By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

The short answer: Many women notice new bloating, constipation, or food reactions in midlife. Shifting estrogen and progesterone can affect how your gut moves, and the gut microbiome appears to change around menopause too. Stress and sleep play a role as well. New or persistent bloating should always be checked by your provider first, and then it's worth looking at the patterns underneath.

"I used to be able to eat anything. Now I'm bloated by the afternoon."

If digestion feels different in this season of life, you're far from alone.

In a survey of about 600 women shared by The Menopause Society, 94% reported digestive symptoms. Bloating was the most common, at 77%, followed by constipation, stomach pain, and reflux. And 82% said their symptoms started or got worse around perimenopause or menopause (The Menopause Society, 2025).

Yet these changes are often brushed aside.

Your hormones talk to your gut

Es...

By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

The short answer: During the menopause transition, fat tends to shift toward your middle while muscle mass declines, even when your weight and habits stay about the same. Hormones are part of it, but so are sleep, stress, muscle, and how your body handles blood sugar. That's why eating less and doing more cardio often isn't the answer.

"I'm eating the same way I always have. Why is my body changing?"

This is the number one reason women reach out to me. Their clothes fit differently. Weight seems to settle around their middle. And the things that worked for years just… stopped working.

If that's you, you're not imagining it, and you're not failing.

Your body composition is changing, not just your weight

One of the most helpful studies on this comes from SWAN, a large study that followed women through the menopause transition. Researchers found that at the start of the transition, the rate of fat gain doubl...

By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

The short answer: A lab result reported as normal can be reassuring, but it does not explain every symptom or mean nothing has changed for you. What was measured, how the results fit your history, and what you are experiencing all matter. In perimenopause, fluctuating hormones can also make a single result difficult to interpret. Your symptoms still deserve attention, even when your labs look reassuring.

"Your labs look great."

If you've heard that and walked out thinking, then why don't I feel like myself? you're not alone.

It's one of the things I hear most often from women in midlife. They're sleeping worse, their weight is shifting, their energy is different, and they're told everything is normal.

Let's talk about why that happens, and what you can do with it.

Normal doesn't always mean nothing has changed

Many lab reference ranges describe the middle 95% of results from a reference population. Some ...

By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

The short answer: A Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner helps you understand how your hormones, metabolism, and gut connect, especially during big transitions like perimenopause and menopause. Instead of looking at one symptom at a time, we look at the whole picture: your history, your daily rhythms, and, when it makes sense, functional testing. The work is education and guided support. It sits alongside your medical care, not in place of it.

Why I use this title

I chose this title carefully.

I've spent more than 30 years in healthcare, including as a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. But the work I do now is different. It's rooted in functional training in hormone health, the gut microbiome, and nutrition, and it's focused on helping women in midlife understand what's changing in their bodies.

"Coach" didn't capture the depth of that training. "Nurse practitioner" describes a medical rol...

By Dolly Denson, MSN, FNP-BC · Functional Hormone & Gut Health Practitioner

In 2024, I had a hysterectomy I didn't see coming.

I kept one ovary. I was told that meant I shouldn't go into menopause.

But my body had a different story.

The strategies that had worked for me for more than a decade stopped working. My body felt unfamiliar, almost overnight.

And I'm a nurse practitioner. I knew the textbook, and I understood menopause.

It still caught me off guard.

If you're here, maybe you know that feeling too.

Maybe menopause came earlier than you expected. Maybe your body changed quickly after a hysterectomy, even though you kept one or both ovaries. Maybe you've been told everything should be fine, yet you know something has changed.

This is what I wish someone had sat down and explained to me.

A hysterectomy doesn't always mean surgical menopause

There are a few terms worth separating (Office on Women's Health).

Premature menopause occurs before age 40.

Early menopause occu...

Episode 98: 

Our phones and social media are ever-changing, so sometimes a privacy check up is in order. Check out today's episode for a few tips & a hidden threat!

