Alcohol in Menopause transition
- Mihaela Ostafe
- Oct 31, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 13
Alcohol has been always associated with "people coming together", bonding, spending a good time, and even peace making - it's looked at as "social," "tasty," "cool," or simply "relaxing". Things that everyone wants... But, is it so?
When we look at the research data, the alcohol proves to have a different play and a hidden face for women in perimenopause and postmenopause.
The research data available nowadays (below) might be disheartening, but it is the reality, and it is under-discussed. I believe that being in the know is power, even when the information is not what we want to hear or expect - and women deserve to be informed about their health - because without knowledge, there is no motivation to adjust habits either, especially during an already challenging period like the menopause transition, when we are busy and solicited enough with other aspects.
While we know that regular consumption of alcohol is addictive for everyone and it's been proven for decades that it destabilizes blood sugar (predisposing to weight gain, cravings and diabetes), dehydrates the body and impacts on our sleep quality (which indirectly impact on our emotions (feeling less patient, more anxious or more irritable) - already very sensitive issues in perimenopause and menopause transition - things get worse.
🔸 ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) enzyme levels drop after 40yo, making women more vulnerable to alcohol's effects (the alcohol stays in their system longer and they may feel its effects more stronger than before)
🔸 Alcohol can worsen hot flashes and night sweats, disrupts sleep, and increases the risk of depression during the menopause journey
🔸 Moderate alcohol consumption can cause estrogen levels to rise and progesterone to drop during perimenopause, disrupting the hormonal balance
🔸 Alcohol increases breast cancer risk, decreases bone density, and raises the risk for heart disease and liver conditions
Also, as we're crossing the Breast Cancer Awareness month - here are a few related key statistics:
🔹 Women who drank seven or more alcoholic beverages per week had an 82% increased risk of hormone receptor-positive invasive lobular carcinoma
🔹 A meta-analysis found a 12% increase in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer risk per 10 grams (= 1 glass) of alcohol per day
🔹 The Million Women Study showed moderate positive associations between alcohol intake and breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer risks in postmenopausal women
🔹 Moderate drinking (one drink per day) is linked to a 5-9% increase in breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women
An important aspect: while the data shows that the risk increases linearly with alcohol consumption, there is with no "safe threshold".
I stop here, by adding that finding our own grounds with regards to alcohol, in honesty and kindness for ourselves, while looking at our own symptoms, personal medical history and even family history is a ... real challenge.
A unique one, and sometimes an annoying, but needed one, one that can save our energy, health and lives ☀
A personal note: please know that I don't play as a saint here. In the picture above:
me, a few years ago. I've always liked a good red wine, and I used to have a glass a couple of times a week. I'm 46yo, and already around 40yo I started to observe, again and again how my glass at dinner disrupts my sleep, gives me migraines, affects my energy the next day and also my training results - and that, even with ...1 glass.
As I've been tracking my sleep for over 7 years now, I must say that it was quite scary to see it black on white: my sleep took a big hit every single time I had a glass, followed by higher levels of stress in the following day.
Those who knew me in my 20s and 30s know that I loved a happy hour cocktails after work or wine at parties 🍷
This changed for me, simply because the cost was too high.
So this year, I made it a personal challenge to go alcohol-free... and while this may sound extreme to many, ladies, please believe me, it really does feel GREAT!
For anyone noticing that alcohol isn't their true friend, just try going three weeks without it. Observe your stress levels, sleep, mental clarity, digestion, energy and yessss ...weigh loss - you might just love what you see!
Also: if you need support to reset your nutrition and lifestyle habits to facilitate at least a short period without alcohol, I'm here, get in touch anytime!
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A few articles:
Menopause, ageing, and alcohol use disorders in women
The Million Women Study: design and characteristics of the study population
Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer by Subtype: The Women's Health Initiative Observational Study
(updated 13 Oct 2025)
