My Psoriasis and Menstrual Cycle Are Besties

Being a woman is a complicated business on a good day. Our bodies are just made different, and it's something I am very proud of. Even when things are hard, how I am put together makes things more challenging. The menstrual cycle occurs regularly and arrives in your body with a great big crash and bang. Claiming victims and announcing its arrival, by way of headaches, backaches, cramps, bloating, cravings, and more. This is all if your body operates with standard hardware and you do not have to deal with things like endometriosis. I digress.

New best friends

My menstrual cycle and psoriasis seem to have conspired. They too, are now work together to ensure that I am aware of what's going on and what is on its way. After so many years of having a menstrual cycle, I get it and I really do not need any more warnings.

But alas, my pleas have gone unheard and here we are, a psoriasis flare is now a symptom of my menstrual cycle arriving. I think it is safe to say that I did not need this extra reminder, but here we are. This all happens TWO DAYS before my cycle begins. These two days are not to be trifled with.

In their arsenal, they now have lower back pain, an endless list of cravings, and a stomach capacity to suit that. Any existing psoriasis spots that are around, will now stand at attention loud and proud. My skin goes bananas, it itches and burns. And as if that is not enough, any spots that I thought were healing, return with a vengeance, making a final show for two to three days before they will start subsiding again.

Managing my psoriasis flares from my menstrual cycle

I have tried ice-cold showers and creams, and it is just as if nothing helps. There is simply no reprieve from this flare for me, It does not stop me from trying though. The upside is that it usually only lasts a few days and subsides all by itself again, to whatever we were dealing with before my menstrual cycle arrived.

I brought this up in a discussion at one of my last telephone appointments with my doctor and I could feel his empathy ooze through the phone. He is positively lovely and goes out of his way to understand and help me where he can. We have such a lovely, open, and safe relationship. Which makes talking about these things so much easier. And for now, this is put down to the unpredictability of my psoriasis and my hormones. There is no stranger than usual hormone activity. So who knows why this has started up.

Moving forward we are monitoring it and making notes about what happens when and praying that it passes and soon. Have you also experienced anything like this? I would love to hear from you, with any ideas, or experience.