I’m 52 and a couple years ago began to experience sudden issues with my hands – soreness, loss of strength, and sometimes painful aching in the joints. I was afraid it might be Rheumatoid Arthritis, but my tests were negative. Once RA was ruled out, doctors were very unhelpful. I later found resources online, such as this article, which explains the relationship between estrogen changes in menopause and hand or finger disorders. I’m angry that in 2020 this information is hard to come by and more people aren’t aware. I hope further research is done and doctors are better trained in the years to come. Thanks for listening to my rant! ?
– Tess, Wilmington
I’m so pleased you have posted this article. I had a total hysterectomy last year so have had a medically induced menopause. I was told that as my mother died of breast cancer I could not take HRT due to family history.
This past year has been agony, recovering from a major op and all the side effects of oestrogen being stripped away from me. Not just hand pain, but hip, knee, shoulders and neck.
After several visits to the Dr I was told to take vitamin D, it has relieved the pain mildly but I take ibuprofen on worse days which over the past year I have linked to being cyclical throughout the month!
The article has put into perspective the function of the oestrogen and explained why our bodies turn to fat to restore the same effects, hence our bodies change shape.
The introduction of soy isoflavin is interesting as a herbalist told me I should stay away from it with my family history!!
A year on, taking vit D, the odd ibuprofen, walking and yoga I feel my symptoms are easing, I can’t tell you how good it was to read the article I don’t think enough is explained by general clinicians about how ill menopause can make us feel, we are all different and experience different symptoms but we are all in it together so let’s keep posting and help each other because it’s still in my opinion tabu and not talked about enough. Stay sane ladies ?
I totally agree with you. It’s like all women’s conditions. General clinicians just don’t know! It is not an area of interest in the medical world and so not enough money put into research. I am also finding the tabu aspect very undermining. As children we were told little girls should be seen and not heard but it is exactly the same for women of a certain age, don’t mention the menopause!
Liked your thoughts
Thank you for sharing the article! It explains all my problems — joint pains, carpal tunnel syndrome, hypothyroidism and many other symptoms are all related to menopause… I’m 60 years old and have been hit hard by the drop in hormones… When the estrogen level declines, the so-called menopausal disorder appears. While the most frequently mentioned menopausal disorders are dizziness, glow and hot flashes, there are in fact a lot of symptoms including dry skin, spots, hair loss, stiff shoulders, headache, anxiety/sleeplessness, arteriosclerosis, and osteoporosis. These menopausal disorders also include joint pain, muscle pain, synovitis, and numbness in the hands and feet. As mentioned earlier, a decline in the estrogen level causes synovitis, and this induces tenosynovitis, joint pain/degeneration, and entrapment neuropathy such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and the age of onset of these diseases often coincides with the menopause. In other words, many of the degenerative diseases observed in fingers can be considered to be a type of menopausal symptom.
Thank you for posting details of symptoms. I have not been having pain in my hands, per se, but I’ve been ‘noticing’ my hands more often, if that makes any sense. I feel like I’ve wandered into a whole new world that no one talks about.
Here’s the full link to the article in case the link above doesn’t work: http://www.clinicsinsurgery.com/full-text/cis-v3-id2170.php
Hi, I experienced similar pain in my joints too around the same time I started menopause, my arm was so painful right down to my fingertips!!
I went to the dr and I had a blood test. I was very low in vitamin D, but once I finished my course for a month I felt much better. I urge you to have a blood test and see if it may be a vitamin D deficiency. I now take a daily dose of vitamin D and thankfully have not experienced pain in my joints like before. Good luck
I had no idea. I’ve been experiencing hand joint pain for a few weeks now and assumed it was arthritis. This is very enlightening and provides me with hope. Thank you!
Tess link doesn’t work. Could you try to post again please. Thanks.
Hi Rosana, try using a long press (hold down) on the link to open, or you can copy/paste into a browser. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any issues by emailing [email protected]
-Team Caria
Thank you for posting this; I was just about to call my doctor. I’ve had pain in my hands for several months, especially in my middle fingers. Someone mentioned low vitamin D in the comments; I already take it, but maybe I need to increase my dose.
