Women in Pain - a mixed methods study of chronic pain at menopause

The incidence of chronic pain (CP), defined as pain lasting longer than three months, is on the rise, and poses significant threats to the physical, social and psychological wellbeing in those with this condition. While pain is an experience common to most people at some point during their life, CP conditions are more common in women. The perimenopause (PM) - defined as the period of menstrual irregularity prior to the final menstrual period (FMP) and the subsequent 12 months - is a sensitive period in which CP may emerge, though its multifactorial relationship with CP is poorly understood. This project proposes a mixed-methods framework based on life-course and enactive theories to investigate the gendered and sex-linked life-course predictors of chronic pain, the role of culture in the experience of PM and PM, and the way in which women make sense of these experiences.