Women’s health · A naturopathic perspective
Your symptoms belong in a conversation about your whole health. There is room to begin with the foundations and make thoughtful decisions about what comes next.
Dr. Michele Burklund’s collection
Thoughtful support for the changing female body.
Perimenopause asks us to pay attention. To the nights that feel different. The shifting rhythms. The woman we are becoming. I begin with nourishment, rest, movement, and listening to the body in front of me.
This is my personal edit of the botanicals and nutritional formulas I consider through a naturopathic and functional medicine lens—with room for strength, pleasure, and feeling at home in yourself.
Shop my Perimenopause EditOpen my Fullscript collection. Explore individual products and choose what fits your needs.
Seven selections in my current collection. Browse the ingredients, product details, and available pricing on Fullscript.
01 / NOURISH
A nutritional starting point, chosen around your food, your history, and what you already take.
These are different options for a nutritional foundation. Review their overlapping ingredients before choosing.
02 / ENERGY & BONE
I include creatine here for cellular energy and mitochondrial support: it helps replenish ATP, the energy your cells use. Osteo-K is the bone-health selection.
03 / FEMININE ECOLOGY
Botanical tradition and the microbiome both have a place in my approach to the changing female body.
04 / THE INNER LIFE
Mood, sleep, and the demands of everyday life deserve their own conversation. This selection belongs within that individual assessment.
Review this formula’s ingredients and medicine interactions with your clinician before use.
Supplements & labs
My functional and naturopathic approach begins with your story. Laboratory testing can be part of a more individual assessment when it answers a useful question about your symptoms, history, or nutritional needs.
Shop the tests I use on my patients Discuss your needs in private careExclusive access to my Fullscript collection
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From my practice to your care
My go-to for a closer look at sex hormones, their metabolites, and daily cortisol patterns when that information can help guide care. I consider the results alongside your cycle, symptoms, and hormone use.
Shop my go-to DUTCH testMy go-to vaginal-health test for a closer look at your intimate microbiome. Changes in comfort, odor, or discharge deserve attention; the findings belong alongside symptoms, hormonal changes, and your history.
Shop my go-to vaginal microbiome testThese are individual options, not a required pair. Typical perimenopause after age 45 is usually identified from symptoms and cycle changes without hormone testing. Fullscript shows current pricing, collection instructions, and ordering eligibility.
Dr. Burklund’s selected labs
All nine tests in my Women’s Health Lab Edit. Open each description to see what it measures and when it may belong in a conversation about your care.
Dried-urine testing explores sex-hormone levels, the metabolites produced as those hormones are processed, and cortisol patterns across the day. I consider this profile when looking more closely at menstrual changes, midlife symptoms, sleep, and stress physiology. The results belong within the story of your cycle, symptoms, and hormone use; follow the collection instructions for timing.
A stool-based look at digestive function, intestinal inflammation, and selected organisms within the gut microbiome. This can add detail when I am investigating persistent digestive symptoms or looking at how well the foundations of nourishment are working. I consider the findings alongside your food intake, bowel patterns, medication history, and symptoms when deciding which questions to explore next.
A foundational blood panel that measures glucose, electrolytes, calcium, proteins, and markers related to liver and kidney function. It brings several connected systems into view at once. In my approach, these results help establish context before adding more specialized testing, and I look at patterns and changes over time alongside hydration, nutrition, and your health history.
Looks at iron circulating in your blood, its transport and binding capacity, and the iron held in reserve as ferritin. I consider the full pattern when exploring fatigue, heavy menstrual bleeding, or possible nutritional depletion. These measurements help distinguish different iron patterns and inform a more thoughtful conversation about food, absorption, blood loss, and whether iron supplementation is appropriate.
Begins with thyroid-stimulating hormone, the signal that helps regulate thyroid hormone production. Free T4 is added automatically when the TSH result meets the laboratory’s criteria. This is a starting point for exploring thyroid function in the context of energy, temperature tolerance, bowel patterns, or menstrual changes; it does not automatically include thyroid antibodies or every thyroid measurement.
Measures apolipoprotein B, a protein found on cholesterol-carrying particles that can contribute to plaque in the arteries. It adds information about particle burden beyond the amount of cholesterol reported on a standard lipid panel. I consider it alongside blood pressure, glucose, family history, nutrition, and movement as part of a broader cardiovascular and longevity assessment.
Measures the proportion of hemoglobin with glucose attached, providing a view of average blood sugar over approximately two to three months. Estimated average glucose translates that result into familiar blood-sugar units. I use the longer view to explore metabolic patterns alongside nourishment, movement, sleep, and other relevant markers; it does not show individual meal-related spikes.
