The Phases and Symptoms of Menopause: Everything You Need to Know

Hello Beautiful Souls,

Welcome to a space where we honor every phase of a woman’s life journey, including the powerful transition of menopause. If you’re reading this, perhaps you’re beginning to notice some changes or are already navigating the waves of this journey. Wherever you are, know that you are not alone, and together we can explore ways to manage these changes with compassion, knowledge, and grace.

This post marks the beginning of a series dedicated to supporting you through menopause, bringing you information and natural guidance to empower your journey.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is commonly understood as the natural end of menstrual cycles, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 55. Traditionally, menopause was viewed primarily as an ovarian or hormonal shift. However, recent research reveals that menopause actually begins in the brain.

Studies are now showing that the brain plays a central role in initiating menopausal changes. Specifically, researchers have identified that areas in the brain, such as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, regulate reproductive hormones, and changes in these regions are what signal the onset of menopause.

This shift in understanding has profound implications, highlighting that menopause is not merely a reproductive transition but a deeply interconnected process between our brain and body.

This can be a powerful time—a journey inward where our bodies teach us new rhythms and truths. Embracing this process brings a deeper understanding of ourselves and what we truly need.

New Findings: How the Brain Triggers Menopause

Recent studies have illuminated the brain's pivotal role in initiating and regulating menopause, shifting the focus from purely ovarian changes. Here are some of the key findings:

• Hypothalamic Changes: The hypothalamus, a brain region crucial for hormone regulation, undergoes significant alterations during menopause. Studies show that neurons in the hypothalamus can double in size post-menopause, indicating the brain's active role in this transition. Source: Nature.
• Estrogen Receptor Activity: Brain imaging studies reveal an increase in estrogen receptor density in several brain regions during menopause. This suggests that the brain adapts to declining estrogen levels by altering receptor activity, underscoring its involvement in managing hormonal changes. Source: Cornell Chronicle.
• Neurotransmitter Impact: Fluctuating estrogen levels during menopause affect neurotransmitter systems, which influence mood, cognition, and sleep. This finding highlights the brain's central role in the manifestation of menopausal symptoms like mood swings, sleep disturbances, and brain fog. Source: Frontiers.

Understanding these shifts in brain function can help us see why menopausal symptoms are so interconnected—affecting mood, memory, sleep, and more.

Why This Shift Matters

This new perspective changes our understanding of menopause from solely a reproductive or ovarian phase to a brain-centered transition. It emphasizes that menopause is a holistic change affecting both the body and mind. Knowing that these processes begin in the brain allows us to approach menopause with a broader view, recognizing the interconnectedness of our hormones, brain, and overall well-being.

It’s ironic—when people used to say our symptoms were “all in our head,” they didn’t realize just how true that was! These findings represent a major step forward for women’s health, showing us that menopause truly begins in the brain. For years, treatments focused mostly on the ovaries or hormone replacement, which helped in some ways but often missed the bigger picture. Now, understanding how menopause affects both body and mind means we can approach it with more balance and compassion. In upcoming posts, I’ll be sharing natural ways to support both, so you feel nurtured and empowered through every stage of this transformative journey.

The Phases of Menopause

Menopause brings about extensive hormonal changes, impacting multiple systems within the body as estrogen levels decline and the brain adjusts. Knowing about these phases can help you prepare for and address a wide range of symptoms.

Perimenopause: Initial Hormonal Fluctuations and Their Effects

• Hot Flashes and Night Sweats: The brain’s temperature regulator, the hypothalamus, becomes more sensitive to fluctuating estrogen, causing sudden warmth.
• Mood Swings and Anxiety: Estrogen helps regulate mood-related chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. As estrogen fluctuates, these levels can shift, contributing to mood swings and anxiety.
• Sleep Disruptions: Shifts in estrogen and progesterone can affect melatonin production, leading to insomnia or interrupted sleep.
• Skin and Hair Changes: Declining estrogen reduces collagen, often resulting in drier skin, less elasticity, and early hair thinning.

Menopause: Peak Hormonal Shifts and System-Wide Effects

• Persistent Hot Flashes: With lower estrogen levels, the hypothalamus remains sensitive, often prolonging hot flashes and impacting sleep and daily life.
• Cognitive Symptoms: Reduced estrogen affects memory and focus areas in the brain, leading to forgetfulness, “brain fog,” and difficulty concentrating.
• Changes in Sexual Health: Lower estrogen impacts tissue moisture and flexibility, leading to reduced libido and vaginal dryness, affecting intimacy.

