Article Highlights
Let’s talk menstruation, perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause—and the loss of libido that can occur during these years. And let’s talk about them proudly. At Solaray, we want to disrupt the narrative that these are taboo topics. They’re the natural, normal life phases women move through as they age. We want to help you have the support as well as the information you need to look and feel your best. We want to help you own your stage, today and tomorrow.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Pamela Peeke, MD, a nationally renowned physician and expert in women’s health, to formulate our new comprehensive her life STAGES™ line for every woman at every age, and to share her lifetime of knowledge with you and your loved ones.
Keep reading to learn about the most common concerns of each life stage, including why they happen in the first place, and to discover our five new STAGES formulas—PMS & Menstrual, Perimenopause, Menopause, Postmenopause, and Libido—expertly designed to support these symptoms, plus female libido across phases.*
For Women, By Women: Meet Dr. Peeke
To create the most effective products, Dr. Peeke and the women of Solaray’s innovation team pooled their experience. Dr. Peeke’s background as a former Pew Foundation scholar in nutrition, as well as senior clinical research fellow at the National Institutes of Health, helped guide the development of each supplement.
Over her decades of work in women’s health, Dr. Peeke has observed that “too often, women’s concerns related to their life stages are not well understood by their providers, leading them to feel dismissed.” As a result, she says, “approximately 75% of women move through perimenopause and menopause without help from traditional medical care.”
Dr. Peeke prides herself on being an integrative medicine practitioner. “I’m someone who believes in a holistic approach to women’s health,” she says, explaining that this means looking at the hormonal journey as a continuum of life stages that are interconnected. “My decades of experience have confirmed that a woman’s life cannot be managed as disconnected events.”
To this end, she is clear: “I want to make sure women truly understand their own unique wellness ecosystem, how everything fits together and how empowering it feels to be heard and supported every step of the way.”
That’s where we come in.
“I partnered with Solaray to provide women with holistic support, from menstruation and perimenopause through menopause and the postmenopausal years—to help women address the sometimes-difficult and confusing symptoms they may experience,” Dr. Peeke shares. “As a woman transitions from one stage to another, she wants to know, is there more hope? Is it possible to feel more in control of what is happening to my mind and body? And the answer is absolutely yes.”
From the Doctor: Women’s Life Stages 101
With Dr. Peeke’s help, we want to share some basic but essential information that can help you better understand your hormonal milestones, so you can better support your body through each transition.
Keep in mind that every woman is unique, and you may or may not experience all the issues discussed here at the exact ages mentioned. And of course, remember that a healthy lifestyle is the foundation for optimal wellness. Regular physical activity, a balanced diet, quality sleep, and stress management are all critical to maintaining overall well-being across stages.
PMS & Menstruation
For most women, the menstrual stage begins about age 12. You stay in this phase, usually experiencing a monthly menstrual cycle (period), until you enter perimenopause, which typically starts around age 40. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, with PMS symptoms occurring in the week leading up to menstruation.
Dr. Peeke stresses that there are three distinct phases of the menstrual cycle to be aware of: follicular, ovulation, and luteal.
During the follicular phase, which starts on the first day of menstruation and continues for 12-14 days, your ovaries prepare to release an egg while your uterine lining begins to thicken. Then, you ovulate: An ovary releases said egg, which travels down the fallopian tube to your uterus. This takes place around the middle of your cycle, about 13-15 days before menstruation.
Finally, there’s the luteal stage, when your uterine lining is further thickened in preparation for the implantation of a fertilized egg (pregnancy). If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the uterine lining is shed, and the cycle begins again.
The most important thing to understand about these phases? “You’re undergoing a roller coaster ride of hormonal change,” says Dr. Peeke. “You may experience a variety of symptoms, including breast tenderness, mood shifts, and changes in energy levels.”
Perimenopause
The word perimenopause itself is relatively new and refers to the transitional time period, usually between the ages of 40 and 52, when your body prepares for the end of your menstrual cycle (menopause).
“Perimenopause typically involves a slow wean off the sex hormones critical to the menstrual cycle and reproduction,” says Dr. Peeke. “These hormones are so powerful that they affect almost every tissue in a woman’s body, so the wean itself has to be quite gradual.”
Because of the host of mental and physical adjustments that result, Dr. Peeke notes you can find yourself wrestling with a whole range of concerns, from more difficulty sleeping, to reduced energy levels, to mood shifts. You may still have a menstrual period but also experience perimenopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
Your healthcare provider can help you determine if you are in this phase.
Menopause
Commonly called “The Change,” menopause occurs when you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual cycle. In the United States, the average age of menopause is 52, but as with the timing of all stages, it differs from woman to woman.
