50 and joints beginning to hurt. Collagen or fish oils?

[Brummumm]

Hi - I've no idea.
Can you help? I don't need HRT yet (blood tests are all green and periods ongoing) but just for a health boost.
Can anyone recommend to me? Even better if I can look it up on Boots or Holland and Barrett!.

Could you be hyper mobile?

HRT solved my joint pain. I'm 46 but had a hysterectomy at 41 (ovaries still there but can bring forward menopause). I thought I had arthritis. My hands and wrists would get so sore. I didn't know this was a symptom of peri until it got better with HRT.

I do those things too, but my joint pain was caused by the drop in oestrogen at perimenopause so no amount of vegetables was going to make any difference! As soon as I started oestrogen it improved and settled. If I reduce the oestrogen (to check if I still need it) the symptoms return.

I'm glad you don't have that symptom and hope you don't develop it.

It's the second most common symptom of perimenopause.

I don't think that's true for everyone - people who have been very active throughout their life and have participated in high impact sports can expect some pain in older age unfortunately.

A doctor recommended chondroitin and glucosamine to me.

https://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/knowledge/perimenopause-menopause-aches-and-pains

Blood tests are not used to determine whether you are in perimenopause yet and at 50 you are very likely to be. That will be most likely what is causing the joint pain. HRT can help with this.

If you didn’t want to look at HRT then I’d be looking at Omega 3s and glucosamine. Turmeric is also good for inflammation and we become more inflamed throughout perimenopause and beyond. Personally I think replacing the hormones you’ve lost is the best way but for those that can’t or won’t take HRT then those supplements may help a bit.

I am early 50s and have some joint pain (probably linked to cancer treatment). I find a Wellwoman 50 vitamin will often take the pain away, not sure exactly what it is, oncologist recommended calcium and vit D. I do find exercise helps as long as I am careful with posture. Gardening can trigger it if I haven't been careful. Mine is hips and occasionally ribs but pain is mild.

I started HRT and right hip pain went away.

However now I have a lump in my stomach which I think is a fibroid which has grown because of the HRT. So the HRT has had to go out the window and I'm doing diet based stuff, and walking makes the ache go away...

I was taking Vitamin d, magnesium spray, collagen, keeping weight down, exercising. Joints still ached! 10 days into HRT (oestrogen gel, I’m 50) and the aches have almost disappeared.

All women have oestrogen decline - whatever you want to call it - and it impacts joint health. Your joints hurting is a sign that you are now lower in oestrogen than you were.

My joint pain crept up on me until in mid 50s I felt seriously creaky in the mornings until I gave hrt a go and the increase in oestrogen cured it within a week.

I too take vitamin D and my levels are really good. I walk loads and also take omega 3 daily. I've a bmi of 20 and spend lots of time outside gardening/on allotment. I don't drink much and generally consider myself reasonably healthy.

I think it's luck of the draw with menopause symptoms. I've never had a hot flush, rage or insomnia so there is that 😂

I am tall though 5ft 10, so maybe I'm more prone to joint pain because of that?

Another for whom oestrogel made a difference to joint pain

This. At your age your oestrogen would have been waning for years. A classic symptom is joint pain. Personally I would ask the GP for hrt. It stopped my joint pain and enabled me to carry on running and doing yoga.

PS @Brummumm estrogen is really important for maintaining bone density which notoriously gets depleted in menopause leading to increased bone loss and a higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures. HRT replenishes estrogen levels, slows down bone loss, and potentially even promotes new bone growth. It also maintains muscle & muscle strength.

Plus important cardiovascular benefits from HRT too which can help manage cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, and potentially protect against heart attacks and strokes

So it doesn’t just provide symptom relief & should be something really all women consider to protect their bone & heart health as they go through peri/menopause (if able to take it). If you can’t take it there are other bone protecting meds to help slow down the loss.

Get checked though. My MIL had joint pain and presumed age but it was polymyalgia. Another had Vit d deficiency.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polymyalgia-rheumatica/

Jumping in here so when I've done excersise excessive joint pain needs hrt?

Depends on your symptoms, age, any other symptoms of peri?

Isn't it such a relief? I'd tried all sorts with no change and then oestrogel got rid of the pain within a fortnight. Everything felt easier, the constant pain was really affecting my mood.

Have you had the lump checked out? I'd be having something like that looked at, to be sure.

Scan booked in for Weds this week. Thank you.

No symptoms, just a hard lump. Googled it and found loads of mumsnet threads about strange pelvic lumps appearing after starting HRT, where the lady went to the gynae who said that some women respond to oestrogen by growing fibroids. I'm hoping that's what it is. I took the patch off about a week and a half ago and to me it feels smaller already, so I'm hoping it was oestrogen causing it and it will just go away...

Same here. Went on HRT as hot flushes were keeping me awake at night. After a week, the aches and pains that I assumed were due to weight and age had gone.

gin

@PamspeopleI was convinced I had arthritis! I had no idea it was a peri/menopause symptom till my sister started researching and told me!