Written by Rachael Riches, homeopath trained at the Centre for Homeopathic Education, practising for nearly twenty years. Based in South London and working globally via online clinic. Registered with the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths.
Does September feel different in your body? Not just busier, but different? These changes in autumn are real, and they can start to show up quite dramatically for a lot of women in midlife. It’s not just the change of light or the return of routine. It’s hormonal, and understanding what’s driving it makes it something you can work with rather than push against.
Why hormonal changes in autumn start with light
As the days shorten, melatonin production tends to shift earlier in the evening. Melatonin is the hormone that helps signal to your body it’s time to wind down and sleep. Cortisol, the hormone that helps regulate your alertness and energy through the day, follows its own rhythm too, and research shows cortisol production can actually increase during the autumn and winter months. Read more here about the seasonal change in cortisol production. It’s a pattern I see reflected in clinic every autumn.
For most of us that’s a subtle adjustment. But for women whose hormonal system is already navigating perimenopause or the years around it, hormonal changes in autumn can amplify physical and emotional changes that were already making their presence felt. It could be sleep that’s a bit lighter than it used to be, or energy that dips earlier in the afternoon, or moods that feel even less steady.
September happens at the same point every year, and we know what to expect from it. The difference can be just how much resilience your system has to absorb the change of season. That resilience isn’t fixed. It ebbs and flows, and can ebb dramatically during the perimenopause years. The good news is but it can be supported naturally.
How hormonal changes in autumn affect oestrogen and progesterone
Both of these hormones are sensitive to any kind of disruption. That could be stress, sleep disruption, or the general jolt of routines starting up again (school runs, later nights, more going on). Autumn tends to bring all of that at once, right at the point in the year when your hormonal system is already adjusting to less daylight. It’s a lot happening in a short window.
This is why so many women describe September and October as the months they feel “not quite themselves,” even when nothing dramatic has happened. It’s not one thing; it’s several small shifts arriving together.
Common ways this can show up
A few symptoms tend to come up again and again when the seasons turn, and it can help just to recognise them for what they are:
- Mood swings. Seasonal shifts can make emotional regulation harder than usual, so a wobble that would normally pass can feel bigger than it is.
- Sleep disturbances. Changes in daylight often disrupt the sleep cycle, leading to lighter sleep or more trouble settling at night.
- Hot flashes. Shifts in temperature, whether it’s a lingering warm spell or the first proper cold snap, can trigger or intensify hot flashes for some women.
Where homeopathy fits in
Homeopathy doesn’t treat “the seasons” or “hormones.” Homeopathy treats you, in the particular way this transition is showing up for you. Two women with what looks like the same seasonal dip will need very different support, because the underlying picture of what’s changed is never quite the same from one woman to the next.
What I look for in a consultation isn’t a checklist of symptoms to match to a remedy. It’s the whole pattern: how you’re sleeping, what’s changed since summer, what your energy is doing across the day, what’s been going on emotionally. From there, treatment is built around what your system actually needs to find its footing again. And because everyone’s starting point is different, everyone’s pace of improvement is different too. Some things ease quickly, others take a little longer. That’s normal rather than a sign something isn’t working.
What you can do now, before it builds
You don’t need a full consultation to start supporting your system through this shift. A few things that can genuinely help:
- Protect your evenings. Even ten minutes of quiet before bed. No screens. Low light helps your body register that the day is winding down, which supports melatonin doing its job properly.
- Get outside in the morning. Natural light early in the day helps anchor your circadian rhythm, which in turn supports steadier energy and mood through the shorter days ahead.
- Notice, don’t override. If you’re flatter or more tired than usual, that’s important feedback from your body. Building in rest now is easier than recovering from burnout in November.
If hormonal changes in autumn are hitting you harder than usual this year, that’s worth paying attention to, and it’s exactly the kind of thing homeopathy can support. This is general education rather than a personal diagnosis, so if anything feels severe or is worrying you, it’s always worth checking in with your GP alongside any homeopathic support. Book a consultation and we’ll look at what’s going on for you, specifically.
