Welcome back to Just Curious, Strong Women’s weekly series exploring all the random health and fitness questions you’ve always wondered about but never got the answer to.

This week, we’re exploring why so many women seem to experience joint pain in the days leading up to their period.

Navigating the week leading up to your period can be a bit of a rollercoaster. Whether you experience bloating, fatigue, headaches, anxiety or a combination of them all, the pre-menstrual period can leave you looking forward to the moment you start to bleed.

But mood swings, hormonal breakouts and all those other typical PMS symptoms aren’t the only ones that can crop up. Joint pain, while seemingly unrelated, is something many women go through in the week leading up to and during their period – and it’s all to do with the hormonal fluctuations and chemical changes that go on in our bodies during that time. 

The same can also occur during menopause due to similar hormonal fluctuations. However, the longer-term nature of these changes mean that any potential niggles can become more serious, so understanding where they come from and how to deal with them is important.

With all that in mind, we asked Dr Samantha Wild, a GP and clinical lead for women’s health at Bupa Health Clinics, to tell us more about the link between hormones and joint pain. 

Both oestrogen and progesterone can impact how our joints feel and function, but it’s oestrogen which experts believe is the prime culprit here.

“Sex hormones like oestrogen play a large role in regulating and maintaining bone health,” Dr Wild explains. “Oestrogen helps to protect your bones and joints by reducing inflammation and friction between them.”

There are many ways that oestrogen does this – it can affect your cartilage, also known as the connective tissue in your joints, as well as affect tendon and ligament elasticity. Oestrogen also has an anti-inflammatory effect, so it’s great for reducing pre-existing inflammation in the joints.

Progesterone, which falls towards the very end of the luteal phase (ie the last couple of days before your period) also has a muscle-relaxing effect, so low levels of the hormone can make muscles tight and sore, potentially contributing to joint pain. 

Levels of oestrogen and progesterone both decrease before our period – and this could explain why some people experience joint soreness at this time.

But the fall in these hormones can also have other effects, Dr Wild explains: “Studies shown that low oestrogen can increase your perception of pain.”

In short, you might be more sensitive to pain in that week before your period, so any small niggles might seem a lot more serious and disruptive.  

Molecular compounds known as prostaglandins – which are what cause the muscle and blood vessels of the uterus to contract to shed its lining – could also play a role, Dr Wild adds: “When you start your period, prostaglandins are released – and these molecular compounds are believed to be a trigger of joint and muscle pain.” 

The fall in oestrogen which occurs during menopause means many of the joint-related symptoms of PMS are mirrored, but the longer-lasting absence of oestrogen means symptoms can be more severe or lead to bigger issues.

“As oestrogen levels naturally fall in perimenopause, your joints may swell and become painful,” Dr Wild says. “Sore joints are a frequent first symptom for those going through perimenopause.”

The decrease in oestrogen during menopause has also been linked to an increased risk of osteoarthritis, perhaps due to the impact the hormone can have on cartilage. 

As with many women’s health issues, research into the role hormonal fluctuations play in the risk of injury is limited. But Dr Wild says that there is some evidence that fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle could influence injury risk.

“Some studies indicate that muscle and tendon injuries are almost twice as likely to happen two weeks after your period (around the time of ovulation),” she says. “Injury has also been linked with the days around the time of your period starting.” 

Even if you’re experiencing pain on a monthly basis, you can take steps to relieve some of the discomfort.

In the short term, making sure you’re getting enough sleep, taking part in some light exercise – such as yoga or aerobics – and taking over the counter painkillers and anti-inflammatories should take the edge off things.

And in the long run, taking steps to support your bone and joint health can help to dampen the discomfort you experience or get rid of it altogether.

Below are just some of the steps Dr Wild recommends:

1. Keep active

“Exercise can help to care for both your physical and mental health, along with improving your joint flexibility and offering pain relief,” she explains. “Swimming, walking, pilates and yoga can offer good options to help keep you strong.”

Strength training is particularly beneficial for improving the stability of your joints, she adds. “At least twice a week you should make time for strengthening activities. You don’t need to join the gym or start lifting weights if you don’t want to – taking the stairs instead of the lift, carrying shopping and dancing all count as strengthening exercises.”

Dr Wild continues: “Controlled stretching can also be a good option if your joints are feeling sore. Just make sure to keep it gentle and build up slowly.”

2. Seek expert advice

If your joint pain is getting in the way of your ability to function, there are experts who can help. A physiotherapist can target aches and pains and give you exercises to do at home to strengthen your joints, while your GP can provide pain relief and advise on next steps.

This is especially important during menopause, as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be prescribed to help relieve joint pain and stiffness.

3. Eat a bone-strengthening diet

Eating a diet that’s rich in joint-friendly nutrients will ensure your joint health is supported throughout the menstrual cycle.

“A diet rich in calcium, vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids will help to support your bones and joints, along with helping manage other menopause symptoms like hot flushes and low mood,” Dr Wild explains. 

Images: Getty