Is biohacking the secret to balance when your hormone health is in flux?

Have you heard about biohacking for menopause? It could well be, with back-up from the most innovative tech in the wellbeing industry.

Biohacking is EVERYWHERE, from science journals and studies to endorsements splashed across socials. But what is it exactly, and what place might it have in improving day-to-day health?

At its most basic, biohacking is self-improvement for the mind and body. It’s a deep dive into how regular routines can be transformed to achieve optimal fitness, longevity and equilibrium. And when armed with a better understanding of your body’s resting state – your baseline, if you like – you can make more informed choices about what you ‘add in’, and of course leave out. 

It might manifest as a straightforward and infinitely achievable tweak, like drizzling olive oil over steamed greens to improve vitamin absorption. But at its most sophisticated, biohacking is jaw-droppingly smart and, most importantly, delivers tangible results. 

Where to begin, and why biohacking for menopause

There is so much overwhelming noise around wellness, but the good news is that I’ve waded through the woo-woo so you don’t have to. And while I’ve test-run countless alternative therapies (to varying degrees of success), I’ve found the most compelling methods are backed by science and credible sources. This is precisely what Biowell delivers by way of its Menopause Biostack. But why did I need it, as a woman in my early forties? Because I was desperate.

Have you heard the one about the menopause that’s all wrapped up within the space of a neat, period-free 12 months? Nope, me neither. My own experience of perimenopause was a pernicious slide into feeling generally unwell, most of the time. Long before the penny dropped that my endocrine system was up to something, my brain and body took a hammering. Worse still, I didn’t have a clue what was wrong.

My GP ruled out any sinister causes: all blood tests were happily average. I was nailing nutrition with protein, fibre and ferments at every mealtime, plus I’d given booze the heave-ho. I switched endless, exhausting cardio for weight training, and let supplements do the rest. I even quit the ol’ doom-scrolling before bed. (Mostly).

And yet, it was all going royally pear-shaped. I was losing muscle tone and definition, while the pounds piled on around my waist and my cholesterol and cortisol levels rocketed. Days were increasingly consumed by inertia, rage, absent-mindedness, despair… sometimes all at once. Nights became a riot of cramps, hot flushes and panic attacks. What frightened me most was that I knew my baseline, and this was definitely not it.

Medicate and placate, or prepare and preserve?

GPs attributed my symptoms to the standard pressures of midlife. They prescribed band-aid solutions: anti-depressants, sleeping pills and talking therapies, some of which dulled my discomforts but ultimately failed to relieve them. While my periods remained regular (ish, though decreasingly so), it was deemed that no further action was required. 

A handful of Harley Street consultations later, and we concluded I’d effectively been ‘raw-dogging’ perimenopause for years. Having finally received validation and a diagnosis, I wanted to regain some control over my health and utilise any dwindling estrogen reserves I had left.

biohacking for menopause: A glimmer of hope (from outer space, and the world of pro-sport)

When all is well, your body is in a ‘flow’ state, which encourages restorative processes to be at their most effective. In stark contrast to the disregulation I’d been experiencing, a healthy body can maintain and rejuvenate those nooks and crannies that are underserved. In short: your best shot at improving tissue and organ health starts with giving your body some love at cellular level. This is tricky as we age, and recover from illness or injury.

As such, biohacking my way out of this mess seemed like a cracking idea. Contradictory though it sounds, I loved the concept that clinically advanced tech could help regulate (and stimulate) organic biological functions to perform at their peak. I was looking for a deep, cellular workout with no pills or invasive probing involved.

Industry murmurs suggested the ‘Biostack’ as the apex of the biohacking field; a branch of tech so specialised that access is typically reserved for elite athletes and those enrolled in NASA space programs. While I tracked down clinics offering one or two fancy machines – we’re talking cryochambers, compression suits, and more – what eluded me was how to curate a Biostack that addressed my many specific niggles. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the techniques to combine, nor optimum levels of intensity and exposure – it was baffling. However, as evidence suggested, layering the right biotech therapies reaped the most positive results, so I sought guidance from the professionals.

Now for the fun bit…

I found myself at Biowell’s plush clinic in the shadows of Battersea Power Station, being zipped into a pair of Compression Trousers from toe to chest. These space-age salopettes formed the first phase of Biowell’s Biohacking for Menopause Biostack. I watched as the surface of my legs and tummy undulated, driven by the controlled pressure of a deep lymphatic-drainage massage. Long after I slid out of my futuristic packaging, a pleasing feeling of long-lost firmness remained. I also enjoyed a rare night free from cramp.

Next, an hour of HBOT, in which I swapped regular city air in favour of breathing in a potent concentration of 90-95% oxygen. I was forewarned to expect unfamiliar sensations and startling blasts of sound when the chamber recalibrated. While both undoubtedly took a little getting used to, I was quite content to sit and read in my neon-lit pressurised pod. What’s more, I entered with the slightest hint of a headache – just a standard perimenopausal irk – but I emerged feeling the tension had lifted. Even my sinuses felt clearer. 

So to Cryotherapy – the one which requires you to strip down to your smalls (or a robe for modesty’s sake, with extremities also covered) before enduring three whole minutes at a crisp and bracing -110C. The prospect filled me with dread, but I hoped my penchant for an ice plunge might have somehow upped my endurance. To my astonishment, I loved it! Sure, it was strange, but it was also truly invigorating, even while tiny icicles formed around my nose.

Last but not least, Red Light Therapy. Having witnessed my angry, reactive skin calmed by an at-home LED face mask, I needed no persuasion to try the full-body version. It was every bit as tranquil as I’d hoped, with the added bonus that the surface benefits go deeper, reducing pain and inflammation while boosting dopamine.

The verdict of biohacking for menopause

Several results were immediate: the mood boost, clearer head and unusual perkiness. I also slept like a log both that night and the next, while my FitBit reported my oxygen levels to be ‘out of range’… but in a good way. More exciting still is the slow-burn cellular repair that regular Biostacking builds over time. For my perimenopausal body and its slide into chaos and accelerated ageing, this potential is nothing short of revolutionary. Meaningfully to the future of fertility care.