Menopause Natural Remedies – 10 Things You Can Do At Home

Menopause natural remedies – are there such things? Menopause is something that we all – as women – will experience. This can be daunting and even frightening. But here’s the good news: there are such things as menopause natural remedies! And they are fairly simple to implement. It’s just about making a few changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Don’t underestimate the impact you can have on your own health by making dietary swaps, sticking to routines and discovering your personal triggers. For menopause natural remedies can change the entire game.

So, with that in mind, let’s explore how you can lessen your menopause symptoms naturally.

What is menopause?

Let’s recap and revisit the basics: what even is menopause?

Menopause is a stage every woman will experience in her life. If you’ve reached menopause naturally (rather than surgically), you’ll experience menopause after perimenopause.

Menopause is official when you haven’t had any menstrual bleeding (including spotting) for a year or more. This happens because your hormone levels will fluctuate, telling your reproductive system that it’s time to pack up and go home.

When does menopause usually happen?

Every woman is different and the age you reach menopause can vary depending on a number of factors. That said, the NHS agrees that the typical age bracket to reach menopause sits between 45 and 55.

Of course, this can vary. For example, if you’re experiencing surgical menopause – brought on after a medical procedure – you may experience menopause much earlier.

What is surgical menopause?

Whether you’ve reached menopause naturally or it has been induced after medical surgery or therapies, we’re all in the same boat.

Oophorectomy caused menopause

One reason you may reach menopause earlier is through medical intervention, specifically a surgery that removes the ovaries. This is called an oophorectomy.

Your ovaries are responsible for creating hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone, which control your menstrual cycle. When those ovaries are removed, the result is instant menopause.

Your periods will stop straight away, and you’ll probably experience a few different menopause symptoms. Menopause brought on by surgery can cause your symptoms to be more severe because your hormones drop straight away rather than naturally throughout time.

Hysterectomy and menopause

If you have had surgery that removes your uterus but leaves your ovaries in tact – otherwise known as a hysterectomy – instant menopause isn’t as common.

You won’t have periods after surgery, but your ovaries will still produce and release eggs. On top of that, your ovaries will continue to produce oestrogen and progesterone for a few months or so.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy and menopause (oh my!)

Another cause of early and sudden menopause is cancer therapies such as chemotherapy.

These medical interventions can provoke certain symptoms such as hot flashes and often happen shortly after treatment.

That said, your periods can return after your chemotherapy treatment has finished. At which point, you’re then able to conceive, so if you don’t want to have a baby, it’s worth using your preferred method of birth control.

Radiation therapy focused on your stomach, pelvis and lower spine, can cause sudden menopause. On top of this, over-all radiation for stem cell transplants can cause menopause, too.

However, if you’re having radiation therapy to other parts of your body, such as your neck, head or breast tissue, there’s a very low chance that it’ll impact menopause.

Primary ovarian insufficiency

Primary ovarian insufficiency impacts around 1% of women who reach menopause before 40 years old and is known as premature menopause.

So, why does premature menopause happen?

In short, it’s all about your ovaries producing hormones. With primary ovarian insufficiency, your ovaries may not produce the expected and routine levels of hormones. It can happen because of genetics or an autoimmune disease.

Realistically, though, it’s unlikely that healthcare professionals will be able to determine a cause for premature menopause. However, if you feel you’ve reached menopause early, it’s important you speak with your doctor for further help.

Common menopause symptoms

So, what are the most common menopause symptoms?

Before we get into a list of the most typical ones, it’s important to remember that everyone’s different. You may experience no symptoms at all, while others can experience many.

The most common menopause symptoms include (but are not limited to):

• Irregular periods
• Sleep disturbance and insomnia
• Mood swings and sensitivity
• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Brain fog (where you struggle to find words and remember things.)

Menopause natural remedies

When it comes to natural remedies to manage menopause, it’s all about making consistent changes.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill that’ll solve everything.

With that in mind, if you follow these menopause natural remedies and stick to them, you’ll notice a huge difference throughout time.

So, let’s take a look at the swaps you should implement to manage menopause naturally.

1. Eat foods that are rich in vitamin D and calcium

When your hormones start to change, a common side effect is that your bones start to weaken. This can result in something called osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is when your bones become brittle and more delicate because the tissue surrounding them has reduced. Menopause isn’t the only cause of osteoporosis, though. Other causes include a calcium or vitamin D deficiency.

That’s why, when you reach perimenopause and menopause, you should increase your intake of vitamin D and calcium.

Another plus is that adequate vitamin D in post-menopause is often linked to a lower risk of hip fractures.

How to increase vitamin D and calcium intake

Increasing your intake of calcium is simple because so many foods are calcium-rich!

