Find Menopause Relief By Fixing Your Gut
As women move through perimenopause and menopause, many notice changes in digestion. Bloating, constipation, food sensitivities or weight gain that feels harder to shift. There’s also hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, mood swings, fatigue etc. While hormones often get the blame, there’s another major player involved – THE GUT.
Research shows that menopause is linked to reduced gut microbiome diversity, shifts toward a more inflammatory composition and changes in how gut bacteria help process hormones.
The Gut Microbiome
Our gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria living in the digestive tract. It plays a key role in hormone balance. During perimenopause and menopause, oestrogen levels naturally decline and this affects the diversity and health of gut bacteria.
An imbalanced microbiome (known as dysbiosis) can make menopausal symptoms worse – a decline in important microbes and a rise in pathogenic microbes. The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) is also reduced. These SCFA’s nourish the gut lining, regulate inflammation and support the nervous system.
A weakened gut lining can contribute towards ‘leaky gut’, allowing bacteria such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the bloodstream. These endotoxins can trigger inflammation throughout the body, contributing to fatigue, brain fog, joint pain and more. They also cause gut problems such as bloating, diarrhoea, indigestion and pain.
Find out more in the blog ‘The Gut-Hormone Connection in Women‘.
The Menopause Brain
One key group of gut bacteria, known as the estrobolome, helps metabolise and regulate oestrogen. When these bacteria are out of balance, oestrogen levels can fluctuate more dramatically, contributing to hot flushes, mood swings and weight changes. Low oestrogen can also lead to a thinner gut lining and slower digestion, causing bloating, constipation or increased food sensitivities.
Supporting your gut during this transition can make a significant difference:
- Fibre-rich foods like vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains to feed good bacteria.
- Fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi for natural probiotics. If you have a histamine intolerance, omit fermented foods.
- Omega-3 fats (from oily fish, flax or chia seeds) to help reduce inflammation.
- Stress management – chronic stress can disrupt both hormones and gut balance.
If you’re not sure which foods might be aggravating your symptoms, the HairSense Nutrition Analysis Test gives you a list of foods and drinks that you are reacting to. When you stop eating and drinking these, inflammation reduces and in turn, your symptoms reduce.
A happy client:
‘I have used Sal’s HairSense Nutrition Analysis to determine what food was triggering my body. Actually, the whole family did it and it was mind blowing.
I cut out everything that we couldn’t eat and we all noticed noticeable improvements in how were feeling in our body.
I have since recommended many friends to Sal. If you have anything that is bothering you and you’ve tried the no lactose, no fructose, no gluten and it’s not going away.
Do the test!’
If you’re struggling with gut issues, mood changes or fatigue, it’s worth exploring how your gut health might be contributing. The MetaXplore gut test is the one I use. It is much more comprehensive than the test ordered by the GP. We can see exactly which gut microbes are causing your symptoms.
Book your first consultation with Sal here.