Nobody warned me either.
Nobody told me that perimenopause can begin in your late thirties or early forties. Nobody explained that it can last up to ten years. Nobody sat with me and helped me understand why my body felt like it was no longer quite my own: the fatigue, the weight that arrived without explanation, the mood shifts, the sleep that stopped coming easily, the brain fog that made me question myself. I had to fight to be heard. I had to fight for answers. I had to put the pieces together myself.
That experience is the reason this service exists.
I am a certified nutrition and menopause coach with a clinical background as a cardiology nurse and nearly 30 years in clinical medicine and medical education. I have lived this transition myself, so I understand it not just professionally but personally.
You do not have to navigate this alone.
I want to be clear from the outset: I am not a doctor or a healthcare provider. I will never make a diagnosis, prescribe any medication, or recommend any treatment. What I offer is education, guidance, and coaching, working alongside your medical care, never instead of it.
What is happening
Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause, during which oestrogen and progesterone levels, as well as testosterone, begin to fluctuate and gradually decline. It can begin as early as the late thirties, long before most women expect it. Menopause itself is a single day: the day that falls exactly twelve months after your last menstrual period. The 5-10 years leading up to that day are called perimenopause, and everything that follows that one day of menopause is post-menopause.
The decline in oestrogen and progesterone affects virtually every system in the body. It influences bone density, muscle mass, cardiovascular health, sleep architecture, mood regulation, cognitive function, skin, joints, and metabolism. It is not just hot flushes. It is a whole-body transition that deserves to be understood and addressed as such.
How nutrition supports this transition
What you eat during this life stage matters more than ever. The right nutritional approach can significantly reduce the severity of many symptoms and support your body as it navigates the hormonal changes it is undergoing. The guidance I provide is evidence-based and educational: I am not prescribing a medical diet; I am helping you understand how food can work for your body during this specific life stage.
Protein becomes more critical than ever. As oestrogen declines, the body loses one of its key protectors against muscle loss. Your individual protein needs during this life stage are significantly higher than general guidelines suggest, and we calculate your personal target together based on your body, your goals, and your overall health picture.
Fibre supports gut health, helps stabilise blood sugar, and feeds the gut microbiome, which plays a role in oestrogen metabolism through a collection of gut bacteria known as the estrobolome. What happens in your gut directly affects your hormonal balance and mental health.
Blood sugar management becomes particularly important during this transition. Oestrogen stabilises insulin sensitivity, and as levels decline, blood sugar fluctuations become more common, contributing to weight changes, energy crashes, and mood instability. We look at how to eat to keep blood sugar steady throughout the day.
Bone density requires urgent attention. The accelerated bone loss that follows oestrogen decline is a leading risk factor for osteoporosis in later life. Adequate calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and protein, alongside resistance training, are the primary nutritional tools we must use to protect bone health. My approach is always food first: we work to obtain these nutrients through a varied, nutrient-rich diet wherever possible, using supplements to complement where needed.
We also explore the role of phytoestrogens and anti-inflammatory foods as part of a nutritional approach tailored specifically to this life stage. Where the evidence supports specific supplements, we discuss them as part of the programme. Nothing is predetermined: we shape our focus around your individual situation, symptoms, and goals. We always discuss supplementation in the context of your overall health and in coordination with your treating physician.
Movement and muscle preservation
Resistance training is not optional during perimenopause and menopause. It is one of the most powerful tools available for maintaining muscle mass, protecting bone density, managing weight, supporting mood, and improving sleep. Strong muscles also protect against falls, which become a more significant risk as bone density declines.
For clients who would like structured support for resistance training alongside their nutrition coaching, I collaborate with certified personal trainers to build and guide a programme tailored to this life stage. This is optional, not required, but the support is there for those who want it.
Behavioural and lifestyle strategies
Nutrition and movement are foundational. But perimenopause and menopause also affect the nervous system, sleep, stress resilience, and emotional well-being in ways that require their own tools and strategies.
As a certified NLP practitioner trained in breathwork, I bring practical tools for managing the non-physical dimensions of this transition. We work on sleep hygiene: understanding what disrupts sleep during this life stage and building habits that support it. We work on stress management and nervous system regulation, including breathing techniques that activate the parasympathetic nervous system and help calm the body’s stress response. We work on mindset and behavioural change: identifying patterns that no longer serve you and building new ones that do.
This is not therapy. It is structured, evidence-informed coaching that addresses the whole person, not just the symptoms.
The emotional and identity dimension
Perimenopause and menopause rarely arrive alone. For many women, this transition coincides with other profound shifts: children becoming more independent, maybe leaving home, changes in relationships, career crossroads, a quiet but insistent question about who you are becoming and what you want the next chapter to look like.
This is where coaching comes fully into play. Navigating change, identifying a new direction, uncovering the strengths and resources you already have within you: these are not abstract concepts but the practical work of coaching. You do not have to figure out what comes next alone.
A note on HRT and medical care
Hormone Replacement Therapy is a legitimate and often highly effective option for managing perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and one that is significantly underused. I will always encourage you to have that conversation with your treating physician.
And I will help you prepare for it. Knowing what to ask, what information to bring, and how to make the most of the limited time a physician has for each appointment: this is part of what we work on together. You deserve to walk into that conversation feeling informed and confident, not dismissed.
To be absolutely clear: I will never diagnose, prescribe medication, or recommend treatment. I am not your doctor, and I will never act as one. If new symptoms arise or clinical questions emerge during our work together, I will always refer you back to your physician without hesitation.
Who is this for?
This track is for women who are experiencing perimenopause or post-menopause and want to understand what is happening in their bodies, take an active role in managing their health through this transition, and feel genuinely supported by someone who has the knowledge, the tools, and the lived experience to accompany them.
If you are not sure whether what you are experiencing is perimenopause, that is exactly the kind of conversation we can have in a discovery call.
Your programme
All perimenopause and menopause coaching follows the structure outlined on the main Nutrition Coaching page: an 8- or 12-week programme, weekly 60-minute sessions, a 90-minute first session, and a personalised plan. Choose between the Essential and Full programme, depending on whether you want to include grocery shopping and home visit sessions.