menopause

Menopause & Transition

A natural phase in every woman’s life

Every woman will experience it: menopause, the transition from fertility to infertility. While often downplayed, it can be a deeply transformative phase – physically, emotionally, and mentally. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to soften the impact. Nutrition, lifestyle, and mindful movement truly make a difference. Here you’ll find everything about the different phases, symptoms, and supportive tools.

The facts

Every woman will go through menopause. Around 80% experience symptoms, and for 34% they’re so severe that daily life is affected. Menopause typically begins around age 45 but can start much earlier. Hormonally, the menopausal journey includes two main periods:

Perimenopause, with an early and late stage
Postmenopause, the phase that follows the final menstrual period

Important note: Menopause itself is technically just one day—the day you’ve been without a period for twelve consecutive months. After that, you’re considered postmenopausal.

---

The phases & symptoms

1. Early Perimenopause

Progesterone decreases, while estrogen remains relatively high
Your body begins to ovulate less frequently, which lowers progesterone levels. Estrogen remains relatively high, often leading to symptoms of estrogen dominance. This phase can begin as early as your 40s and may last for several years.

Common symptoms:

Heavier or more frequent periods
Breast tenderness
Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
Headaches or migraines
Mood swings and irritability
Poor sleep
Fatigue and feeling wired
Bloating or sensitive digestion

What helps (and why):

• Strength or hot workouts → Support metabolism, muscle tone and energy
• Yoga, breathwork, rest → Calm the nervous system, support hormonal balance
• Fiber-rich & cruciferous veggies → Help detox excess estrogen via the liver
• Reduce caffeine, alcohol, sugar → Balance blood sugar and lower stress hormones

Supplements:

• Magnesium bisglycinate, GABA, glycine (sleep and calm)
• Female Support, saffron, B-complex (mood support)
• Creatine, protein (energy and strength)
• Omega 3, magnesium (headaches)

---

2. Late Perimenopause

Estrogen begins to drop, cycles become irregular or stop

In this stage, estrogen starts to decline alongside progesterone. Periods become irregular and may skip months or stop suddenly. Menopause itself is the single day marking twelve months without menstruation. From there, you enter postmenopause.

Common symptoms:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Brain fog and memory issues
• Joint pain or stiffness
• Anxiety, low mood, panic
• Heart palpitations
• Vaginal dryness, lower libido
• Poor sleep, fatigue

What helps (and why):

• Movement (strength, yoga, walking) → Lifts mood, supports bones and sleep
• Evening routine + consistent bedtime → Supports melatonin production and rest
• Yoga nidra & breathwork → Activate parasympathetic system for deep recovery
• Phytoestrogens → Natural estrogen-like foods may ease hot flashes and dryness
• Plant-based proteins + rest → Help with energy and repair
• Heat training (hot workouts) → Supports thermoregulation and circulation

Supplements:

• Isoflavones, black cohosh, magnesium (hot flashes)
• Glycine, L-theanine, magnesium (sleep)
• Creatine, omega 3, B-complex (cognition)
• Collagen, vitamin D3 + K2 (bones & joints)
• Female Support, saffron, ashwagandha (mood)
• Maca, shatavari, vitamin E (libido & dryness)

---

3. Postmenopause

Chronically low estrogen and progesterone – a new hormonal baseline

After menopause, hormone levels remain low but stable. Many women begin to feel emotionally balanced again, but new symptoms can arise.

Common symptoms:

• Bone loss (osteoporosis)
• Weight gain, especially upper body
• Muscle loss
• Dry skin, hair thinning
• Joint stiffness
• Reduced drive or motivation

What helps (and why):

• Strength training and resistance workouts → Prevent bone loss and build lean mass
• Calcium-rich, protein-rich foods + healthy fats → Nourish repair and hormone health
• Vitamin D3 and sun exposure → Crucial for mood, bones, and muscle function
• Purpose, creativity, and connection → Boost vitality and emotional resilience

Supplements:

• Calcium citrate, collagen, D3 + K2 (bone health)
• Protein, creatine (muscle preservation)
• Omega 3, zinc, shatavari (skin and tissue)
• B-complex, ashwagandha, maca (mood and energy)
• Shatavari, maca, vitamin E (libido)

The symptoms

Overweight
During menopause you only require 65% of the calories that you required in your twenties. Falling progesterone levels mean that your metabolism slows down and this process occurs quite rapidly. Also, a falling oestrogen level can result in more stomach fat which means the waist can unfortunately disappear. As well as this you may experience an increased feeling of being hungry. It is, therefore, advisable to adjust your eating habits in time and to learn to deal with that feeling of being hungry. Read the tools Mindful Eating & Don’t eat too much.

