During the menopausal transition, some women find that they experience pain – either new pain or more pain than usual – in different areas of their bodies. This pain is almost always neuropathic pain and it happens because lowered levels of estrogen are associated with chronic low-grade inflammation. Inflammation results in the buildup of fluid that pushes against nerve endings and results in neuropathic pain of various types (constant, throbbing, etc.) and severity. It appears that changes in estrogen levels, not the absolute levels themselves, are associated with increased levels of pain. [8]
[8] Dennis, C. Surging hormones blamed for pain. Nature (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/news050822-6
Jennifer Vander Zalm
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