Man, so many things they don’t tell you about menopause, and this is one of the weirder ones!
I too have started getting pains in my middle fingers I wondered what is was hit now think it is this.
The range of symptoms I get seem to fluctuate sometimes it’s symptom X then other months it is symptom Y.
Thank you! I’ve been experiencing occasional pain in my hands for a few years now and it never occurred to me that it could be related to peri menopause!
I am so relieved to hear the symptoms I’m feeling are shared with others! There’s so much I don’t know and still discovering. I’m 50 and started having joint pain in my hands. At first, I thought it was related to my carpal tunnel issues, but the joint pain began randomly in my other hand. Tess’s entry about joint pain inspired me to read more about this & happened upon another article about the tingling in my legs that I’ve learned is paresthesia. The tingling is related to reduction in one of the main hormones oestrogen which can effect the central nervous system. Answer add more rest, diet (reduce sugar to reduce inflammation), exercise! As you know sometimes easier said than done. But a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of something!
I had that too along with a bunch of other mini-symptoms that finally made me think they might be connected and led me to talk to the doc, they have mostly gone away with hrt.
My jaw dropped this morning when I open the app and saw the article. I woke up unable to move my left thumb. About eight years ago as a massage therapist I was diagnosed with DeQuervain’s syndrome and the recommended treatment was stop working, rest and physical therapy. When seen by an orthopedic Dr., I was told it was a combination of overwork and arthritis. Today really frightened me because when I woke up my entire thumb was frozen and uncomfortable, permanently bent. Soaking in hot water and massage helped. I am sure low oestrogen has effected if not caused this, because of everything else going on in my body; hot flashes, sweats, dry skin, dry mouth and extreme sensitivity in mouth. 18 months since last period, 60 years old.
Yikes!!
I’m so glad I’ve read this article, because I’ve been suffering from terrible pain in my neck, shoulders and back for quite a while now, I’ve recently been suffering from my right thumb,”thought it was dislocating and then I had to move it back into place myself “now it just won’t bend and if it does, ohh my god it kills when I have to move it back into place. I think all my pains and aches are related to the menopause, I haven’t been to see a doctor yet because of the lockdown, but I’m hoping to see one soon,I’ve changed so much since I turned 40, I don’t like who I’ve turned into, and I’m hoping HRT will help me go back to my normal’ish self.
Thank you for letting me try and explain myself.
me too with the hands neck, shoulder and for me upper back, i have regular massages and chiropractic which used to work in the past, not so much now. even though maybe i needed to change my mattress or pillows
I have this symptom too. It appears to be “trigger thumb” and I believe it’s menopause linked for me too. Just starting on HRT so will see if it helps.
Back in my 20’s, I started having pain in both hands and I couldn’t make a fist without feeling pain. I started taking a supplement for my skin and it didn’t help my skin but I could suddenly make a fist without feeling pain so I continued to take it. It’s called MSM ORGANIC SULFUR tablets by No Boundaries Health And Wellness. http://www.organicsulfurhelps.com but I purchase mine off Amazon.com
Interesting article
We all need to rant more! Shocking, another symptom to add to my list! I had no idea that my hand problems were also to do with the menopause. Thank you Tess for bringing it to our attention. Sadly the article is not that easy to understand If you’re not a medic. But I have suffered painful hands and fingers a lot and thought it was something to do with having been an artist and maker, using my hands for my work. I have struggled with painting with a brush, drawing and sewing e.g. in recent years. It is particularly hard for creative women during the menopause I think as not only is your concentration and self esteem affected but your capacity to be creatively motivated is limited too by all the physical symptoms. Our hands are our tools. Hrt doesn’t cover everything but it has helped me with some of the symptoms.
All the best and hope you find something that helps soon.
Thank you!!! I immediately related to this article I knew that my symptoms of hand, wrist, and now elbow pain are related to perimenopause. I am 46 and still menstruating but deep in the throes of perimenopause.
I am so grateful for the correlation between lactation and hand pain. The first time I experienced debilitating hand pain, was after postpartum and during breast-feeding. The same exact pain came during symptoms of perimenopause. When I explained this to my general practitioner she did not think that one thing had to do with the other, but started me on estrogen nonetheless (only briefly), and felt relief almost immediately.
