Nitric Oxide and Midlife Women: Boost Energy, Libido, Heart Health & Weight Naturally – Cathy Eason on The Hormone Solution Podcast

The Overlooked Molecule Midlife Women Need to Know About

In a new episode of The Hormone Solution, host Karen Martel sits down with Berkeley Life's Chief Science Officer, Cathy Eason, to uncover the midlife molecule almost no one is talking about - Nitric Oxide (NO).

Most women assume their midlife symptoms, fatigue, stubborn weight gain, low libido, sleep trouble, brain fog, are just hormones. But as Cathy explains, there’s another crucial piece of the puzzle:

By age 40, women lose up to 50% of their Nitric Oxide. And because estrogen triggers NO production, levels continue to decline through perimenopause and menopause.

What Nitric Oxide Actually Does for Women

In this episode, Karen and Cathy breaks down why NO is foundational for women’s health and why the decline hits so hard midlife:

• Energy + Mitochondria: NO helps create new, healthy mitochondria—your energy factories. Low NO = fatigue, sluggish afternoons, mental fog.

• Libido + Orgasm Quality: NO drives blood flow to internal female tissues—making it essential for arousal, lubrication, engorgement, and orgasm. In Berkeley Life’s clinical trial, 83% of women reported improvements in desire, lubrication, and sexual satisfaction.

• Heart & Blood Vessel Health: NO keeps blood vessels flexible and oxygenated. As levels drop, vessel “stiffness” increases—raising cardiovascular risk in midlife women.

• Metabolism, Thyroid & Weight: NO improves insulin sensitivity, supports gut motility, and helps convert T4 → T3, the active thyroid hormone. This makes it a major player in midlife weight gain.

• Sleep & Mood: NO helps regulate melatonin and calm nighttime cortisol spikes—supporting deeper, more stable sleep.

• Brain Health: A depleted oral microbiome and low NO levels may contribute to early cognitive decline.

Where to Get Nitric Oxide And Why Many Women Are Depleted

Women make NO two ways:

• Internally (Enzyme Pathway) - This relies on estrogen and declines sharply with age.

• Through Diet (Nitrates) - Leafy greens, beets, celery, rhubarb.

But here’s the catch:
You can only convert these foods into NO if your oral microbiome is healthy. Mouthwash, antibiotics, and mouth breathing often disrupt this pathway.

This is why Cathy highlights Berkeley Life’s dietary nitrate supplements, their new and improved prebiotic nitrate gum, and NO test strips, which can quickly indicate whether your NO recycling system is functioning properly.

Why This Matters - Especially for Women Not Using HRT

For women who can’t or choose not to take hormone therapy, Nitric Oxide may be one of the most powerful non-hormonal tools for supporting:

• energy

• libido

• cardiovascular health

• weight balance

• sleep

• cognition

• mood

As Cathy explains, NO supports nearly every major system affected in menopause.

Listen to the Full Conversation

This episode is a must-listen for women in perimenopause, menopause, or anyone supporting midlife health. Cathy and Karen dive into:

• Why NO declines

• How it impacts sexual health

• The oral microbiome connection

• Using dietary nitrates daily

• Simple lifestyle habits that boost NO

• What Berkeley Life is researching next

• Listen to the episode on The Hormone Solution Podcast for the full conversation with Cathy Eason.

• Shop Berkley Life & receive 10% off your first order of Nitric Oxide supplements with promo code: HORMONE