Belly and strength workouts
Building muscle mass is incredibly important during menopause. Keeping the big muscles in the legs strong will help to stay strong, in shape and active. It also keeps your skeleton strong and helps with keeping your balance. Other benefits can be an increase in energy and strength and improved bone density. Therefore, choose a strength programme in the hot cabin or HIIT in the cabin or studio.

Decreasing bone density
Bones are protected by the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Around and after the menopause there is a decrease in these hormones, causing bone breakdown. Sufficient calcium-rich products (such as green leafy vegetables, no dairy products because this is counterproductive) and products with vitamin D are important for the prevention of osteoporosis. You can also supplement calcium and vitamin D. It is also important to choose workouts that put stress on your bones. For example cardio, HIIT, strength training, kickboxing and TRX training. Walking and climbing stairs are also healthy activities.

Mood swings
Falling oestrogen also means a lower activity of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps us feel happy. Women in the menopause suffer up to three times as much feelings of depression and feelings of anxiety. Ensure that you get enough daylight and walk/jog regularly. This stimulates the production of serotonin. Through meditation and yoga and taking the supplement female support, you can help to regulate mood swings.

Hot flushes
During menopause your body’s heating system is disrupted. The hypothalamus sends a message to the brain saying that the temperature must be lowered. So that you don’t overheat, your body starts to sweat and your blood vessels swell which results in your face going red.  Through a peak in your adrenaline you can often experience an ominous feeling just before a hot flush. This is completely normal and passes eventually. Hot flushes take about one to five minutes. By sporting regularly you can train your temperature regulation. This is why sporters are better able to cool their bodies. By regularly training, going to the sauna and exercising in a hot cabin, you sweat more resulting in lesser hot flushes.

Sleeping poorly and stress
During menopause your cortisol levels drop which means your tolerance to stress lowers and your sleep cycle becomes disrupted. In the first phase of menopause extra progesterone may help and in the second phase extra oestrogen. Magnesium supplements can also help against sleeplessness and feelings of anxiousness. For a good nights rest it is important to go to bed before 23:00. Sleep in a cool, dark bedroom and avoid computers and television before going to sleep. To help yourself fall asleep peacefully it can help to do a bodyscan or yoga nidra before going to sleep. You can find many bodyscan meditations on internet as well as some very good meditation apps such as Insight Timer. Many women experience tiredness during menopause resulting in feeling less motivated to train. This results in feeling even more tired. Sport can help to break this cycle.

Loss of concentration
During menopause women often experience a dip in their cognitive performances. The lowering levels of oestrogen and testosterone influence the memory and concentration functions. As a result you are less alert and your ability to reason also lowers. Perform tasks one at a time and do everything with your full attention.

Libido
As the last eggs present themselves some women experience a peak in their desire for sex. Women in their early and middle 40’s often feel flirty and strongly attracted to genetic material. As menopause starts the testosterone levels remain constant meaning your libido remains good. Later on in menopause, many women experience a lower libido but this can be caused by many things. Exhausting children, a relationship in a dip, a badly functioning thyroid or a magnesium deficiency. Bad circulation and a drop in collagen can result in your vagina drying out. There are many creams available for this which can be purchased from the drugstore (for example coconut oil based). Is your libido very low? Then there is a good chance that your testosterone is too low. Keep having sex in this period as it will help to keep your libido up.

General nutrition advice

• Add to all the recipes and daily menus the ingredients that fit with the phase you are in. Prepare smoothies from vegetable oestrogen for an extra high concentration.
• Would you like to loose weight? We would advise that you follow start & motivation for the first 5 days. You could also choose to use the basic nutrition as your guideline and add products that fit with the phase you are in. Start & motivation is a good way to get weight loss (back) in motion. Your body is cleansed in 5 days time allowing you to find balance and rhythm in healthy eating.
• After these 5 (or 3) days it is best to continue with the basic nutrition. In the preference list you can see which products you can best choose. The inspiration list is there to give you extra inspiration! On our website you can find delicious and nutritious recipes.