Hot Flushes, Brain Fog & Belly Fat: What Your DNA Can Tell You About Menopause

ageing well balance beliefs epigenetics genetics health inflammation menopause personalised health Sep 11, 2025

Introduction

You might be waking up at night drenched in sweat, finding your brain wandering in the afternoon, or noticing a stubborn muffin-top where there never used to be one. You’re not alone — for many women in midlife, these are familiar and frustrating hallmarks of menopause.

But what if I told you that part of what you’re experiencing isn’t just down to hormones alone, or “just aging,” but is influenced by your genetics — and that those genes are not your destiny?

In this blog, we'll explore how your DNA plays a role in menopause-related symptoms — hot flushes, brain fog, weight accumulation — and more importantly, what you can do about it, using epigenetics and lifestyle changes.

What Genetics Can (and Can’t) Tell You

Genetic Predisposition to Hot Flushes & Night Sweats
Some women carry variants in genes related to oestrogen metabolism and thermoregulation. These can make you more sensitive to fluctuations in hormone levels, meaning you might feel more intense or frequent hot flushes.
Genes & Cognitive Changes (Brain Fog)
Variants in genes related to neurotransmitter balance, inflammation, and even oestrogen receptors can influence how well your brain copes with hormonal shifts. Some are more prone to reduced clarity, memory lapses, or mental fatigue.
Genetics of Fat Distribution
Where and how your body stores fat is influenced by genes. Around menopause, many women notice more abdominal (visceral) fat — this is partly hormonal (declining oestrogen changes fat storage), partly genetic, partly lifestyle.

Why Epigenetics Means You’re Not Stuck

Here’s the empowering bit: epigenetics means that your lifestyle, beliefs, environment and day-to-day choices turn genes on or off (or up or down). So even if your genes predispose you to certain symptoms, how you live can mitigate or even reverse many of those effects.

5 Lifestyle & Belief Shifts You Can Start Today

Area	What to Do	Why It Helps
Nutrition & Food Timing	Increase phytoestrogens (like flaxseed, soy, legumes), reduce heavily processed food, and balance your meals so you avoid sugar spikes.	Helps moderate oestrogen activity; reduces inflammation; supports stable energy.
Sleep & Night Routine	Prioritise 7-9 hours, cool bedroom, wind-down rituals (no screens, soothing practices).	Poor sleep increases cortisol, aggravates brain fog and weight gain.
Movement + Strength	Combine strength training (muscle mass helps with metabolism) + low-moderate cardio + mobility/stretching.	Boosts metabolic rate, improves body composition, supports mood.
Stress Management & Beliefs	Identify existing beliefs about aging ("I’ll just gain weight because I’m over 50", etc.), challenge them; practice breathwork, meditation, social connection.	Stress and negative beliefs can worsen symptoms, drive epigenetic changes.
Hormone & Genetic Testing Support	Where possible, get tested: your hormone levels, genetic variants related to hormone metabolism & detox; then work with someone to interpret and personalise.	Allows you to tailor interventions that are more likely to work for you.

Reflective Prompts

What do you currently believe about menopause or “getting older”? How might that belief be shaping your experience?
Among the symptoms you’re experiencing, which one feels most urgent or most frustrating?
What is one small change you could try this week that addresses that symptom (e.g. improve sleep, swap out a processed food, start strength training)?

What Your Next Move Could Be

If delving deeper into your DNA, understanding your hormone profile, and building personalised strategies feels like the map you’ve been missing, that’s exactly what I help with in my work. My book The Belief Shift is designed to help you reframe limiting beliefs + give you tools to apply science-based lifestyle shifts.

If you’d like, I also offer a complimentary Clarity Call to help you figure out your most impactful next steps — more energy, less brain fog, weight managed — without guesswork or overwhelm. Click here to schedule: https://calendly.com/denisemokadsi/lets-connect-online.