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Ferritin is the marker that tells you what's actually in your iron stores, not just what's circulating in your blood right now. It's also one of the most misunderstood results on a blood test, since both a low reading and a high one can be telling you something important, and they don't mean the same thing.

If your thyroid results keep coming back normal but you still have every symptom of an underactive thyroid, fatigue, low mood, weight changes, cold hands, low iron could be part of why. Your thyroid needs iron to actually make and use its hormones, and this link rarely gets mentioned.

Being told your bloods are "normal" doesn't always mean your iron is where it needs to be for you to actually feel energised. There's a real gap between not being anaemic and having enough iron on board, and that gap is where a lot of unexplained fatigue lives.

Iron isn't just about energy, it's one of the raw materials your brain uses to make the chemicals behind mood, focus and motivation, which is why low iron so often shows up as low mood or brain fatigue before it shows up as anything else. We see iron issues come up again and again in clinic, usually because someone's bloods came back "normal" but they still don't feel right (remember normal doesn’t always mean optimal for that individual). Understanding what iron actually doe

You're eating well, moving your body, maybe even already in therapy, and your mood still isn't shifting the way you would expect. Here are six places worth looking that are easy to miss, because no single one of them tells the whole story on its own.

If you have been offered antidepressants for low mood in perimenopause, without anyone assessing your hormones, your nutrient status, or your sleep, there are some things worth knowing before you decide.

Feeling emotionally flat in perimenopause is common, and it is not the same as clinical depression. Several interconnected body systems are involved, and understanding them is the first step to doing something about it.

Perhaps you have been on antidepressants for a while and are considering coming off of them, or maybe you’ve tried titrating down only to experience significant side effects. This is one of the most common conversations I have with midlife women, and something I tell every single one of them, is that you need to have good foundations in place before you even start reducing your medication. Let’s explore this further.

Folate (vitamin B9) plays a significant role in mood, brain function, and mental wellbeing throughout life. Midlife women are one of the groups most likely to be low in it. In this post we look at why folate matters for your mental health, why many women aren't getting enough, and why the synthetic version you'll find in most supplements is not a reliable substitute.

PCOS is being renamed PMOS, something that as a functional medicine clinic we support. It is a much better descriptor for what is actually happening in the body. In this article we explore more about what PMOS is, how it can affect your mental health, but also what you can do support your wellbeing

When we think about digestion, bile often flies under the radar. But this little digestive fluid plays a massive role in breaking down fats, removing toxins, and even shaping the health of your gut microbiome, espically in perimenopause. Let’s dive into bile acid formation, its flow, and why it matters for your gut.

Hormonal changes during perimenopause can directly impact bile flow, leading to symptoms like bloating, nausea, and reflux. Nutritionist Sophie Nielsen explains the connection and what you can do to support your digestion.

Oestrogen gets SO much attention when it comes to women’s health, especially in perimenopause and menopause. Of course it is a really important hormone, but it gets far more airtime than its sister hormone, progesterone. Progesterone is one of the most important – and most overlooked – hormones when it comes to midlife mood, anxiety and sleep.

When eating struggles resurface in midlife, the conversation is often reduced to weight, willpower or “just cutting back a bit”. For many women in perimenopause or postmenopause, this can feel deeply invalidating and can miss what is really going on beneath the surface - which is where a functional medicine, eating-disorder-informed approach steps in

Gut health plays a key role in perimenopause. As oestrogen declines, the gut microbiome changes—often reducing bacterial diversity and affecting hormone metabolism. This can lead to bloating, constipation, loose stools, and food sensitivities, compounding common midlife symptoms. Understanding this connection helps women support their gut, balance hormones, and ease the physical and emotional challenges of menopause transition.

The Gut-Brain Depression Axis: How Dysbiosis Inflames Your Brain. About 90% of your body's serotonin is produced in your gut—but that serotonin doesn't travel to your brain. It stays in your gut and peripheral tissues, regulating digestion, immune function, and signalling. Your brain makes its own serotonin from tryptophan (an amino acid from protein).

If you've had blood work done showing your thyroid is "fine," but you're still struggling with depression, you're not alone.

How You Can Rewire Your Brain Away From Chronic Stress - we have broken down some actions you can take to begin to reset the balance.

Deep inside every cell in your body, a process called methylation is happening right now. But when methylation becomes dysregulated you accumulate stress chemicals in your bloodstream, your neurotransmitters don't get cleared properly, your oestrogen backs up, and you feel anxious, depressed, and wired but exhausted.

Cortisol is supposed to be your ally. But when cortisol is elevated chronically, day after day, month after month, it stops being protective and becomes destructive. Chronically high cortisol doesn't just make you feel stressed - it literally rewires your brain toward depression.