9 best natural remedies for perimenopause

According to our own research, approximately 6.5 million have women experienced symptoms of perimenopause over the last 12 months.

Since these symptoms can arrive up to 10 years before menopause starts, it can be pretty confusing and worrying for those going through it.

If you’ve identified that this is what you’re going through, you may be wondering what natural treatment for perimenopause looks like.

We’ve included nine different lifestyle changes you can make that may be able to help you with your symptoms – find out more below.

In this article, you’ll learn about:

• What lifestyle factors help perimenopause symptoms naturally
• What drinks you can take for perimenopause
• 9 of the best natural remedies for perimenopause
• Which foods are best for this stage
• When to seek professional perimenopause help  

What helps with perimenopause symptoms naturally?

There are a number of different lifestyle factors that can impact your physical and mental wellbeing when you’re going through perimenopause.

These include:

• Exercise
• Food and drink
• Relaxation techniques
• Essential oils
• Your beauty products
• The clothes you wear

What can I drink for perimenopause?

Fortunately, there are a number of different drinks you can have for perimenopause, from specific teas to plant-based milks!

Our nutritionist expert Helena Thomas Harman recommends the following:

• Sage tea for hot flushes and excessive sweating¹
• Soya milk for phytoestrogens, these are plant compounds that function in a similar way or mimic estrogen in the body²
• Ginseng tea for helping with brain fog, concentration

What are the best natural remedies for perimenopause?

What are the best things you can do to help with symptoms of perimenopause? We've got 9 tips for you. 

1. Regular gentle exercise

Fitting in some gentle walks, yoga sessions or swims may be able to help with certain symptoms of perimenopause, such as hot flushes, mood swings or insomnia.

When looking at yoga in particular, studies have found that yoga may be able to help menopausal women with sleeping better.⁶

The practices that are often recommended for women going through menopause include:

• Asana (posture)
• Pranayama (controlled breathing)
• Dhyana (meditation)

In addition to this, anxiety and depression are often associated with perimenopause and menopause, but yoga may also be beneficial for reducing these conditions too.⁷

Fancy a dip in chilly waters? While this may sound unappealing, there is actually a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that cold water swimming could help with symptoms of perimenopause.

Neuroscientist Tara Swart explains that this activity affects our temperature and pain receptors, which then creates a shock response.⁸

She also goes on to explain that this then makes our bodies compensate with endorphins and natural pain killers to balance it out, which coincidentally has a positive impact on our mood, resilience, immunity and potentially longevity.

Handpicked content: Morning yoga for beginners

2. Add strength training to your workouts

This may sound scary, but strength training may be another natural treatment for perimenopause.

The hormonal changes that take place during peri and menopause can affect things like bone density as your estrogen levels drop.⁹

And that’s where strength training comes in.

It’s common knowledge that this kind of exercise builds muscles, but this has a knock-on effect on our bones too.

Multiple studies have shown that strength training or resistance exercise is important for maintaining musculoskeletal health – especially as we get older.¹⁰

It’s worth heading to your local gym or getting a personal trainer if you can to show you the ropes of strength training, from using resistance bands and weight machines to free weights.

Our in-house expert recommends trying strength training twice a week, or you could slowly build up to this if you’re a beginner.

3. Meditation

The act of meditating is well known for having a variety of positive impacts on our health, whether it’s reducing stress levels, decreasing anxiety, improving attention span or generating kindness.^11,12,13,14

The list goes on. But did you know that meditation is also one of the best natural remedies for perimenopause symptoms?

Research has found that meditation can help with the vasomotor symptoms of perimenopause, the most common being hot flushes.¹⁵

If you’ve never tried meditation before, you may have some preconceived ideas about what it is, and you may feel like it’s not the right approach for you.

However, it is important to understand that meditation does not have to take loads of time from your day – it can even be done on your lunch break!

But if you are new to it, listening to a calming meditation soundtrack may help you to be more present if you struggle to focus on your breath.

Handpicked content: Meditation guide: An introduction to meditation for beginners

4. Use natural beauty products

Whether it’s skincare, makeup or fragrance, beauty products like these may be having more of an effect on our female health than we originally thought.

Specifically, it may be worth avoiding ingredients that are known as endocrine disruptors (EDCs) as they can interfere with our bodies’ hormone system.^16,17,18

An easy way to avoid these ingredients would be to use natural beauty products, that are predominantly made from plant-based ingredients.

Our in-house expert Helena Thomas Harman highlights that “use of natural oils such as argan oil, olive oil and coconut oil” may be beneficial for perimenopausal issues with skin dryness and nail problems.

