The symptom quiz has been designed for women going through perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause. It is not a substitute for advice provided by your general practitioner or other healthcare provider. You should not take, any action based on the content of this quiz and its results, without first seeking medical advice.
Symptom Checker Results
Thank you for completing my Menopause Symptom Checker Quiz.
Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards a Magnificent Menopause.
I’m Caroline, the founder of Magnificent Menopause. I’m a nutritionist, yoga and qigong teacher, and menopause coach and and I’m here to help!
By informing yourself, taking control of your symptoms and finding the help you need you can learn how to transform your menopause experience and thrive in your prime.
Below I will explain more about the menopause symptoms you may be experiencing and give you access to some of our free materials to help manage them.
If there are any symptoms which you experiencing but are not listed, OR you would like more information about how I can help you please get in touch at
info@magnificentmeno.com
What do my symptoms mean? How can I manage them?
Brain Fog/Forgetfulness
Brain fog describes that sensation when your mind feels very slow or uncooperative and you have trouble with memory and concentration. It can be a source of distress and anxiety for women going through menopause because it can feel like you’re going mad.
Lapses in memory and cognitive function are caused by low oestrogen levels in the brain. Brain fog is also made worst by other poor sleep, stress and mood changes which woman also experience during menopause.
Top tips for brain fog/forgetfulness are: a healthy balanced diet to balance and regulate your hormones.
At Magnificent Menopause we recommend cutting down on sugar, refined carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol.
Take a look at some of our brain boosting recipes here… or get in touch for more personalised nutrition advice where we can take a deeper dive into some magical menopause friendly foods.
Mood Swings
Changes in oestrogen and progesterone during perimenopause and menopause often affect mental health. Mood swings,, or more severe mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, and feelings of worthlessness are often the first symptoms that woman experience going through perimenopause. They can be frustrating, distressing and leave you feeling like you’re no longer yourself.
Top tips for managing mood swings: Low impact exercise to boost your happy hormones, meditation and movement practices to ground your nervous system, sharing your emotions with others can help you feel less isolated, managing blood sugar spikes through diet to reduce energy and mood fluctuations.
At Magnificent Menopause we encourage women to reach out. We provide the opportunity for mentorship with our menopause coach but also support through a community of women through our Facebook group. Click the link here to join the group!
As part of our Natural Menopause Method we provide personalised nutritional advice on how to regulate blood sugar to manage your mood.
Hot Flushes/Night Sweats
Hot flushes and night sweats are a very common symptom for menopausal women and can start years before menopause itself and carry on into post-menopause. They are primarily associated with a reduction in oestrogen levels as the temperature-regulating hormones in the brain and thyroid are also affected. However they can also be exacerbated by stress hormones, which often worsen with the pressures of other life and work factors.
Top tips for hot flushes and night sweats: Manage your lifestyle stresses to accommodate for hormonal changes - eg - learn to say no, reduce your workload or social and family commitments, put yourself and your own health first to better serve you and those around you.
Poor sleep can make hot flashes worse and makes it a lot more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.
At Magnificent Menopause we have some great articles and tips on how to manage symptoms by tweaking your lifestyle, your mentality and how you see yourself compared to others. For example take a look at our article on top tips for menopause.
We also run transformational coaching session and women’s circle which work by ……..
Weight Gain
Diet - also reducing stress - cortisol causes weight gain
When you are stressed – physically or mentally – your adrenal glands pump out the stress hormone cortisol to help you handle that stress.[7] In the short term this is a helpful physiological response. Long term, however, it can lead to a cortisol imbalance which can lead to food cravings, weight gain, sleep problems and digestive issues as cortisol’s function in the body is to help manage blood sugar, reduce inflammation in the body, regulate blood pressure, your sleep-wake cycle and memory.[8] We also know that as oestrogen declines during menopause levels of cortisol rise.
It has been shown that women put on an average of five pounds as they go through the menopause (which usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 53). What also happens around this time is that fat starts to be stored differently around the body. Typically, before menopause women tend to carry more fat around their hips and thighs but as levels of oestrogen begin to decline, one of the side effects of this is that fat then tends to settle disconcertingly around your belly
The stress of work and life can also lead you to produce more of the stress hormone cortisol (see more below) which in turn increases levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin – so you may be prone to eat more.
