Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects nearly two to three times as many women as it does men1. It’s a chronic condition that can have a significant negative impact on your life if left unchecked. Women often experience unique challenges with RA due to factors like hormonal influences and lifestyle differences, making it crucial to learn how to identify and manage rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women efficiently.
Continue reading to learn more about the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women, how the condition may progress, and some helpful strategies for managing it. See how tools like zero gravity chairs can alleviate your discomfort during RA flare-ups and give you the support you need to have a better quality of life.
Do you have more joint stiffness or tenderness when the weather gets cold? Check out our guide to enduring arthritis and cold weather after this article.
What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Managing or treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women begins with understanding what the condition really is. RA is a chronic inflammatory condition where your immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of your joints. This can lead to experiencing pain, swelling, and lasting damage over time. If left unmangaged, your RA symptoms can also begin to impact other systems of your body like your lungs, heart, and blood vessels. RA is a progressive condition whose symptoms get worse as it goes through various stages.
There are four stages of rheumatoid arthritis in women:
- Stage 1 (Early RA): The first stage of RA starts with inflammation of your joint lining (called synovium) that can lead to some swelling, pain, and stiffness.
- Stage 2 (Moderate RA): The second stage of RA is when inflammation starts damaging your cartilage. This manifests in more significant pain, limited mobility, and even the possibility of joint deformity.
- Stage 3 (Severe RA): The third stage of rheumatoid arthritis in women is characterized when the condition begins to damage your bones. Here, you’ll likely experience an even more limited range of motion and function alongside more visual changes.
- Stage 4 (End-Stage RA): The fourth stage of RA may actually have inflammation subsiding, but this is when you may lose full functionality in the affected joints. It’s the most painful of the stages, and the damage is permanent.
Learning how to live with arthritis is about early detection and determining a management plan with your doctor. While it may be an incurable condition, there are many natural methods to help ease discomfort and handle rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women along the way.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women
Rheumatoid arthritis in women can present unique symptoms and challenges because of hormonal fluctuations or lifestyle factors. Understanding and knowing what to look for in terms of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women is helpful for early detection and management. The sooner you’re able to start taking steps toward managing symptoms, the better you can plan for rheumatoid arthritis self-care for the long term.
Some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women to monitor include:
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Swelling and tenderness
- RA-related fatigue
- Hormonal-related RA symptoms
- Body system symptoms
1. Joint Pain and Stiffness from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Pain and stiffness in your joints are one of the earliest and most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women. You’re most likely to experience these symptoms in smaller joints like your fingers, wrists, and toes, with symptoms being most prevalent in the morning. This can make even simple actions like making a morning cup of coffee or buttoning a shirt more challenging or uncomfortable. Frequently referred to as “morning stiffness,” this is certainly an early identifier for rheumatoid arthritis in women.
You can also experience joint stiffness due to hormonal changes throughout various stages of your life. For example, some women report having more joint stiffness or soreness during menstruation or post menopause. This is most likely due to fluctuations in estrogen levels in your body, which may result in inflammation or swelling.
2. Swelling and Tenderness
Continuing with inflammation and swelling as symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women, these conditions can vary in intensity and get worse over time up until the last stages of RA. These rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women may begin to limit mobility or make certain tasks more challenging to do. If left unchecked, chronic swelling or inflammation can lead to permanent joint damage. This is why it’s important to discuss with your doctor to come up with methods for arthritis treatment at home that can help you in your daily routine.
3. Fatigue From RA Symptoms in Women
Experiencing fatigue is another of the most common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women. More than just being tired, RA fatigue can interrupt your daily tasks and result in emotional changes, as well. It’s one of the aspects of rheumatoid arthritis in women that can be particularly challenging to manage due to systemic inflammation and your body’s immune response to the condition.
On top of physical fatigue and feelings of tiredness, the overall combination of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women can feel emotionally overwhelming as part of a negative cycle of stress the condition causes. This makes it important to prioritize rest and recovery as often as possible to manage symptoms and get back to a better quality of life.
4. Hormonal Influence on Symptoms
Another one of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women that can have a significant impact on day-to-day life is hormonal fluctuation. It’s not just a symptom of the condition, but can also have a direct effect on the severity of other symptoms you’re experiencing as well.
Going through menopause is often a significant time period for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women, as decreased estrogen in the body can lead to more frequent swelling or inflammation. Conversely, women who become pregnant may actually experience a decrease in RA symptoms due to increased anti-inflammatory hormones they develop during their pregnancy. After giving birth, however, these are likely to return to normal when hormone levels return to normal.
Working closely with your doctor is crucial to monitoring your hormone levels and effectively managing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women. Keeping on top of this metric can help determine the proper plan of action for your treatment.
5. Systemic Symptoms
While symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis affect the joints, it’s not limited to just those points in your body. Unfortunately, RA is a systemic disease that can affect your entire body over time. Rheumatoid arthritis in women may also lead to symptoms like dry eyes or dry mouth due to common overlap disorders like Sjögren’s syndrome. You may also develop skin nodules or small lumps under the skin near joints as RA progresses into various stages.
Beyond this, RA can impact other systems of your body, leading to shortness of breath or even an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is why it’s so important to stay on top of tracking and managing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis to maintain your overall health.
How to Relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms in Women
Managing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women properly takes a combination of medical treatments, lifestyle adjustments, and recovery tools like zero gravity chairs to alleviate discomfort and keep up your quality of life. Anti-inflammatory medications and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are frequently prescribed to reduce inflammation and prevent joint damage in the long term, but only your doctor can recommend what’s best for you.
Getting enough low impact exercise like yoga or swimming can help improve flexibility and reduce stiffness in your joints. You’ll also want to follow a balanced diet filled with anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, fatty fish, and nuts to support your body.
When it comes to recovery tools, zero gravity chairs are an excellent choice. Choosing a chair for arthritis support is about more than just being comfortable, it’s about finding the right one to alleviate excess pressure on joints and help your body recover more effectively. Not only do zero gravity chairs provide a wide array of physical health benefits in the zero gravity position, but these also serve to help bolster your mental health. Additional features like massage and heat therapy deepen your relaxation, provide pain relief, and work as home remedies for swelling that often accompanies RA.
Get Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Under Control
While it’s currently incurable, managing RA doesn’t have to be completely debilitating. Identifying and formulating a plan to manage symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in women early is vital to maintaining a good quality of life as you continue getting older. Consult with your doctor regarding hormonal fluctuations, joint stiffness, fatigue, and other symptoms to evolve managing your condition as needed. The inclusion of tools like zero gravity chairs supplement your treatment methods and can help you in your daily routine. With the right plan in place, you’ll be able to live a happy and fulfilling life with RA.
Disclaimer: This content is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare professional when considering implementing changes to your health or workout routines to ensure it’s compatible with your needs.
Additional Sources
- https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/rheumatoid-arthritis
