If you’re a woman in the early stages of menopause, you probably already know that menopause can be a very disorienting time. For one, there’s all the symptoms that can come with it, including hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, and mood swings. What’s more, you may experience a host of other issues that menopause-triggered low estrogen levels usher in. While these issues may include things your doctor has prepared you for, such as difficulty managing your weight or an increase in your risk for osteoporosis, what you may not know is that your risk for arthritis also increases during and after menopause.

This can mean experiencing joint pain and stiffness, as well as a limited range of motion and difficulty engaging in activities you normally find easy. Thankfully, just as an estrogen deficiency may have exacerbated your arthritis symptoms, increasing estrogen levels may help reduce them. Studies on the effects of estrogen on the arthritis symptoms of menopausal and post-menopausal women have yielded very promising results.