Shingles has long been thought of as something that happens to older people. But that picture is changing, and doctors across England are noticing a worrying trend: more and more millennial women are being struck down by the painful condition, often at the worst possible moments in their lives.
Francine Jones was in her late 30s when she first noticed something odd. It started as a strange pricking sensation under her bra. Within days, 10 large blisters had formed in a band stretching from her stomach to her back, along with dozens of smaller ones. The burning was intense. She stopped wearing underwear for over a month because the fabric against her skin was unbearable. Even a cold flannel made things worse.
Then came the pain that she describes as a ‘lightning strike’. Every 10 minutes or so, a stabbing electric shock would tear through her torso, taking her breath away. ‘It was a really sharp, intense pain, as if someone was giving me an electric shock,’ she says. After the blisters came the itch. For five solid weeks, she could barely sleep more than four hours a night. ‘It was like something was crawling all over me all the time.’
Her experience is far from unique. Across England, women in their 30s and 40s are reporting shingles cases at a rate that has health professionals concerned. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in the nervous system. It can reactivate years or even decades later, typically when the immune system is under pressure.
The big question is why younger women seem increasingly vulnerable. Several factors have been put forward by doctors and researchers. Chronic stress is near the top of the list. Women in their 30s and 40s are often juggling demanding careers, caring responsibilities, financial pressures and the general grind of modern life. The cost of living crisis has added another layer of strain for many households in England, and prolonged stress is known to suppress immune function.
Long working hours are also being flagged. England has some of the longest working hours in Europe, and women in professional roles are increasingly working patterns that leave little room for rest and recovery. Poor sleep, which often goes hand in hand with stress and overwork, further weakens the immune system over time.
Perhaps surprisingly, excessive exercise has also been mentioned as a potential contributing factor. While regular moderate exercise supports immune health, pushing the body too hard without adequate recovery can have the opposite effect. The growing culture around intense fitness regimes, particularly among women in this age group, may be playing a small role.
For many women, the diagnosis comes as a shock. Shingles is not something they had on their radar as a health risk in their 30s. The condition is not only painful during the active phase but can lead to a complication called postherpetic neuralgia, where nerve pain continues for months or even years after the rash has cleared. This long-term impact on quality of life is something GPs are keen to flag.
Currently in England, the shingles vaccine is offered on the NHS to people aged 70 to 79, with a catch-up programme for those who missed out. The vaccine is not routinely available to younger adults, even those who may be at higher risk due to stress or other lifestyle factors. Some health professionals are now calling for a broader conversation about whether eligibility criteria should be reviewed in light of changing patterns.
For women who do develop shingles, antiviral medication can reduce the severity and duration of the illness if started early enough, ideally within 72 hours of the rash appearing. The challenge is that many younger women do not recognise the early symptoms, which can include tingling, burning or unusual sensitivity on one side of the body before any visible rash develops.
Awareness is key. Knowing that shingles is not just an older person’s condition, and that stress and lifestyle factors can genuinely bring it on at any age, could help more women seek help sooner. And given how debilitating the condition can be, the sooner treatment starts, the better the outcome tends to be.
For Francine, recovery took months. She is doing better now, but the experience left a mark. ‘I had no idea this could happen to someone my age,’ she says. ‘I just want other women to know it’s real, it’s serious, and it can happen to you.’