Menopause Products: What Actually Works (and What to Skip)

A no-nonsense guide to claims, clarity, and choosing credible support

Let’s start with the obvious: midlife is noisy. Hot flashes, sleep chaos, stress, brain fog, body changes… and a feed full of products promising to “balance your hormones” by next Tuesday. It’s a perfect storm for clever marketers and a terrible time for your bank account.

First we'll look at some of the controversy, then what actually works, and finally, I'll share a simple decision-making framework you can use with any product or service before deciding whether it's right for you.

The big, polarising one: GLP-1 meds (Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro/Tirzepatide)

Let’s get very clear about this one first. Here’s our stance in plain English:

• We won’t ever shame anyone for choosing medication. It’s your body, so it’s your call.

• We do insist on full informed consent with a qualified clinician, not a back-room “hook-up.” Counterfeit and compounded products have been flagged by regulators; people have been seriously harmed. If you choose to use them, get them through legitimate medical channels only.

• They are not magic. Many people regain their weight (and sometimes more) after stopping these medications if they don’t change their diet and lifestyle habits; in the STEP-1 extension (study), most of the lost weight returned within a year of withdrawal from the medications. These drugs may do the work while you’re on them; but your life will still need to do the work when you’re off them.

• Muscle matters. Significant portions of weight lost can be lean mass that you you may struggle to rebuild unless you protect it. That means adequate protein intake and regular resistance training must be baked into the plan from day one. (Researchers are actively studying lean-mass preservation strategies alongside GLP-1s.)

• Risks are real. Labels and analyses have shown GI events including ileus/obstruction, and case reports of gastroparesis; pancreatitis risk is an important part of the discussion with your doctor.

  • These should never be done DIY or dosed by the local hairdresser selling it out of the back of their salon because you're trying to save money.

Our bottom line: If you and your clinician decide GLP-1s are right for you, coaching should be non-negotiable. It’s the infrastructure that will teach you how to protect your muscles, your metabolism, and your sanity. We’ll support you with protein targets, strength training, sleep routines, and stress skills so the benefits don’t evaporate the moment the prescription ends. (And if you’re using black-market meds, please stop. It’s not worth your life.)

What actually helps (and usually costs less than a miracle serum)

1) Evidence-based medical care: HRT/MHT when appropriate

For many women, appropriately prescribed HRT within licensed doses improves vasomotor symptoms (think hot flushes), sleep, and quality of life. It’s not a youth potion, but for the right women, it’s meaningful. (Follow national guidance; this isn’t a one-size-fits-all.)

2) Strength training + protein (the dynamic duo)

Menopause accelerates muscle and bone loss. Lifting 2–3×/week plus protein-forward meals preserves lean mass, supports glucose control, steadies energy and mood, and makes every other change easier. Besides, it’s simple, scalable, and boring in the best way. (If you’re on GLP-1s, this is non-negotiable).

3) Sleep + stress skills (your brain’s maintenance plan)

Short sleep and chronic stress amplify cravings, brain fog, and blood sugar swings. You can use a low-tech stack to make a big difference here: keep your phone out of the bedroom, try 4–6 nasal breathing, keep your bedroom cool and dark, take a 10-minute post-dinner walk. These small changes will pay off fast. Long-term stress has been linked with worse cognitive outcomes, so protecting sleep and stress isn’t “soft” - it’s a crucial strategy for protecting your brain and long-term health.

4) Creatine monohydrate (surprise MVP)

Not just for gym bros. In women, creatine supports strength and training quality; there’s emerging interest in cognitive support during peri/menopause too! It’s inexpensive, well-studied, and the dose is simple. (If you have kidney disease or specific meds, talk to your clinician.)

The wallet-wasters (and how to spot them)

• “Hormone-balancing” teas/detoxes/patches promising to reboot your endocrine system in 7 days. If they worked, endocrinology departments would be out of business.

• Ultra-pricey “biohacks” that ignore basics. If it needs a payment plan but your sleep is still lousy, skip it (or cut your losses and back out).

• Supplements I call fairy-dust. If the active ingredient isn't standardised or present in an effective dosage (think 3rd party tested), it’s marketing, not medicine. If you find a special supplement and want a professional opinion, just ask us!

• Grey-market injections or pills sold via salons, DMs, “wellness” pop-ups, or “a friend of a friend.” No. Just…no.
  

