Hip pain and menopause: How are they linked and what to do?

Menopause is a natural part of female aging that starts between 45 and 56 years and is associated with the permanent end of your reproductive function and menstrual cycles. When you enter menopause, your essential sex hormones drop. Their drop impacts not only your reproductive system, but also your endocrine, nervous, excretory, cardiovascular, and skeletal and muscular systems.

By impacting your skeletal and muscular systems, menopause is also known to have a negative impact on joints, in particular, frequently leading to aches in the hips, back, and other areas. Hip pain and menopause are linked because of the following factors:

• Estrogen decline
• Increased inflammation
• Bone and muscle loss
• Reduced joint lubrication
• Collagen decrease
• Weight gain

Although joint and hip pain are common and normal in menopause, it’s important to address them through lifestyle adjustments, medical treatments, and home remedies to prevent persistent pain or progression of osteoarthritis.

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Menopause is a natural stage of aging in females. It occurs when your ovaries stop releasing eggs and your reproductive function ceases. And it brings along a lot of hormonal and physical changes.

In menopause, your essential sex hormones drop significantly. This affects not only reproduction, but also a number of other systems and organs in your body, including the skeletal and muscular systems. Due to this, it’s common to experience joint stiffness and different types of aches at this stage in your life.

In this article, we’ll explore the link between back, joint, and hip pain and menopause. We’ll delve into the causes and share effective prevention and management tips to help you feel healthy and comfortable every day.

What Is Menopause?

Menopause is a natural stage in every woman’s life. It marks the permanent end of your reproductive function and menstrual cycles. Menopause itself begins after your ovaries haven’t been producing reproductive hormones for at least 12 consecutive months. However, there is also a transition period called perimenopause that can begin 8-10 years before menopause starts.

When Does Menopause Begin?

Menopause occurs in all menstruating females, though its start can vary depending on a variety of factors. It can occur anywhere between 45 and 56 years. In the US, the median age of natural menopause is 51.

The Impact of Menopause on Your Body

First and foremost, menopause causes significant changes in your hormonal levels and reproductive system. When you enter it, your ovaries permanently stop releasing eggs, which also means that you can’t ovulate and get pregnant or have periods anymore.

Eventually, when your ovarian function ceases, your essential sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, drop significantly. At this point, it’s important to note that these two hormones have a significant impact on a variety of organs and systems beyond your reproductive system. That is, hormonal changes in menopause also impact your:

• Endocrine system
• Nervous system
• Excretory system
• Cardiovascular system
• Skeletal and muscular systems

Such a massive impact of menopause on different systems in your body typically leads to a diversity of symptoms, including:

• Menstrual cessation.
• Sleep difficulties.
• Hot flashes.
• Mood and mind challenges.
• Weight gain.
• Vaginal dryness.
• Libido changes, etc.

Can Menopause Cause Back and Hip Pain?

Now that you have a general overview of menopause and its common effects on your body, let’s move on to our primary topic – hip pain and menopause.

If you ask: Can menopause cause back and hip pain? The short answer would be “yes.” As was mentioned earlier, hormonal changes in menopause impact your skeletal and muscular systems, among others. To put it simply, a drop in progesterone and estrogen directly influences your muscle mass and bone density, which can result in aches and increased risks of trauma.

Main Causes of Hip and Joint Pain With Menopause

Estrogen Decline

Research shows a huge impact of estrogen on joint health. This hormone maintains bone density, prevents joint degradation, protects cartilage health, and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. A significant decline in this hormone during menopause is the primary driver of joint pain.

Increased Inflammation

Due to declining estrogen, which used to have an anti-inflammatory function before menopause, menopausal women typically show elevated levels of the key proinflammatory cytokines. Systemic inflammation, in turn, directly affects joints, making them swollen and stiff.

