“Snap, crackle, pop.”

That’s the sound of my ankles whenever I get off the bed first thing in the morning.

I officially went into menopause about 2 years ago. I thought I had it good, because I don’t have nor have I ever had hot flashes my friends have been complaining about.

Just after a year however, I woke up one morning with a dull pain, radiating from my ankle. I thought maybe I slept on it funny and it was sore from me straining it all night.

Unfortunately, the small pain in my left ankle slowly crept over to the other ankle over the course of two years. It didn’t stop there, and spread gradually to my knees, wrists and elbows.

Since then, my joints have been cracking, popping non-stop when I move around. It’s like having rice krispies for my ankles and knees these past 2 years. I had difficulty opening jars, took a long time going down stairs, and woke up in pain most mornings.

So, I did what anyone would do and went to my primary care physician. She tested me for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, results came back negative. She then told me I had osteoarthritis and that it was something I had to live with for the rest of my life.

I was so sad and demoralized after hearing that because I had hoped that she was able to do something about it. She simply wants to slap me on pain medication and call it a day without investigating any type of root cause.

I saw another doctor and she told me that it couldn't be because of menopause, because I hadn't gotten hot flashes yet. (What a total dud.)

After 2 wasted visits to the doctor, I decided I followed my hunch that the joint pains must be linked to menopause somehow, and I booked an appointment for a menopause specialist who came recommended by a friend. 

She told me that joint pain is definitely a menopause symptom. She said that it was quite uncommon, and she didn’t even know about it even when she was a regular OB-GYN.

She explained that it was primarily because of the hormonal changes that happen during midlife that causes the joint pains and increased risk of osteoarthritis. And me being in menopause, definitely falls under that category.

She recommended starting HRT to see if it will improve my symptoms, and I really hope it does. Having rice krispies for joints is not exactly how I envisioned my 50s and I just want to feel like myself again.

- Abigail P, 51

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