In addition to the other health conditions affected by estrogen, it has also been shown to affect pain sensitivity.
In addition to the other health conditions affected by estrogen, it has also been shown to affect pain sensitivity. This finding was the basis of a study of more than 200,000 records from the Veterans Health Administration that demonstrated a link between menopause symptoms and chronic pain. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Women are more likely than men to report common chronic pain conditions such as back pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Women with these conditions additionally report greater pain severity and pain-related disability than their male counterparts. Although the causes of chronic pain risk are not well understood, it has been documented that the risk for common conditions that cause or exacerbate pain is highest in midlife women, when estrogen levels are fluctuating and women are entering perimenopause or postmenopause.
Common changes related to menopause and aging include weight gain and decreased physical activity, which can contribute to chronic pain morbidity, as can impaired sleep and negative mood, which are also known to affect symptom sensitivity and pain tolerance.
Read more at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
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