01/19/2026
📊 New data, same story women have been telling for years.
A massive review of 93,000+ women across 22 countries found:
• 40% of premenopausal women report muscle or joint pain
• 57% of perimenopausal women do
• 59% of postmenopausal women do
That’s a 35–40% higher risk of muscle and joint pain after the menopause transition.
And yet…
🔹 The pain is often labeled “vague”
🔹 Specific musculoskeletal conditions are rarely named
🔹 Hormones are still under-considered
This isn’t “just aging.”
This is biology.
And it deserves better research, better language, and better care.
💬 If this is you, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.
Kruse C, McKechnie T, Dworsky-Fried J, Sardar A, Hacker G, Rattansi S, Fang E, Sprague S, Shea AK, Bhandari M. Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Perimenopause: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 93,021 Women. JB JS Open Access. 2026 Jan 13;11(1):e25.00254. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.25.00254. PMID: 41523660; PMCID: PMC12784006.