A drop in testosterone during menopause can also affect how much fat you carry around your middle. This is the hormone responsible for, among other things, muscle mass/strength and fat distribution – basically lower testosterone means you are more likely to gain fat around your belly and your body becomes less efficient at burning calories
Other symptoms like low mood and tiredness which can make it harder to stick to a healthy diet and exercise regime. Around this time in your life you might also start a family and this can radically alter your priorities and the time you have to yourself. You might also be caring for an elderly parent or other relative whilst also being busy with your career and very likely doing this sitting down in front of a computer all day
Vaginal Dryness
At menopause, many women experience vaginal changes including dryness, shortening and tightening. This is perfectly normal, and for most women, very manageable, too. You may need to make a few small, practical changes, but there’s no need to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
The most common cause is declining oestrogen levels in the perimenopause and menopause. Oestrogen is responsible for vaginal lubrication from the cervix and from the vaginal glands. And once the levels start to drop it’s a simple equation… vaginal lubrication falls.
Exhaustion/Fatigue
Insomnia
Sleep issues are common with menopause and can also be a result of ageing but are also linked to hormone changes. Lower progesterone (a calming hormone) and high stress hormone levels during the day can make it difficult to switch off at night. Other physical symptoms, like hot flushes, mood changes and stress also contribute to poor sleep.
For example, when we don’t sleep well, our immune systems can’t restore properly so we don’t recover from our day-to-day stresses and activities. What then happens our adrenal glands make more stress hormones.
Top tips:
manage your stress in the daytime so it is easier to wind down at night - not too much running around!
develop healthy sleep hygiene by turning off screens an hour before bed
don’t eat last thing at night or heavy meals in the evening
use a calming relaxation technique to ground your nervous system in the evening
create a calming bedtime routine by making space for yourself to wind down in the evening
The same hormones that control the menstrual cycle also influence serotonin, the happy hormone. So when hormone levels drop or shift during perimenopause, serotonin levels also fall, which can contribute to increased irritability, anxiety and sadness, making women more vulnerable to depression. Some mental health experts say that women are twice as likely as men to develop the condition during this time of life.
Other menopause related symptoms, such as poor sleep or insomnia, increases in cortisol (your stress hormone) and brain fog can also contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression. On top of this many women are also experiencing other stressful life factors at this time, such as caring for ageing parents, career pressures, teenage children or children leaving home, other ageing related health issues - all of which become much more challenging to deal with when experiencing perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms.
Although for many women the feelings of anxiety and depression are worse in perimenopause and may lessen as their periods stop, for some women, especially those who already have a history of mental health issues they can be very serious. A 2021 study found that 1 in 10 women going through perimenopause experienced suicidal thoughts* and, although happiness levels tend to rise post menopause, UK suicide rates amongst women are highest between age 45 and 49**
Top tips for anxiety and depression: Reach out, speak to someone, share your feelings, you don’t need to go it alone. Try to keep active as exercise endorphins will help to boost mood. Cutting out or cutting down on sugar, alcohol and caffeine can help reduce stress and anxiety, Make time for yourself to do things you love. Develop a practice of self acceptance, self love and gratitude. Maintain a healthy balanced diet but be sure to give yourself treats as well!
HERBS? MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS?
* The study, carried out by a free women’s health app called Heath & Her - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/perimenopause-suicidal-thoughts-menopause-mental-health-b1933346.html?r=52593
**ONS report 2021 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2021registrations#suicide-patterns-by-age
Stress
Stress is a natural reaction which is fine in small doses but when the body is in a constant stressed state it goes into flight or fight mode, releasing cortisol (our stress hormone).
Oestrogen helps to balance cortisol levels, so when oestrogen drops during perimenopause and menopause it makes it harder for you to deal with stress.
Top tips for stress are: take regular exercise, use some form of relaxation or mindfulness practice, avoid certain foods like alcohol, sugar or caffeine as they can impact your stress levels.
For more free advice on managing stress you can follow our Instagram and Facebook pages where we have great recipes and nutrition tips on how to cut out certain foods without depriving yourself of deliciousness! We also have suggestions on stress busting techniques such as forest bathing!
As part of our paid programme we also offer bespoke courses in nutrition and movement where you can follow along with our specially tailored Qigong videos and put together your own regime of strength and cardio exercises to boost your happy hormones and ground your nervous system.
Muscle/joint pain
A drop in oestrogen can affect joints and the connective tissue that 'glues' your skeleton together. This can result in general muscle aches, pains and stiffness.
The amount of lean tissue we have starts to decline by up to 8% annually after the age of around 30.[5] You’re also likely to lose muscle if you are less active than you once were and/or maybe find it harder to exercise because of a health condition (joint pain is one of the most common symptoms of menopause and this can impact on your motivation and ability to exercise) or injury. Why this is significant is because lean muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you are inactive. This means unless you are doing heavy manual work on a daily basis and/or regularly working out with weights to maintain and build that muscle, you’ll probably need to eat and drink less than you once did in order to avoid piling on the pounds.
