Rheumatoid Arthritis: Its Impact on Sex, Intimacy, Pregnancy and Menopause

If you are a woman living with rheumatoid arthritis, there is no doubt you understand the impact of RA upon your life in terms of not only a medical and psychological effect but also an impact to your sex life and ability to form intimate relationships.

With bones and joints that chronically ache, many women who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, especially at a young age, find intimacy in a relationship to be of great challenge. Compounded by this complication are the additional issues that pregnancy and menopause can bring about when living with RA.

In terms of sex and intimacy, many women with rheumatoid arthritis will note that not only are they coping with complications associated with pain in the joints but, commonly, their partner will forego any intimate contact with the RA sufferer for fear of inflicting additional pain on their frail body. Additionally, the medications commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may lead to a decrease in libido, only further complicating health.

For women with RA, who suffer from these complications associated with intimacy, it is important to discuss, openly, the concerns with your healthcare professional. Often, with the modification of the medication used in RA treatment, your libido can be improved. In terms of pain associated with sex and intimacy, many healthcare professionals will recommend pre-planning intimacy sessions at times of the day that do not involve peak pain factors and use creative ways in which to stimulate the senses and relaxing the body, i.e. massage or showering in warm water.

For women who desire to have children, while suffering with RA, the pain associated with pregnancy is often unbearable. Additionally, because some of the RA medications are not for use during pregnancy, women who are pregnant and suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, commonly find they are at an even greater risk for pain and decreased mobility during this stage of their lives. Oddly enough, some women actually experience a relief of their RA symptoms during pregnancy while others must be closely monitored to ensure medication is absorbed in light of morning sickness.

Menopause can be the most strikingly complicated period for a woman with rheumatoid arthritis. Because a woman's bones and joints usually ache with menopause anyway, this pain is greatly compounded when coping with RA. For this reason, it is important that woman, with a risk for rheumatoid arthritis, seek out the attention of a healthcare professional well before menopause sets in so as to work to create a plan of attack in reducing RA symptoms if, and when, they become significant.

As with most arthritic conditions, the key to optimal health outcomes lies in the early diagnosis and intervention. As a woman living with rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to understand the impact medications will have on not only your sex life and libido but also the medications issues, and pain, associated with pregnancy and pain. Since a "one-size-fits-all" treatment plan is not attainable in the RA patient, communicating with your healthcare professional, regularly, will ensure you are given the best possible options during these varying stages of your life.