I like to keep things simple. Hormone health isn’t just about pills or blood tests, though it is important to track your results, as you’ll see in the guide.
What I’ve learned over six years of living through perimenopause and now
post-menopause is that the real shift happens through how we move, eat, breathe,
rest and how we reconnect to life in more meaningful ways.
And lets remember;
You’re not broken.
You’re responding to a natural shift in rhythm.
Let’s honour that shift, together.
Let’s rewire how we care for ourselves in midlife and beyond.
What I Wish More People Knew About Midlife
In midlife, hormones shift, and so do we. But most of the messaging out in the world is focused on trying harder - take supplements to fight the fatigue, or ignore the symptoms or try to "biohack" our way through.
But the body? It’s asking for something else:
More strength, less stress
More rest, deeper breath
More nature, fewer screens
More nourishment, less noise
Over the past few years, moving through midlife, I’ve researched, trialled and tested various natural ways to reclaim energy, clarity, sleep and stability.
This guide is the distillation of what’s worked (and what I wish I had known earlier).
What Really Happens to Hormones in Midlife?
It’s not just women who go through “the change.” Both women and men experience hormonal shifts; they show up differently and aren't talked about equally.
In midlife, the body gradually produces less of:
Estradiol (E2) – this supports mood, bones, brain and libido
Progesterone – a calming, sleep-supportive hormone that helps balance estrogen, mainly required for reproductive years
Testosterone – supports strength, drive, libido, and confidence (in all genders)
DHEA – made in the adrenals, helps convert into estrogen and testosterone
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) – essential for repair, metabolism, lean muscle, and skin
These shifts happen over time for men, but more suddenly for women — especially in perimenopause and the years post-menopause.
The Key Hormones That Shift in Midlife
Estradiol (E2)
Estradiol is the most potent form of estrogen and plays a crucial role in:
Stabilising mood and emotional resilience
Protecting bone density and joint health
Supporting cognitive function and memory
Enhancing skin elasticity and hydration
Maintaining vaginal health and libido
Supporting cardiovascular health (via blood vessel flexibility)
Decline pattern: Drops significantly in peri-menopause and even more so after menopause. Also declines slowly in men with age.
Why it matters: A sharp drop in E2 can lead to symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety, poor sleep, dry skin, joint pain and brain fog.
Progesterone
Often called the “soothing” or “calming” hormone, progesterone:
Supports deep, restorative sleep
Calms the nervous system and reduces anxiety
Helps regulate menstrual cycles and ovulation
Balances the effects of estrogen (especially during perimenopause)
Plays a role in GABA receptor activity (calm/focus neurotransmitter)
Decline pattern: One of the first hormones to drop in perimenopause, often begins in the mid-to-late 30s, even before periods change.
Why it matters: Low progesterone can lead to mood swings, disturbed sleep, irritability and estrogen dominance symptoms (e.g., sore breasts, bloating, heavy periods).
Testosterone
Often misunderstood as a "male-only" hormone, testosterone is vital for all genders.
It supports:
Physical strength and muscle tone
Energy, stamina, and drive
Mental focus and confidence
Bone density
Healthy libido and sexual response
Decline pattern: Declines gradually in both men and women starting from around age 30. Women produce much less overall, but still rely on it.
Why it matters: Low testosterone is linked to fatigue, lower motivation, weaker muscles, poor recovery from exercise, low libido and depressive symptoms.
DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)
DHEA is a precursor hormone made in the adrenal glands. It helps convert into both estrogen and testosterone and plays a key role in:
Hormonal balance and resilience
Stress response and adrenal recovery
Immune function and inflammation regulation
Skin health and collagen production
Libido and mood stability
Decline pattern: Peaks in your 20s and steadily declines with age. Adrenal stress or burnout can cause it to drop faster.
Why it matters: Low DHEA can impact your ability to make sex hormones, leading to fatigue, lowered immunity, fragile skin, and increased sensitivity to stress.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
Often overlooked in hormone conversations, HGH is a powerful regenerative hormone. It supports:
Tissue repair, muscle recovery, and physical resilience
Lean muscle mass and metabolism
Skin firmness and elasticity
Bone strength
Fat metabolism (especially belly fat)
Deep sleep cycles (especially Stage 3/4 NREM sleep)
Decline pattern: Naturally declines with age, starting in your 30s. Poor sleep, dietary factors, overtraining and chronic stress can suppress it further.
Why it matters: Low HGH is associated with muscle loss, slower recovery, increased abdominal fat and thinner, aging skin.
Why “Balancing” Hormones Can Feel So Hard
Because hormones don’t run on switches. They’re part of a much wider feedback system.
Your body is listening all the time to what you eat, how you sleep, if you feel safe from stressors, how much light you get and whether you’re overdoing it with to much of anything including stress and dietary items.
And all of that shapes your hormonal state.
The good news is: You can influence these systems. Naturally.
Your hormones are messengers. They’re responding to the environment you create in your body.
When you shift the messages you send, your internal signals begin to shift too.
What Helped Me Most
I’ve always prioritised movement, strength and feeling well in my body.
But as I moved through perimenopause into post-menopause, I started to notice that the things that used to “work” like pushing harder, staying social with alcohol, long cardio sessions, all began to drain me rather than energise me.
What made the biggest difference was refining how I trained, how I nourished myself and how I recovered.
Some changes offered immediate shifts, better sleep, calmer energy, clearer thinking, while others layered up over time to rebuild strength and stability from the inside out.
Here’s what helped me most:
Shifting my nutrition
I moved toward meals built around high-quality plant-based protein and diverse vegetables. Not everyone is like me, I get that. I’ve been vegan since 2016, originally to help manage endometriosis. This way of eating now supports my hormones, gut and energy without spiking blood sugar or triggering inflammation.
Daily sunlight and outdoor time
This has an immediate impact. Morning light sets your rhythm for better sleep and steadier energy throughout the day. I aim to get outdoors daily, even when it’s stormy, because nature regulates me in ways screens and supplements can’t.
Evening walking
Simple but powerful. Walking around sunset helps my digestion, clears my mind and supports more restful sleep. Walking at pace also increases the release of all the feel good brain chemicals, especially if you can get 30 mins a day in. It’s a natural wind-down that also stimulates metabolism and lymph flow.
More high-intensity training, less draining cardio
I replaced long, exhausting workouts with short bursts of effort, stair sprints, box jumps, hill intervals. These support growth hormone, testosterone and mental resilience and the post-training high is real.
Deep rest through Yoga Nidra
The quickest shift I noticed was how much calmer my nervous system felt after just one Yoga Nidra session. With regular practice, it improves my sleep, mental clarity and emotional steadiness.
Eating my main meal earlier in the day
Front-loading my nutrition helped balance blood sugar and improve sleep. It’s also when digestion is naturally strongest and we can use the energy from our food for our daily activities, not nighttime sleeping.
Lifting heavier weights
This was a bold but necessary shift. I now train with much more resistance and it’s made me feel more capable, lean and stable. It’s also essential for bone health post-menopause.
Slow, grounding breathwork and meditation
This gives almost instant results. Just five minutes of conscious breathing can calm my mind, reduce overwhelm and bring me back into my body. I keep it simple and consistent. I practice meditation daily.
Cold-water immersion
I have never liked cold water. But once I started short cold showers, sauna and cold plunges and then sea swims, I couldn’t deny the benefits. Just a few minutes completely shifts my mental state, boosting clarity, lifting my mood and improving focus. Life seems easy after being in the sea. I now swim up to 2 km in the sea as often as I can when the water is around 13-15 degrees, and keep up regular swims even through winter.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably ready for more than just inspiration.
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Midlife Hormone Support Protocol (PDF)
Simple, science-informed, and natural approaches to:
• Aromatase support (estrogen metabolism post-menopause)
• Progesterone-friendly nutrition
• Detox and liver support
• Vegan-friendly protein and daily rhythm ideas
Start here if you're looking for clarity around your changing hormones.
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• Cold Exposure & Discomfort Training
• Menopause Wellbeing Roadmap
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Real Life R&D Insights (PDF)
A look inside what I’ve personally tested and lived:
• Sauna, cold therapy, and ocean swims
• Adaptogenic herbs and 12-month experiment cycles
• Somatic movement, dance, and nervous system support
• My plant-based, high-functioning daily routines
Start here if you're curious how I actually integrate this work into daily life.
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