Sense of Loneliness
FB Group
Loss of Libido
During menopause your sex life is likely to be very different as you adjust to the biological changes that you are going through.
You might find that sex is less enjoyable, you’re not as interested in having sex, you might experience vaginal dryness or simply feel too exhausted to initiate it.
Rage and Fury
During menopause your sex life is likely to be very different as you adjust to the biological changes that you are going through.
You might find that sex is less enjoyable, you’re not as interested in having sex, you might experience vaginal dryness or simply feel too exhausted to initiate it.
Coaching session
Personality Transplant!
OK, so this one is complicated, what do we mean? Essentially this is an identity crisis. Yes it is supposed to be a bit funny buy it can actually very upsetting for many women as they may experience a breakdown in their sense of identity, especially those with families. When you have spent a large portion of your life with a socially imposed role of what it is to be a woman and how that is represented in mainstream media - a young woman, a wife or partner, a mother, a carer, a sex object. Although things are changing for the better, when you hit menopause there is a serious lack of positive representations of older women. Post menopausal women are often portrayed as either little old ladies who have nothing left to contribute to society apart from being a grandma or looking after their garden or on the a more negative side we have the stereotypes of the crazy cat woman, living by herself, so she can’t be quite right in the head!? Bitter and frustrated divorcees, mourning widows, vengeful witches, nagging ‘hags’ etc…
So is it surprising that a lot of women are terrified of ageing, which is what for many the transition of menopause represents! Together with. the onset of distressing physical and emotional symptoms affecting body and mind, many women feel like they are no longer themselves and may never be the same again. Although you many not be the same after menopause, at least physiologically, this transition can actually be a life affirming and transformational rite of passage where you can step into a powerful new identity, or part of your self, where you can prioritise you own needs and desires, harness a lifetime of knowledge and experience of your own mind and body to forge an exciting future of opportunity and change. Think bucket list time!
In fact, contrary to the negative representations of older women we often find in the media, recent research* has found that post menopause women tend to get happier in life as they age, particularly between 50 and 70 years! The study found that both negative mood and depressive symptoms decreased significantly over that time. The study suggest this is related to a sense of positivity around more “me” time as women can wind down from work and family responsibilities. The women in the study reported feeling more patient, less tense and less withdrawn as they entered their post menopausal years”
*Study published by the University of Melbourne 2017 published in Maturitas, a scientific journal focusing on midlife health and beyond. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/it-s-a-fact-women-get-better-with-age
How can we help?
Menopause symptoms affect us physically and emotional and can have an impact on many areas of life such as relationships, work, family life, hobbies and more. I offer personalised help to deal with these issues as well as specific workplace support and training.
If you would like to find out more and take the next step look at the links below
What to do next?
If you would like find out how I can provide you with more personalised support and advice you can book a 20 minute Free Discovery Call with me to discuss your symptoms. Simply watch my webinar (to find out a bit more about how I work) and you will be directed to a booking page link.
Join our Facebook Group where you can access a community of people who are also going through the menopause transition.
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest articles about menopause nutrition, movement and more
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook where we regularly post useful tips, menopause friendly recipes and movement videos for our followers
Visit the Natural Menopause Method website page to find out more about what we do to help women navigate their menopause journey.
If you are struggling with your symptoms in the workplace or you would like to improve the conversations and provisions around menopause in your workplace then visit the Menopause in the Workplace where you can find information about the packages and presentations I offer,
Headaches
Many different kinds of headaches can affect affect you during menopause. The two most common are:
1. Migraines: These can be severe, usually one-sided headaches that may be associated with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and noise. Migraines can be preceded with sensory changes known as aura. These often cause changes to your vision, including seeing flashing lights or zigzag lines
Migraines can be a result of the hormonal fluctuations of menopause. Many women experience migraines for a few days around their periods due to the natural drop in oestrogen levels. As you approach the menopause, women experience more hormonal fluctuations and therefore may experience migraines more often.
2. Tension/pressure headaches: They are often described as a band-like pain or pressure around the head which lasts from 30 minutes to several hours
Around menopause the fluctuation and imbalance of hormones can cause blood vessels to keep expanding and contracting. This can lead to a build-up of pressure in the head resulting in pain – commonly called a ‘pressure headache’.
Loss of Strength
The amount of lean tissue we have starts to decline by up to 8% annually after the age of around 30.[5] Why this is significant is because lean muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you are inactive. This means unless you are doing heavy manual work on a daily basis and/or regularly working out with weights to maintain and build that muscle, you’ll probably need to eat and drink less than you once did in order to avoid piling on the pounds.
