Some women experience an increase in symptoms (swelling in the joints, pain) during PMS, so it's possible it's related.  Do you have arthritis in your hips?  Do your other menstrual cycle symptoms vary, as well?  Is something else going on every three months that might explain it?  The longer you have your disease, the better you get at recognizing patterns of symptoms, so I tend to trust my gut on things like that.  Unless it is severe enough that you want it to be treated, you can ask yourself whether it is important that you doctor agrees with you.    However, if you haven't had a physical in a while, it might be a good idea to get one, just to rule out anything else.

I was diagnosed on April 29th of this year, I just started having pain on my hips this month when I was on my menstrual, and I did think that maybe it has to do with the RA because I never had it before. I do have an appt. on Tues. with my RA doc. and that is one of the questions I have written down to ask her.

Thanks ladies!  I thought I was going crazy!  Especially since I'm at the 3 month mark again and my hips feel like they are going to explode.  My husband doesn't get it!  I hate that I don't have any real outward symptoms!   It's not like you need to wear a cast or anything!  The only joints that have shown any real swelling so far are my hands.

Painful hips affect everything don't they.  You can't get out of bed, you cant hardly get up and down from the toilet, and you can't hardly walk.  I too have an increase in pain and inflammation when I am PMSing and during my menstruation cycle.  My rheumy told me not too long ago that he believes that there is a connection with out hormones and oujr flares and that in fact they are doing studies the connection of hormomes during menstruation and after childbirth.  I think a lot of us can identify with you on this one!  Has your rheumy done any xrays to see if there has been any damage to your hips?  My old rheumatologist that I was having "sympathy pains" from the pain in other parts of my body.  Then when I started seeing my new rheumatologist he did xrays immediately and I got the news that I needed total hip replacement surgery.  The fact is that RA affects different people, well, differently.  And even if you just have pain in your hands it doesn't mean that it's not affecting your hips as well.  I try to remind people all the time that RA can do damage even when there is no pain present.  Take it easy, keep your head up, and I hope for relief for you soon!  Good luck and best wishes!

No pain in my hips.  My symptoms do tend to worsen the week before my period.