Do you ever feel like you’re just barely functioning throughout the day and dragging yourself to get through your schedule? When we enter our 40s and beyond, it can be all too common to suffer from energy-sapping symptoms that impact our ability to thrive. Whether due to hormonal imbalances like adrenal fatigue or dysbiosis in the gut, many of us can relate to needing an extra boost now and then. Fortunately, with the proper care and attention, there are ways for us as women (over 40) suffering from low energy levels, fatigue, and even health-related issues such as weight gain or brain fog -to reclaim our inner energy reserves so we can feel refreshed and energized again! In this blog post, I will share revolutionary solutions so you don’t have to continue feeling drained by each day’s activities. Let’s dive right in!
Is there something more to my fatigue than meets the eye?
I have always had an interest in and passion for women’s health. Women in their late thirties and beyond go through changes as they transition toward menopause. I work with women who are experiencing symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and a lack of mental focus. It’s a common problem, and I can relate to it since I’m in that age group too.
If you’re feeling tired all the time and wondering if it’s just a part of aging or something else, I can understand what you’re going through.
If you’re experiencing different types of fatigue that seem to worsen at specific points in your menstrual cycle, it could be a sign that there’s more to it. It might get worse around ovulation or leading up to and during your period. As women approach their late forties and early fifties, periods can become irregular, making it harder to anticipate these changes throughout the month.
Many women experience a significant period of fatigue during ovulation, a couple of weeks after their period. And just a week later, their period starts again. This happens because menstrual cycles are getting shorter for many women. Instead of occurring every three and a half to four weeks, they’re happening every two and a half to three weeks. Who wants to feel exhausted like that for most of the month? It’s tough to get out of bed and function properly, let alone accomplish tasks at work, take care of your home and family, or enjoy socializing and life itself.
Is HRT a way out?
I understand many women are facing similar challenges. If you’re experiencing fatigue, struggling with focus at work, and completing tasks at home and elsewhere, you’re likely feeling overwhelmed and not enjoying life. Our goal is to find ways to assist you with these difficulties.
Many women explore various strategies, including hormone testing and potential hormone replacement therapies like bioidentical or non-bioidentical options. If you’re not yet in menopause, you might have tried progesterone or other hormones and adrenal supports. For those in menopause, you may have experimented with estrogen, progesterone, and additional hormones or adrenal supports. It’s common to seek hormone-related solutions.
However, I want to share a secret I’ve discovered from personal experience and working with women in this age group for many years. Despite the shifting and changing hormones during this stage of life, it’s often not the hormones themselves that are to blame for energy issues.
Fatigue can be solely caused by hormone level changes throughout the month. However, our hormones serve as messengers in our bodies. They need to be effectively transported to the right areas for us to feel well consistently, not just at specific points in our menstrual cycle.
If our hormone transport systems aren’t functioning optimally, balancing hormone levels or examining lab results won’t provide the desired effects. Even if the numbers look good on tests like blood labs, urine, or saliva, without proper transportation to where they’re needed, hormones can’t contribute to feeling focused, energetic, clear-headed, and improving metabolic health.
In fact, from personal experience, I can tell you that for some women, attempting hormone replacement therapy can backfire. If the body can’t efficiently shuttle hormones to the right places for utilization, side effects can occur. I experienced issues like fluid retention, tender breasts, moodiness, and unexpected weight gain, which contradicted the proposed benefits of optimization and weight maintenance.
In my case, hormone replacement therapy wasn’t the solution.
Gut Instances
The key revelation for me was recognizing the imbalances in my body. For many women, as female sex hormones decrease, the areas that commonly become imbalanced are the gut, digestive health, and daily detoxification processes.
When hormone levels, especially estrogen, start to decrease, they can fluctuate unpredictably, leading to symptoms that also vary. To handle these fluctuations and eliminate excess estrogen during sharp increases, our liver and gut need to function optimally. Unfortunately, many women struggle with this.
There are so many different reasons why our liver and our gut cannot detoxify correctly.
