Why Am I Getting Cramps After Menopause?

One benefit of hitting menopause should be that you no longer experience the dreaded pain of menstruating, right? Riiiiight?

Well, we hate to be the bearers of some awful news here, but cramps after menopause can happen.

So what happens if your period has come to a permanent end and you are still experiencing menstrual-like cramps?

In some cases, menopause cramps are nothing to worry about.

In others, they may signal that something else is up.

Let’s dive in.

In this article: 📝

What causes cramps after menopause

To understand this, let’s go back to the beginning.

Although it can be uncomfortable, period pain is actually the result of a remarkable process.

Every month, your uterus prepares itself for pregnancy by building up its lining (called the endometrium).

If a fertilized egg doesn’t make its way to your uterus, the lining decides to hit the road.

For this to happen, the muscles of your womb expand and contract—hormone-like messengers called prostaglandins help with this process.

The shedding of the endometrium can cause some discomfort—or worse—in the form of period pain.

Fun fact: the medical term for period pain? Dysmenorrhea (in case you need to whip that out at Trivia Night).

Is cramping during menopause normal?

“Normal” is an interesting word when it comes to our bodies.

There’s no one-size-fits-all to this thing.

So rather than answer if cramps after menopause are “normal,” we’re focusing on whether they can be harmful to you.

Why do I feel like I have menstrual cramps after menopause?

For starters, let’s take a look at what menopause actually is.

As the name suggests, it’s all about your menstruating life being put on (permanent) pause. The official date? Twelve months after your last period.

But rather than understand menopause as a single moment in time, it’s more useful to see it as a chapter in your life brought on by hormonal shifts in your body.

With a decrease in the production of estrogen and progesterone can come a range of different symptoms.

These include, among a long list of many others, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and mood shifts.

If your cramps after menopause are causing you some grief, try some specially-made pain relief for cramps, like the OOVI pulse therapy kit, which our menopause community of Peanut say works like a dream.

Can you still get menstrual symptoms after menopause?

While we define menopause as a point on a timeline, its significance in our lives typically spans a few years.

In this study, for example, symptoms were typically felt for a period of about seven years over the transition and existed on average for about four and a half years after the final menstrual period.

So, yes, generally, menstrual symptoms can and do last for a number of years after your period has had its swan song.

That doesn’t mean you simply have to battle through them.

Seek help from healthcare providers. Lean on support groups. Join the conversation on Peanut. We’re better together.

As your periods start to slow down, you may experience pain in your lower back and abdomen.

In many cases, this may be nothing to worry about and simply part of moving from one life phase to another.

4 Causes of ovarian pain after menopause

And then, sometimes, ovarian pain after menopause can mean something else.

Possibilities include:

1. Gastrointestinal issues

The hormonal shifts that are happening in your body can wreak havoc on your digestive system, causing bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

2. Endometriosis

This is when the tissue that normally forms the lining of your uterus grows outside of it.

While endometriosis is typically considered a disease of your premenopausal years, postmenopausal endometriosis exists.

It has links to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), but is also seen in patients who are not receiving these treatments and who have no prior history of the condition.

There’s a renewed interest in investigating the prevalence of endometriosis in postmenopausal women.

The hope is that this will allow for more targeted treatment for those suffering from the condition and encourage further research in this area.

Uterine fibroids

These benign growths in your uterus are so common that 70% of women are expected to have them at some point in their lives.

They tend to occur more frequently earlier in your life because estrogen and progesterone—both of which decrease when you hit perimenopause—are more prevalent in those years.

But that doesn’t mean that the risk of fibroids evaporates completely as you reach this new phase.

You may still experience fibroid-related cramps while going through perimenopause.

The risk increases if you are on hormone replacement therapy.

The good news is, if your fibroid symptoms do not go away on their own, there are options—ranging from hormonal therapies to surgeries such as hysterectomies.

If you are concerned about the symptoms you are experiencing, talk to your doctor about your unique treatment options.

Endometrial and uterine cancers

Cramping in the lower abdomen and pelvic area can be a sign of cancer.

You’re more at risk if you started your period very early in life or hit menopause later.

What are the symptoms of fibroids after menopause?

The sooner you detect fibroids—or any other health conditions—the better.

If you have any of the following symptoms, reach out to your doctor to see if there is anything to be concerned about:

• Unusual bleeding: In this recent study, 90% of postmenopausal patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer reported experiencing vaginal bleeding. While some spotting in peri and post-menopause can be normal, it’s worth checking out any symptoms that feel weird to you.
  
• Vaginal discharge that is thin, white, and clear.
  
• Extreme fatigue
  
• Pain during or after sex
  
• Discomfort when urinating
  
• Unexpected weight loss

The bottom line? If you are worried at all, don’t wait to reach out.

Your health is important. You don’t have to navigate this alone.