Manage Your Stress

Cortisol is one of the main stress hormones and it can make you fat and feel both tired and miserable as well as using up stores of important vitamins.

You probably already know that dwindling oestrogen levels are one of the main factors behind your symptoms. However, the effects of stress can be just as debilitating.

Most hormones are made from the same basic ingredients. When it’s under fire, the body prioritises those jobs that are useful for sustaining life, which means that when you are stressed, your body will make stress hormones ahead of anything else. So, all those raw materials that might have gone to make oestrogen now won’t.

Apart from your fat cells, the only source of oestrogen after your ovaries stops making it is the adrenal glands, which is where the stress hormones are made. If your adrenals are busy making stress hormones…

This is why a stress action plan is a must. Self-care in your 40s and 50s is no longer a ‘nice thing to do’, it is essential for managing symptoms of the transition to menopause and also – she says dramatically – staying alive. If you have not been good (and many women aren’t) at putting your needs first and doing nice things for yourself, start now. Write down 5 activities you really enjoy doing – even if it’s been a while since you did any of them! Examples might include painting your nails, doing a jigsaw, taking a bath surrounded by candles…