Hormones And Energy After Menopause: 5 Ways To Fight Fatigue And Feel Like Yourself Again

Menopause Matters: Kate Wells

Okay ladies – hands up – who remembers the days when you leapt out of bed, did some morning exercise, got two, three, four children fed and off to school, rode off to work on your white charger, saved the world all day, got those same children fed in the evening, took care of the house, thrashed some of the yard into submission, and generally had enough energy to be superwoman?

I had my phase of that – I do remember what it was like, and while there are plenty of days where I have enough energy to accomplish what I want, I do miss that boundless energy I used to have three decades ago.  In my sixties now – something has changed with my energy levels.

I can still hike a long day on the trail, but I walk slower, and it can take me the next day to recover if I do anything over 15 miles. I can still enjoy working at my desk for (eeek) sometimes 10 hours at a time, however I don’t have the staying power I used to have. If it’s not my body that’s calling it quits it can be my brain sending the “enough is enough, go watch cat videos” message.

The Science Behind Hormones And Energy After Menopause:

Time for a little bit of cell magic. Each cell in the body has its own tiny power plants called mitochondria.  Mitochondria use nutrients such as glucose to create an energy compound called adenosine triphosphate – or ATP. ATP is a molecule that serves as the primary energy source for many cellular processes.

It works like a battery, storing energy that the cell can use when it needs to carry out various functions such as muscle contraction, nerve impulses, and the synthesis of molecules. 

Mitochondria are essential for making steroid hormones – including estrogen.  But it’s not a one-way street. Estrogen, especially estradiol, will increase mitochondrial activity and therefore increase APT production, so it’s more like a circular process.  Studies have found a 15% to 25% decline in metabolic function (energy) in the brain after surgical removal of the ovaries.1,2  Conversely, supplementing with estrogen – especially estradiol, could both increase energy levels and protect the cells in the brain against stress.

How Key Hormones Affect ATP And Energy Production:

How else do hormones influence mitochondria and ATP battery supplies?

• Progesterone helps keep ATP levels stable in cells, which is essential for cellular functions like energy production and cell health.
• Testosterone will stimulate mitochondria to make more ATP
• DHEA can enhance how brain neurons utilize ATP
• Cortisol promotes glucose release into the bloodstream, which can then be utilized by cells to generate ATP. However, in some cases, elevated cortisol levels might lead to reduced glucose demand or utilization, this is possibly as a protective mechanism against stress-induced energy demands.   

As women go through menopause their hormone levels drop precipitously. Women can now live 35 or more years after menopause – and that number increases if a woman has an early hysterectomy.

Yes, estrogen and progesterone play a very significant role in reproduction, but they have so many other functions – including energy production. We need to make sure that women have the hormones they need to make the energy they need for so many bodily functions. 

How Stress And Cortisol Disrupt Energy After Menopause:

We also need to dig deeper into understanding how long-term stress can affect energy production and hence how much “energy” we have for living our lives. Our adrenal glands pump out cortisol to help us manage stressful events.  “Good stress” can arise from taking a chance on doing something we want, like interviewing for a job, or giving a talk before strangers, and feeling rewarded when we are successful.  In this situation, the surge of cortisol is turned off when the stress is over. 

“Tolerable stress” means that something bad happens, like losing a job, the end of a relationship, or the death of a loved one, but where there are the personal resources and support systems to “weather the storm” and be resilient. Cortisol gets turned on and may get turned on and off as part of managing the situation, but it doesn’t get too high.

The Energy Drain Of Chronic And Toxic Stress:

“Toxic stress” also means that something bad happens, like those events in “tolerable stress”, but where the person lacks internal resources or external support systems, and, as a result, there is a lack of sense of control that leads to a chronic dysregulation of the normal cortisol pattern.  Too much cortisol will reduce the ability of mitochondria to charge the ATP batteries.  

One of the impacts of long-lasting chronic stress is that eventually the adrenal glands no longer make as much cortisol.  For extreme situations, cortisol levels can “flat line”.  Without cortisol, it can be hard to make enough glucose to feed the mitochondria to make ATP.   This is the “I can’t get off the sofa” situation, it may take a literal fire to get someone to have the energy to move.

Brain cells must have glucose for mitochondria to make ATP.  But in toxic stress states, the body’s ability to make and deliver glucose to the brain changes. Stress therefore drives the search for high carb high fat foods to provide the resources to make glucose for the brain.  This is partly why, when someone is under stress for a long time, they can end up gaining weight because the brain cries out for that whole box of donuts.

Reclaiming Energy In The Menopausal Transition:

Today there are so many more resources to help you stay vibrant and energetic long past the menopausal transition. Making sure your hormone levels are optimized after menopause will help you stay active and energetic for a long time.  Bioidentical hormones can be safely used for many years – just don’t go bathing in them.  In addition, there are lots of other actions you can take to keep your vitality and energy going strong.

5 Ways to Boost Energy After Menopause—Starting Now:

1. Exercise:

Physical activity increases the demand for energy, causing your cells to produce more ATP.

2. Nourishment:

Eat food rich in nutrients, healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil, complex carbohydrates which can provide your cells with the building blocks they need to produce ATP.  

3. Sleep:

Getting adequate sleep allows your cells to rest and recover, which can help increase their ability to produce ATP.

4. Avoid Stress:

Chronic stress can decrease the production of ATP in cells, so reducing stress through mindfulness, meditation, and other relaxation techniques can help increase ATP production.

5. Supplements:

Taking certain supplements, such as Coenzyme Q10, can boost ATP production by supporting the function of the mitochondria. 

References:

1. Loembe, P. M., Bouger, D., and Dukuly, L. (1988). Injuries of the cervical spine. Review of 70 cases treated over a 5-year period at the “Fondation Jeanne Ebori” of Libreville, Gabon (Central Africa). Neurochirurgie 34, 258–261.
2. Slebos, R. J., de Graeff, A., Van Zandwijk, N., Mooi, W. J., Bos, J. L., and Rodenhuis, S. (1988). Recurrent breast cancer and an adenocarcinoma of the lung occurring in one patient: c-myc oncogene amplification and K-ras codon 12 point mutation as tumour markers. Eur. J. Cancer Clin. Oncol. 24, 1529–1530. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(88)90347-1

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About the Author:

Kate Wells is a hormone expert and true biochem nerd who has been educating practitioners about hormones for many years. Starting out as a High School science teacher, and then pivoting to the business world, Kate new she wanted to combine her passions for science and business and found the perfect match in leadership roles at labs specializing in hormone testing and hormone formulation.

She currently runs her own bioidentical hormone product companies where she writes educational articles and continues to educate practitioners on the role of hormones in optimal longevity. Beyond nerding-out on the latest research, Kate is an avid hiker, regularly putting in 20-mile hikes in the beautiful wilds of Colorado, loves to build stuff, swing dance, and work with fabric to make colorful quilts. Kate is the author of A Forecast for Health and is the CEO and co-founder of Parlor Games LLC. Kate holds a BS, MBA, and has completed a Fellowship in Herbal Medicine.