About
Is pain part of your menopause story?
In this episode, recorded live as a Henpicked Lunch & Learn session, Deborah Garlick is joined by Dr Clare Spencer, a doctor who works in menopause clinics, to talk about menopause and chronic pain: how hormonal change affects the way we feel pain, and what we can do about it. It's also the theme of this year's World Menopause Day.
Together, we explore:
- [00:44] Why chronic pain in midlife is such a big topic, and the finding that over 50% of midlife women experience it [verify]
- [02:27] How the menopause transition links to pain, from muscle and joint aches to migraine
- [03:27] How oestrogen affects the way nerves send pain signals and how the brain perceives them
- [04:57] Joint and muscle symptoms, and when new pain needs a doctor's attention
- [06:14] The morning stiffness many of us know, and why you should keep moving
- [08:02] Migraine, how hormones can affect it and why a diary helps
- [10:22] Menopause alongside existing conditions such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis and pelvic pain
- [11:51] The brain chemistry behind pain, including serotonin
- [13:21] Whether HRT can help pain, and what else might be needed
- [16:36] Moving in a way that suits your body, and pacing good and bad days
- [17:51] The vicious cycle of poor sleep, pain and isolation, and how to break it
- [19:31] Questions from the audience on joint injury, testosterone, hypnotherapy and acupuncture
- [23:34] Whether duloxetine can be taken alongside HRT
- [24:47] Migraine and HRT, and what to do if you're told you can't have it
- [28:10] Supplements such as vitamin D, magnesium and collagen
- [29:40] Why going to your health check matters
Clare is clear that pain in midlife is real, that menopause can start it, worsen it or overlap with it, and that HRT may help but is rarely the only answer. What we still don't know, such as whether menopause directly causes frozen shoulder, she says plainly. Her take home message: look after yourself, keep moving, and do what is right for you.
Whether you're living with aches you can't explain, managing a condition that has got worse, or simply want to understand what's happening in your body, this conversation is essential listening.
Find out more about My Menopause Centre at https://www.mymenopausecentre.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mymenopausecentre
