The human body can be likened to a company. At conception, the company starts very small. Over time it develops and expands, adding different parts. But all the “employees” work together to create a functional, productive company. During the earlier years, comradery is high and the company feels like nothing can stop it. As time passes, the employees start to age, slow down, and look toward retirement.
This is in simple terms what happens to a woman as she nears menopause. Around age 40 to 50, most women enter perimenopause. Biological changes occur that can make life more turbulent or chaotic. Most women (and even more husbands) have not prepared themselves for what this time of life brings. The more educated you are about what is happening in the body and why God designed it this way, the more you will be able to find beauty and joy through this period of life.
Why Menopause?
Scientists have long debated why menopause happens to humans, yet only guess as to the answer. When we think of God restoring all things through Herbert W. Armstrong (Matthew 17:11), our first thoughts are usually on major subjects like Church government or the gospel. But God also used him to restore the truth on “why menopause.” In The Missing Dimension in Sex, Mr. Armstrong explained why God designed a woman’s body to go through this change.
“Here again the wise design of a loving, all-intelligent Creator is emphasized,” he explained. “After this stage of life, women simply should no longer carry the responsibilities of caring for babies and training young children.” Mr. Armstrong continued the section showing how it is a time for a husband and wife to grow closer to each other in love. For more details, read Chapter 8 of The Missing Dimension in Sex (we will send you a copy free upon request).
Prepare Now
“Women entering the middle years, whether they admit it or not, have the battle of fluctuating hormones to fight. Many find it hardly a skirmish. But for some, it’s an all-out war. It’s up to you whether you will enter the battle prepared and armed or whether you will face this challenge unprepared both physically and mentally. It is an important time in life. The happiness of the remaining one third of your life is at stake. How to pass through menopause and plan for the future is often one of the most overlooked and least considered times of life” (Plain Truth, February-March 1985).
Perimenopause through to postmenopause is a stage in life that—though it may not seem like it in the moment—will pass. The more you understand what is happening, the easier it is to navigate. Women in perimenopause should also track their cycle and symptoms to learn what triggers certain symptoms.
Keeping God’s health laws during these years is extremely important—one could argue even more important than at any other time in life. Those laws were summarized in a September 1962 Plain Truth article: “God so designed the mechanism of the human body that, given proper food (and few indeed know what that is!); drinking the right amount of pure water; breathing properly of pure air; getting sufficient exercise—and that is not necessarily a great amount; obtaining sufficient rest, recreation and sleep; maintaining normal regularity of elimination, which includes more frequent bathing and rubdowns than many realize; and keeping the mind in a positive, cheerful, active and peaceful state, the body would never be sick!” Obeying these laws helps stabilize hormones that are in severe flux.
The Ovaries Are Retiring
By the time the body reaches perimenopause around 45 years old, it has been through a lot: life-altering stressful times, over-the-moon joyful times, and everything in between. Two hard-working employees of the company are the ovaries and adrenal glands. The ovaries have been responsible for producing the majority of the sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The adrenals have focused on cortisol production and taking the brunt of abuse from life’s stresses. Often they have been overworked and underappreciated. During perimenopause, the ovaries begin to look forward to retirement when they run out of eggs to release. They put in their notice of retirement. This is usually four to eight years’ notice, though for some women it is only a few months. They start decreasing their productivity and output.
During this time, sex hormone production can fluctuate wildly (see figure 1). Due to lower estrogen production, women can have irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, headaches and mood swings. Pregnancy chances are slim due to progesterone levels decreasing and the ovaries running out of eggs. When progesterone and estrogen drop, hair grows more slowly and becomes thinner. The drop in these hormones also triggers an increase in the production of androgens, the male hormone, resulting in shrinking hair follicles and hair loss. As testosterone output decreases, women have sleep disturbances, low sex drive and low motivation. They lose muscle and struggle to put muscle on. With all these symptoms taking place, cortisol increases due to stress. This leads to weight gain, insulin resistance and memory problems. As one doctor succinctly put it, You aren’t losing your mind; you are losing your hormones.
