Menopause can disrupt sleep, emotions, and intimacy. Yet much of this remains taboo. Whilst every woman will go through menopause, these highly personal questions are hard to confront. Questions like: Does lack of sleep lead to problematic weight gain? And why does intimacy feel so hard to rekindle?

In this episode, Dr. Kameelah Phillips joins us to bring clarity and compassion to these sensitive questions. She debunks the biggest myths around sleep, intimacy and emotional wellbeing in menopause. Her energy and positivity will empower you to thrive in this stage of life. Kameelah is joined by ZOE’S Chief Scientist Professor Sarah Berry who shares details of ZOE’s groundbreaking new menopause research.

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Timecodes:

00:00 The silent consequences of menopause

01:40 Quickfire questions

04:06 When does menopause start?

05:08 What causes hormonal chaos?

10:20 Biggest menopause myths

12:30 ZOE’s new menopause research

19:52 Does menopause lower libido?

24:16 Sex myths in menopause

25:14 Does testosterone increase libido?

29:15 How menopause affects sleep

38:59 Does exercise impact sleep and sex?

42:08 Weight loss during menopause

43:19 Does HRT affect sleep and intimacy?

Books by our ZOE Scientists:

• The Food For Life Cookbook
• Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati
• Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Mentioned in today's episode:

• Menopause Is a Key Factor Influencing Postprandial Metabolism, Metabolic Health and Lifestyle: The ZOE PREDICT Study (2022), published in Current Developments in Nutrition
• Diet may counteract menopause metabolism change, ZOE study shows (2024), published by ZOE
• Menopause weight gain and why you should stop dieting (2024), published by ZOE 
• Spotlight on the Gut Microbiome in Menopause: Current Insights (2022), published in International Journal of Women’s Health
• Sleep disturbances may contribute to weight gain in menopause (2021), published by Endocrine Society

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Episode transcripts are available here.