7 Most Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms in Women

In Lady Gaga’s Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, the opening scene features the singer having her muscles stretched and prodded on a massage table. This is one of the methods she uses to manage fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread chronic pain.

The cause of the condition is unknown, and there is no cure, making diagnosis and pain management highly frustrating. Gaga discusses her struggles with the condition multiple times throughout the film and has spoken about it openly over the past year.

When a celebrity as big as Gaga talks about fibromyalgia, it brings major awareness to the condition, but it’s still very misunderstood.

“Fibromyalgia is poorly identified by most people, even those in medicine, and there’s no specific test that can determine someone has it,” says pain management specialist Dr. Charles Kim. “We have to test for other things and rule those out; it’s a diagnosis of exclusion.”

Fibromyalgia typically affects women in their twenties and thirties, and it’s more common in women than men, says Dr. Kim, though researchers don’t know why.

It’s hard to diagnose, so knowing the symptoms can help you recognize them and mention it to your doctor.

Here are the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia and how to deal with them.

1. Widespread pain

Do you know how you used to feel after pulling an all-nighter at varsity? That’s the best way to describe how it feels to live with fibromyalgia, says Dr Kim. “You don’t feel refreshed when you wake up, but rather stiff, achy, really run down, and in pain.”

Fibromyalgia is thought to trigger something called central sensitization, which means your body “starts to get overly sensitive and react to things that normally wouldn’t hurt,” says Dr. Kim.

There are pain medications your doctor can prescribe to help, but Dr. Kim recommends trying other options before medication, like aerobic conditioning workouts (think walking, jogging, cycling, swimming) and acupuncture, which have both been shown to help ease fibromyalgia symptoms.

2. Fatigue

Along with pain comes a general sense of tiredness that just won’t go away, says Dr. Kim, even after a good night of sleep. Doctors aren’t sure if patients are tired because of the pain they’re dealing with, or if their fatigue is causing the pain because they’re not getting proper muscle recovery when they sleep. “It’s sort of a chicken and egg question; we’re not sure which comes first,” says Dr. Kim. He recommends acupuncture and mindfulness practices to help people with fibromyalgia get better sleep and improve their fatigue.

3. Migraines

Severe headaches and migraines are other symptoms of fibromyalgia. It’s also unclear what the direct cause of these are, but they could be another aspect of the overall chronic pain of the condition. Over-the-counter meds can help, as well as manage pain through methods like exercise and massage.

4. Sleep issues

People with fibromyalgia often report having sleep issues like waking up frequently or not being able to fall asleep, says Dr. Kim. Again, doctors aren’t sure if the disturbances are caused by pain and discomfort waking people up and making it difficult for them to fall asleep, or something else entirely. But issues like these only make the fatigue worse. Biofeedback therapies, self-guided imagery, hypnosis, and meditation are methods people can try to help with sleep issues, says Dr. Kim.

5. Brain fog

Many people with fibromyalgia experience “fogginess of thought” or “fibro fog”, says Dr. Kim. That might mean they have memory issues, or just feel like they’re not as sharp or quick in their thinking. “If you examine patients who have fibromyalgia, there are differences in their brain activity from people who don’t have it, in terms of metabolic activity,” says Dr. Kim. Doctors aren’t sure yet what that means, but they do know there are brain changes that could cause issues.

6. Depression and anxiety

Mood disorders are also associated with fibromyalgia and chronic pain conditions in general. “The neurotransmitters that impact depression are also tied to pain,” says Dr Kim. It’s not clear how they’re connected, and it’s possible to have depression and anxiety that are separate from and not caused by fibromyalgia, but they may be linked.

People should evaluate their mental health with a therapist or other mental healthcare provider, recommends Dr Kim. “We can’t just focus on relieving pain; we want to make sure we’re addressing any psycho-emotional issues in addition to pain,” says Dr Kim. “Some people’s pain might improve but their mood may not – the interplay is very complex, so it’s important to address the physical symptoms and the mental.”

7. Irritable bowel syndrome

People with fibromyalgia may also get upset stomachs and nausea regularly, and may have to go to the bathroom frequently, says Dr Kim. People who do have irritable bowel symptoms should have their doctor or a gastroenterologist run checks to make sure everything is working properly, then consult with a dietitian about what nutrition deficiencies might be at play and what diet changes could help.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com}