During these perimenopause years, the company cannot find another employee to replace the ovaries in producing sex hormones. Because the adrenals can produce a small amount of estrogen, the workload is thrown onto them. The trouble is, they have also worked for 50 years, put in a lot of overtime, and are exhausted. It is during this handoff that sex hormones decline quickly.
When the day of retirement comes, when a woman has gone one year without a period, the ovaries are officially out of eggs. They significantly reduce their production of sex hormones and gradually stop producing them entirely. Menopause happens, and then a woman enters her postmenopause years.
Prioritize Oxytocin
Cortisol takes a toll on what little sex hormones a woman is producing during these years. Elevated cortisol levels may suppress these hormones further, worsening symptoms. Over time, the adrenal glands—responsible for some hormone production—become overworked, making cortisol management a key priority. Applying all the health laws will help lower cortisol.
As discussed in the previous article in this series, oxytocin is an incredible hormone God designed in the human body. During these transition years, oxytocin plays a massive part in making the transition smoother. In this way, husbands can play a vital role in helping their wives through these years.
“Perhaps more than at any other time in the marriage, a woman during menopause requires love, attention, appreciation and understanding. [I]n addition to education, the love and support of a husband, children and friends are vital ingredients to help a woman through this changing time of life” (Plain Truth, op cit). Due to severe hormone imbalance, some women may not be receptive to acts of love. The husband-wife team needs to be aware of what is happening to avoid misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Women must also be aware of changing moods. As with the menstrual years, fluctuating hormones do not give one a free pass to be unhinged with emotions. They also do not change the Apostle Paul’s instruction to married couples in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5. The couple will need to communicate and work together to build their relationship and bring stability to the hormones.
Widows and single women can prioritize the production of oxytocin through building deep friendships. Cultivating gratitude and living God’s way of give will also bring stability during these unstable times.
Gut Health
Within the gut is a contingent of gut flora called the estrobolome. In both men and women, the estrobolome works to move estrogen around the body. It also breaks down toxic estrogens and helps activate helpful estrogen. Consuming ultraprocessed and refined foods can promote the growth of harmful bacteria, leading to an imbalance in gut flora. This imbalance can influence mood (since over 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the gut), anxiety, weight, metabolism and overall health.
God designed women with a more diverse gut flora than men. This diversity helps protect the body from invading germs and bacteria during the reproductive years. When estrogen levels decrease during perimenopause, the diversity begins to decrease and is more like that of men. An article published in the January 2025 issue of npj Women’s Health journal compiled data from studies over recent decades on the hormonal shift that happens during perimenopause to postmenopause and its effect on the microbiome. It found that if gut health is not maintained, there can be increased levels of certain bacteria associated with obesity. Also, it is more common to see an overgrowth of certain flora that release toxins that lower moods, creating symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also increase fat and sugar cravings. When gut health is not supported, perimenopause symptoms can worsen.
A healthy gut also helps regulate sleep. The microbiome helps the body maintain its circadian rhythm by producing sleep-related metabolites like melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin is key in regulating the sleep-wake cycle and is made from serotonin. The body makes serotonin from foods high in tryptophan, vitamin B12 and folate. An article in the July 2024 Nutrients journal showed that if gut health is not supported and there are high levels of certain unhealthy bacteria in the gut, the risk of insomnia or disruptions to sleep increases.
A diet that brings the flora into balance is important. As Mr. Armstrong put it, “Eat only those natural foods that will spoil—and eat them before they do” (Plain Truth, January 1982). Removing processed foods will assist the gut. Specific foods called phytoestrogens mimic the functions of estrogen. These foods help nurture the good bacteria in the estrobolome and ease menopause symptoms. Consuming fiber-rich foods, as well as probiotic foods (like fermented vegetables, kefir, yogurt, raw cheese) and prebiotic foods (like artichokes, garlic, leeks and onions, asparagus, apples with skins, beans and legumes, oatmeal), will help support gut health.
