Coping better with perimenopause and menopause

To cope better with perimenopause and menopause, several measures can be taken:

  • Get enough rest (7 to 9 hours of sleep per night), maintaining a regular sleep schedule
  • Exercise regularly, favouring weight-bearing activities (where the legs support the body’s weight), such as walking, running or dancing. It is also possibleto stay active at work. Every extra minute of physical activity counts towards better overall health!
  • Limit the time spent sitting or being inactive. Here too, every minute you are not being sedentary benefits your health!
  • Take part in relaxing activities, such as yoga, tai chi or meditation
  • Improve and ensure a balance diet
  • Give up smoking – this could be a good opportunity!
  • Cut down on or stop drinking alcohol.

Benefits of physical activity

The results of a series of four studies (2025) suggest that physical activity over an extended period tends to improve mild to moderate symptoms of perimenopause. Significant improvements are observed for symptoms such as tingling (paraesthesia), irritability, fatigue, joint pain (arthralgia) and muscle pain (myalgia).

Diet

The dietary recommendation is to adopt a balanced and varied diet, including an adequate (but not excessive) intake of protein, as well as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, pulses, small oily fish and a variety of vegetable oils.

It is also advisable to limit the consumption of salt, sugars, refined starchy foods and ultra-processed foods, which are often high in sugars, salt and fats.

To support bone health, it is important to eat calcium-rich foods, favouring low-cholesterol, sugar-free dairy products such as plain yoghurt, fromage blanc, cottage cheese or kefir in particular. Here are various sources of calcium depending on your diet:

 

Sources of calcium

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Dairy products

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Plant-based drinks and their calcium-fortified derivative

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Mineral waters rich in calcium (>120 mg/l)

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Tofu

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Green vegetables (broccoli, Chinese cabbage, , pak choi, green cabbage and kale)

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Certain seeds and nuts (sesame, chia and flax seeds, as well as almonds and hazelnuts)

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