Handpicked content: 20 of the best natural beauty products of 2021

5. Wear natural fabrics

Equally as important as the products we use on our skin, our clothes can also have an impact on our health – especially for peri and menopausal women.

Chemicals are often used in the process of making garments, whether it’s to add colour, improve technicality or to keep them protected while in storage – but they may not be the best for our health.

Studies have found that these can be absorbed by our skin, which may lead to some health issues.¹⁹

Chemicals used in clothing so that they are stain repellent (PFAS) have been linked to hormone disruption, so it’s best to avoid these types of fabrics if you’re perimenopausal.²⁰

These chemicals can also be found in waterproof clothing, so if you’re a keen hiker it’s best to opt for rain-proof clothing that is labelled PFAS or PFC-free.

Wearing more natural fabrics may also help you when you’re experiencing hot flushes or sweating.

Some of the better materials include bamboo, cotton and linen as they are often more breathable and naturally moisture-wicking – which helps the sweat to evaporate easier during a hot flush.

6. Take supplements for perimenopause

Another one of the best perimenopause treatments is to take licensed herbal supplements to support your symptoms.

Key ingredients to look out for in these products include:

• Black cohosh
• Red clover
• Soya isoflavones
• Sage leaf
• Ginkgo biloba
• St. John’s Wort
• Korean ginseng
• Horny goat weed
• Evening primrose oil
• Fish oil

For more information and details on how these supplements could help you, head to our article on 11 of the best perimenopause supplements.

As always though, if you’re considering taking any of these supplements and you’re not sure if they’re suitable for you, speak to a health professional before trying them out.

7. Stabilise your blood sugar levels

Perimenopause natural treatment like this may also be effective for reducing the severity of some of your symptoms.

Our nutritionist expert highlighted that research has shown stabilising blood glucose levels to be effective for reducing hot flushes.

Luckily there are a few natural ways that you can achieve this.

Firstly, studies have indicated that consuming a big meal that is high in calories at night time can have a negative impact on blood sugar levels, so it’s best to eat your meals earlier in the day.²¹

It’s also recommended to reduce the amount of spicy food you eat, cut back on caffeine and alcohol and lower your fat and sugar intake – as these may all have an impact on blood sugar control.

Handpicked content: Blood sugar balance tips

8. Reduce processed foods and increase veg intake

This applies to people of all ages, but an increased intake of fruit and vegetables as well as limiting processed foods may be able to help with some symptoms of perimenopause.

One large study from 2012 on menopausal women found that those who eat more vegetables, fibre, fruit and soy products had a lowered their hot flushes by 19%, compared to those in the control group.

The reasoning for this is said to be related to the fact that these women reduced their body weight too by making their diet healthier.²²

Leafy green vegetables like broccoli have been singled out as a top choice.

One study examined how vegetables like this help to decrease levels of a specific type of estrogen that is associated with some undesired side effects. breast cancer, as well as increasing the type of estrogen that assists in protecting against breast cancer.²³

9. Use a natural lubricant

And last up in our list of natural remedies for perimenopause is to use a natural lubricant.

Vaginal dryness is a common issue that is reported by women all stages of the menopause, which can feel itchy, cause pain during sex and make you need to urinate more than normal.²⁴

Thankfully, using a natural lubricant may be able to help ease some discomfort.

Some of the best natural lubricants are water-based, which won’t damage condoms or cause discomfort, or plant-oil based products, which may damage condoms.

What foods help with perimenopause?

Some studies have shown an increase in foods rich in phytoestrogens beneficial for a number of symptoms as they have a mild effect on the body by mimicking the effects of estrogen.^25,26,27

Our nutrition expert points out that, “It is best to eat these foods regularly and in sufficient quantities with most women seeing effects after taking for 2-3 months. Ideally 2-3 portions spread throughout the day have better effects than one large portion.”

Some phytoestrogen foods include:

• Linseed/flaxseed (crushed/ground)
• Soya (milk, flour)
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Beans
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Sesame seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Rhubarb
• Green beans

When to seek professional advice

It is best to seek medical advice if the symptoms you’re experiencing are getting in the way of your everyday life activities and you’re struggling physically or emotionally.

It is also advisable to seek medical advice if you are experiencing menopausal symptoms before the age of 45.

The final say

There are a number of different perimenopause remedies you could try to alleviate your symptoms, whether it’s by tweaking your exercise routine, changing up your diet or practicing relaxation techniques.

We hope you found our natural remedies for perimenopause useful!

Last updated: 22 September 2021