Menopause with a Side of Fire

You're Not Broken — You're Just Menopausal

Let’s get one thing straight: you’re not crazy, you’re not broken, and you’re definitely not alone. You’re just menopausal — which is basically your body doing a full hormonal reboot while expecting you to carry on like nothing’s happening. Spoiler: something’s happening. Your ovaries are clocking off, your hormones are throwing one last rave, and your nervous system is trying to rewire itself while you’re just trying to remember why you walked into the kitchen.

Hot Flushes & Night Sweats: The Uninvited Guests

Let’s talk about the main offenders. These are not your average temperature spikes. No, these are full-blown internal infernos that hit without warning. One minute you’re fine, the next you’re stripping in front of the fridge because it’s the closest thing to an arctic blast.

It’s not just the heat. It’s the heart racing, the anxiety, the sudden rage, and the sheer WTF of it all. And they don’t care if you’re at work, at dinner, or in bed. For some women, it’s 24/7 — flushes every hour on the hour like your body's personal reminder that it’s not playing.

When the Heat Won’t Quit: Insomnia & Sleep Sabotage

Ah yes, the 2AM soak-and-strip routine. The unsung symptom that ruins your night, your mood, and your will to function. You fall asleep fine, but then BAM — you’re wide awake, soaked in sweat, blankets off, fan on, and rage-crying because your body has decided sleep is now optional.

Hot flushes and night sweats are the ultimate sleep thieves. And when sleep goes, everything else follows. Cue the brain fog, the sugar cravings, the hormonal rollercoaster, and that charming ability to cry because someone left the fridge open.

And here’s the kicker: lack of sleep raises cortisol, and elevated cortisol feeds the flushes. It’s a hormonal horror loop with no end in sight unless you intervene.

Top Triggers to Avoid (Unless You Want to Rage-Sweat Through Your Sheets)

You know that glass of wine you earned? It might be earning you a 3AM firestorm. Same goes for spicy food, sugar, caffeine, and those hot bubble baths that seem like a good idea until they aren’t.

Heavy meals before bed? Nope. Wool doona? Absolutely not. And if you’re not sleeping with a desk fan on your bedside table, it’s time to get one. Trust us.

Cool-Down Protocols That Actually Work

Let’s talk damage control:

• Magnesium glycinate before bed is your new best friend

• Sage tea, chamomile tea, anything cold and calming

• Bamboo sheets, cooling pillows, and fans cranked like you’re recreating a wind tunnel

• Supplements like black cohosh, vitamin E, and liver support for when your body’s just not clearing hormones fast enough

Liver support looks like: milk thistle, NAC, dandelion root, broccoli sprouts, turmeric, and artichoke. Think bitter greens, cruciferous veggies, and sulphur-rich foods. Think fewer margaritas.

Why Your Liver and Gut Might Be Involved

Here’s a wild idea: what if your hot flushes are less about hormones and more about your liver tapping out?

Estrogen is metabolised through your liver and excreted through your gut. If you’re constipated, full of candida, or lacking bile flow, guess what? That estrogen is just recirculating like a hormonal boomerang. And yes, that can make flushes worse.

Testing? Ask for a liver function test (ALT, AST, GGT), estrogen metabolite panels, or a Dutch test. Do it every 6–8 months if symptoms persist. Most women have no idea their liver might be the hold-up.

Also: Asian women statistically suffer fewer menopausal symptoms. Why? Diet. Less sugar, fewer inflammatory foods, more phytoestrogens (tofu, seaweed, miso). Just saying.

When It’s Time to Consider BHRT

If you’ve tried the supplements, changed the sheets, cut the wine, and you’re still radiating like a busted heater — it might be time for Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).

Bio-identical: estradiol, estriol, compounded creams, troches. More customisable, more natural to the body.

Synthetic: Premarin (yes, made from pregnant mare urine), Provera, and older oral tablets.

Talk to a functional GP or naturopath. Get tested. Start low, go slow. Monitor everything. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation — it’s precision work.

Flushed but Fierce: Reframing the Fire

You’re not fading. You’re igniting. Menopause is a hormonal wildfire, yes — but maybe it’s burning off everything that no longer serves you.

So let it. Let it torch the people-pleasing, the overworking, the self-doubt. Let it make you sharper, bolder, and more unapologetically you.

Because midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a damn awakening.