Foods rich in calcium include:

• Seeds:
  • Chia seeds
  • Poppy seeds
  • Celery seeds
  • Sesame seeds
• Cheese
  Another excuse for cheesy goodness is that most types of cheese are packed with calcium.
  • Parmesan cheese has the highest amount of calcium, with 242mg per ounce.
  • Softer cheeses, however, have the least amount of calcium. For example, 28g of Brie gives you only 52mg of calcium.
  • Keep in mind, though, that full fat cheese can be packed with calories and saturated fats. Plus, some cheeses contain a lot of salt. So, it’s important to be mindful and sparing when consuming cheese!
• Yoghurt
  Yoghurt is a fantastic food to increase your calcium intake.
  • Yoghurt is also packed with probiotics, which help to improve your immune system, heart and better your body’s nutritional absorption. Yes, yoghurt is truly magical!
  • Low fat yoghurt is actually higher in calcium than full-fat, which is also great for weight loss.
• Canned salmon and sardines
  Canned salmon and sardines are fantastic for boosting your calcium intake because of the edible bones.
  • Another plus for canned salmon and sardines is that they are a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
  • On top of helping with your menopause symptoms, they also help improve your health in your heart, brain and skin.
• Beans and lentils
  Packed with fibre, protein, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium and folate, beans and lentils are nutritional powerhouses. Some types of beans and lentils are also rich in calcium:
  • Winged beans
  • White beans
    Note that, if you’re trying to lower cholesterol levels, beans and lentils should be included in your diet as frequently as possible.
• Leafy greens
  There’s a reason that, when we’re kids, we know all the green bits on our plates are the healthiest bit! Leafy greens are rich in calcium and include things like:
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Collard greens
• Milk
  We learn, early on, that milk is good for us because it’s packed with calcium. Widely available and in most people’s fridges, milk should be consumed daily to improve calcium intake.
  • Cow’s milk is the go-to for many. The calcium in cow’s milk is far easier for your body to absorb.
• • Goat’s milk is an alternative and is a fantastic source of calcium.

When it comes to improving your intake of vitamin D, make sure you’re getting out in the sunlight. Your skin will produce vitamin D when it’s exposed to the sun. However, as you age, your skin drops the ball a little.

If you aren’t out and about in the sun very often or if you cover up your skin, it may be worth taking a supplement or increasing your intake of vitamin-D rich foods like:

• Red meat
• Liver
• Egg yolks
• Oily fish
  • Salmon
  • Herring
  • Mackerel
  • Sardines

2. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables

We all know that the very fundamentals of eating healthy surrounds eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

But did you know that fruits and veggies help reduce the severity of your menopause symptoms?

Not to mention, fruits and vegetables are also great for weight loss during menopause. This is because they are low in calories, high in nutrients and make you feel fuller for longer.

Not to mention, fruits and vegetables help to prevent a wide range of diseases, including heart disease.

After menopause, the risk of heart disease increases for a number of factors, including age, weight and/or the changes to your oestrogen levels. So, it’s super important to get your 5 (or more) a day at this stage of your life!

As if all of these benefits of fruits and vegetables weren’t enough, they also help to prevent bone loss.

In fact, in a study in 2011 monitored 3236 Scottish women aged 50 to 59. The study suggested that diets rich in fruit and vegetables lead to less bone breakdown.

Add the following to your shopping list:

• Citrus fruits
  • Oranges
  • Grapefruits
• Friendly fruits for your gut
  • Bananas
  • Blueberries
  • Apples
• Green vegetables
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Collard greens
  • Spinach
  • Cabbage
  • Watercress
  • Leeks

3. Keep a journal to track your menopause symptoms

While this isn’t a direct method to manage menopause naturally, it’s a step you need to take to help with the next strategy.

You don’t need a specific journal. If you prefer, you can just track things in a Word Document or spreadsheet. If not, a simple piece of paper is just fine (though be careful not to lose it!)

Tracking your symptoms and the context around them will allow you to spot any patterns and triggers. Once you identify triggers, you can create strategies to avoid them.

Make sure you include the following factors in your menopause symptom tracker:

• The date and time
  • EG: 20th January 2025, 7:30PM
• The type of symptom
  • EG: hot flashes
• The severity on a scale
  • EG: 6/10
• The latest meal, snack or drink you’ve consumed
  • EG: chicken fajitas
    • The ingredients in that meal
      • EG: chicken breast, peppers, white wraps, peppers, onions, coriander, sour cream and mature cheddar cheese
    • The time you ate it
      • EG: 6:45PM
• Any further notes you want to include
  • EG: comes in waves
• The time the symptom stopped
  • EG: 8:30PM

To spot clear patterns, make sure you diligently keep your journal for a minimum of two weeks. However, I’d recommend keeping it throughout the time you’re experiencing symptoms.

