Why we exist
Most women's-midlife content is American. Most AU content is clinic-led or aggregator-retail. We sit in the gap — AU editorial, science-literate, stage-specific, with peer-reviewed citations on every health claim. No pink filter. No "balance your hormones". No models in their 20s with a "midlife" caption.
We talk to a peer at her kitchen bench — direct, warm, specific. We cite. When we don't know, we say so.
How we pick products
Three criteria, in this order:
- Evidence. The supplement category needs a credible peer-reviewed evidence base — ideally in women in midlife, otherwise in the bordering populations. We're conservative on emerging evidence and explicit when something is mechanistic rather than outcome-tested.
- Form. Magnesium glycinate is not magnesium oxide. Creatine monohydrate is not a "creatine matrix". EPA/DHA fish oil is not flaxseed oil. We pick the form with the strongest evidence in the relevant context, not the cheapest active by weight.
- AU-stocked, AUST L disciplined. If you can't buy it in Australia, it doesn't make the cut. We use "supports / may help / is associated with" language — never "treats / cures / prevents". If a supplement requires a TGA hepatotoxicity warning or mandatory caveat, we say so on the page where we feature it.
Brand integrity sits across all three — transparent ingredient sourcing, third-party purity testing where available, and Australian-listed AUST L numbers on every supplement label.
What we exclude and why
- US-only brands and supplements — we never link to iHerb or US Amazon. AU-stocked or it doesn't make the cut.
- Anything marketed as "balancing your hormones" — TGA-restricted phrasing and meaningless on the science.
- Black cohosh and soy isoflavones as anchor products — black cohosh requires a TGA hepatotoxicity warning; soy isoflavones have TGA-restricted advertising claims and mixed evidence. We may cover them in editorial with caveats; we don't anchor a stack on them.
- Generic multivitamins and "fat burners" — neither is appropriate for the stack we're building.
How we cite
Every health claim links to a peer-reviewed source. PubMed by PMID where possible, with secondary citations from the Australasian Menopause Society, Jean Hailes, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). We use "supports / may help / is associated with" language — never "treats / cures / prevents". When the evidence is mixed or mechanistic, we say so explicitly.
We aim to refresh citations annually. The dossier underpinning every page is published with each pillar — read the references blocks at the foot of the guide and stack pillars.
Who writes this
The Midlife is published by Pine Beach Pty Ltd (ABN 65 633 598 722, registered in New South Wales).
Editorial is signed off as The Midlife Editorial Team — a group byline rather than per-article personal bylines. We chose this pattern by editorial discipline: every page is checked, cross-referenced, and updated against the source literature, and the group byline acknowledges that work is collaborative rather than presenting a single fictional persona as the sole author. The site is not medical advice — see what we are not below and consult your GP for personalised health questions.
What we are not
We are not a medical, naturopathic, nutrition, or pharmacy service. Nothing on this site constitutes professional advice. Always consult your GP, women's-health GP, naturopath, dietitian, or pharmacist before changing your supplementation, training, hormone therapy, or recovery routine — particularly if you are considering or already taking menopausal hormone therapy (MHT/HRT), have a personal or family history of hormone-sensitive cancer, or are taking prescription medication.
For health questions please see your AU clinician. For editorial questions, email us.