What is Post Menopause?

Post menopause is rarely talked about, but it’s an important stage of your hormonal journey. Post menopausal meaning: this phase begins 12 months after your final menstrual period, as outlined by the Australasian Menopause Society. Many women think menopause is the moment their periods stop but menopause is actually just one day, the anniversary of your last period. Everything after that day is called post menopause, and it marks a completely new hormonal landscape in your body.

This stage can feel confusing. Your cycle is gone, yet your body is still adjusting. The key thing to understand is that your ovaries have stopped producing most of their oestrogen and progesterone, hormones that influence your metabolism, mood, brain, skin, bones, and weight for decades. Research from the Mayo Clinic confirms how these hormonal shifts impact multiple body systems.

So, in summary, the only real difference between perimenopause and post menopause is this: Your period has stopped.

The symptoms don’t magically stop with it but with care, attention, and a preventative mindset, symptoms can ease, stabilise, and eventually disappear for many women.

This stage also overlaps with major lifestyle changes. In post menopause, you may slow your workload, retire, become widowed, separated or divorced, newly married, or become an empty nester. There are so many variables that affect your lifestyle, mental health and overall wellbeing during this transition.

Common Changes in Post Menopause

Every woman’s experience is unique, but some changes become more noticeable during this phase and appear on almost every list of post menopause symptoms, including the symptom summary provided by the Cleveland Clinic. 

1. Hot Flushes May Continue… or Go

Some women feel relief quickly after menopause. Others continue to have hot flushes or night sweats for months or even years. According to the Mayo Clinic, this happens because the body is still working to find a new hormone balance.

2. Slower Metabolism and Weight Changes

Many women notice it becomes easier to gain weight, especially around the middle. This is not a lack of discipline. Harvard Health explains that lower oestrogen affects how your body stores fat and uses energy. This is why post menopause weight gain is so common and why post menopause weight loss can feel harder.

Strength training and tailored nutrition can support metabolism.

3. Changes in Skin, Hair, and Hydration

Oestrogen helps maintain collagen, elasticity and natural moisture. When oestrogen declines, it’s common to notice:

• Drier skin
• Thinning hair
• Vaginal dryness

The Menopause Society notes that these changes are extremely common and linked directly to hormonal decline.

This doesn’t mean you have to “just put up with it.” Happy Hormones supports the body’s natural hormone metabolism, liver pathways, and nervous-system balance, which can help your body adapt more smoothly in post menopause. These types of post menopause supplements can provide support where your natural hormone production has shifted.

4. Bone Health Matters More

Lower oestrogen means bones can lose density more quickly. Osteoporosis Australia confirms that post menopause is the highest-risk period for bone-density decline. Weight-bearing exercise (walking, lifting weights, Pilates), vitamin D (morning sun exposure for 15 minutes to ~15% of your body), and calcium (from leafy greens, nuts, seeds, not just dairy) become especially important. A bone density scan every few years can help track your baseline.

5. Mood and Brain Changes

Some women feel calmer in post menopause, while others notice mood shifts, anxiety, or brain fog. Jean Hailes explains that hormone changes influence the nervous system, affecting emotional balance and cognitive clarity.

Happy Calm and MSP can support stress resilience, sleep and mood regulation throughout the day.

And remember to take time each day for yourself, whatever helps you shine: the beach, dancing, community groups, gratitude, moving your body, or simply reconnecting with hobbies.

What Helps During Post Menopause

The goal isn’t to get back your old hormones because you physically can’t. This is simple biology. The goal is to help your body work with the hormones it has now.

Here are supportive approaches many women find helpful:

• Strength training 2–3 times per week to support bone and muscle health and metabolism
• Healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds) for hormone and brain health
  
• Stress regulation through breathing, gentle movement or time outdoors
  
• Nitric oxide breathing for balancing the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system
• Sleep strategies like consistent sleep times, a cool bedroom, and a scoop of MSP before bed
  

How Happy Hormones Helps

Happy Hormones supports women in post menopause by helping the body adapt to its new, lower-hormone environment. As oestrogen and progesterone decline, your metabolism, mood, energy, skin, and weight regulation all shift. Happy Hormones works by supporting natural hormone metabolism, liver pathways, adrenal balance and the nervous system, helping ease lingering symptoms like bloating, irritability, hot flushes, low energy and stubborn weight changes. It’s not about restoring your old hormones, it’s about helping your body work with the hormones it has now so post menopause feels steadier, clearer and more manageable.

 

A Reframing: Post Menopause as a New Chapter

It is common to feel a sense of transition, physically, emotionally, and even in identity. Many women describe post menopause as a stage where they begin to listen to their bodies more deeply, set stronger boundaries, and reconnect with what truly matters.

In post menopause, we often decide not to take on others’ negativity. We become more empowered because we’ve done the hard yards and now it’s time to rediscover ourselves. 

Maybe that means finally getting on the road in that campervan you’ve dreamed of for so long. Feeling happy in your skin. Feeling confident travelling to new and adventurous places, even on your own.

This stage is not about decline. It is a shift, one that can bring clarity, strength, and a new kind of confidence.

You are not “past your prime.”
You are in it, entering a phase where your energy is yours, your voice is clearer, and your wisdom is lived.

If you’re navigating post menopause and want personalised guidance, our naturopaths are here to help.

Take our free online assessment, explore our post menopause supplements, or join our community of over 200,000 women walking this journey with you.

You don’t have to do this alone, we’re here every step of the way.

Chat to one of our naturopaths for free and get guidance tailored to your post-menopause journey. We’re here to help you feel clearer, supported and confident in your next steps.

 

Chat to a Naturopath now