Menopause And Pain: Why And How to Relieve It?

During the menopause, you may experience a variety of symptoms, some more familiar than others. Pain in various parts of the body is one of these not-so-familiar symptoms.

I explain everything we know about menopausal pain.

♻️ Last update: May 19, 2025.
👩‍⚖️ Declaration of financial interests: none directly related to the subject. My complete declaration of interest is in the legal notice section.
Written by Nelly Darbois, physiotherapist and scientific editor

When is menopause more painful?

Menopause is a period that lasts several years. It is often divided into 4 phases:

• premenopause: menstrual cycles are regular and there are no symptoms;
• perimenopause: shorter or longer, irregular cycles and the onset of symptoms;
• menopause: longer intervals between cycles and more pronounced symptoms;
• postmenopause : when menstruation has been missed for at least 12 months.

It’s during perimenopause and postmenopause that the risk of pain is highest : 7 out of 10 women in perimenopause describe muscle and tendon pain. Fewer women in pre-menopause describe pain, but just as many in post-menopause.

Source : Lu 2020

Why are aches and pains more frequent during this period of life?

During perimenopause, levels of sex hormones such as estrogen fluctuate greatly, rather than decreasing steadily.

These irregular changes in hormones can affect and disrupt the central nervous system. And it’s this nervous system that makes us feel more or less pain.

Perimenopausal aches and pains are most likely due to these hormonal fluctuations to which our bodies are trying to become accustomed.

What are the different types of pain?

The pain most often described during menopause is pain affecting the so-called“soft tissues“, also known as musculoskeletal pain:

• muscles: muscle pain ;
• Tendons : tendon pain, often called tendinitis or tendinopathy;
• nerves: nerve or neurological pain.

All parts of the body can be touched, from head to toe: ankles, knees, pelvis, back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, etc.

Source : Lu 2020

How do you know if the pain is due to menopause or something else?

There are no tests that can say: “Madam, if you weren’t in menopause, you wouldn’t have had pain”. In any case, having this information wouldn’t necessarily make it any easier to find a good way of relieving pain.

If your pain appears or increases during your perimenopause, it ‘s reasonable to assume that it’s partly due to your condition.

However, this does not necessarily mean that there are no other reasons for the pain. Pain is always something that has several causes: it is said to be “multifactorial”.

For example, factors such as age, weight, level of physical activity, previous injuries, underlying medical conditions (such as osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia), and even stress can all contribute to pain.

What can be done to avoid or relieve pain?

You can have at least 2 attitudes towards this pain:

• try to relieve it yourself , remaining optimistic that it can go away or fluctuate even without doing anything in particular;
• decide to seek the advice of one or more healthcare professionals to help you manage or treat your pain: general practitioner, physiotherapist, endocrinologist, etc.

Pain during the menopause can be relieved in the same way as pain outside the menopause. It is therefore possible to try the usual tricks to relieve muscle and tendon pain:

• Partially rest the painful area: identify activities that aggravate pain and reduce their frequency or intensity. If necessary, rest the area in a splint, change shoes, change sleeping position or sit at a desk;
• use ice or heat;
• Wear a support sleeve (forearms, arms) or support socks or stockings : support can provide relief and limit swelling in these areas, which is also a source of pain;
• elevate the affected limb: if your pain is localized to one extremity (hand, foot), placing this joint higher than the heart can relieve the pain, as fluids stagnate less and compress the area less. Ideally, you should make yourself comfortable with cushions and change positions regularly;
• progressively re-stress the painful area : gradually increase the activity at the origin of the problem to the desired level. Total rest is no good: tendons need a certain amount of activity to heal properly. Physiotherapists are among the people who can help you achieve this.

There is also a possible medication approach, to be discussed with your doctor.

Hormone replacement therapy carries a relatively high risk of side-effects, and is therefore not systematically proposed when pain is the main complaint. What’s more, they have not been properly evaluated for this indication: we don’t know if they really relieve pain.

Source: InformedHealth.org, Magliano 2010

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That’s all I wanted to say on the subject! Any questions or comments? See you in comments!