One minute you’re fine, the next you’re crying at a dog food advert. Your body feels like it belongs to someone else, and you’re pretty sure your hormones have formed a union and gone on strike.
If you’re a woman over 35, this probably sounds familiar. Sarah described it perfectly: “I feel like I’m living in someone else’s body. My moods are all over the place, I’m exhausted but can’t sleep, and I cry at things that never used to bother me. Is this just what getting older feels like?”
The short answer? No, it’s not.
What Sarah was experiencing was her body’s way of communicating that her hormonal system needs support during a major transition.
Understanding Your Body’s Hormonal Communication System
As Christiane Northrup wisely said, “Your body is designed to heal itself. You just need to give it the right conditions.” Those conditions include understanding what your changing hormones actually need.
Your hormones aren’t just reproductive signals. They’re your body’s internal messaging system, coordinating everything from sleep and mood to energy and appetite. When this system gets disrupted, it affects every aspect of how you feel and function.
Here’s something fascinating about your genetics: your APOE variants influence how your brain handles inflammation. Since hormonal fluctuations can trigger inflammation, people with certain APOE variants might experience more intense mood and cognitive changes during hormonal transitions.
The Real Story Behind Hormonal Chaos
Your ovaries aren’t just shutting down, they’re responding to decades of stress, nutritional depletion, and your body’s changing needs. Your adrenals might be exhausted from picking up the slack during stressful periods.
Your brain chemistry changes along with your hormones, the same oestrogen that affects your reproductive system also influences serotonin production. When oestrogen fluctuates, so does your mood regulation.
This is why you might feel emotionally unstable even when your life circumstances are fine. Don’t look at it like a psychological weakness, your biochemistry is in completely natural transition.
There are 3 simples steps towards supporting your hormones at this transitioning stage of life.
1 – Support Your Body’s Inflammation Response
Hormonal shifts can trigger body-wide inflammation, causing puffiness, joint aches, breakouts, and mood swings. If you have APOE4, your brain may be more sensitive to this.
Try: Anti-inflammatory foods (salmon, walnuts), gentle movement, nervous system resets, and prioritising deep sleep.
2 – Recalibrate Your Stress Response
As oestrogen declines, your adrenals take on more load, making you feel anxious or easily overwhelmed. APOE4 can slow stress recovery.
Try: Short daily stress resets (breathwork, nature, stretching), balanced meals to support adrenals, and earlier wind-down routines.
3 – Nourish Your Brain Chemistry
Oestrogen supports memory and mood, so dips can cause brain fog, low mood, and anxiety. APOE4 may amplify these changes.
Try: Brain-friendly foods (leafy greens, blueberries, healthy fats), good sleep habits, and enjoyable brain challenges like learning or puzzles.
The APOE Connection: Why Your Experience is Unique
Understanding your APOE variants helps explain why your hormonal journey might be different from others:
APOE2: Generally more protective against inflammation, might experience milder hormonal symptoms
APOE3: Most common variant, typically moderate inflammatory response
APOE4: More sensitive to inflammation, might need more support during hormonal changes
This isn’t about good or bad genes. It’s about understanding what your unique system needs to thrive during transition.
Creating Hormonal Harmony, Not Control
The goal isn’t to control your hormones or force them back to how they were. It’s to support your body through this natural transition whilst minimising unnecessary suffering.
Your changing hormones aren’t your enemy – they’re your body’s way of moving into a new life stage with different strengths and possibilities.
When you work with your hormonal changes you discover a deeper connection to your body’s wisdom, clarity about what truly matters to you, and energy for things that align with your values.
Many clients discover that their hormonal changes, whilst challenging, also bring unexpected gifts – less tolerance for things that don’t serve them, more openness about their boundaries or a deeper connection to their intuition.
Embracing Your Hormonal Wisdom
Your changing body is wise, and you deserve support that honours both the challenge and the wisdom of this transition.
Understanding your APOE variants helps you approach this transition with more self-compassion and targeted support. Instead of wondering why you’re struggling more than others, you can focus on what your unique system needs.
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Remember: You deserve support that honours both the challenge and the wisdom of this transition.
I am the founder of The Happy Reset and an integrative wellbeing practitioner specialising in nervous system health, anxiety, intergenerational trauma patterns, women’s health, and nutrigenomics. My mission is to help you move beyond ‘overriding’ your body and start understanding the messages behind your symptoms.
My Expertise & Qualifications: With over 20 years of experience in community-based settings and corporate wellness, I bridge the gap between complex science and lived experience. I am a:
- Certified TRE® Provider – Tension & Trauma Release Process, and member of TRE International.
- Brainspotting Practitioner – Phases 1-4, including Group Brainspotting. Currently in training for international certification.
- Specialist in Nutrigenomics and Herbal Medicine – Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.
- Functional Fitness Coach – Level 4 and UK Athletics Coach
An Integrative Approach to Healing: I work with individuals and groups who feel wired, depleted, or disconnected – often as a result of chronic stress, hormonal shifts, chronic fatigue, or inherited family patterns. My approach is deeply personal, shaped by my own journey through developmental trauma, medical intervention, menopause, and professional burnout. By combining trauma-informed movement, genetics, and body-led practices, I translate complex physiological concepts into grounded, accessible insights you can use in daily life.
Speaking & Impact: I am a featured facilitator and speaker at Transform Trauma (The world’s largest trauma conference), The Therapy Show, and various festivals. Written for Liz Earle Wellbeing and have delivered workshops and events for global organisations such as GE Healthcare, GE Power and Kiddylicious. Based in Beaconsfield and London, I offer education and resources online and in-person through The Happy Reset – designed to support sustainable change across mind, body, and nourishment.
Learn More about services: Brainspotting | Trauma Release | Nutrigenomics
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