Menopause: Your Body May Be Signalling Mineral Deficiencies

Many women in perimenopause and menopause describe a deep, persistent tiredness, the kind that doesn’t lift with sleep or time off. This fatigue is often brushed aside as stress, ageing, or “just hormones.” But in reality, hormonal shifts during menopause can unmask or worsen mineral deficiencies, even when eating habits haven’t changed. As estrogen fluctuates and declines, the body’s ability to absorb, retain, and regulate key minerals changes and the symptoms can quietly accumulate.

Sodium imbalance: dizziness, weakness, and low stamina

Sodium isn’t just about salt intake. It plays a critical role in fluid balance, nerve signalling, and blood pressure regulation. During menopause, hormonal changes can affect how the body retains sodium, leading to symptoms such as light-headedness, dizziness on standing, headaches, low energy, and muscle weakness. Women may feel “washed out” according to some research, like this one, without realising electrolytes are part of the issue.

Calcium deficiency: bone loss, joint pain, and muscle cramps

Calcium becomes increasingly important as estrogen declines because estrogen helps protect bone density. When levels drop, bones lose calcium faster, increasing the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Early signs of inadequate calcium can include joint aches, back pain, muscle cramps, brittle nails, and dental issues. Many women don’t feel bone loss until much later, which is why midlife is a crucial time for prevention, not reaction.

Iron deficiency: fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix

Iron deficiency is one of the most common and overlooked causes of exhaustion in midlife women. “I have had iron deficiency all my life, but when I entered my 40s, it really got worse. The first thing I fixed was that, because all my doctors explained how this is linked with restoring skin, hair and overall health when my body goes through the pause,” says Sandhya Taneja, a user of Gytree’s bestselling iron gummies.

Perimenopause often brings heavy or irregular periods, increasing iron loss. Low iron reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, leading to constant fatigue, breathlessness, palpitations, hair fall, poor exercise tolerance, and pale skin. This kind of tiredness feels deep and unrelenting, and no amount of rest seems to resolve it.

Zinc deficiency: poor immunity, slow healing, and skin changes

Zinc supports immune health, skin repair, hormone metabolism, and wound healing. Low zinc levels can show up as frequent infections, slow recovery, hair thinning, brittle nails, acne or skin irritation, and changes in taste or appetite. During menopause, stress and inflammation can further deplete zinc, making women feel run-down and more susceptible to illness.

Iodine deficiency: sluggish metabolism and brain fog

Iodine is essential for thyroid function, which regulates metabolism, body temperature, energy, and mental clarity. Inadequate iodine can contribute to weight gain, cold sensitivity, brain fog, low mood, dry skin, and fatigue.

Thyroid issues often emerge or worsen during midlife, and iodine insufficiency can quietly aggravate these symptoms, especially in women who avoid iodised salt or follow restrictive diets.

Why these deficiencies show up during menopause

Menopause is not just a hormonal transition — it’s a nutritional stress test. As estrogen changes, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing minerals from food, while requirements increase due to bone loss, muscle breakdown, sleep disruption, and stress. This is why women can feel depleted even when eating “normally.”

Understanding that fatigue in menopause is often biochemical, not behavioural, is empowering. When mineral levels are supported alongside protein, vitamins, and movement, many women notice improvements in energy, clarity, strength, and overall well-being. 

Menopause isn’t just about managing symptoms — it’s about replenishing what the body is quietly losing and giving it the support it needs for the years ahead.