Examines microorganisms present in a vaginal sample, offering a more detailed view of the intimate microbiome. I consider this information when exploring recurring changes in discharge, odor, irritation, or vaginal comfort. The findings are interpreted alongside symptoms, hormonal changes, and treatment history; the presence of an organism alone does not tell the whole story.
A blood measurement of a hormone produced by small ovarian follicles, used to add information about ovarian reserve. I consider it within a wider preconception or fertility conversation that includes age, cycle history, and other findings. It can help inform expectations about response to fertility treatment, but it does not measure egg quality or predict whether you will conceive. This is a fertility-related option, not a test to diagnose perimenopause or predict its timing.
Choose individual tests around your history, symptoms, and existing results, with your clinician’s guidance.
Botanical medicine · A closer look
Red clover is one of the plants that opens a conversation about phytoestrogens: plant compounds with a structure similar to estrogen. Red clover and soy contain a type called isoflavones. Their effects depend on the plant, the preparation, and the person taking it.
Soy may offer a small reduction in hot flashes for some women. Research on red clover has been inconsistent, and clear benefits have not been established. These botanicals should not be presented as a guaranteed way to “balance hormones” or as interchangeable with prescribed hormone therapy.
A food, a tea, and a concentrated extract are different preparations. The plant species, amount, and formulation belong in the conversation alongside your symptoms, medications, and health history. A beautiful botanical still deserves a careful clinical decision.
Discuss concentrated phytoestrogen supplements with your clinician, particularly if you have a hormone-sensitive condition or take medication. Avoid red clover supplements during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Read the evidence: NIH on red clover · NIH on soy.
Shop my Perimenopause EditPerimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause. Changes in your cycle may arrive alongside hot flashes, disrupted sleep, or changes in mood and concentration. The experience varies. One woman may feel a subtle shift; another may find that symptoms are interfering with her daily life.
Clinical context: NHS guidance on perimenopause symptoms.
In a naturopathic and functional approach, the question is what is happening for you. When did the changes begin? How have your sleep and routines changed? What else was happening in your life? A symptom diary and your previous results can make a clinical conversation more useful.
Symptoms that overlap with perimenopause can have other contributors. Your history helps a clinician decide whether something such as a thyroid problem, anemia, a medication effect, or a sleep disorder needs to be considered. There is no need to assume that every change has the same cause.
My starting point is the environment in which your health is unfolding. The therapeutic order asks us to understand and support the foundations, then choose the level of care the situation needs. You do not have to earn further help by getting your habits perfect.
Look at the meals you can sustain, your access to food, and whether your eating pattern supports your needs. A balanced diet and attention to bone health belong in this chapter.
A consistent routine and a comfortable bedroom can be a place to begin. If night sweats or persistent insomnia are keeping you awake, bring that into your care conversation.
Regular activity, including appropriate resistance and weight-bearing exercise, supports longer-term health. The starting point should suit your body and current ability.
Relaxation, time outdoors, and conversation with people you trust can become part of your routine. Choose something you can return to without turning it into another obligation.
Further reading: NHS lifestyle guidance and National Institute on Aging guidance on sleep.
The Foundations is my free audio course on everyday health. Listen at your own pace and use the companion guides as you bring the ideas into your life.
Get the free Foundations course16 audio lessons. 14 PDF guides. No payment required.
Testing can help when a result will change a decision. The useful starting point is a review of symptoms, menstrual history, medications, and any results you already have. Depending on that picture, a clinician may consider targeted blood work or other investigations.
For otherwise healthy women aged 45 or over with typical symptoms and cycle changes, perimenopause is usually identified clinically without hormone testing. Younger age, an unusual pattern, or concern about another condition can change the assessment. A hormone panel is not a requirement for every woman.
Clinical guidance: NICE, identifying perimenopause and menopause.
My women’s health lab collection is available to explore on Fullscript, alongside the Perimenopause Edit of supplements. These are selections to discuss in the context of your health, rather than a list everyone needs. Review your medications and existing supplements with a qualified clinician before adding products.
You can choose individual products. Fullscript provides current pricing, availability, and ordering requirements. I may earn income from purchases through my storefront.
You deserve a discussion of options when symptoms disrupt your life. Individual care may include nutrition or botanical strategies, as well as other treatments appropriate to your history and preferences. Decisions should reflect the evidence for the specific option and how you respond.
Arrange medical assessment for new or substantially heavier bleeding, bleeding after 12 months without a period, or persistent symptoms that concern you. Perimenopause should not become a reason to overlook a new health problem.
This guide is educational. Private-care availability and eligibility are confirmed separately.