71 Weird And Unexpected Body Changes That Come With Age, According To Women In Their 40s

My hair went from fine/straight to coarse/wavy as I let it go gray, I got a belly I never had before. I had always carried extra weight in my a*s and thighs, now it piles on my belly. I can't drink alcohol anymore. It makes me so ill it's not worth it. Allergies, asthma, anxiety and depression all reared their ugly heads as I aged. Most of this, I attribute to menopause.

My voice changed. I use to be able to sing incredibly high, but after my second pregnancy I never could the same way.

My body feels like it’s falling apart. I do believe I have fibromyalgia however. I also work a pretty physical job. It surprised me that I started to slow down and get tired quicker at 35.

I used to run around and get tons done. Now I’d rather relax. Things will get done.

My entire front end being the only place I put on weight. I look like an emperor penguin but from the back I’m still in college. It’s truly weird.

My periods are different every month, but they’re always accompanied by liver pain and reactivating my tendinitis in my shoulder. My hair was always thick and wavy, but it curls a bit more now especially on one side. I’ve had varicose veins since my early 20s and recently had to have a phlebectomy done (I’m 33). One of my knees has been constantly sore for the last 2 years. Eating greasy food is limited to once in a while because it takes forever to digest and it’s so heavy. I’m still tall and thin, but I have slightly wider hips and a nice b**t (lol).

And I also love midday naps because I’m always tired and I wake up during the night after the end of a sleep cycle.

That your body really does keep the score.

That as a woman, hormones get more brutal as you age, then they just stop and leave you in a state of unrest that makes you wish you still had them and everything terrible they brought.

That every part of your body can and will hurt for no reason or some reason.

That growing old gracefully is really known as inner peace.

That men and women are just as gorgeous in their 40s.

I’m 37. I grew up on a dairy farm. I drank milk every day of my life up until the last few months, when I developed this lactose intolerance

I'm 5'2 and about 130lbs I'm thick in all the right places..... but I have a "mommy pouch" ( and am not a mom).

I have a TINY waist (29 inches) big hips (41 inches and you can see/feel bone) and yet i have this "pouch" of fat just above my pubes that just won't go away through diet and/or exercise...i feel like it's max 2lbs of fat but it's the only part of my upper half that jiggles (yeah b***s jiggle a little but i'm bottom heavy they're a 'victoria's secret D' which in any other brand translates to B.)

Anyways.... extra belly fat, why?

My face is aging kinda faster than I would’ve thought-am 36. And hair thinner.

At 40 I had to realize I need to chose between my a*s and face. If I want my a*s to stay the same size my face will be skinnier by the year, if I want my face to stay filled out my a*s will grow.

Halfway through my cycle i get bad cramps, lots of clear discharge and epic bloating due to ovulation. Its kind of like having a period twice every month.

Doctor said it’s normal for some woman to have changes like this when approaching 40.

So yeah, fml.

I got a grey hair on my eyebrows. I didn’t even know that was a thing but Idgaf since I fill them in with brow stuff anyway.

After my first pregnancy my teeth slowly started to get crazy crooked.

Yep, your hormones shift as you age and it's super common for your hair texture to change. Tons of kids have baby waves that straighten out or loosen around age 4-5 or so.

I was born with red hair, which lightened to a strawberry blonde that was super straight, and then when I was 8 or so, it went brown and wavy and doubled in density, which is what it still is today (30 years later).

I was underweight and not at all curvy as a teen/in my 20s, then in my late 20s and 30s I basically went through a second puberty and the curves came in.

Everything you suppressed in your 20s & 30s so you could get on with things comes back.

Your body keeps the score.

How bad handovers can be. I don't get drunk anymore because it's just not worth it. I can enjoy a drink or two and be more than done.

As soon as I turned 25, I developed three creases along the front of my hip on one side. They appeared suddenly and have lasted for the past 11 years. I've been very fit, slightly overweight, and very fit again and they never change. A friend of mine had the same thing happen when she turned 25. What are they????

I’d always been skinny and had a flat stomach. Then BOOM, menopause pouch when I turned 41.

I became allergic to the sun several years ago. I don't mean that I *just* burn easily. I mean sun makes mast cells go brrrrrrrr.

Address the inflammation and its causes..
eat in deficit and eat healthy.