Episode 14: Can Yoga Actually Help Menopause Symptoms?

In this episode Kate Thomas, an AHPRA-registered pharmacist with 25 years of clinical experience, covers:

• The evidence behind yoga, Pilates, tai chi and breathwork for perimenopause and menopause symptoms
• Why the biggest benefits of mind-body exercise may be in mood, stress and wellbeing rather than physical symptoms
• What the research actually shows about hot flushes and mind-body practices
• Why mind-body exercise is a valuable support strategy but not a cure for menopause symptoms
• Sex, intimacy and feeling at home in your body during perimenopause
• Direct-to-consumer wellness testing and health anxiety as a subscription service

The Peri-odical Review is a new On the Mones segment in which Kate applies her clinical lens to a specific area of menopause health, looking at what the research actually shows rather than what wellness culture claims. Episode 14 is the first official Peri-odical Review, and it tackles one of the most common questions Kate hears from women navigating perimenopause and menopause: can mind-body practices like yoga, Pilates, tai chi and breathwork actually make a measurable difference to symptoms? 

The honest answer, as Kate unpacks in Episode 14, is that it depends on which symptoms you are talking about. The evidence for mind-body exercise in perimenopause and menopause is strongest in the areas of mood, stress resilience and overall psychological wellbeing. Women who practice yoga or similar disciplines regularly during perimenopause report meaningful improvements in anxiety, emotional regulation and quality of life. The evidence for physical symptoms like hot flushes is less clear cut, with results across studies being inconsistent. Kate presents this nuance clearly and without dismissing the genuine value these practices offer. 

One of the most important framings in Episode 14 is the distinction between a support strategy and a cure. Yoga, Pilates, tai chi and breathwork can be genuinely valuable tools for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, particularly for managing stress, anxiety, sleep disruption and emotional wellbeing. But positioning them as treatments for menopause symptoms in the same way that evidence-based medical interventions are treatments misrepresents what the research shows and sets women up for disappointment when symptoms persist despite their best efforts on the mat. 

Episode 14 also touches on one of the less discussed aspects of mind-body practice during perimenopause: its relationship to sex and intimacy. Feeling disconnected from your body is a common experience during perimenopause, driven by hormonal changes, physical symptoms and the psychological weight of midlife transition. Movement practices that rebuild a sense of physical presence and ease can support women in feeling more at home in their bodies, which has meaningful flow-on effects for intimacy, connection and sexual wellbeing. Kate addresses this with her characteristic directness and warmth. 

Episode 14 also addresses two related issues that sit at the intersection of wellness culture and women's health: the problem with direct-to-consumer wellness testing, and the way health anxiety has effectively become a subscription service in the digital age. Kate explains why doctors asking you to come back for results is not a scam, why at-home hormone panels and wellness blood tests are frequently misleading, and how the wellness industry profits from keeping women in a state of low-grade health anxiety. A telehealth pharmacist consultation is a far more reliable way to get evidence-based answers about your hormones and medications than a direct-to-consumer test kit. 

If this episode has raised questions about your perimenopause symptoms, treatment options or medications, a telehealth pharmacist consultation with Kate is a great next step. In a dedicated one-on-one session you can go through your symptoms, your current medications and your treatment options in plain language, without rushing. 

Kate Thomas offers a range of in-depth telehealth medication consultation and medication review services to help you understand your body and your medications.

You can view the transcript for this episode below