I’m a hormonal nutritionist – here’s how to prepare for menopause in your 30s

THE average age a woman will enter perimenopause – the transition time leading up to menopause – is 47.5 years.

But it can be wise to start preparing your body for these huge hormonal changes way ahead of time.

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Why? Setting up your body for perimenopause can help ease the often debilitating symptoms including hot flushes, mood swings, weight gain and hair loss, to name just a few.

Alli Godbold is a Hormonal Nutritionist and expert spokesperson for Eostre.

She says it’s never too early to prepare for menopause: “The more we look after our health and hormones in the preceding decades, the easier the transition through the menopause years. 

“Our hormonal health is affected by how well we look after the many systems of the body.

“If we pay attention to our diet, weight, exercise level, quality of sleep and stress levels throughout our earlier years, it will pay off as we head towards and beyond menopause.”

Alli warns that if we ignore our health in our 20s and 30s, we are very likely to pay the price later in life and this includes a more difficult menopause.

The Sun’ Fabulous Menopause Matters campaign is fighting for women to be heard and to be better supported through menopause.

Alli says progesterone starts to decline early in perimenopause and then this phase is followed by oestrogen fluctuating quite dramatically before starting to rapidly fall: “It is the dramatic fluctuations that result in perimenopause symptoms.”

These hormonal fluctuations will occur regardless of a woman’s reproductive history.

Menopause is officially diagnosed when a woman has had no periods for 12 months, however, the symptoms of perimenopause can start up to ten years prior to this. 

Care for your body and mind well before you enter the perimenopause with Alli’s easy lifestyle tips… 

Protect your skin…

Collagen levels in skin decline hugely when we enter our fifties, so it’s important to give skin all the love and care it needs in the preceding years.

“It’s important to drink plenty of water and consume healthy fats from nuts and seeds and oily fish,” says Alli. 

Oily fish include sardines, mackerel and salmon.

“The best way to maintain collagen is to eat foods rich in vitamin C as this is needed by the body to build collagen. 

“The best food sources are red peppers, papaya, parsley and citrus fruits.”

A regular skin care routine is also important. 

Be sure to cleanse and moisturise every evening and wear a good sun block, especially during the summer months.  

Dr Miriam Adebibe, cosmetic doctor and co-founder of skin clinic Victor & Garth, says that our twenties and thirties are the ideal time to incorporate products and treatments that focus on boosting collagen and elastin.

“This will ensure you have a good foundation of skin health come your later years when hormonal drops start to negatively impact skin.”

She recommends retinol-based products, as well as ceramides, which help repair the skin’s barrier by locking in moisture. 

Protect your sleep…

“Sleep is fundamental to good health as this is when the body has a chance to rest and restore,” says Alli.

Be sure to hone in on your sleep throughout life, to give your body the best chance at recovery. 

Bad sleeper? Alli recommends avoiding screens close to bedtime and never using them in bed, as well as establishing a routine so your body gets used to going to sleep and waking at the same time.

She says: “Always aim to get eight hours of sleep, avoid the room being too hot and stuffy, and avoid eating in the two to three hours before bedtime.  

“If these habits are established early on, the benefits are huge.”

Protect your vagina…

“Vaginal dryness affects many women in the lead up to and beyond menopause,” explains Alli.  

“Your GP will be able to prescribe topical oestrogen which is very effective.”

A loss of libido can also result from declining hormones and in some cases your GP will be able to prescribe testosterone to help with sex drive.  

However, Alli says it’s important to pay attention to your diet throughout your life, in order to protect your vaginal health.

“The vagina has its own microbiome that offers protection against infection. 

“Eating well, cutting down on sugary, processed foods and alcohol will help maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome.  

“If you are prone to infections then there are some good probiotic supplements on the market.”

Try incorporating vagina-friendly foods into your diet such as probiotic-rich yoghurt, pickles and kombucha. 

Plus, low glycaemic foods that won’t spike your blood sugar are also good; wholegrains are similarly a good choice, such as brown rice, wholemeal pasta and quinoa. 

Protect your mood…

Mood changes – one of the first symptoms of perimenopause – are made worse by fluctuating blood sugar levels, according to Alli. 

She says keeping blood sugar levels balanced throughout life will make a difference to how you experience perimenopause. 

In order to stabilise blood sugar levels, aim to cook and eat natural, unprocessed foods.

“This means plenty of vegetables, some fruit, wholegrains, lean meat, fish, pulses and lentils etc. rather than packet food,” says Alli.

She recommends swerving the snacks and eating two to three good meals per day.

“Cut out added sugar as far as possible – from sugary drinks, sweetened yoghurts, sweets, cakes, biscuits, pastries, ice-cream as well as sugar hidden in processed salad dressings/sauces and ready meals,” explains Alli. 

“Cut right down on alcohol – minimal or no alcohol is best and avoid processed foods – anything with a long list of ingredients that you don’t recognise should be avoided.”

Unsure if your blood sugar levels are out of whack?

Alli says the signs to look for are: getting ‘hangry’ after a couple of hours without food, always needing a sugary ‘pick-me-up’ mid morning and mid afternoon, and energy levels fluctuating throughout the day. 

Protect your weight…

“Weight gain commonly occurs as our sex hormone levels start to change,” says Alli.

“Several factors are involved but one of the main reasons is that we become less sensitive to the hormone insulin and can start to develop insulin resistance which results in blood sugar imbalance.

“If we have too much sugar in the blood and are unable to use it for energy then it is stored as fat,” she adds.

We also lose muscle as we age.

Muscle burns calories so we need to cling on to muscle as much as possible. 

Include at least two sessions of resistance training a week and ensure your diet is rich in protein.  

“The rule of thumb for protein intake is that we should have 1g protein per kilogram of bodyweight, so a 60kg woman should be aiming to consume 60g of protein a day, roughly equivalent to a fillet of salmon, two eggs and a handful of nuts,” explains Alli.

Protect your hair and eyes…

Like our skin, our hair and eyes can also become drier as we get to the menopause years.  

“Sea Buckthorn oil is a good supplement to try. 

“We also need to change to more moisturising hair products and resist using hair straighteners or high temperature stylers as much as possible.”

Ensuring your diet contains plenty of collagen-rich foods is also important, and turn to healthy fats to help support eye health.