Post menopause: Long-Term Adjustments and Ongoing Care

• Bone and Heart Health: Estrogen supports bone and heart health. Lower levels increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.
• Skin and Hair Health: With low collagen, skin may lose elasticity and hair can become brittle, reflecting prolonged estrogen decline.
• Emotional Resilience: The lower levels of dopamine and serotonin may continue to affect motivation, mood, and emotional balance.

Understanding these phases and their impacts can help you feel prepared and empowered to navigate each step of the journey with insight.

Why This Matters for Understanding Menopause

I know that understanding all these changes—how menopause affects our brain, mood, skin, and overall health—can feel like a lot to take in. But this knowledge is powerful. Knowing that menopause is a whole-body experience helps us recognize that the symptoms we feel are real and interconnected, not isolated or “just in our heads.”

Embracing this holistic view allows us to make sense of our experiences and find support that truly resonates. Each journey is unique, but understanding what’s happening gives us the confidence to navigate it in ways that honor both our bodies and minds. Let’s take this one step at a time, approaching this transition with patience, strength, and self-compassion.

Making Sense of Menopause Symptoms

Menopause can bring a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms, and it’s completely normal to feel a mix of emotions as you navigate these changes. Some days, the symptoms may feel minor, and other days, they might seem overwhelming.

Remember, you’re not alone in this. Each of these symptoms has a reason behind it, connected to the natural changes happening in your body and mind. Let’s look at some common symptoms and explore why they happen, so they feel a little less daunting.

Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Hot flashes are one of the more common—and often surprising—symptoms of menopause. These sudden waves of heat, often followed by intense sweating, can strike at any time, leaving us feeling flushed and uncomfortable. The unpredictability of hot flashes adds an extra challenge, especially when they show up in the middle of a workday or during an important task.

I’ll never forget being in the hospital with my daughter recently. A nurse was carefully inserting an IV line when, out of nowhere, she started having a hot flash. She looked down at her arms, where sweat was starting to drip, and muttered, “Oh dear god, seriously? Not now!” But she carried on, balancing professionalism with discomfort. It was a powerful reminder of how little control we have over the timing of these symptoms—and how they can impact our focus and responsibilities, especially at work.

Hot flashes are triggered by hormonal shifts affecting the brain’s temperature regulation, particularly in an area called the hypothalamus. As estrogen levels drop, this internal “thermostat” becomes more sensitive, causing sudden warmth. Though they can feel overwhelming, these moments are simply your body adapting to new rhythms, even if the timing is out of your hands.

Mood Changes and Menopause

During menopause, many women experience a surge of emotions that can feel like they’re coming out of nowhere. Mood swings, heightened sensitivity, irritability, and even deep sadness or frustration can arise unexpectedly. In some cases, feelings of pure rage may surface, surprising both ourselves and those close to us. These intense feelings aren’t just challenging—they can impact our sense of self and self-esteem, as well as our relationships with others. You might find yourself wondering if these shifts are affecting your friendships or even straining your relationship with your partner.

Why It Happens

These mood changes are deeply connected to hormonal fluctuations, particularly the decline in estrogen. Estrogen does more than regulate the reproductive system—it also stabilizes mood-related chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. As estrogen drops, these chemicals can become unsteady, resulting in emotional ups and downs, heightened sensitivity, and moments of intense frustration or anger.

Estrogen also affects cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. When estrogen levels drop, the body’s ability to regulate cortisol can weaken, making stress feel more intense or harder to manage. This is why many women feel more reactive or “on edge” during menopause. Together, these shifts are part of your body’s process of adapting to a new rhythm. Symptoms like “brain fog,” which impacts memory and clarity, can also play a role, leaving you questioning your sense of self.

Remember, these changes aren’t a reflection of who you are. They’re simply your body’s way of adjusting, even if they sometimes feel overwhelming.

The Link Between Menopause, Depression, and Anxiety

Historically, mood changes during menopause were often misinterpreted. Many women were prescribed antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications without understanding that their symptoms were hormonally driven. While these medications may have been well-intentioned, they often left women feeling numb, disconnected, or like they were losing touch with their true selves. Because the hormonal root cause wasn’t addressed, many women were left struggling with symptoms that couldn’t be medicated away.

Thankfully, we now understand that these intense emotions, including heightened sensitivity and irritability, are directly linked to menopause. There’s nothing “wrong” with you if you feel more emotional or reactive than usual; these heightened emotions aren’t flaws. They’re simply part of your body’s natural adaptation process. Give yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling—this is your body’s way of adjusting, and it deserves compassion, not judgment.

