February 21, 2025

You Might Also Like: ZOE Science & Nutrition

Introducing Menopause ruins sleep and sex - here’s how to fix it | Dr. Kameelah Phillips and Prof. Sarah Berry from ZOE Science & Nutrition.

Follow the show: ZOE Science & Nutrition

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.

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

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