Bloating is one of the most common digestive symptoms women experience, yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. Occasional bloating is normal, but feeling uncomfortable, swollen, “six months pregnant,” or noticing bloating that worsens throughout the day is a sign that something in the digestive system needs support. In your 30s and 40s, bloating often becomes more noticeable as hormones change, stress increases and gut health becomes more sensitive. The good news is th

Understanding what’s normal, what’s not, and why so many women are unsure. Many women I work with feel uncertain about whether their period is “normal.” Maybe you’ve always had heavy bleeding but never questioned it, or you’ve been told painful periods are just “part of being a woman.”It’s not surprising that many women aren’t sure what healthy periods actually look like. We’re never really taught this, and when symptoms creep in slowly over months or years, it’s easy to assu

In a world of quick fixes and one-size-fits-all advice, it’s easy to feel frustrated when you’re doing “all the right things” and still don’t feel like you're getting better. Maybe your blood tests come back “normal,” but your energy is low, your digestion is unpredictable, or your hormones feel all over the place. That’s where naturopathic care offers something different, a truly personalised, whole-body approach designed to help you understand what’s going on beneath the su

If your period arrives earlier than expected, drags on longer, or feels completely different over the festive season, please know this is really common. Many women notice changes to their cycle or the return of symptoms they thought they’d left behind during busy or stressful times of the year. While it’s easy to blame indulgent food or a few extra glasses of champagne, the biggest disruptors are often stress, travel, disrupted sleep, and a lack of downtime. These factors all

If you’ve ever had “butterflies” before a big event or noticed your digestion go haywire during stressful times, you’ve already experienced the gut–brain connection in action. We often think of the gut and brain as separate systems but in reality they’re constantly communicating. And when that communication becomes disrupted, it can affect everything from your digestion and sleep to your mood and ability to cope with stress. The gut and brain talk — a lot Your gut and brain a

The festive season is a time for connection, celebration and good food, but it can also challenge even the healthiest digestive system. Between richer meals, extra drinks, late nights and a disrupted routine, it’s common to notice symptoms like bloating, reflux, sluggish digestion or general discomfort creeping in. The good news is that these changes are usually temporary, and with a little extra care and awareness, you can help your digestive system to handle the season with

If you’ve noticed that your ability to cope with stress just isn’t what it used to be — you’re not imagining it. Many women describe feeling like they get overwhelmed by things that never bothered them before or like the smallest things can tip them over the edge emotionally. While it’s easy to blame busy schedules or the demands of modern life, there’s a very real physiological reason behind this change: perimenopause alters how the body responds to stress. Hormones, the bra

When you come to see me for the first time, one of the most important steps in understanding your health is testing — but not just any testing. The right tests, done at the right time and interpreted in the right context, can reveal valuable insights into what’s really driving your symptoms. In this post, I’ll share the key blood tests I commonly request at an initial consultation, how I interpret them, and when we might need to look further with functional testing. The Found

Menopause is more than the end of your reproductive years, it’s a pivotal window for long-term health. While menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) can be incredibly effective for easing symptoms like hot flushes, sleep disruption and mood changes, it’s only part of the story when it comes to healthy ageing. If your goal is to feel strong, clear-headed and capable for decades to come, then nutrition and lifestyle have an equally powerful role to play. Health span vs lifespan: what’

Spring should feel fresh and energising — but for many women, it comes with itchy eyes, a blocked nose, fatigue, and that foggy “I just can’t think straight” feeling.If you’re someone who dreads the change of seasons because it means sneezing fits, sinus pain, and feeling constantly drained, you’re not alone. While hayfever (allergic rhinitis) is often thought of as “just” a pollen allergy, there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface — especially when it comes to histamin

When standard blood tests come back “normal” but symptoms persist, it can feel frustrating — like something important is being missed. This is where functional testing comes in. Functional testing goes beyond just identifying disease, it looks at how your body’s systems are performing and why they may not be functioning optimally. By understanding these deeper patterns, we can be far more precise — and proactive — in how we support your health. Comprehensive Hormone Testing:

Antibiotics can be essential — but they don’t just target the infection. They can also impact your gut microbiome in ways that affect digestion, immunity, mood, and hormone balance. Many people experience bloating, irregular bowel movements, or fatigue after antibiotics — but few realise this may be due to changes in the gut that go far beyond temporary dysbiosis. How Antibiotics Affect the Gut Microbiome The gut is home to trillions of microbes — bacteria, fungi, viruses, an

If you’ve noticed changes in your cycle, mood, or sleep in your late 30s or 40s, low progesterone could be one of the underlying causes. This calming hormone plays a vital role in hormonal balance, especially during the perimenopausal transition — and it’s often the first to decline. In this post, we’ll explore what progesterone does, why it drops in perimenopause, common symptoms of low progesterone, and how to support your body naturally with food, lifestyle, and targeted n

When it comes to fertility challenges or early pregnancy loss, the spotlight often falls on female hormones, cycles, and nutrient status. However more recent research is revealing just how significant the male contribution is, with male fertility rates declining by more than 50% since 1973. Beyond sperm count and motility, we now know that sperm DNA integrity and epigenetic programming play a critical role in everything from successful implantation to the long-term health of

When we think of reflux, we usually imagine burning in the chest — classic heartburn that rises after a meal or when lying down. But not all reflux looks like this. Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), also known as silent reflux, affects the throat and upper airways rather than the oesophagus. And because it doesn’t cause the typical burning sensation, it’s often missed — or misdiagnosed. What Is Silent Reflux? Silent reflux occurs when stomach contents travel past the oesophagus

Folate is one of the most critical nutrients for fertility, pregnancy, and hormone health, but if you have an MTHFR gene variation, your body may struggle to process synthetic folic acid efficiently. Since folate plays a key role in egg quality, methylation, and fetal development, ensuring you get the right form of supplemental folate is essential for preconception health and a healthy pregnancy. In this article, we’ll break down what the MTHFR gene does, why folate is so imp

If your sleep feels different at various points in your cycle — harder to fall asleep, more vivid dreams, or restless nights before your period — you’re not imagining it. Hormones play a powerful role in how well you sleep. For many women, sleep disturbances are most noticeable in the luteal phase  — the days between ovulation and the start of bleeding. These changes can be subtle or significant, especially during perimenopause , when hormone levels become more erratic. In th

If your mood changes dramatically in the week or two before your period — to the point of feeling like a different person — you’re not alone. You might be dealing with PMDD. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)  is a severe, hormone-related mood disorder that affects around 5–8% of menstruating women. But it’s often under-recognised and misdiagnosed, especially because it’s not just a "worse version of PMS." PMDD is cyclical, debilitating, and can deeply affect your relatio

When we think about fibre, we usually think about digestion. But fibre does far more than just keep you regular. It plays a key role in hormone balance, gut microbiome diversity, blood sugar regulation, and inflammation — all of which are essential foundations for long-term health, especially during perimenopause. And yet, most women don’t get enough. In this article, we’ll explore what fibre actually does in the body, why it matters for hormone and gut health, and how to

Having a period that’s unpredictable, skipping altogether, or arriving too soon or too late each month can feel frustrating — especially if you’re trying to understand your cycle, manage symptoms, or support your fertility. Irregular periods are incredibly common, but they’re also a sign that your body needs something — whether that’s stress support, nourishment, or hormonal rebalancing. What Counts as an “Irregular” Period? While no two person's menstrual cycles are exactly