Impact on Self-Esteem and Relationships

The unpredictability and intensity of mood changes during menopause can have a real impact on self-esteem. Many women who are used to being emotionally steady may find themselves questioning their stability or confidence. You may feel that your emotions are straining your relationships, creating misunderstandings or tension in friendships or partnerships. These shifts can lead to feelings of guilt or worry, leaving you uncertain about how menopause is affecting those around you.

It’s important to remember that these changes are rooted in hormonal shifts affecting the brain and body and are ultimately beyond your control. Acknowledging the impact of these challenges on both your self-esteem and relationships is a powerful first step toward self-understanding and growth.

In this, you’re not alone—many women experience the same challenges, and recognizing this can help you approach this phase with more compassion for both yourself and your relationships.

Embracing Self-Compassion and Self-Acceptance

If you’re feeling like your emotions are all over the place, or that relationships around you feel different, you’re not alone. Menopause brings intense feelings that can make it seem as though the ground beneath you is constantly shifting. The mood swings, moments of frustration, and waves of sadness can feel completely out of your control, as if you’re at the mercy of forces you can’t predict or manage.

And in many ways, you are. These emotions aren’t random; they’re signals—your body’s way of adapting to a whole new rhythm. While we can’t always control when or how these emotions hit, we can control how we respond to them. Instead of seeing them as a loss of self, try to recognize them as part of your body’s adjustment process. You don’t have to like these changes, but knowing they’re a natural part of this phase can bring some peace.

It’s normal to feel guilt, worry, or a sense of misunderstanding. Sharing what you’re going through with those who care can ease the pressure to “hold it all together,” and often brings you closer to those who matter most.

Above all, try to give yourself grace on the hard days. This process doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t mean you’re losing who you are. With each wave of emotion, you’re building resilience. Trust that there’s strength in what you’re facing, even when it doesn’t feel like it. You’re still here, still you, finding your way through it all.

What’s Next: Honouring the Journey Ahead

Menopause isn’t just a topic for me; it’s a journey that lies at the heart of my work, and it deserves the utmost respect, compassion, and understanding. I know that many of you are searching for real answers—ways to manage symptoms, find relief, and feel truly understood and supported. This series is designed to offer exactly that: everything you need to know, from supportive options to insights that empower you at every step.

In the upcoming posts, we’ll explore some of the most pressing questions about menopause today. Together, we’ll look at practical ways to manage common symptoms, including the best herbs for menopause relief like black cohosh, ashwagandha, and red clover. With so many approaches out there, I’ll also discuss alternatives to HRT and provide balanced insights to help you make choices that feel right for you.

We’ll also dive into the mental and emotional impacts of menopause, including how to manage menopause anxiety and the feelings of depression that can sometimes arise. Many women are looking for ways to handle these changes with calm and resilience, and I’ll share supportive approaches that address both mind and body.

Beyond the physical and emotional, we’ll discuss how menopause can influence your self-image, your relationships, and even your work life. For many, this is a time to feel seen and heard, and I hope this series will be a place where you feel truly supported and understood.

Menopause: The Apex of Womanhood

 The word “menopause” originates from the Greek mēn (month) and pausis (pause, cessation), yet its meaning goes far beyond the end of cycles. Menopause is a profound milestone, the culmination of a woman’s journey through growth, identity, and transformation. It is the peak of womanhood, the time when a woman has fully come into herself. Like a flower that takes its time to unfurl, menopause is the moment of full bloom—a time when a woman’s life experiences, wisdom, and resilience radiate with clarity and purpose.

And yet, here we are in 2024, only now beginning to understand menopause in its entirety, particularly its deep connection with the brain, the center of our thoughts, emotions, and identity. For generations, women have endured this journey in silence and confusion, told to bear symptoms that were dismissed or reduced to mere “hormonal changes.” The sadness in that truth is overwhelming. Menopause was meant to be honored, a beautiful and natural phase of transformation, yet women have often been left to navigate it alone, without the recognition or support it deserved.

Menopause isn’t a struggle against our own bodies; it’s the body’s way of reaching its fullest expression. It’s not something to “get through”—it’s a threshold into a deeper, richer chapter of life. This phase marks not the end, but the flowering of all that we are, all that we have learned, and all that we’ve become. It is a season to be embraced with reverence, knowing that every challenge and every change is woven into the beauty and complexity of womanhood.

To those of you reading this and experiencing menopause now, know that you are not alone. This journey is as sacred as any other part of your life, and you deserve the understanding, respect, and support that this season calls for. Let this time be a reminder of your strength, your resilience, and the beautiful legacy you are creating.

With all my love and unwavering encouragement,
Alice Phillips