The process of hormone imbalance can occur over many years, starting in childhood. Think about your childhood experiences—were you frequently prescribed antibiotics? Were you exposed to herbicides and pesticides? We all have some level of exposure to these substances. If you grew up near farms or industries where these chemicals are commonly used, it further increases your exposure. This includes places like playgrounds in our communities.
It’s important to be aware that throughout our lives, we unfortunately encounter a significant amount of toxins. Our liver and gut have the vital role of filtering out these substances. By the time we reach our late thirties, forties, and early to mid-fifties, our liver and gut have already endured a substantial amount of work.
The Liver Needs Help
Each of us has experienced different levels of exposure to factors that can impact these areas. I struggled with my liver’s ability to effectively detoxify certain substances. I noticed signs like unhealthy skin with alternating bouts of acne and dryness. Additionally, I was bothered by persistent body odor, despite regular showers and deodorant use. These indications made me realize that my liver wasn’t detoxifying properly. On top of that, I was dealing with increasingly intense premenstrual symptoms that seemed to worsen regardless of what I tried.
For me, the solution didn’t involve introducing more hormones to balance things out. Instead, it was crucial to unclog my liver, much like clearing a clogged drain in a bathtub. I’ve observed that many women face similar situations, even if they don’t have the exact symptoms I experienced. Understanding how your liver functions and detoxifies is essential.
This is especially vital because one of the liver’s primary roles is maintaining hormone balance, particularly with estrogen, as it fluctuates and declines during the journey toward menopause.
Gut and Liver Health
Understanding your liver’s health involves exploring various avenues. Blood labs provide valuable insights, but there are also advanced functional labs that can be conducted through urine, which I frequently utilize with women. Through these tests, we can help you gain a deeper understanding and create a personalized strategy to naturally rebalance your hormones. This is exactly what I needed, and it’s a common requirement for many women I work with.
For some women, rebalancing their gut health and microbiome is also crucial. The gut serves as a vital interface for hormone interaction, communication, and processing—eliminating excess and transporting the necessary components to their intended destinations.
While it may initially seem complicated, the truth is that a few key areas of the body need to function well for our hormones to remain as balanced as possible during the rollercoaster ride of transitioning toward and into menopause.
Help is there for those who ask for it
If you’re tired of trying countless supplements and diets without finding relief and you’re frustrated with the direction your health is heading, I understand what you’re going through. I’ve personally experienced that frustration and have helped numerous women navigate the transition toward and into menopause.
The first step is understanding what’s happening in your body, and that’s where I can assist you. By gaining clarity, you can take control of your health more effectively. I specialize in natural approaches to helping women during this phase, and I’d be happy to connect with you.
You can find me in different places. Consider joining my functional medicine Facebook group for Hormone Imbalances, where I provide valuable information to help you understand my approach and how it can benefit you. Additionally, you can visit my website to book a free discovery call. If you’re ready to take charge of your health and improve how you feel now and for the years ahead, especially if you’re a woman in your forties or early to mid-fifties, I’m here to help you reclaim your life.
In our 40s and beyond, we often sense a lack of energy in the body. This can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as hormone imbalances, lack of sleep, poor gut health, or liver distress. Recognizing when to look for deeper answers can make all the difference – allowing us to move from barely functioning to refreshed. Getting at the root cause often requires a holistic approach that looks at both nutrition and lifestyle changes as well as lab tests and other alternative therapies. Thankfully there is help available if you know where to look for it. If you feel ready to take action and start your journey back towards renewed energy, then schedule a discovery call with an experienced integrative health practitioner who is passionate about helping people get their health back on track. Don’t let fatigue be another excuse for why you aren’t connecting with your most cherished loved ones or pursuing those dreams of travel – start this journey today!
Are you feeling constantly drained and fatigued, especially now that you’re in your 40s or beyond? We’re here to help! Schedule a discovery call with us and we’ll dive deeper into your symptoms to create a personalized plan just for you.
Don’t miss out on our Private Facebook Group either – join now!
DISCLAIMER: The information in this email is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional
