New things hurting each day

[Tr33top5]

Over last few months, new things always hurting or aching, with the last week, a new things hurt each day! Is this common in perimenopause? Thumbs, wrists, big toes, hip, ankle?!

Not for me at all but I’ve been on HRT since I was 43. I’m 52 now. I never have any pain at all-I’m not saying this to be smug. My DH has complained about pains in his body for years and can’t quite understand why I don’t have any sore bits. I’m not overweight which I think helps as I think carrying extra weight will put stress on joints.

I am fit and not overweight

I wouldn't assume it's peri/meno, and would suggest talking to your GP. Pains in the small joints can be indicative of inflammatory/rheumatoid etc arthritis, especially if you have stiff joints on waking too.

Thank you - will talk to GP
Had some stiffness a few weeks ago but just aching/pain now.

That pattern of a different joint flaring up each week, thumbs, wrists, toes, hip, ankle, does crop up a lot alongside perimenopause, likely linked to falling oestrogen affecting joints and connective tissue. It might be worth jotting down which joint, what time of day it started, how bad it was out of ten, and anything else going on that day (sleep, stress, where you are in your cycle if you still have one). After a month or so you often start to see whether it's cyclical, random, or tied to something like poor sleep, and that kind of pattern is genuinely useful to bring to a GP rather than just saying everything aches.

Thank you for your message
that is reassuring to read. Will start tracking, excellent suggestion.
What could the dr do though - is this a reason for HRT?

This was one of the things I sort of resigned myself to over time and one of the first things to improve on HRT, along with sleep, hot flushes and lower back pain.

That’s fantastic news
It’s the foot pain that’s really getting me down as feels limiting when I’m normally so active

@trainedopossum That's interesting about lower back pain as I'm starting to experience this at 52. Still having periods but they're getting slightly irregular (more spaced out). I was thinking to talking to my doctor about HRT. I'm pretty fit and not overweight so it's not that.

@RestingGrumpFace Yes, I've wondered about rheumatoid arthritis as my Mum suffered from it and that increases my risk of developing it.

Bugger, this middle-aged business is frustrating sometimes! 😂

At the risk of being thrown into the ducking pool I've found most of my aches and pains have slowly disappeared since taking collagen. I can now climb the stairs without grunting, and can sit watching the TV without having to move every 10 minutes to get more comfortable etc. I can tell when I've forgotten to take it.

Definitely get checked out by your GP first though in case it's an auto immune condition.

Thank you! I just started taking type 2 collagen a few weeks ago! What do you take and how long until you saw improvements?

I wouldn't throw you into the ducking pool @LittleGreenDragons, if collagen helps, I'll try it.

One of my friends had this and it miraculously disappeared with HRT. Hope you get it sorted.

Sounds like HRT will have massive benefits to you, if you are able to take it.

I'd recommend getting some decent shoe inserts/orthotic supports. I have bunions and I really thought my heavy walking days were over but a wide pair of trainers and some arch support have helped massively. Can regularly do 20000 steps again. They can also help with plantar fasciitis. I bought mine from Salford Insole.

Thank you @doitwithlove @Planningatripsoon i am so pleased I posted and found others have experienced similar. I am 42, though, and have been reading on NICE guidelines that a blood test for FSH (?) is needed to prescribe HRT. I just hope the dr I see ‘gets it’ as the need for a blood test on something potentially so variable makes me feel wary

I did not have to have blood test due to being 52. Hope your doctor is understanding

I’ve just seen your age again. I would be wanting blood tests done just to rule out anything else. I’m sure the doctor will know what’s best. I think sometimes we need to be careful not to blame peri menopause for everything, then other things get missed. Lots of luck and keep us updated.

https://www.nutritiongeeks.co/products/collagen-glow-up

I saw a slight difference in my hips when walking after 2 weeks and less grunting/knee crunching up the stairs after a month but the rest of it was very gradual. It's not so much you see an improvement but more that you can feel the difference when you stop taking it. After 3 months I suddenly realised I hadn't used the disability step to get into the bath!

Different brands have different ingredients so if one only slightly helps then try a different one such as Ancient & Brave or Elevate before thinking it doesn't work at all. The A&B made no difference to me but NG does.

Thank you, plan to have this fully investigated with bloods etc as googling has informed that my symptoms overlap with lots of things, such as rheumatoid arthritis………

I’m fit and strong and not overweight but still had every menopause symptom going. HRT seems to solve it all though. Endless joint pains - which I didn’t realise was perimenopause at the time.

The trouble with those tests (if you mean RA etc) is that 30% of people who have it don't show it on tests, do they? I also wonder if it's actually fewer more than that too, because, there might be some people who get a negative test and their doctor never pursues it.
I know there are other ways to get diagnosed with it, but some might not get offered anything but the tests. Would HRT still help with RA, at all?

I spent a good 7 years wondering what was going on. It started at 45 yo with what I presumed was plantar fascitis. After a stupidly long walk on concrete round my marathon runner friends' home town, I thought I'd never walk normally again.

I then started to get muscle aches so bad I got checked out for RA and other similar medical conditions.

When that came out clear but I was severely deficient in vitamin D, I thought thst must be the reason.

After resolving that and then having another "flare", I tried HRT.

After this didn't work, I gave up trying to find out an answer and resigned myself to decline and pain. It got really bad in 2024, and it started to escalate into full on systemic all over neuropathic pain.

Finally, I had a breakthrough last year - the statins I took for high cholesterol. I stopped taking them and it helped somewhat. Not cured, helped.

Then I was finally diagnosed with hEDS. It's Hypermobility Ehler Danlos Syndrome. I have been on a pain management course, and started taking Duloxetine. It has been life changing. My levels of activity have been gradually increasing towards feeling like a life again.

I'm telling you all this because these were all plausible avenues. I hope you find something useful in it all. I went down a lot of dead ends before useful therapy.

Good luck!!

Thank you so much for sharing. Really appreciated and interesting
May i ask what other symptoms you had beyond severe aches and pains?
My physio says I have ‘joint laxity’ which he thinks is postpartum related. Haven’t breastfeed for 1.5years but laxity still there. Not sure if this hyper mobility though

That's worth raising with the GP alongside what the physio's found, because hypermobility and perimenopausal joint symptoms can look quite similar but come from different causes. It's worth asking him to clarify whether he means true joint hypermobility or laxity from another source. Alongside the aches, things that often get mentioned together with perimenopause are hot flushes, poor sleep, mood swings and sometimes more tendon or ligament niggles like trigger finger or plantar fasciitis. Oestrogen plays a part in collagen and connective tissue, so some overlap with laxity symptoms wouldn't be surprising. It might also be worth asking the physio about a Beighton score, the standard quick check for hypermobility, and mentioning the postpartum timing alongside any perimenopausal changes so the two aren't looked at separately.