Managing Your Menopause – Aches and Pains

Here is another in our Managing Your Menopause series

Aches and Pains by Freddy Carrick

Menopause is around the time when you notice a sound every time you bend down to pick something up, it sounds a little like ‘ooof’ and it’s coming from you.

Once you catch yourself making this sound you should just laugh, most of us make it and it isn’t a sign of old age, it’s just something that goes with menopause process.

Joint pain isn’t so amusing though, and many of you may begin to feel as though you slept on a rock as you make your way to the bathroom first thing in the morning. It can make the difference between you enjoying your chosen exercise class or avoiding it, although going and enjoying the feeling of satisfaction at the end is always the best choice. When you begin to notice joint pain and muscle ache, along with a change in your periods (if you have them) and feeling as though someone removed your temperature control, it’s all the same problem.

“I tried yoga first time yesterday. I decided I had to do something as my joints and hips have been feeling really stiff. I’m going through the peri menopause. I would really recommend it. I woke up this morning for the first time in a long while feeling like my old self”

“Turmeric milk to ease joints . I make my own golden paste then mix a teaspoon into a cup of warm milk. A glug of local honey and drink it morning and night.
Golden paste recipe is 1cup turmeric powder. 2cups water heated slowly stirring all the time. Simmer very gently for a few mins then remove from heat. Stir in tablespoon of coconut oil add 1 heaped teaspoon of black pepper and decant into jars. Will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks”

Production of oestrogen is slowing down and that will affect the elasticity of the cartilage and tendons which hold your bones together, hence the joint ache. Muscles feel stiffer too for the same reason and you could find that cramp is a problem. YES, you are in perimenopause, NO you are not old. Swimming or yoga is the best choice of exercise if you have a lot of pain as it obviously avoids putting pressure on the problem areas.

If you have concerns and are worried that the problem is more than lack of oestrogen, then have a conversation with your doctor. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are very different problems and it’s possible that some of your family have either or both of them. If they have, then you may have some genes which make you likely to develop it as well.

Clearly, being overweight and/or obese will cause you much greater problems structurally. Obesity is an epidemic in the western world as I write this, and the disability industry is having a lot of fun creating huge profits for itself by supplying walking sticks and mobility aids to the population.

Type 2 diabetes may not sound as much of a problem as Type 1, but I promise you it is actually worse and a great deal more difficult to treat. Especially if you smoke and/or drink alcohol regularly. Losing weight is always helpful to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Freddy Carrick is founder Menopause Unzipped CIC & Unzipped At Work.
Menopause/change coaching services and/or education and support within corporations.

Here is what she says about what she does – 

As a Certified Life Coach and Menopause Expert, I help Executive and Professional women keep their lives on track through the hormonal fluctuations of life. I offer individual and group coaching to men and women.
More than 10% of professional women consider giving up their career due to menopause since the symptoms can be overwhelming and confusing to manage.
I will clarify and support, offering strategy and energy to craft your unique solution to every female’s challenge.
I live in the Lake District, UK and work mainly online or via telephone.

love Freddy