It’s important, too, to note down anything that impacts you positively, too. That way, you can find the “right” foods that are working for you.

4. Avoid foods that trigger your symptoms

Now that you have a journal that tracks your symptoms for at least 2 weeks, you can spend some time trying to spot patterns.

You may discover, for example, that white bread triggers hot flashes. Or cheese makes your sleep disturbance worse.

Knowledge is power, because once we know which foods impact you in different ways, we can rejig our diet.

Trigger foods may differ from person to person, but typical ones include caffeine, alcohol, and spicy or sweet foods. They often impact hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats.

5. Maintain a healthy weight

Weight gain is an extremely common side effect of menopause. However, you’re not doomed to gain weight with no way out. Simple changes to diet and exercise make the best menopause natural remedies.

As your hormones change, you may see weight gain around your waist. Not only can this impact your confidence, this weight gain can increase your risk of certain diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

A study in 2013 which monitored 17,473 post-menopausal women discovered that women who lost 4.5kg (or 10% of their body weight over a year) experienced less hot flashes and night sweats.

Struggling to shift menopause weight? Take a look at my Menopause Midsection Makeover – a personalised weight loss programme tailored to YOUR blood results.

6. Make sure you do regular exercise

While there isn’t a substantial amount of evidence to prove that exercise helps with hot flashes and night sweats, there is evidence that certain types of exercise helps with bone loss, stress and sleep problems.

Plus, it’s not breaking news that exercise is good for you overall. Routine exercise will help reduce the risk of developing diabetes and other conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis and heart disease.

Just make sure that you don’t exercise directly before bed. Give yourself time to unwind.

7. Drink plenty of water

Menopause brings dryness with it – specifically vaginal dryness – which can be seriously uncomfortable. This is all down to the decrease in oestrogen levels.

You should drink 8 to 12 glasses of water per day to help with vaginal dryness and dehydration (which also impacts your skin.)

On top of this, simply drinking enough water can help reduce bloating, which is common when your hormones start changing.

Not to mention, water is a fantastic weight loss tool. It helps you feel fuller and marginally increases your metabolism.

With that in mind, drink 500ml of water half an hour before a meal. This can lead to consuming a whole 13% fewer calories when eating!

8. Avoid skipping meals

Whether you’re tempted to skip meals due to weight gain or not having enough hours in the day, I implore you not to!

When you’re going through perimenopause and menopause, it’s more important than ever to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, without skipping any of them.

An irregular eating schedule can trigger symptoms and make the severity worse. Plus, skipping meals is detrimental to weight loss and weight management.

One weight management programme for menopausal women discovered that, when meals were skipped, it resulted in 4.3% less weight loss. So, it truly does no good.

9. Eat foods that are rich in protein

Protein is important at this stage of life. Consuming protein can help you avoid losing lean muscle mass.

On top of preventing muscle loss, protein is key for any successful weight loss strategy because it makes you feel fuller for longer. Not to mention, protein works to burn calories more effectively.

Foods rich in protein include:

• Fish
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Halibut
• Poultry and meat
  • Chicken breast
  • Turkey
  • Pork
  • Beef
• Dairy
  • Greek yoghurt
  • Milk
  • Cottage cheese
• Vegetables
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Chinese cabbage
  • Peas
  • Avocado
  • Asparagus
  • Artichokes
  • Brussels sprouts
• Eggs
• Oats
• Beans and pulses
  • Black beans
  • Lima beans
  • Chickpeas
  • Quinoa
  • Lentils
• Nuts and seeds
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Pistachios
  • Almonds
  • Chia seeds

10. Reduce foods with refined sugar and processed foods

If your diet is high in refined sugar and carbs, your blood sugar levels can drastically dip. This can result in you feeling tired, snappy and irritable. When this happens, your menopause symptoms can feel even worse.

It’s important to know that these types of diets can also negatively impact bone health. One study found that, in women aged 50 to 59, diets high in snack-foods and processed foods were startlingly linked to poor bone health.

Menopause natural remedies – in a nutshell

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix to menopause symptoms. However, these natural remedies are effective when followed consistently and will make your menopause experience far more tolerable.

From choosing foods rich in calcium, vitamin D and protein to maintaining a healthy weight via routine exercise, carefully selected diets and not skipping meals, all of these natural methods will help with symptoms and overall health.

Go forth and slay your symptoms with these menopause natural remedies. And if you need any help or a little push in the right direction, shoot me a DM on Instagram!