Menstrual cycle and dry eye
I was wondering if anyone else notices their eyes tend to act up or seem more inflamed around your menstrual cycle? I think I have found a pattern but dry eye can be so up and down!
I actually just wrote an article for lupus.net talking about how I've noticed my migraines and my lupus both flare up around my menstrual cycle starting as well as ovulation. I should add dry eye to the list of things I'm tracking! It's very possible there's a link there for me as well. Thanks for bringing this up! -Ava, CDE team I will check your article out! It took a lot of journaling to realize this and yes, during ovulation too!
Hi Amanda! Definitely!!! I have noticed a significant increase in discomfort around my cycle. Given my heavy bleeding, rashes, and other PMS symptoms, including the DE symtpoms, I finally decided to get hormone testing done and sure enough I am estrogen dominant with low progesterone and low DHEA and I believe my testosterone is off. Low testosterone (which DHEA is responsible for making) and high estrogen (or when progesterone is too low to balance out the estrogen) can cause dry eye for sure. Testosterone is the fuel that creates oil all throughout the body — both within the sebaceous glands and the meibomian glands. Testosterone not only increases oil production but it reduces hyperkeratinization and inflammation of the glands. Estrogen is associated with decreased oil production and increase in hyperkeratinization and inflammation.
Have you had your hormones tested?wow thank you so much for this helpful information!!! I have the same symptoms around my cycle that you described. I have asked my primary care provider if I could get my hormones tested she said I was too young for that. Which was frustrating, did your primary care order them? I am switching to a new primary care provider next week!
in Europe (where I live) only your gynocologist or endocrinologist can write those up for you. Both told me the same thing as your prary provider. I was soooo frustrated. So I found a holistic gynocologist who wrote them up for me. She saw exactly what hormones were off and prescribed bioidentical hormone therapy which are supplements that are entirely plant based (not harmful meds full of chemicals). I just started them 2 days ago so very interested in seeing if this is finally my breakthrough to managing my dry eye. I believe you are in the US? Can you see if you can get in touch with a holistic natural doctor? They for sure will try to heal fo inside out and are able to do all sorts of testing to get to the root cause. Let me know how it goes for you 🙏 Yes I am in the US. Thank you so much for this information, it has been so helpful! I was also frustrated about my primary care. I will start searching for a holistic doctor today!