I, too, was tested for rheumatoid arthritis in my mid-30s after giving birth. So to feel the exact same pain in my hands, a decade later, I absolutely knew, was related to hormones levels.
Thank you so much for posting this- has been a joy to read the comments and know that I am not alone and experiencing this. I have two older sisters both of which are through menopause and neither one have had their hand pain experience that I did.
I plan to jump on the HRT wagon within a year or two. Quality of life is important. When you are not sleeping (hot flashes/night sweats), have dry/itchy skin, are blasé to your diet because of apathy, limited energy for exercising, and are in pain… there has to be a better way of living.
Absolutely!
Hello, The Hands and Fingers Disorder as a Women’s Disease article expired on line when clicking on the link.
Did anyone happen to copy it? If so, please email me a copy and or if possible, post it to this site.
Thank you
Hi Kathy, try accessing the article on this link: https://web.archive.org/web/20191104192030/http://www.clinicsinsurgery.com/full-text/cis-v3-id2170.php
– Team Caria
I also have finger deformity and joint pain almost daily. I had a radical hysterectomy 12 years ago which induced menopause. I was 38 years old. My GP did tell me my joint pain was linked to menopause but no remedy offered.
Thanks for this information.
Thanks for sharing this Tess. I have been experiencing symptoms exactly like this for about a year now
I’ve had poison in my hand for a while now… thank you for this!
I have the same thing. They took x-rays of my hands. I have CMC arthritis with bone spurs in both nasal thumb joints. I will need surgery at some point. Have they done x-rays of your hands? Might be something to have the doctors do.
This is incredibly interesting! I have been suffering from this for quite some time now and I hadn’t made the correlation between that and the menopause. Earlier this year I cut gluten and dairy out of my diet and started taking vitamin D and have noticed a marked improvements in my symptoms, and it’s interesting that another contributor had mentioned vitamin D too, maybe that’s what’s helped more than the gluten and dairy.
In my experience, gluten, dairy and sugar/simple carbohydrates all cause various levels of inflammation which exacerbates the effects of low oestrogen. Also, sadly, the Sulfites in White wine and processed meats,…
Sadly this is just another menopause symptom for so many women. Many joints can be affected and for me it was my fingers, wrist, elbows and then went to my back. All related to lack of oestrogen. I started vitamin D and also found that magnesium glycinate supplements made a difference. Still not gone but now I have been on HRT for nearly 3 months and it’s making a big difference to all my horrible symptoms. In fact you might want to try another doc even if a relative has had breast cancer because the menopause doctor Louise Newson always says that shouldn’t stop the investigation of whether HRT might be still ok for you. Check her website. Good luck.
This is very interesting, since last spring when i have been having issues with pain in my hands and intense itching/burning as well. At first it was after doing more intense manual things like scrubbing the floor by hand or gardening and I thought it was just because I work an “office” job and with covid I have been working from home and not as active as I should be. Now it just comes on randomly but I do take vitamin D, my levels are within rang but it is comforting to know it may be linked to something!
Thank you for posting this info….in the last two months I was getting this strange finger pain…first month it was my right hand 4th finger…very painful lasted a week or more and this month my index finger on my left hand- this time I can hardly move it…I thought RA but also it may may be menopáuse related…thank you for confirming this for me!!
I am pleased to read this as I am having bad pains in my hands and the doctor has been very unhelpful
I have awful numbness both hand pain can’t make a fist dropping things etc. also joint pain shoulders arms legs knees everywhere to be honest. Had arthritis test all normal low vit D. When I take HRT oestrogen it is worse so keep stopping and starting as it does relieve other symptom of peri menopause. Don’t know if to continue taking or stop again as the pain in unbearable..
Great information!
Thank you. I can relate to the forearm pain, night sweats etc & it began around my surgery on my left ovary removed I take all different supplements w/all my many symptoms seeking relief. Wish I can narrow it down to only 1 or 2 gummies to take daily but which ones???
