Every wonder what a hormone really is? The phrase 'it must be hormones!' comes up frequently when spending time with someone going through puberty, PMS, or menopause. People often make that declaration when sexually attracted to someone they don't particularly like. It is even heard in response to unusual displays of athletic prowess.

So what is a hormone? My medical dictionary gives the rather dry definition that it is a chemical substance produced in the body which has a specific effect on the activity of a certain organ or organs. This dictionary then goes on to give definitions for 23 different kinds of hormones.

What could this possibly have to do with RA?

It turns out that the ratio of two types of hormones, androgens and estrogens, are often messed up in RA. (Androgens are any substance that stimulates male characteristics. Estrogens are any substance capable of producing estrus in females. Both androgens and estrogens are present in both men and women, just at different levels.) In fact, in one study I read all male and female participants with RA, who had normal estrogen levels had androgens levels that were too low.

Turns out that estrogens, at normal (non-pregnant) levels, enhance the type of immune responses that cause RA. Androgens suppress these responses. If you have normal levels of estrogens but don't have enough androgens, it is much harder for the body to stop the out of control immune responses that cause RA.

Given the complexity of the human body, an imbalance of this sort does not automatically produce RA. Rather, these studies demonstrate that this hormone imbalance may increase susceptibility to RA and may influence the experience of RA for those who have it.

To know if a hormone imbalance is influencing your RA you will need to have a doctor check your estrogen and androgen levels.

In the next newsletter I will discuss treatment options for this kind of situation.