The Midlife Health Storm I Didn’t See Coming”

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By Jule Diamond

I’m writing this because I know so many women my age will relate — and because no one warns us what really happens to our bodies in midlife until it hits you all at once.

Before I left for Italy, I honestly felt strong — physically, emotionally, hormonally.
I’d been eating clean, doing my strength training consistently, prioritising high-protein meals, and using the peptides that had supported me through autoimmune flares, histamine issues, and overall immunity. My Hashimoto’s had been more stable than usual. I thought I was in a really solid place.

And in many ways, I was.

But the truth is, midlife health is delicate.
It doesn’t take much to shake the foundation.

The Travel, the Stress, and the First Signs Something Was Off

Italy was beautiful — but the travel itself wore me down more than I realised. Long flights, disrupted sleep, dehydration, unfamiliar water, and constant movement. Then behind the scenes, the stress started to pile up in ways I hadn’t prepared for.

While I was overseas, I got the message that my villa in Bali had flooded. Not just damp — flooded.
I was thousands of kilometres away, helpless, and completely thrown emotionally.

By the time I returned to Bali, I wasn’t just jet-lagged — I was homeless, living out of temporary accommodation with my dog, dealing with insurance, and managing total uncertainty. It was stress on top of stress on top of stress. Not normal midlife stress — extreme, overwhelming stress.

My body felt it.
I just didn’t yet understand how deeply.

Then Came the Kidney Shock (eGFR 60 → 55 → 52)

One of the most shocking parts of my health check was learning that my kidney function had dropped.
It went from:

  • 60 (already low for my age)
  • to 55
  • and now 52

I had no idea that women over 50 commonly see eGFR decline. No GP had ever talked about it with me.

And I had been unknowingly contributing to it through:

  • Dehydration from travel
  • Higher stress hormones
  • Constipation, which loads the kidneys
  • High-sugar foods in Australia (a shock to my system)
  • Daily metformin
  • Creatine, which can falsely elevate creatinine levels and make kidneys look worse

I knew none of this.
Most women my age don’t know any of this.
We aren’t told.

So yes — this scared me.
It made me rethink everything: supplements, hydration, stress, lifestyle, and even how fragile kidney health becomes in midlife.

The Bone Density Blow (And Why It Didn’t Make Sense at First)

At the same time, I received my DEXA results showing that although my spine had improved (from all my strength training and protein intake), my femur had dropped by 6.3%.

I was shocked.

I’d been doing everything “right.”
Why would my hip bone suddenly weaken?

It didn’t add up… until I looked deeper.

The HRT Problem My GP Refused to Even Discuss

This is where things became truly frustrating.

I was on the lowest possible dose of estradiol — the bare minimum.
And I hadn’t realised until recently how essential estrogen is for maintaining bone density in midlife, especially in the femur and hips.

When I asked my GP if I could increase my HRT, he shut it down instantly.
No conversation.
No curiosity.
No nuance.

He didn’t ask about my symptoms.
He didn’t explain the connection between estrogen and bone.
He simply said: no.

Then he tried to put me on bone medications — two of them.

But with AI’s help (yes, you), I researched them and learned:

  • Both can cause TMJ-like jaw issues
  • I already have bone wear in my jaw from grinding
  • I already wear a night guard (uncomfortably)
  • The medications can also cause GI issues
  • My system is already sensitive

Why would I take something that could create more problems?

More importantly:
Why was increasing HRT dismissed before prescribing medication?

This is the exact kind of experience so many midlife women have with general GPs — being shut down, dismissed, and treated with a one-size-fits-all protocol.

Medication is not always the first or best step.
In my case, it wasn’t.

Connecting the Dots: Stress, Hormones, Travel, and My Bones

Here’s what AI helped me finally understand:

  • Stress literally breaks down bone
  • Low estrogen speeds bone loss
  • Kidney strain can affect mineral balance
  • Travel exhaustion weakens immune resilience
  • High sugar inflames everything
  • Constipation can elevate kidney markers
  • Creatine + metformin made my kidney numbers look worse
  • And all of this hit me at the same time

I wasn’t “falling apart.”
I was going through a perfect storm.

A midlife storm.

And I’m sharing this because so many women will experience the same — and blame themselves, or think something is “wrong” with them.

Nothing is wrong.
We just haven’t been taught what’s actually happening to our bodies.

Why I’m Sharing All This

Because if I, someone deeply involved in wellness, peptides, biohacking, strength training, and longevity, didn’t know this — then I know thousands of women don’t either.

My hope with this blog post (and the YouTube video I’ll make when I’m back in Bali) is to give women my age a voice:

  • If your doctor dismisses you — you’re not crazy.
  • If your DEXA scan shocks you — you’re not alone.
  • If your eGFR drops — it’s more common than you think, and often reversible.
  • If stress wrecks your health — it’s not weakness, it’s physiology.
  • If travel takes you out — it happens to strong women too.

This is real life.
This is midlife.
This is why I share openly.

And if my journey helps even one woman feel less alone or more empowered, then it’s worth writing about.

