It’s World Menopause Month and whilst I love that there is so much more focus around the menopause in general, I personally feel the whole hormone conversation needs to be started much sooner, cover more about the years after and include a deeper focus on WHY!
❓WHY are symptoms showing up? Even when you’re 38 or 62!
❓WHY does it matter that we address them rather than just ride them out? (“It’s just my age, it’s just my hormones”)
❓WHY does the whole-body approach matter?
Brain fog is one of the most common symptoms of the menopause (and peri-menopause which can start in our late 30’s!) and one that causes so much anxiety and fear. So many women worry that there is something sinister happening in their brain when they start forgetting words, names and what they went upstairs for.
The brain loves oestrogen and when hormone levels start to decline it can go through an adjustment period, which in itself might not cause noticeable forgetfulness so WHY might yours be so severe?
Undoubtedly poor sleep and low-level stress will make your brain fog worse.
Progesterone is the sleep supportive hormone so when that begins to decline, your sleep may become fragmented. Your hormonal changes and the decline of them can causes low level stress. So two factors that could be aggravating your symptom are, at some level, unavoidable, but what about the stressors that you can control or control your response too and the habits that you have that impact your sleep? And how is your gut health?
Inflammation, gut imbalance and poor digestion can cause brain fog – so is it even your hormones?
If you are chronically stressed and reaching for the sweet, sugary mid afternoon snack to give you an energy boost, or you’re having a glass or two of wine in the evening with the bar of chocolate to unwind whilst you aimlessly scroll through your mobile device or lose yourself in a Netflix binge watch until late and then scroll through your social media in bed because you can’t sleep, then you are ticking all the ‘worsen your brain fog’ boxes.
And these are just three of the factors. There are things that can be affecting the brain directly including:
✅ Anxiety and depression
✅ Autoimmune conditions
✅ Headaches and migraines
There is so much that we can control and implement to ease and even alleviate symptoms and when it comes to brain fog, the good news is that our brains CAN be rewired and come back sharper and stronger after menopause, which is why, for me, the conversations must start sooner and go on longer.
This is just one brief example of one symptom. If you’ve read my book, Reignite, you’ll know that heart health is another massive topic that needs a deeper conversation, starting in our 30’s and certainly continuing in to out late 50’s and 60’s.
You do not need to wait until symptoms show up to start to consider or support your hormones, and nobody should just accept or normalise any symptom they are experiencing. And PLEASE don’t dismiss the information around hormones just because you might be through the other side of the menopause!
If you would like some deeper conversations around about the peri-menopuase, menopause AND beyond and would like to understand the affects these stages can have on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, or if you are ready for some strategies and healthy tips to build better balance then check out my new MenoFit programme.
It’s a 14 day online package which will provide lots of support, motivation and the most important information we all need along with a daily fifteen minute hormone friendly workout (ideal for beginners and those noticing midsection weight gain, achy joints and lack of energy).
Full details can be found HERE. It’s going to be an amazing, positive and motivational 2 weeks and I’d love you to be part of it.