Alternative Therapies, Diet, Exercise, Managing Symptoms, Managing Weight, Menopause Advice, Perimenopause, Post Menopause, Self-Care, Wellbeing
Every year, World Menopause Day highlights an important theme to raise awareness and improve women’s health globally. For 2025, the focus is on Lifestyle Medicine, and it couldn’t be more timely.
We know that menopause is more than “low oestrogen.” Hormones interact with every system in the body: the brain, cardiovascular system, bones, metabolism, and mood regulation. But what’s becoming clearer is that hormones do not act alone. Their effects depend on the receptors they bind to, and those receptors are influenced by our daily lifestyle choices from the food we eat, to how we move, rest, and manage stress.
Progesterone and Its Receptors
While oestrogen often takes centre stage, progesterone is equally important in midlife health.
Progesterone binds to progesterone receptors (PRs), found not only in the uterus and breast tissue but also in the brain. Here, PRs influence mood, sleep, and cognition by interacting with the brain’s calming neurotransmitter system (GABA). This is one reason why declining progesterone in perimenopause can contribute to anxiety, poor sleep, and mood changes.
But here’s the key: the effectiveness of progesterone depends on the health of its receptors. And receptor activity is shaped by both biology and lifestyle factors such as diet, stress, and sleep.
The Role of B Vitamins
One of the clearest examples of lifestyle medicine in action is nutrition. In particular, the B vitamins, especially B6, B9 (folate), and B12 are essential for brain health and hormone receptor function.
Vitamin B6 helps produce serotonin, dopamine, and GABA neurotransmitters that work alongside progesterone’s calming effects.
Folate (B9) and B12 support methylation, a process that regulates gene expression, including hormone receptor sensitivity.
Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) fuel mitochondrial energy, indirectly supporting hormone metabolism and brain function.
Without these nutrients, even if hormones are present, their messages may not be fully received by the body. This is why nutrition is not a side note it’s a core pillar of hormone health.
The Lifestyle Medicine Framework in Menopause
Lifestyle medicine is built on six key pillars, each of which directly influences hormone signalling and overall health in menopause:
Nutrition: Prioritise whole, nutrient-rich foods. Ensure adequate intake of B vitamins, protein, fibre, and phytonutrients to support receptor and metabolic health.
Physical Activity: Regular movement improves insulin sensitivity, reduces inflammation, and enhances receptor responsiveness. Both resistance training and aerobic exercise are protective in midlife.
Sleep: Consistent, restorative sleep helps regulate cortisol and supports hormone balance. Poor sleep, by contrast, disrupts receptor sensitivity.
Stress Management: Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which competes with sex hormone pathways and blunts receptor activity. Practices like mindfulness, yoga, and breathing exercises make a measurable difference.
Avoidance of Harmful Substances: Reducing alcohol, smoking, and ultra-processed foods helps protect receptor function, brain health, and cardiovascular resilience.
Positive Social Connections: Strong relationships improve stress resilience, mood regulation, and long-term health outcomes all of which interact with hormonal systems.
Why This Matters for Midlife Women
Menopause care is too often framed as “replacing what is lost.” But the evidence shows that building resilience through lifestyle is equally powerful. Whether or not a woman chooses hormone therapy, supporting her nutritional status, physical health, and emotional wellbeing can amplify outcomes and reduce long-term risks of heart disease, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline.
This year, World Menopause Day invites us to reframe menopause care: not as symptom management, but as whole-person health care, rooted in the daily choices that sustain hormone function and receptor health.