It’s no secret that there is a connection between menopause and hot flashes, but there are many other symptoms that are consequences of a lack of estrogen beyond night sweats, vaginal dryness, and bone loss. And joint pain is definitely on that list. So, what is the impact of menopause on arthritis and joint pain? Is estrogen therapy the answer?
In this episode I am joined by
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, the Director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, chair of the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, the medical director for The Menopause Society, and the author of
The New Rules of Menopause: A Mayo Clinic guide to perimenopause and beyond
We discuss:
- The relationship between JOINT ACHES and ESTROGEN
- If it is the CARTILEDGE, BONE, or BOTH that appears to be impacted by the loss of estrogen
- Why so many women are diagnosed with FIBROMYALGIA at the time of menopause
- Why SLEEP APNEA also increases in Menopause and contributes to fatigue
- If HORMONE THERAPY should be prescribed to help achy joints and arthritis
- The increased prevalence of CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME and FROZEN SHOULDER
- If joint pain is an indication of OSTEOPOROSIS
- If most DOCTORS are aware of the relationship between joint aches and estrogen
- When joint aches are NOT RELATED to MENOPAUSE
- The impact of estrogen therapy and JOINT REPLACEMENT
OTHER FACTORS that contribute to achy joints post-menopause and what can help- The importance of ERGONOMICS and joint pain
- Why I do SQUATS while I brush my teeth
Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society.
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Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the
WGN Morning News, and has been seen on
The Today Show,
Good Morning America,
The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR,
Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and
World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine.
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Books by Lauren Streicher, MD
Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
