Pain is something most women don’t expect when they think about perimenopause and menopause. Yet, many women over 40 suddenly notice more stiffness, tension, or discomfort in their daily lives. It can feel discouraging, and sometimes even scary, when new aches show up seemingly overnight.
The truth is, hormonal changes during midlife play a huge role in how your body experiences pain. When estrogen and progesterone decline, inflammation increases, stress sensitivity rises, and even your gut becomes more reactive.
4 Types of Pain
Let’s break down some of the most common types of pain women experience in this season of life:
1. Joint Stiffness and Achiness
Many women say, “My knees ache more than ever,” or “I feel so stiff when I get out of bed.” That stiffness is often linked to inflammation from lower estrogen levels. We know estrogen is anti-inflammatory so when levels fall, inflammation and pain can increase.
2. Muscle Pain and Tension
Hormonal shifts can make you more sensitive to stress, which shows up in tight shoulders, sore backs, or even restless legs at night.
3. Headaches and Migraines
Estrogen fluctuations can trigger new headaches or migraines, even for women who never had them before.
4. Digestive Pain and Bloating
Foods you once tolerated may now cause gas, bloating, or cramps. Hormones impact digestion and gut health, which means midlife can bring new sensitivities. You may be experiencing low stomach acid, reflux, or slow motility. And all of these can lead to more digestive complaints. And if you don’t have a healthy gut, those neurotransmitters that help produce calmness and pleasure are decreased, too. See how all that is interconnected.
Why Naming Your Pain Helps
When you recognize the type of pain you’re experiencing, you can see patterns and better understand what’s happening in your body. Most importantly—you realize you’re not alone, and you’re not “just getting old.”
Strategies to Help You Find Relief
Joint Stiffness and Achiness
- Start your morning with a tall glass of water, not coffee or tea. In fact, research has found that excess caffeine has been linked to breakdown of cartilage over time, an increased risk of chronic musculoskeletal pain, and worsening pain for those with osteoarthritis. I’m not saying you cannot have any caffeine, but the key is to limit it to small portions if you suffer any pain.
- Incorporate anti-inflammatory foods like salmon, blueberries, turmeric, and leafy greens into your meals.
- Move with low-impact exercise like walking, biking, swimming, light weights.
Muscle Pain and Tension
- Try foam rolling to release tight muscles.
- Add in magnesium-rich foods like pumpkin seeds and spinach.
- Take a relaxing bath in Epsom salts in the evening.
- Pause for 2-3 minutes of deep breathing to calm stress.
Headaches and Migraines
- Track triggers (foods, stress, sleep, hormones) in a journal.
- Eat balanced meals with protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and fiber.
- Limit known triggers such as red wine, processed sugar, or skipped meals.
- Get massages periodically to ease tension.
Digestive Pain and Bloating
- Keep a food journal to spot sensitivies or patterns.
- Practice mindful eating such as slowing down, chewing thoroughly, and eating while sitting down.
- Add fiber-rich vegetables for regular digestion.
- Eat more cooked vegetables rather than raw if you are in a flare.
Two Additional Things to Do
Begin and end your day with gratitude and/or reading a Bible verse or a short devotional can remind you of what is important in life and help your mindset and focus, especially when pain is flaring.
See your health practitioner and get hormonal labs run for estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones. If any are low or out of balance, then you may want to consider supplements, herbs, medication, or BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy). Do your research and talk to your practitioner. Your body is bio-individual.
These small, consistent steps can ease stiffness, pain, and reduce inflammation over time. Just begin somewhere. I don’t want you to just barely survive this season of life. I want you to thrive!
It is not normal for you to suffer in pain in perimenopause and menopause in silence. Naming what you’re experiencing and taking small daily actions can bring real relief.
If you didn’t see part 1 of this series, click here to access it.
And if you’d like some help in identifying your triggers, decreasing your symptoms, and loving yourself in this new season, reach out to me. As a health and wellness coach, I love working with women in midlife – helping them achieve all they are capable of. But if you’re in pain, you often cannot do that. So click here to schedule a free consult to see how we can work together.
Leah Cheshire is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and retired speech-language pathologist and homeschooler. After having numerous health issues herself, she embarked on a wellness journey using various nutrition and lifestyle modifications. She then decided to return to school to help others. Leah now works primarily with midlife women who have hormonal problems, weight and digestive issues, pain, brain fog, and fatigue by providing guidance and accountability to help them decrease symptoms and improve their overall health. If you need help from someone who, not only has helped clients but who also has been in your shoes, reach out today to set up a free 20-minute session. Click here to schedule.
