Perimenopause and Menopause: Herbal Support for the Transition

By Judy Gray, M.S., Owner and Founder of North American Herb & Spice

I still remember my first hot flash. It caught me in the middle of a conversation, out of nowhere, and I remember thinking, I am not doing this for the next ten years. That single moment sent me back into my own formulas, my own research, and the traditional remedies I had studied with healers across nearly 70 countries. What I found changed how I supported my own body through this transition, and it is exactly what I want to share with you here.

Perimenopause and menopause are two of the most significant transitions a woman’s body goes through, and also two of the least discussed in real, practical terms. According to a 2024 review in StatPearls, published by the National Library of Medicine, 75 to 80 percent of women experience hot flashes and night sweats during this transition, and up to 70 percent report mood changes including irritability, anxiety, or trouble concentrating (Peacock, Carlson, & Ketvertis, 2024). If you are in the middle of this and feel like your body has become unpredictable, you are far from alone. You are simply under-supported.

What Is Happening in Your Body

Perimenopause typically begins in your 40s, though it can start as early as your 30s. It is marked by fluctuating estrogen and progesterone, and the transition can last anywhere from four to ten years before you reach menopause itself, which is officially defined as 12 consecutive months without a period. The median age for that milestone in the United States is 51 (Peacock, Carlson, & Ketvertis, 2024).

During perimenopause, the most common symptoms include irregular periods, hot flashes and night sweats, disrupted sleep, mood swings, anxiety, brain fog, weight gain around the midsection, and decreased libido. More than half of women in this stage report noticeably worse sleep than they had before, and the same StatPearls review found that vaginal dryness and related genitourinary symptoms affect somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of women as estrogen declines (Peacock, Carlson, & Ketvertis, 2024). None of this means something is wrong with you. It means your hormones are recalibrating, and that recalibration deserves real nutritional support, not just patience.

Royal Jelly: My Own Turning Point

After that first hot flash, I started using royal jelly alongside real, whole-food B vitamins and vitamin C, and I can tell you honestly that combination became the reason I stopped having hot flashes altogether. Royal jelly is the substance worker bees produce to nourish the queen bee, and it is remarkably rich in B vitamins, amino acids, and naturally occurring compounds that support adrenal function. When your adrenal glands are properly nourished, your body handles the hormonal ups and downs of this stage with far more grace.

This is why our ActiFem formula became one of our most requested products for women in perimenopause and menopause. It combines wild royal jelly with fennel seed oil, which has traditionally been used to support hormonal balance and ease bloating, along with wild kelp for iodine, since your thyroid and your hormones are deeply connected. Women are five to eight times more likely than men to develop thyroid disease, according to the American Thyroid Association, and thyroid slowdown often overlaps with the perimenopause years, which is part of why so many women feel like everything is happening at once.

Protecting Your Bones Before You Notice a Problem

Here is a statistic that deserves your full attention. According to the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, a woman can lose up to 20 percent of her bone density in the five to seven years following menopause, and roughly 1 in 2 women over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. A woman’s lifetime risk of a hip fracture is comparable to her combined risk of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer. That is not a small number, and it is not something to address after a fracture happens.

The most overlooked piece of the bone health conversation is collagen, which makes up roughly 40 percent of bone tissue and naturally declines as we age. Collagen cannot be absorbed properly without vitamin C, which is why so many collagen powders on the market do very little. A notable exception is CollaGem powder and capsules, which include Vitamins C, including 110% of your daily value in the powder per serving. Our Purely-C, made from real camu camu berries, delivers additional vitamin C specifically to help your body use collagen the way it is meant to. For calcium, I never recommend relying on calcium alone. Calcium needs phosphorus, magnesium, trace minerals, and cofactors to truly build bone density rather than simply supplementing a number. That is the thinking behind our BoneActiv formula, built on the highest bioavailable whole-food mineral sources, like MCHC, rather than isolated calcium carbonate.

Mood and Adrenal Resilience

Magnesium deserves its own mention here because it shows up everywhere in this stage of life: sleep quality, mood stability, muscle relaxation, and even bone density. Most women need between 300 and 500 milligrams daily, and research has shown benefits at the higher end of that range for cognition and brain support in women moving through midlife. Our PurelyMin formula combines three forms of magnesium, glycinate for relaxation, taurate for cardiovascular support, and threonate for cognitive function, alongside L-theanine for calm, steady focus without drowsiness.

Alongside magnesium, I lean heavily on adrenal support during this stage, because perimenopause places real demand on your adrenal glands as they help pick up some of the hormonal work your ovaries are stepping back from. Our Ashwagandha formula pairs root extract with raw royal jelly to support a healthy stress response, which in turn supports steadier mood and more restful sleep.

Life on the Other Side

Once you cross into menopause, officially defined as 12 full months without a period, many women describe a real sense of liberation. The monthly cycle is behind you, and the focus shifts toward long term health: your bones, your heart, your brain, and your skin. This is not a stage to move through passively. I am in my own version of this chapter, still traveling internationally and running this company, and I can tell you that nourishing your body well now is what carries you forward with energy rather than fatigue.

Get away from sugar and processed food where you can, prioritize protein, and keep your omega-3 intake consistent for heart and brain health, since it supports circulation, cognitive function, and everyday inflammation, not just skin. Pay attention to your moods too. Persistent anger or irritability is often tied to liver stress, and it is worth addressing nutritionally rather than dismissing it as just part of aging. Many women in this stage also notice weight gathering around the midsection for the first time. Supporting your adrenal health, staying consistent with protein, and giving your body regular breaks from constant snacking can make a real difference here, more so than cutting calories further ever will.

Honor What Your Body Is Doing

Your body is not falling apart during perimenopause and menopause. It is transitioning into a new phase, the same way it transitioned into puberty, pregnancy, or postpartum, and it deserves the same level of nutritional respect at every stage. You do not have to just push through hot flashes, sleepless nights, and unexplained anxiety for a decade. There is real, whole food support available, and I built these formulas because I needed them myself first.

If you are not sure where to start, reach out to our team directly. We answer questions about your specific stage and needs every single day, and we would love to help you build a plan that fits you. Email our product specialists at su*****@**73.com

Sources

Peacock, K., Carlson, K., & Ketvertis, K.M. (2024). Menopause. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing, National Library of Medicine.

The Menopause Society. (2025). Hot Flashes, patient education resource, menopause.org.

Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation. What Women Need to Know, bonehealthandosteoporosis.org.

American Thyroid Association. General information on thyroid disease prevalence in women, thyroid.org.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Products Mentioned

ActiFem

Purely-C

BoneActiv Capsules

PurelyMin Magnesium Complex

Ashadrene Capsules

CollaGem