Can Lifestyle Choices Delay the Onset of Menopause?

There are some major aspects of life we have complete (or a high degree of) control over, and then there are others that feel like they happen entirely without our input. Much like the arrival of puberty in our tweens or teens, the arrival of menopause is another significant moment of change that happens outside of our control. 

Menopause is likely to begin for the majority of women in their late 40s or early 50s, but with some lifestyle factors rumoured to delay the onset of menopause, this timeline is subject to a wide range of individual factors and health markers. 

We’re separating myths from reality when it comes to lifestyle choices that can impact or delay the onset of menopause, looking to understand this significant season of transition as precisely as possible. 

What’s a rumour and what’s reality?

You don’t need to be online for long to come across all kinds of claims about our health that are simply not grounded in reality, and this is no different when it comes to menopause coverage. 

The internet’s rife with myths about lifestyle factors that can delay menopause, creating confusion and uncertainty in an area where women need more support, not less, when it comes to their health and wellbeing. 

Common myths include:

• Using birth control pills can postpone menopause. In reality, while synthetic hormones can help to regulate your cycle, they don’t have an impact on the underlying process of ovarian decline, which causes menopause to begin. For the vast majority of women, no longer taking birth control pills will mean their period is most likely to return to its natural rhythm, including its linear progression towards perimenopause.
• Certain supplements can cause delays to menopause. While there’s ongoing research about the impact of certain supplements on our reproductive health, there isn’t sufficient evidence to date that demonstrates any delay in menopause as related to supplement use. However, it’s best practice to speak with your healthcare team before taking a new supplement, making sure you understand how they may impact various physiological functions in your body.

Unsure whether your current lifestyle habits are helping or hindering your menopause experience? The Australian Menopause Centre is here to help.

How lifestyle choices affect our menopause experience

While there are myths that are best avoided when it comes to the impact of lifestyle choices on the onset of menopause, there’s truth to be found in the correlation between key lifestyle habits and our overall menopause experience. This can help in both positive and negative ways, depending on the lifestyle factor in question, as well as individual health histories.

For example, key healthy habits such as the maintenance of a healthy weight, a regular exercise schedule, and a balanced, whole-food based diet can help to improve common menopause symptoms once menopause begins. Hot flushes, night sweats, emotional fluctuations and more can be exacerbated by poor lifestyle habits in these areas, meaning even small improvements can have a remarkable impact on how menopause progresses and is experienced on a day-to-day basis.

This is also true in the area of our mental and emotional well-being. Stress management techniques (including mindfulness, meditation, and yoga) can all be of significant benefit when it comes to the mood fluctuations that are part and parcel of a common menopause experience. This is an area we can all expand our resources in even before menopause begins, building a common practice of activities that strengthen our mental wellbeing and resilience.

Key lifestyle considerations to make before and during menopause 

Even if menopause is unlikely to be significantly delayed as a result of one individual lifestyle factor, it’s important for us to assess our lifestyle before, during, and after menopause, looking for areas that we can tweak to better support our overall health and wellbeing. It’s also easy to get overwhelmed when considering changes to your lifestyle routines. Our advice? Start small, focusing on one area where you can commit to consistent and micro improvements. Over time, these habits will start to stack up, contributing to greater physical and emotional resilience throughout menopause and the years that follow.

These considerations may look like:

• Tweaking your diet. Do you find yourself regularly reaching for packaged food? Bringing more natural ingredients in the form of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats can make a big difference. You can start small in this area by focusing on one meal at a time – for example, swapping out a muesli bar at breakfast for a high-protein quiche.
• Enhancing your exercise routine. Is your relationship to exercise more sporadic than it is reliable? With so much research pointing to the importance of regular physical activity for every aspect of our wellbeing, it’s time to prioritise consistency. Our advice: find a form of exercise you actually enjoy, and watch as your relationship to movement changes. It shouldn’t feel like a form of punishment!
• Changing your relationship to stress. Unfortunately, so many of us live with regular or chronic stress that it’s difficult to fully measure its impact in the long run. As chronic stress can directly worsen menopausal symptoms, this is an area to prioritise when it comes to modifying your lifestyle and behaviours. We recommend finding a healthy coping mechanism for stress that you can easily return to – it may be as simple as spending regular time in nature every weekend, and watching as your stress unwinds accordingly.
• Building an open, collaborative relationship with your doctor. Too many women either suffer needlessly without the support they deserver in menopause, or they’re not sharing the information they need to with their healthcare time. It’s important to discuss your experiences throughout menopause with a trusted practitioner who can create treatment plans that complement your lifestyle preferences, as well as advising on areas where change is necessary.

Conclusion

Menopause may be difficult to delay, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be feared. With careful preparation and the support of an expert and caring team, you can face menopause head-on, ready for what each stage will bring. Find the team you deserve at the Australian Menopause Centre.