What to Know About Menopause Pain in Your Lower Abdomen

Menopause pain in the lower abdomen could come as an unwelcome surprise — but it’s not unusual.

After all, saying goodbye to period pain has to be one of the upshots of this chapter of life, right?

There are several causes of peri and postmenopausal pain in the lower abdomen.

Let’s take a look at what could be cramping your style.

In this article: 📝

Can females still get lower abdominal pain during menopause?

Yes, women can definitely get abdominal pain just before, during, and after menopause.

If you’re still having periods (which means you’re perimenopausal), then cramping is quite common.

Perimenopause ovary pain can be caused by the hormonal changes you may be experiencing at this time.

Before estrogen levels drop, they tend to go through some highs and lows.

Higher estrogen elevates your levels of prostaglandins.

These are the hormone-like compounds that have been helping you shed the lining of your uterus every month, possibly bringing menstrual cramping with them.

If your estrogen levels are on the up, you may also have higher prostaglandin levels, which could be the source of your cramps.

Unfortunately, elevated levels can make other existing conditions, like IBS, feel worse.

In fact, this study even mentions how the effect on gastrointestinal symptoms, specifically abdominal pain starts at the beginning of hormonal changes during menopausal transition.

There are other potential causes though, so, if you’re at all worried, it’s important to reach out to a healthcare professional to make sure you’re getting to the root cause.

What causes lower abdominal pain in menopausal females?

The abdominal area is quite a vast space, medically speaking, so there are quite a few potential causes for menopausal lower abdominal pain.

It depends on whether you’re still experiencing your menstrual cycle, and which organ(s) are affected.

We’ll take you through some of the potential causes of menopause pain in the lower abdomen:

Fibroids

These non-cancerous growths grow in and around the womb.

Fibroids can cause symptoms such as lower abdominal pain and heavy periods.

Now, as the menopausal period is linked with decreasing levels of estrogen, these fibroids tend to die out (their main hormone fuel source is estrogen!).

This degeneration or dying out, can in fact cause abdominal pain during menopause as well.

However, it is to be noted that a case like this doesn’t just bring abdominal pain, but also may be accompanied by low-grade fever and an increase in the number of white cells in the blood (leukocytosis).

Endometriosis

The tissue that lines the womb (the endometrium) can sometimes break away and grow in other places.

This can cause pelvic pain that gets worse during your period but can also happen once your periods have finished.

But during menopause, here’s the thing: similar to fibroids, the drop in estrogen actually relieves symptoms of endometriosis in women with a history of it.

So the endometriosis-related symptoms decrease, and the menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, and night sweats take over.

But endometriosis pain can show up as pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, or intestinal symptoms if you’re going through menopause.

So even if these show up, a general ultrasound examination with your doctor is best, to rule out this issue.

Endometriosis affects up to 5% of postmenopausal women.

Ectopic pregnancy

Even if your periods have become less frequent leading up to menopause, there’s still a chance of pregnancy.

If a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than your womb, this is called an ectopic pregnancy and can cause sudden, severe pain on either side of your lower abdomen.

If you think you may have an ectopic pregnancy, it’s important to reach out for urgent medical help.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

Quite often, people experiencing PID don’t have any symptoms.

But, when they do, they might experience lower abdominal or pelvic pain, unusual discharge, and occasionally, a fever.

Problems with pelvic floor muscles

Perimenopause and menopause can lead to weakness of the pelvic floor muscles, which means that the pelvic organs are no longer so well supported and can droop down.

This is called prolapse and can cause abdominal discomfort.

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)

Lower levels of estrogen can make the walls of the vagina and your urethra (the tube that carries pee from your bladder) thinner.

This can lead to irritation and inflammation and an increased chance of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

So if you’re experiencing cramps during menopause with no period, this could be a potential cause.

Cancer

Certain types of cancer can cause lower abdominal pain.

Sometimes this is also accompanied by symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, abdominal swelling, and changes in bowel habits.

Do ovaries ache during menopause?

Sometimes, lower abdominal pain may feel like it’s coming from the ovaries.

Things like ovulation, endometriosis, and fibroids may cause pain in that general area, as can ovarian cysts.

Ovarian cysts are quite common and don’t usually cause problems.

But if they become damaged (like if they burst, or in some rare cases, if the ovary twists around the tissue that supports it), they can cause severe symptoms that need urgent medical attention.

Lower abdominal pain during menopause: the bottom line

No one should have to suffer in silence, so if your lower abdominal pain worries you—especially if you have severe or unusual symptoms—don’t be afraid to seek medical help.

This is especially true as the symptoms of menopausal pain in the lower abdomen can be caused by many things. It’s not always easy to tell where and what’s causing the pain.

And if you need support through all this, know that we’re here for you.