Bone and Muscle Loss

Due to underlying hormonal changes, women in menopause start rapidly losing muscle and bone tissue. Bone loss results in general bone weakening and faster cartilage wear, which both increase the risk of trauma and osteoarthritis. And muscle mass loss rids your body of its natural muscle support, which creates hip (and bone, in general) instability. This is also one of the leading causes of lower back and hip pain menopause.

Reduced Joint Lubrication

Aging and menopause have been shown to impact the production of synovial fluid. This fluid is a natural joint lubricant needed to support joint mobility and health. When the amount of this fluid decreases, your joints can become dry, stiff, and more prone to injury.

Collagen Decrease

As you age, your collagen levels naturally decrease. And since collagen production is directly linked to estrogen levels, many women experience a rapid drop in collagen after entering menopause. This has an impact on tendons, such as gluteal tendons. Collagen is responsible for increasing tendon size and providing better tendon healing. Respectively, when its levels drop, tendons can become stiff and weak, possibly contributing to hip and buttock pain menopause.

Weight Gain

Women in perimenopause and menopause tend to rapidly gain weight due to hormonal changes occurring in their bodies. Often, weight loss becomes harder at this period of your life due to slowed metabolism, decreased muscle mass, and overall decreased activity. Yet, an increasing body mass is linked to added pressure on joints, in particular, on your knees and hips. Respectively, weight gain is another common contributor to hip and joint pain with menopause.

How to Prevent and Manage Hip, Back, and Joint Pain in Menopause

As you now know, there are a number of factors that connect back, joint, and hip pain and menopause. Although it’s a normal and rather common occurrence, different types of persistent pain can cause a lot of discomfort in your daily life. Besides, in some cases, joint and hip pain can even progress to or worsen osteoarthritis – a condition that affects over 50% of women in menopause. Due to these reasons, it’s important to know how to prevent and/or manage menopause-related pain.

Here are some of the most effective management tips to keep in mind:

• Lifestyle adjustment: A focus on an anti-inflammatory diet and regular physical activity can help menopausal women support bone and muscle health. It’s important to focus on gentle strength training to provide muscle support for joint stability and integrate stretching exercises to support joint mobility. Additionally, using vitamins and natural supplements can help increase estrogen levels and support overall health.
• Medical treatments: For some women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can become an optimal solution to alleviate menopausal symptoms and support health. However, it’s important to talk to your doctor about the benefits and possible side effects to decide if it’s right for you. Apart from HRT, it’s possible to use physical therapy and acupuncture to support joint mobility and reduce pain.
• Home remedies: Apart from addressing the underlying causes of lower back and hip pain menopause, as well as other aches, you can also use home remedies to reduce pain when it appears. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, and heat and cold therapy will help provide temporary relief. However, it's important to use other management techniques to reduce pain in the long run.

FAQ

How to tell if I’m in menopause?

When you start noticing typical menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, irregular periods, sleep issues, vaginal dryness, and others, you can say that you are going to enter menopause sometime soon. However, menopause is officially diagnosed only after you have had 12 consecutive months without a period.

Is it normal to experience hip and joint pain with menopause?

Yes, it’s normal to notice joint stiffness with consequent pain when you enter menopause. This happens due to a number of reasons, including estrogen decline, increased inflammation, and bone and muscle loss. This symptom affects a large number of women in menopause, though it can be managed through a number of lifestyle changes.

When should I see a doctor with hip pain in menopause?

Although different types of musculoskeletal pain are normal in menopause, it’s important to monitor your symptoms and listen to your body. If your pain becomes severe and persistent, or if it disrupts your daily life, it’s recommended to see a healthcare provider. A doctor should be able to recommend effective therapies and lifestyle adjustments that will help you feel better.

Conclusion

As you now know, hip pain and menopause are directly linked due to hormonal changes, bone loss, muscle loss, and other changes that naturally take place in your body as you age. However, even if it’s normal, musculoskeletal pain can cause a lot of discomfort and interfere with your daily life.

Luckily, there are many ways to reduce and manage aches in menopause. Use this article as a guide to support your health and mobility at all times and feel confident.

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