Library
Everything we’ve published.
Guides for the deep read, briefs for one useful thing, updates for new studies with their caveats. Every claim links to its source.
Evidence-checked · sources listed
Guides
- GuidePeriods & bleeding
Heavy or irregular periods in perimenopause: what's normal and when to get checked
Most period changes in your 40s are expected. A few are worth a call.
- GuideJoints, muscles & pain
Joint pain in midlife: is it menopause?
What the research links to the transition, and what to rule out.
- GuideWeight & metabolism
Weight and metabolism in midlife: what’s really changing
Including the “your metabolism crashes at 40” myth.
- GuideMood, anxiety & brain fog
Is this brain fog? Memory and focus in midlife
What people mean by it, and when to get checked sooner.
- GuideSleep
Sleep and night sweats
Why it happens and what has stronger evidence.
- GuideHormone therapy & treatment
Hormone therapy: what the current research says
Where the fear came from and what The Menopause Society says now.
- GuideStart here
Perimenopause: the signs and the stages
Perimenopause, menopause, and the years nobody mapped out for you.
Briefs
- BriefHot flashes & night sweats
Do soy isoflavones help hot flashes?
Maybe a little, but the trials don't agree.
- BriefSleep812 women
Does melatonin help menopause sleep?
Probably not much. In a 2021 review that pooled randomized trials with 812 women in menopause, melatonin didn't improve sleep quality, hot flashes or mood.
- BriefHot flashes & night sweats16 trials
Does black cohosh help hot flashes?
Probably not. In a Cochrane review of 16 trials with 2,027 women, it did no better than a placebo at reducing how often hot flashes happened.
- BriefCross-topic45–55
When does perimenopause start, and at what age does menopause happen?
Most women start the transition between 45 and 55, per the NIA. The average age of menopause is about 51 to 52.
- BriefHot flashes & night sweats7.4 yrs
How long do hot flashes last? Often more than 7 years.
The SWAN number, and why the stage you were in when they started matters.
- BriefWeight & metabolism20–60
Does your metabolism crash at 40? No, but your body composition shifts.
6,421 people, 8 days to 95 years: energy use held steady from 20 to 60.
Updates
- UpdateWeight & metabolism
Menopause as a 'cliff': 300 million lab tests show sharp changes at the final period
Menopause is usually described as a slow slide. More than 300 million lab results found something closer to a step.
Added on Meet Midlife · Oct 2026 - UpdateHot flashes & night sweats
ACOG's new menopause guideline covers hot flashes, sleep and mood: what's in it
Clinical Practice Guideline No. 13 covers hormone therapy, non-drug approaches and supplements. What it recommends, and the limitation.
Added on Meet Midlife · Oct 2026
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