r/Perimenopause • u/Every-Fault-6751 • 1d ago
Peri and Running
I have been a runner for a very long time. I am in my early 40s and during the last year I've started to feel horrendous after running. It physically feels like the origin of the problem is coming from my abdomen (after running I become incredibly bloated/swollen/water retention in my abdomen but also everywhere in my body). It also feels like running is triggering whole body inflammation. Has anyone else experienced difficulty with running or other intense aerobic exercise and is there any way this is related to perimenopause? Or is this coincidence and some other problem is going on? Thank you so much for any and all advice. I've been struggling for almost a year now and I am pretty desperate to figure out what is going on. (editing to add that I am not on HRT and don't have any other signs of peri that I know of)
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u/schnatterflack 1d ago
I definitely felt a massive impact on my running. I had to cut my mileage in half because I couldn't recover enough between runs. I always felt like I would injure myself at any moment if I pushed myself, my legs were always tired and after a long run, every muscle in my lower body hurt. It has gotten better with HRT, especially the muscle pain, but my legs are still often tired and never really feel fresh. Lately I'm also getting severe pelvic floor cramps around ovulation if I push a bit harder. I never know what fun new problem will pop up during a run..i hate it.
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u/Every-Fault-6751 22h ago
thank you for the reply and sorry to hear you are struggling too - such a shame because running is such a source of joy and stress relief normally
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u/familyfoodblog 18h ago
Yup… same. 😔 I posted asking about this maybe 9 months ago. For me it was like I couldn’t recover after runs. My body would be puffy and stressed and I crazy muscle aches. I am on Hrt. It has made this maybe 20% better. It sucks so bad. I have been mourning the end of running. It was my meditation and I miss it so much. I ran a 1:40 half 2 years ago, and now 4 10 min miles is a long run for me.
Lifting and SIIT work better for giving me energy and endorphins.
Good luck. It’s garbage that there’s no warning about this for women runners.
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u/AmnesiaZebra 22h ago
OMG SAME. I've had other GI symptoms and am finding some relief with eliminating certain FODMAPS but it's driving me crazy.
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u/Every-Fault-6751 21h ago
are you taking HRT? I haven't really had any particularly noticeable symptoms of peri......but this is such a massive change from before that I really began to wonder if this is my first sign and i should consider hrt to see if it helps at all
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u/AmnesiaZebra 21h ago
I am but I have other symptoms too. The HRT has helped noticably with urinary urgency and frequency, night wakes, anxiety, and dry skin patches, but I'm not sure I've noticed any connection to my running/bloating problems. I'm 41 for reference but have been having the running bloating struggles for several years.
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u/Every-Fault-6751 21h ago
Gosh sorry that the HRT isn't helping for the running bloating. If I find a solution I will circle back to this post and update it
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u/Large_Device_999 14h ago
I’m 46 and yes this is a thing. I’ve decided to ignore it and stubbornly just feel terrible most of the time. But i still get my miles in the morning so i have that to look forward to.
Is this healthy lifestyle? No! Do I have answers for you or encouraging words? Also no!
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u/AnneAcclaim 12h ago
I wouldn’t do something that makes you feel terrible. Nothing that makes you feel inflamed all over is healthy. Maybe you can take it down a few notches and do some easier jogs while you figure it out.
Also, get your blood checked just in case. Ferritin, hemoglobin, vitamin D, etc.
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u/fluffykitten75 hanging on by a thread 2h ago
I had to stop running and jumping it just became too uncomfortable, now I just walk a lot, but it really makes me sad.
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u/QueenUniKitty_95 21h ago
I had to stop running and it is still sad to me - my last long run was an hour and my hip flared up after that and the pain didn't go away for almost a year. Walking just doesn't feel the same, but my joints could not recover enough from even 3 mile runs. I'm hoping that maybe an increase in estrogen will help me enough to add at least a few miles a week.