As women we know that menopause is a natural part of life, and it represents the time we stop menstruating and are no longer fertile. What is not often talked about, is what exactly is changing in our body and how this affects us, our lifestyle and the people around us. The symptoms of menopause can be quite debilitating when you don’t understand what is happening to your body, and what you can do to manage it. It comes down to hormones. In this article we explore what is happening during this transformative stage of life and what you can do to navigate this stage of life with confidence and personal peace.

What’s Happening to Your Hormones?

During menopause, your body starts winding down its reproductive system, which means major changes in two key hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones don’t just affect your ability to have children. They influence everything from your mood to your energy levels and even your weight.

Here’s the tricky part; they don’t decrease at a steady rate. Instead, they fluctuate wildly, causing all those symptoms that make you feel like, (to quote one of my clients) ‘the 7 Dwarfs’.

Common Symptoms of Hormonal Fluctuations

If you experience any of the following, understand it is all normal and common:

1. Mood Swings
   One moment, you’re cool, calm and collected and the next minute, you’re in a rage or sobbing over something trivial. This happens because oestrogen impacts serotonin, your happy hormone. If serotonin dips, so does your mood.
2. Hot Flushes and Sweats
   You cannot possibly understand the intensity of hot flushes unless you experience them. They are so difficult to full comprehend until they dominate your life. It’s a wave of heat that starts at the base of your stomach and raises all the way up through your brain making you feel like your face is on fire. How long they last vary from woman to woman. You heat up so much you can break out in a massive sweat which drips down your face, between the breasts and down your back. When sleeping, you will often wake just before the onset of the heat wave and throw the covers off before burning up. This is caused by the fluctuating hormones affecting your body’s thermostat. These are Vasomotor Symptoms; the fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone impact your Central Nervous System, resulting in the Vasomotor Symptoms.
3. Low Energy and Fatigue
   Hormonal imbalances can mess with your sleep and leave you feeling exhausted during the day, especially if you are also suffering with hot flushes and night sweats.
4. Sugar Cravings, Increased Appetite and Weight Gain
   The hormonal changes increase stress in the body, the fight or flight mode. Glucose is stored in your cells as glycogen. When your body needs energy, it converts the glycogen to glucose. When your body is stressed, it secretes glucose in the blood as a quick burst of energy so you can fight or flee. As such, you then need to replenish the glycogen stores, leading to sugar cravings and increased appetite. Any glucose not used as energy then gets converted to fat and stored around the abdomen. This is where the weight gain can come from.
5. Brain Fog
   As we’ve already stated, the changes in hormones impact the Central Nervous System. As such they also impact the brain, hence the brain fog and memory loss.

What You Can Do to Manage Your Symptoms – The 5 Pillars

The good news is, you’re not powerless! Small, intentional changes can make a huge difference.

1. Prioritise Nutrition
   Eat a diet rich in whole foods, good fats, and high-quality protein. Foods rich in magnesium (like dark leafy greens) and phytoestrogens (like flaxseeds) can help balance your hormones.
2. Stay Active
   Exercise, especially strength training and yoga, can help stabilise your mood, boost energy, and support your bones as your oestrogen levels drop.
3. Manage Stress
   Stress increases cortisol, which throws your hormones even more out of balance. It also increases sugar cravings and appetite as we discussed earlier. Prioritise self-care practices like meditation, deep breathing, or even just taking a walk outside.
4. Hydrate
   Dehydration can worsen symptoms like fatigue and brain fog, so aim for 2–3 litres of water a day.
5. Sleep Smart
   Focus on creating a calming bedtime and sleep routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time. Set a bedtime alarm 8 hours before you are due to wake. Turn off electronics at least half hour before bed as these can impact your ability to fall asleep. Charge your phone at least 5 meters away from you or better yet, in another room. Sleep in a pitch-black, silent room. Keep your bedroom temperature cool, between 15 to 19 degrees Celsius. Avoid caffeine after 12pm lunchtime as this impacts your quality of sleep.

Conclusion

Menopause may be a natural stage of life, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer in silence. Understanding the hormonal chaos behind your symptoms can empower you to take steps toward feeling like yourself again. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and remember, you’re not alone in this journey.

Embrace the change, and let it be a new chapter of strength and self-discovery.

And if you need help navigating this transformative stage, shoot me a message or an email so we can chat about how I may be able to support you.

• Coach Terri