Only she knows who goes through…having every possible menopausal syndrome coupled with arm & knee pain,muscle pull,jaw stiffness…but doctors can at times be cruel..telling to manage by myself…its sometimes very hard ..having bouts of anxiety & depression too..seems it will continue with my entire life now…
Hi. I am 53 and I had a full Hysterectomy last August. The hot flashes were horrible following surgery. These past couple months its been my hands. Right hand is worse. I started losing physical strength and dropping things. Then I couldn’t open jars. Woke up one morning and my middle finger was stuck closed. Then the numbness came and now severe pain sometimes. Dr. said it was Trigger Finger. Going to go have an EMG done. This all came on very sudden. I started really paying attention to when the pain was the worst and its right when I am having a hot flash. Very hard to explain except it feels tingly and painful at the same time.
Wow – I have started getting joint pains in my hands I did not know this could also be related to menopause.
I cannot access the link but reading other comments.
Hi there, sorry about the issue with the link. It has been updated and should work now! Please reach out to [email protected] if you run into any other issues.
Can someone suggest how i can find the article. Tried to click This Article, but no link
Hi there, sorry about that. The link has been updated and should work now! Please reach out to [email protected] if you run into any other issues.
As soon as entering menopause I started having shoulder pain (like a frozen shoulder) and my grip strength in that are was awful. Within a few weeks my forearm started hurting non stop and i can’t grip the top of a cup and lift up. Nothing in xrays or anything physically wrong. It has been so stressful because there didn’t seem to be anything that I could do to help it. May try the Vitamin D that eveyone is mentioning. I have been low my whole life on Vit D so I didn’t think that would be it.
I have been suffering for 2 years, specialist diagnosis is osteoarthritis in two fingers. (Deformed)
I am 49 and even when I don’t have periods since one year, I just started noticing more triggers that lead me to this app and find out more about menopause.
My question is, if I go into a HRT would my Oestrogens levels increase to the point that my osteoarthritis will decrease?
Have been researching why I have been getting horrendous pain in my thumb joint after moving it in certain ways (like bending it while reaching to scratch my back). Just had another “attack” yesterday while putting grocery bags in car-ouch! Truly some of the worst pain ever, took about 20 minutes before I could drive out of the parking lot. Am about to turn 65 and still get hot flashes, for the most part haven’t experienced a difficult menopause/post menopause. Besides all of the possibilities of thumb arthritis, DeQuervain’s syndrome, etc. this article gives a clearer explanation of what is probably going on.
good to see someone talking about this, i have had issues with my hands and fingers for around a year now, pain , stiffness, struggling with gripping items, don’t have periods very often now so approaching full menopause, however i do have deep infiltrating endometriosis which has spread to bowels. I am due to see an endo specialist soon not sure it will be much help though, there can be issues with taking HRT with endo as it can encourage the symptoms to spark up again. I also have terrible daily neck and shoulder pain (massage and chiropractic not working anymore) and leg pains. About to embark on the AIP diet for a month to see if that makes any difference to inflammation cannot take ibuprofen anymore as it causes my asthma to flare up. My grandma had RA in her hands and fingers so it does tend to be in the back of my mind, but i have not had any tests done yet as wanted to see the consultant first.
I am only 39 but have been having these hand issues for a while now. I took up knitting a couple years ago and stopped because of a horrible pain an ER doctor thought is tendonitis, I also have had a positive ANA which is antibodies they find in people with MS or Lupus but I have was never given a diagnosis. Though I have not visited a doctor specifically over my hormone issues. I have many other symptoms including my periods going wonky and my moods are horrible and my mother is pretty sure I am in the throws of perimenopause,. I got my period at an early age so it wouldn’t surprise me if perimenopause would be earlier. And it’s not just my hands either I also have pain in my feet, legs, head etc, but the hands is the worse to have because I have never been a sit in front of the tv all day type. I am someone who loves to cook, bake, craft, basically everything I love to do and makes my worth living depends on my hands, there is so much I still want to do with my hands and sometimes I worry I won’t be able to do it all because the pain will get to bad, or I’ll damage my hands permanently, so. Waaaaaah! 😭😭😭