The Liver
Another important organ to consider is the liver. More than just a filter, the liver also supports metabolism, immunity, digestion, detoxification and vitamin storage. For a woman, the drop in natural estrogen causes the liver to change. A March 2023 article in The Journal of the Menopause Society showed that the decrease in estrogen causes menopausal women to have a 2.4 times higher chance of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Data from a 1994 study shows that starting around age 40 to 50, liver function decreases by 1 percent each year.
The liver does help produce a small amount of estrogen. Society is filled with synthetic estrogens that the body needs to purge through the liver. During this period when the liver is working to produce estrogen and remove fake estrogen, it can become overtaxed. Symptoms that the liver isn’t coping well include headaches, itchy skin, fatigue, weakness, brain fog, insomnia, weight gain and constipation. When overworked, the liver will prioritize getting toxins out of the bloodstream to protect the vital organs. This leads to storing toxins in the bones, causing calcium to be displaced, leading to brittle bones.
Minimizing and removing liver stressors like fried foods and refined, processed foods and switching to eating whole, natural foods will enable the liver to function properly. Due to the decline in liver function, alcohol will affect perimenopausal and postmenopausal women more. Alcohol can worsen symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood, brain fog and insomnia. Limiting alcohol consumption can help with managing symptoms. Working to limit or remove skin products full of chemicals will give the liver room to remove fake estrogens from the body. One sleep trial published in the October 2021 issue of Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology found that short sleep duration (less than six hours) was associated with an increased risk of liver disease. High stress can also increase the risk of liver disease. Dealing with cortisol will allow the liver to function as it needs to.
Exercise
Sedentary lifestyles can have negative impacts on everyone. For women going through this time of life, lack of exercise can exacerbate physical symptoms. During perimenopause, a woman can lose 10 percent of her muscle mass. Estrogen plays a part in helping with muscle growth and repair. With the drop in estrogen, it’s important to support the body to maintain and grow muscles.
One of the best ways to do this is weight training. Women of all ages can benefit from lifting weights, and they provide beneficial results even at moderate levels. The Proverbs 31 woman “girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms” (verse 17). Some women fear that lifting weights will make them bulk up and look like a man. Generally it would take a very specific diet, training plan and usually steroids to get to that size.
Lifting even moderate weight helps not only build muscle mass, it also builds and maintains bone density. This is important, because in the first six years after menopause, a woman’s bone density will decrease by an estimated 15 percent, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Weight training will counter that. During this time of life, women can also become insulin resistant due to high cortisol. Building strength can counteract that tendency as well. One study published in the July 2023 issue of Diabetologia found that strength training can be more effective than aerobic activity in controlling blood sugar levels in those with Type-2 diabetes.
While moderate to heavy lifting is great for the body, it also lifts moods. A randomized trial published in the January 1997 issue of The Journals of Gerontology found that in adults ages 60 to 84 who had depression, 10 weeks of strength training worked as an effective antidepressant. Strength training also improves sleep quality more than other types of exercise. Most experts recommend weight training at least twice a week for all women.
Weight training requires an increase in protein for muscle repair. Many women don’t eat enough protein. In the later years, when the body is resistant to muscle building, higher intake of protein is needed. Meals high in protein (animal and plant based), along with complex carbohydrates that contain their natural fiber, can help stabilize blood sugar levels and guard against insulin resistance.
Moderate aerobic exercises and stretching will also help ease perimenopause symptoms. Low impact exercise like swimming, biking and brisk walking are good. The best option is to find exercise you enjoy so you will stay consistent.
Joy in Menopause
God created women to transition through menopause. In this degenerate and toxic world, this transition can be difficult—for some, quite difficult. Because of this, it is easy to fear this journey. Striving to keep the restored physical and spiritual health laws along the way will soften that transition.
As responsibilities with children diminish, God designed this time to enable a husband and wife to grow closer together and to enable women to deepen relationships with others. These deep relationships are meant to bring stability in this time of instability. Our loving Creator God actually intended this last third of a woman’s life to be different, yet another thoroughly enjoyable stage of life. Any extra effort in preparing for and managing the challenges it brings will be worth it.