“Every day in this country, 6,000 women enter menopause. That’s 1.3 million women per year,” shares Dr. Peeke. “You’re never alone in what you’re experiencing.”
Common menopausal symptoms can persist up to five years or longer and include hot flashes and night sweats, trouble sleeping, mood shifts, fluctuations in energy levels, and weight gain.
“You may experience shape-shifting, in which your body fat redistributes with increases around the abdominal area,” says Dr. Peeke. “One moment you see yourself as an hourglass figure, and the next you look more like a shot glass.”
Postmenopause
As its name suggests, postmenopause is the time after menopause has occurred. Once you reach this stage—for most women, in their mid-50s—you remain in it for the rest of your life.
“Eventually, your menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats cease as your body adapts to a new normal for hormone and energy levels,” Dr. Peeke explains. But she points out that during this stage you may become more concerned about achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and supporting cognitive function.
Libido
Impaired libido can happen across all life stages in parallel with hormonal fluctuations and transitions.
“Loss of libido can mean difficulty becoming aroused and experiencing changes in lubrication as well as mental energy levels. And, of course, circumstantial stress can negatively affect sexual health,” shares Dr. Peeke. “I encourage women to be open to discussing this and to seeking support for it.”
Introducing Solaray her life STAGES: Potent Formulas, Powerful Benefits
At Solaray, we know you’ve waited long enough to have truly efficacious, non-hormone solutions to the challenges you face at each stage. Enter her life STAGES, our first-of-its-kind, doctor-formulated line of supplements for every life phase.
Find the product for your stage and find one complete supplement you can count on for your most common concerns. As you move into the next phase, simply switch to the next formula in the lineup.
Each product is anchored by one or more clinically studied ingredients, so you can rest assured you’re getting the powerful support you need—without soy or hormones. In addition to these targeted herbs and nutrients, the products (excluding Libido) contain ingredients for blood glucose and thyroid support, along with a special trace mineral complex to help promote overall wellness.* Plus, all STAGES formulas are lab-verified, vegan, and gluten-free.
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PMS & Menstrual delivers powerful support for a healthy cycle and menstrual discomfort, specifically to help ease breast tenderness, plus energy and mood.†* It’s anchored by scientifically backed saffron, shown in numerous clinical studies to support overall mental outlook.* It also features green tea; cramp bark; and vitex (aka chasteberry), a traditional herb long used for women’s wellness.* This formula is intended to be taken daily during PMS and menstruation, at least 7-12 days; continued use may be recommended. Peace out, PMS.
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Perimenopause helps you find comfort while you navigate this unique phase, offering healthy cycle and mood support plus support for perimenopausal hot flashes and night sweats as well as sound sleep.†‡*It features the same proven saffron as our PMS formula, also studied for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, along with black cohosh, one of the most well-known herbs for hot flashes. A new lease on midlife.
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Menopause takes aim at The Change’s top symptoms and concerns. With studied saffron plus black cohosh and green tea, it provides strong support for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats along with sound sleep—plus mood and energy to help you get through the day.‡* It’s also designed to support weight loss, along with overall body composition and a healthy hip and waist circumference, thanks to its clinically backed orange extract.* A good change of pace.
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Postmenopause is there with support for any lingering hot flashes and night sweats, as well as mood, sleep, and weight, thanks to scientifically backed saffron and orange extract.‡* But it also introduces resveratrol, clinically studied for cognitive function and performance, key for this new adventure once menopause is in your rearview. There’s so much to look forward to.
- Libido isn’t designed for a life stage, rather for the loss of drive that can happen across phases. It can be taken with any other STAGES product. This expert formula includes ingredients such as science-backed ashwagandha to help sustain the spark, providing support for enhanced arousal, sexual satisfaction, and natural lubrication.* The blend also supports mental energy and occasional stress to help encourage the right mindset for intimacy.* Stay sexy.
Own the Stage. Your Now Is Beautiful.
With STAGES, it’s our aim to provide the support you need when you need it most—throughout the years of each stage, through all the stages of your life.* Because even though these phases can at times be frustrating and uncomfortable, they are also beautiful.
“Your hormonal journey is dynamic and constantly changing,” reminds Dr. Peeke. “Now you can move through each transition with confidence, because Solaray has your back.”
She reminds that it’s important to share with your healthcare provider if you’re beginning a supplement routine, and to talk openly with them about any questions and concerns you may have about your wellness as you age.
Want more information? Please check out our PMS & Menstrual, Perimenopause, Menopause, Postmenopause, and Libido pages for more details on each product, including FAQs and commentary from Dr. Peeke. Not sure which product is right for you? Take our her life STAGES Quiz.
† As experienced in conjunction with a normal, healthy period.
‡ As experienced in conjunction with perimenopause and menopause.