Download my free Parenting in the Digital Age Resource guide! CLICK HERE or go to this link: https://www.dollydenson.com/digitalresources and be sure to opt in to my email list to be the first to know when my Be THAT Mom Movement Method course, your toolkit and roadmap for all things digital when raising kids today, is released!! 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Tips for using Bark + Digital Resources

FREE DOWNLOAD: Digital Resources

For all my top tips & tools go to https://www.dollydenson.com/store 

DIGITAL RESOURCE TOOLS:

Grab your Troomi phone today! Click here or use code BETHATMOM at https://troomi.com/ to grab $30 off your kid’s Troomi phone! 

BARK subscription CLICK HERE (Use code BETHATMOM for 20% off & 7 day free trial)

MSpy CLICK HERE (Use code BTMOM10 for a 10% discount on the 3 month package!)

Pinwheel phon...

Episode 97:

A watch is a great first option for keeping in touch with your kids, but is the watch you gave them a portal to access pornography? Listen in to this episode to learn more!

As a background for this episode, according to the website Enough is Enough (https://www.enough.org/stats_porn_industry), 50% of 11- to 13-year-olds, 65% of 14- to 15-year-olds and 78% of 16- to 17-year-olds reported having seen pornography in some way (shown/sent by someone else, searched for/stumbled upon it).

It is often only 1 or 2 clicks away from any internet search; so it is out there, and this episode shares another way that kids can access it, that many of us parents probably don't realize; and emphasizes why a "dumb" watch is the way to go when giving a watch to start their digital journey. 

Listen to it now here or click HERE for your favorite podcast platform! 

Download my free Parenting in the Digital Age Resource guide! CLICK HERE or go to this link: https://www.dollydenson....

 Episode 96:

Mental health issues and suicidal ideation is way more prevalent than most realize. Listen in for tips and resources! (Check out the show notes for more info!)

For warning signs of suicide, check out this article with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs

Mental health and Suicide resources mentioned in the show: 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. https://www.afsp.org

Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741.

Https://www.betterhelp.com

https://www.cerebral.com

https://www.opencounseling.com

Https://www.nami.org

Below are a few other hotlines and resources I found that you may find helpful:

• Peer Support Space hosts virtual peer support groups twice a day Monday through Saturday
• Project LETS provides support by text for urgent issues that involve involuntary hospitalization
• Wildflower Alliance has a peer support line and online support groups focused on suicide prevention 

Episode 95:

Do you cringe at the thought of funding your kid's college? Today's episode with Kara Walker of the Money and Mental Peace Podcast, highlights why and how this does not have to be the only way! 

Kara Walker graduated from college debt-free, and is now on a quest to help other students do the same with her podcast, "Money and Mental Peace," and her upcoming course "The Debt-Free College Blueprint"! 

She is a twenty-something Christian entrepreneur, amateur snowboarder, and recovering over-achiever. Kara enjoys goal-setting, budgeting, and living a debt-free lifestyle, and wants to help YOU do the same!

To check out Kara’s podcast, MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE, please CLICK HERE!

For more info on Kara’s course, The Debt Free College Blueprint, CLICK HERE!!

Listen to it now here or click HERE for your favorite podcast platform! 

 Download my free Parenting in the Digital Age Resource guide! CLICK HERE or go to this link: https://www.dollydenson.com/digitalresources a...

 Episode 94:

Life got in the way, but we are bringing this podcast back to life! Tune in for updates on where I've been, how I'm using that to move forward, and what is next!

Sidenote: If you are someone who has been suffering from injury from the topic I discuss, please connect with me for resources that may be helpful for you!

Listen to it now here or click HERE for your favorite podcast platform! 

Download my free Parenting in the Digital Age Resource guide! CLICK HERE or go to this link: https://www.dollydenson.com/digitalresources and be sure to opt in to my email list to be the first to know when my Be THAT Mom Movement Method course, your toolkit and roadmap for all things digital when raising kids today, is released!! 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Tips for using Bark + Digital Resources

FREE DOWNLOAD: Digital Resources

For all my top tips & tools go to https://www.dollydenson.com/store

DIGITAL RESOURCE TOOLS:

Grab your Troomi phone today! Click here or use code BETHATMOM...