How I’m Rebuilding My Bone Density Naturally (My Midlife Protocol)

Part 2 of my Midlife Health Reset Journey

After that shock DEXA result — especially the 6.3% drop in my femur — I made the decision that many women make when they hit midlife health challenges:

I’m taking back the steering wheel.

No waiting for a GP to “approve” my lived experience.
No accepting a rushed prescription as the only solution.
No ignoring my body when it’s clearly sending messages.

Women our age have to self-advocate — because no one else does it for us.

Here’s exactly how I’m rebuilding my bone density naturally using the five pillars I’ve learned from experience, research, peptides, hormones, and AI guidance.

1. Rebalancing My Hormones (Because Estrogen = Bone)

This was the first thing I had to confront.

I was on the lowest possible dose of estradiol — far too low for someone with osteopenia, autoimmune issues, and approaching 60.

And the doctor wouldn’t even entertain the idea of increasing it.

The truth is:
Estrogen is one of the most protective hormones for bone density, particularly in the hips and femur.

Low estrogen = accelerated bone loss.
It’s that simple.

After reviewing the research, and speaking with AI, I finally understood that:

  • My low dose wasn’t providing the bone protection I needed
  • My femur likely weakened because estrogen wasn’t adequate
  • My GP was following outdated protocols
  • HRT is a valid, science-backed tool for bone preservation in midlife women

So I’m now slowly and safely increasing my estrogen to a level that supports both symptom relief and bone density — not staying stuck at the bottom of the dosing chart simply because my GP is uncomfortable with female autonomy.

This alone will help my spine and femur.

HRT isn’t optional for many midlife women.
It’s foundational.

2. My Natural Bone-Strengthening Peptide Stack

Before Italy, peptides were one of the reasons I was feeling strong and stable. They helped me build muscle, regulate inflammation, and support recovery — and I felt the difference when I stopped.

Now I’m returning to the peptides that support:

• Muscle building

(Antagonist to bone loss — strong muscles = strong bones.)

• Immunity

(Because constant stress and travel lowers it.)

• Healing + tissue repair

(To recover from stress, inflammation, and travel wear-and-tear.)

My core stack includes:

  • BPC-157 — gut, inflammation, soft-tissue repair
  • Thymosin Alpha-1 — immune regulation
  • GHK-Cu — collagen, skin, and systemic anti-inflammatory support
  • KPV – Immune support and anti-inflammatory regulator
  • Mots-C – Mitochondrial repair, a metabolic regulator, primarily through AMPK activation.

This combination rebuilt me once before — and I trust it again.

When used with strength training, peptides are incredibly supportive for both muscle and bone maintenance in midlife.

3. Returning to My Midlife Strength Training Routine

Bone responds to load — especially the femur.

My program now emphasises:

• Heavy lower-body resistance training

– weighted squats
– split squats
– leg press
– Romanian deadlifts
– hip thrust variations
– step-ups with weight

This directly stimulates the femur and pelvis.

• Spine-strengthening pulls + rows

Because the spine improved on my DEXA — proof my training works.

• Plyometrics — very controlled

Even gentle hopping increases bone density.

• Walking on incline

A simple osteogenic activity.

• Rebounding

Which your followers love and is proven to stimulate bone.

4. Correcting the Factors That Were Quietly Undermining Me

This part is uncomfortable but necessary:

• Chronic stress

The villa flooding, homelessness, uncertainty — this is bone-destroying stress.
Cortisol literally resorbs bone tissue.

• Dehydration

Kidneys and bones are intimately connected.

• Constipation

Backs up toxins → increases kidney load → worsens eGFR.

• Creatine + metformin combo

It skewed my kidney numbers and inflamed my system.

So I adjusted:

  • Metformin only every 2nd day
  • Removed creatine completely
  • Massive hydration correction
  • Electrolytes daily
  • Morning sun + grounding to reduce cortisol
  • Gentle breathing and slow movement

And in just days, I could feel my system calming.

I felt clearer.

My digestion shifted.

My sleep stabilised.

It’s astonishing how quickly the body responds when you remove the obstacles.

5. Rebuilding From the Inside with True Nutrition (Not Trends)

I’m returning to the basics:

• 100–120g protein daily

You simply cannot build bone or muscle without it.

• Minerals for bone and kidney support

  • Magnesium glycinate
  • Calcium from food
  • Vitamin K2 (critical)
  • Vitamin D3
  • Omega-3s

• Low sugar

Australia shocked my body — and I felt the inflammation instantly.

• Gut restoration

Because a stressed gut contributes to poor nutrient absorption.

• Anti-inflammatory eating

What my body has always responded best to.

This is the foundation — the lifestyle that made me feel strong before Italy, and the lifestyle I’m returning home to.

Why I’m Sharing This With You

Because hundreds of thousands of women experience the same:

  • sudden DEXA changes
  • unexplained kidney drops
  • stress-induced symptoms
  • hormone decline ignored by GPs
  • feeling dismissed
  • feeling alone

You’re not alone — and nothing is “wrong” with you.

Our bodies are under extraordinary strain in midlife.
It’s not weakness.
It’s biology.

And if I can rebuild — through awareness, self-advocacy, peptides, strength training, proper hormones, and stress repair — then other women can too.

This journey is personal.
It’s vulnerable.
And it’s important.

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