watch "Unrest", and this has made some difference.

The issue they have now is that her daughter has a history of heavy periods, since age 13, but with ME the bleeding has been epic. They want this issue dealt with, as it has been one of the worst symptoms, and they want to take advantage of being in the hospital. An ultrasound hasn't revealed anything, and the staff think it's just because she lost weight. My friend is frustrated as this extreme heavy menstrual bleeding has gotten worse as her daughter's illness became more severe.

I'm trying to find any research studies or medical articles that she can take to the hospital which will explain this. I thought I had come across something a few years ago, but can't seem to find it. Can any of you suggest any appropriate material which covers this specific issues - ME and heavy mentruation or very disturbed menstrual cycles - which my friend can show to the hospital medical staff?

 

@Arnie Pye linked to this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5745581/ in a recent thread. Here's the abstract (below). It looks like it could be very useful for your friend.

With love to your friend and particularly to her/his daughter. Hoping she gets some relief soon and some good care in the meantime.

Early menopause and other gynecologic risk indicators for chronic fatigue syndrome in women
Roumiana S. Boneva, MD, PhD, Jin-Mann S. Lin, PhD, and Elizabeth R. Unger, PhD, MD
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Abstract
Objective
This study aims to examine whether gynecologic conditions are associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Methods
This study includes a subset of 157 women from a population-based case-control study in Georgia, United States, conducted in 2004-2009. Gynecologic history was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs and ORs adjusted for body mass index and other covariates, where relevant, were estimated for gynecologic conditions between 84 CFS cases and 73 healthy controls.

Results
Cases and controls were of similar age. Women with CFS reported significantly more gynecologic conditions and surgical operations than controls: menopause status (61.9% vs 37.0%; OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.21-4.66), earlier mean age at menopause onset (37.6 vs 48.6 y; adjusted OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09-1.36), excessive menstrual bleeding (73.8% vs 42.5%; adjusted OR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.66-6.70), bleeding between periods (48.8% vs 23.3%; adjusted OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.60-6.86), endometriosis (29.8% vs 12.3%; adjusted OR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.53-8.84), use of noncontraceptive hormonal preparations (57.1% vs 26.0%; adjusted OR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.36-6.38), nonmenstrual pelvic pain (26.2% vs 2.7%; adjusted OR, 11.98; 95% CI, 2.57-55.81), and gynecologic surgical operation (65.5% vs 31.5%; adjusted OR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.66-6.67), especially hysterectomy (54.8% vs 19.2%; adjusted OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.46-7.17). Hysterectomy and oophorectomy occurred at a significantly younger mean age in the CFS group than in controls and occurred before CFS onset in 71% of women with records of date of surgical operation and date of CFS onset.

Conclusions
Menstrual abnormalities, endometriosis, pelvic pain, hysterectomy, and early/surgical menopause are all associated with CFS. Clinicians should be aware of the association between common gynecologic problems and CFS in women. Further work is warranted to determine whether these conditions contribute to the development and/or perpetuation of CFS in some women.

Keywords: Chronic fatigue syndrome, Hysterectomy, Menopause, Endometriosis, Menstrual abnormalities, Pelvic pain

 

Thanks so much Evergreen! Much appreciated.

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