Has Menopause Made You Ache All Over? There’s a Name for That.

When Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon, was in her early 40s, she regularly competed in half marathons. Then, at 47, she entered perimenopause and suddenly found herself struggling to walk even a short distance, crippled by total body joint and muscle pain. “I was in the best shape of my life,” she said, and then, “I could barely get out of bed.”

In her private practice in Orlando, Fla., she heard similar stories from women going through menopause, including other longtime athletes who now struggled to move comfortably. These patients repeatedly told her, “I feel like I’m falling apart,” she said, despite not having endured any obvious injuries.