I am 52 and post menopause - I have terrible joint and muscle aches.....after exercise it really gets going. It is so interesting to hear that many women are suffering the same symptoms.

I think it must be hormonal too.
After about the age of 42 I noticed that on the first day of my period my muscles and joints would ache. I would feel blah and yucky on the first day of my period.

I had no idea that joint pain accompanied menopause! @55 I started to notice difficulty getting up after sitting for a time. I'm not overweight, don't work out excessively or spend a lot of time on my feet. I couldn't figure out WHAT was going on. I was afraid I had some horrible degenerative disease! Thanks for the tips teeloo - I'm reassessing my meds immediately!

I take vitamins every day, eat enough healthy stuff to sink a battle ship, am not on hormone therapy and am not taking anything else. I'm still wishing to ride this out as I know what it is, it's just very annoying.

The other day I was walking with my son and my knees hurt so bad and felt so old and stiff, but then my feet were feeling like they were asleep and I was so dizzy. My joints started hurting later on which made it hard to fall asleep. Same stuff the next day but then one day after that all was fine.

I find as long as I know what it is I can try and get through the day. If I don't know what it is I get worried.

I walk and walk each day, the only form of exercise I can stick to. I so appreciate all the feedback and posts as it helps a lot!

Yep, I dont get up off things as quick as I used to. I feel Ive aged a lot since going into menopause. I dont lose weight as easily, my skin appears to look some like "crepe" paper on my hands, and I feel more tired than I used to. Darn that menopause!

You're also at an age when arthritis starts to set in. All the wear and tear on our joints all our lives have taken their toll. Your doctor should be able to help with this or a Rhuematologist (sp?). I am post menopausal and it just seems to get worse. I also have Fibromyagia though so going to a Rhuematologist is your best bet. They can tell what is going one with you.

I'm 47, and I just had tests that show I'm post-menopause. I went to see my doctor mostly because my hands have been hurting. My feet too. Tests showed I'm low on vitamin D. She said that could be causing the joint pain. She told me to take 5000 iu every day. I just started today, and I don't know how long it takes to help.

You are only 50, the person below you is only 44, another down below is 40..........I am almost 54 - PLEASE shoot me in the head and bury my fat ass down below on our property. The coyotes will have a feast. I feel, since I have been 49 that I am 99 and right now, I sit frequently on the computer, I have a couple on line business, I am up and down the stairs, I have a husband who works 7 days a week, I take care of EVERYTHING including a big house, 9 old gakking and shitting cats, and EVERYTHINGGGGG I do is a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE effort. So I know what you mean. And YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS it is just the beginning my love of perimenopause. Check into supliments and just keep moving, and try to keep a good head. I am bipolar and and have GAD............soooooooooo..........live is a challenge. If you want to talk more, add me as a friend if you wish, if you have more questions, please ask, I am VERY EASY to talk to and I really like to help people. PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE of YOU and take it one day at a time. Take care. Jen

I have agoraphobia and it's been full blown again now that I'm in the end stage of perimenopause so I know what you mean about life being a challenge.
I almost spilled my coffee reading the "please shoot me and bury my fat ass.." part, that is too funny but I can so relate.

I don't befriend people, not because I'm antisocial but because part of my anxiety is having to talk to people and so I feel more comfortable if I don't have to worry that someone else is on and wants to talk, it's something I've tried to work on but I get uncomfortable staying on the side and reading posts if I can see someone online who might possibly IM me.
I am finding this entire perimenopause thing incredibly interesting! I mean for example yesterday I felt good, only slightly lightheaded/dizzy, my joints felt good, so I had 3 really long walks. The dogs and I were both happy at the end of the day! I'm learning that just as with my agoraphobia, I have to decide on a daily basis what i can do according to how I feel. There are days I'm depressed, days I'm so full of energy I'm practically cleaning the neighbor's house, and days when my body feels like it's ancient. Strangely enough the nights are all pretty much the same thing, no variation there, I fall asleep, sleep for a few hours and then wake up only to be bored stiff most of the night. then I fall asleep again around 4 - 4:30 and when the alarm goes off (or this morning a telemarketer called before the alarm went off - thank you Peggy from Dell computers, grrrrr) I'm a zombie and can barely get out of bed without a coffee IV.
Interesting times!

Can this all be menopause or is it just age? Perhaps they just coincide and it doesn't really matter what it is; it just is! Getting older sucks. I have just found out that all my low back pain stems from arthritis. Isn't that for senior citizens?! I still feel like I am too young for all of this but my body tells me I'm wrong. One thing that we all forget to do regularly is stretch. Stretching really helps keep up the range of motion in our joints and decreases the muscle aches and injuries. Isn
t this just so much fun?