I had a difference of opinion with Chat GPT.
I posed this question, expecting an affirmative response:
“Does using the term ‘symptom’ always imply disease that we outsource the remedy for?”
I assumed the answer would be a simple “Yes, indeed you are correct,” based on standard definitions of ‘symptom’, such as:
- “Subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance” 3
- “A feeling of illness or physical or mental change that is caused by a particular disease”2
Yet, ChatGPT responded on with:
“Not necessarily. While ‘symptom’ is commonly associated with disease in a medical sense, it can also be used more broadly to describe any sign or indication of a condition, imbalance, or change—whether in the body, mind, or environment.”
This frustrated me because my logic is that if the term “symptom” denotes evidence of a disease, why do we call them “menopause symptoms”, when menopause is no more a disease than toddlerhood, puberty or pregnancy is?
Sure, achy muscles and joints may be symptoms of an infection or arthritis, and weight gain can be a symptom of congestive heart failure or hypothyroidism, but menopause is not a disease.
So, is this just about semantics?
Yes—because words matter. And no—because the way we label our experiences shapes our perception, which in turn influences how we respond to them.
The World Health Organization (WHO)4 suggests that the reason we call the things “symptoms” is because they can result in a level of discomfort that negatively affects our quality of life, prompting us to seek an intervention. But this framing implies that menopause-related changes are inherently pathological—problems requiring external solutions, which if we want to fix, we need to seek the remedy from something or someone else. This is especially so in the context of conventional medicine, where “symptoms” imply disease or issues to be managed or eliminated.
When the cause and the solution are outsourced, it is very disempowering.
Of course, usually the cause of a symptom is external to us, but let’s not forget how often we are the masters of our own disasters. How often do we intentionally (or unintentionally) cause ourselves a symptom?
“Pushing through the pain”, only to cause more pain, which is fixed with another anti-inflammatory or pain killer.
That extra glass of wine gave you a headache; fixed with a paracetamol
Burning the candle at both ends exhausted you, but a few cups of coffee fixed that!
Here we can recognise that our behaviours resulted in the outcome. And the funny thing is that we are more likely to describe the pain, headache and exhaustion as a ‘consequence’ of the ‘causes’ we inflicted on ourselves. We are less likely to say:
“My headache is the symptom of that extra glass of wine forced upon me”.
Therefore, saying “menopause causes brain fog” is like blaming your birthday for getting older:
Menopause and birthdays are naturally inevitable; it’s what you do about them that counts.
If we want to take back control over our experience of menopause, we might start with reframing the term “symptom” to something that will put a more positive spin on the things and allow us to feel more empowered to control them.
In holistic approaches 1, symptoms are understood as the body’s way of communicating an underlying issue, prompting a shift toward addressing lifestyle, nutrition or movement, rather than just suppressing the thing itself. So how about menopause “signals”? It shifts the focus from something potentially negative or pathological to something that your body is communicating and that you can respond to.
“Signals” puts us back in control: whether we choose to take that control with the assistance of a medical practitioner, your Menopause Fitness Coach (me 😉) or on your own – YOU are empowered to manage your non-disease phase of menopause.
Words shape reality. By reframing menopause “symptoms” as “signals,” we shift from passive suffering to taking charge. Menopause isn’t “just something that happens to woman over 40”: it’s a phase of life we can navigate with curiosity, knowledge, intention and empowerment.
Let’s get practical:
How do we shift from labelling things as “symptoms” to viewing them as “signals”, so as to tap into our body’s innate intelligence and adaptability? And how do we regain control with such a simple shift in language?
We can start by supporting the body’s natural transition, rather than just “managing symptoms”: collaborate with the body, help it adapt and thrive as it changes.
For example, instead of saying: “Symptoms of perimenopause include fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain”, we could rather understand these experiences as signals; your body’s way of communicating that it’s adjusting to hormonal shifts. The signals may include lower energy, mental fog or achy joints. This shift in perspective is powerful, because we can then view this phase as impermanent; we open up the space to support this adaptation with curiosity, kindness, patience and proactivity.
What about those specific “signals”?
- Brain fog and fatigue may be your body’s signals for more rest or/or better stress management.
- Weight gain happens because your metabolism is naturally changing, so learn how to work with it rather than against it. Know that you can make simple lifestyle tweaks that are not only focussed on what you are eating or the exercise you aren’t doing, which will support your changing metabolism.
- Sleep issues could be signalling the need for more intentional sleep hygiene or adjustments in your cortisol management.
- Hot flashes signal that your body needs better blood glucose balancing.
- Joint pain may be a signal that your body needs more optimal nutrition or movement patterns.
- Mood swings or irritability may be signalling that you need more emotional care, self-nurturance or a different approach to stress management.
- Fatigue may be your body asking for more energy, particularly at this time of change (remember how much you needed to sleep as a teenager?).
All these symptoms are signalling that something in our body needs some attention and usually the attention we can give our bodies is within our immediate means and may just require a tweak to or pivot from what we are already doing.
Remember, your body does not break just because you enter perimenopause, and it doesn’t need fixing. You may just be needing some tailored care to optimize your functioning. And this type of support will build resilience and long-term wellness rather than short-term fixes.
If you need help interpreting your body’s signals, reach out via email on viv@optimalfunction.net.
Take care
