Many women notice weight gain in midlife despite eating well and exercising. One often-overlooked factor is stress. In this article, nutritionist I explain how stress hormones like cortisol affect metabolism, belly fat, sleep, and cravings during perimenopause and menopause, and what you can do to support your body instead.

Many midlife women are told their iron levels are “normal,” yet continue to struggle with fatigue, brain fog and low resilience. This article explores why ferritin normal does not always mean optimal, how iron deficiency overlaps with perimenopause, and what to do to support iron absorption and whole-body health.