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Episode 14: Why Does Everything Hurt? Chronic Pain in Menopause
Discovery Corner® Podcast Show Notes
Episode 14: Why Does Everything Hurt? Chronic Pain in Menopause
October is Menopause Awareness Month, and World Menopause Day on 18th October shines a light on this year’s theme: chronic pain at midlife. In this episode of Discovery Corner®, menopause support coach Claire Melvin shares her own decade-long experience of chronic pain and what she’s learned about living with it, managing it, and eventually moving through it.
You’ll discover:
- What chronic pain actually is and why almost half of midlife women experience it
- Why falling estrogen affects your nerves, joints, muscles and how your brain processes pain
- The statistics that need to be talked about more, including the link between midlife women and mental health
- The sandwich generation effect and why caregiving doubles your symptom burden
- What actually helps: movement, sleep hygiene, nutrition, mindfulness, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), physiotherapy, talking therapies and functional medicine
- Why knowing your own body is your most powerful tool and how to advocate for yourself with your GP
- Claire’s ‘knee peas’ and why humour is a valid coping strategy 🫛
You are not imagining it. You are not alone. And it won’t last forever.
Here are 3 key takeaways from this episode:
- Chronic pain in perimenopause is real, common and not in your head.
Almost half of midlife women experience chronic pain, which is described as pain lasting more than three months. Falling estrogen affects nerves, joints, muscles and how the brain processes pain signals. You’re not imagining it.
- The mind-body connection is real and often overlooked.
Pain doesn’t always have a purely physical cause or solution. Everything in the body is interconnected. Treating the root cause rather than just the symptoms, whether that’s through talking therapy, functional medicine or lifestyle changes, can make a profound difference. - Movement, sleep, nutrition and mindfulness all help but none of them alone.
Gentle movement, good sleep hygiene, nutrient-rich food and practices like yoga, breathwork or journaling all support pain management. They work best in combination, alongside professional support. Start small. Build up and be patient.
Here are some resources and links mentioned:
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World Menopause Day: https://www.imsociety.org/education/world-menopause-day-2026/
- https://www.imsociety.org/education/world-menopause-day-2026/resources/#whitepaper
- https://www.imsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WMD26-Factsheet.pdf
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Gut microbiota has the potential to improve health of menopausal women by regulating estrogen: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12183514/
- Addressing Menopause Symptoms: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(25)00111-9/fulltext
- I didn’t reference this specifically, but I read it whilst I was living with chronic pain: ‘Healing Back Pain. The Mind-Body Connection,’ John E. Sarno, MD
- ‘The Menopause Brain,’ Lisa Mosconi, PhD
- The British Menopause Society: https://thebms.org.uk/
- https://www.samaritans.org/
Join me for another journey of discovery…
Claire Melvin is a certified menopause support coach and mindset coach, helping women navigate midlife with more clarity, confidence and calm.
After 25 years working in a corporate environment, she now channels that experience into supporting women through perimenopause and menopause, so they can move through this stage of life feeling informed, supported and back in control, rather than lost or dismissed.
Claire is a White Ribbon Champion and Mental Health First Aider, and hosts the podcast Discovery Corner®, where she talks openly about the twists and triumphs of midlife.
Outside of coaching, Claire can be found on a canal path, coffee in hand, in a downward dog pose, or halfway through her latest creative project.