“But my doctor didn’t talk about nutrition…” (You’re not imagining it)

Many physicians receive minimal formal nutrition training, if any, during medical school. The literature has been calling this out for years. That’s not doctor-bashing. It’s a system gap, which is exactly where coaching pairs beautifully with clinical care. We love working with doctors and they love working with us because it’s a chance to give you the kind of well-rounded care you deserve.

So...here's a quick decision filter you can take with you. Use it with ads, DMs, or well-meaning friends, so you can decide what's worth your time and money, and when to run - not walk - away.

• Is there evidence it works for women 40+? Not test tubes. Not mice. Not men. Real women in their real lives.

• Is the mechanism plausible? (The basic physiology of how it works should make sense. We’re here if you need help with this one.)

• Does it promise results without having to do or change anything about my diet or lifestyle? Run away as fast as you can.

• Are risks clear and discussed upfront? Most things have risks. If not, red flag. Stop right there.

• Will this work better if I also sleep, move, and eat like a grown-up? (Spoiler alert: yes.)

• If I stop, do the results disappear? Chasing forever fixes usually ends in tears (and too many direct debits). This is what's driving our current diet culture instead of building a healthy one.

How to choose credible support (3 quick checks)

1. Receipts over rhetoric. Do they cite guidelines, trials, or at least plausible mechanisms for women 40+? (NICE, etc.)

2. Habits first, products second. If the plan sells you a pill or powder before it helps you sleep, eat protein, and lift something, it’s backwards. It doesn’t matter if it is fairy dust - without the right lifestyle habits, no product will ever make your health better.

3. Aligned incentives. Are they willing to say “you might not need this”? Keep those people close!

If you’re feeling angry, sad, or tired of trying

As a coach, I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I want to rant and scream at what the diet industry is doing to the amazing, intelligent women we talk to every day. They invest millions in marketing psychology to prey on your insecurities and sell you shortcuts that don’t work, then make you feel like a failure, when their products were designed to fail in the first place. They only create customers, not solutions.

You deserve better than scare-tactics and glittery placebos. Whether you choose meds, HRT, coaching, or a mix, choose it with eyes wide open, protect your muscle like it’s your pension, and build a daily routine you can do on your worst week, not just your best one.

And by the way, if you're not sure about coaching, but would like some help choosing your first steps, we’re offering our Menopause Impact Assessment sessions at just £10 for Black Friday (on a first-come basis). Book yours HERE!

We don’t want you to have to wait, you can book now. These sessions are a goldmine for helping you map your symptoms and create a plan that matches your life - so you can feel better, fast. It would make a great Christmas gift too!

This article is educational and not intended as medical advice. Please discuss medication decisions and personal risks with your qualified healthcare provider.

REFERENCES

GLP-1 efficacy limits, rebound, risks, counterfeit

1. Wilding, J. P. H., Batterham, R. L., Davies, M., Van Gaal, L. F., Kandler, K., Konakli, K., Lingvay, I., Rosenstock, J., Tran, M. T., Wadden, T. A., Wharton, S., & Kushner, R. F. (2022). Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 24(8), 1553–1564. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.14725

2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025, April 14). FDA warns consumers not to use counterfeit Ozempic (semaglutide) found in U.S. drug supply chain. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-warns-consumers-not-use-counterfeit-ozempic-semaglutide-found-us-drug-supply-chain

3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025, September 25). FDA’s concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss

4. Kelland, K. (2024, June 20). WHO warns of falsified weight-loss drug versions worldwide. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/

5. Ozempic (semaglutide) [Prescribing information]. (2023). U.S. FDA. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2023/209637s020s021lbl.pdf

6. Sodhi, M., Rezaeianzadeh, R., & Qureshi, Z. P. (2023). GLP-1 receptor agonists and gastrointestinal adverse events. JAMA, 330(14), 1387–1388. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.16639

7. Chaudhry, A., Muhammed, H., & Siddiqui, A. (2024). Tendency of semaglutide to induce gastroparesis: A case report. Cureus, 16(4), e57567. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57567

What actually helps (care, strength/protein, sleep/stress, creatine)

8. British Menopause Society & Women’s Health Concern. (2023). Recommendations on hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women. https://thebms.org.uk/

9. Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., Eckerson, J. M., & Candow, D. G. (2021). Creatine supplementation in women’s health: A lifespan perspective. Nutrients, 13(3), 877. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030877

10. Wallensten, J., et al. (2023). Stress, depression, and risk of dementia: A cohort study in the general population. Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 15, 174. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-023-01308-4

Physician nutrition-education gap (why coaching complements care)

11. Boyce, S., et al. (2023). Nutrition education in medical schools: What do students think? BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 598. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04562-4