Women’s Health Week 2026: Five Days of Coming Back to You
7–11 September 2026
Written by Michelle Ringin, Western Medicinal Herbalist & Weight Management Practitioner | Date Published: August 29 2026 | Last Reviewed: August 29 2026 Reading time: 12 minutes
When was the last time you truly checked in with yourself?
Not whether everyone else was okay. Not what needed doing at work, what was for dinner, who needed an appointment, what was happening tomorrow or whether you had remembered everything on your list.
How are you?
As women, our bodies move through many seasons.
From the cycling years and menstruation, through pregnancy and motherhood for some, into the shifting hormonal landscape of perimenopause, menopause and the years beyond.
Our nutritional needs change. Our hormones change. Our sleep can change. Our energy, metabolism, mood, stress response, bones, muscles and cardiovascular health can change too.
And yet, somewhere amongst everything life asks of us, it can become surprisingly easy to lose connection with our own bodies.
We push through tiredness.
We normalise poor sleep.
We accept painful or heavy periods because they've "always been like that".
We put mood changes down to stress.
We dismiss changes in our bodies because we're getting older.
And sometimes we become so accustomed to not feeling quite right that it becomes our new normal.
As a herbalist, one of the most important things I can encourage a woman to do isn't to take a herb.
It's to become curious about her body again.
Because herbal medicine isn't simply about finding something natural to make a symptom disappear.
It's about asking:
Why might this be happening? What has changed? What does this particular woman need?
So, for Women's Health Week this year, I'm inviting you to spend five days gently coming back to yourself.
Not through a detox.
Not through a diet.
And certainly not through another list of things you "should" be doing.
Instead, we're going to explore five simple pillars:
NOURISH • BALANCE • RESTORE • LISTEN • CONNECT
Five conversations about women's health.
And five beautiful plant allies to walk alongside us.
This article- In a nutshell
Women’s health changes throughout the different seasons of our lives, and symptoms such as persistent fatigue, poor sleep, changing periods, mood changes or simply feeling “not quite yourself” deserve attention rather than always being brushed aside.
For Women’s Health Week 2026, we’re exploring five ways to come back to your health and wellbeing: Nourish, Balance, Restore, Listen and Connect.
Along the way, we’ll look at nutrition, hormones and perimenopause, fatigue and sleep, understanding the messages our bodies give us, and the importance of connection- all through the lens of a Western herbal medicine practitioner.
Five days. Five plant allies. And one body worth listening to.
Women's Health Week at a glance
What is Women's Health Week?
Women's Health Week is an opportunity to bring greater attention to women's physical, mental and emotional health and encourage women to check in with their own wellbeing.
When is Women's Health Week 2026?
Women's Health Week is being recognised from 7–11 September 2026.
What women's health topics are we exploring this week?
At Inner Peace Holistic Herbal Therapy, we're exploring five areas of women's wellbeing: nourishment, hormonal health, restoration and fatigue, body awareness, and connection.
Can herbal medicine support women's health?
Herbal medicine may form part of an individualised approach to women's health alongside nutrition, lifestyle strategies and appropriate medical care. The herbs chosen depend on the individual, their symptoms, health history, medications and stage of life rather than their diagnosis or symptom alone.
DAY ONE - NOURISH
Nourishment is about far more than calories
There is an enormous difference between simply eating and being truly nourished.
Our bodies require protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals to produce energy, build and repair tissue, support the nervous system, maintain muscle and bone and carry out thousands of processes every day.
And women's nutritional needs aren't static.
Menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, periods of high stress and the transition through perimenopause and menopause can all change the nutritional landscape.
Iron deserves particular attention
For menstruating women, iron is something I pay close attention to- particularly where periods are heavy or prolonged.
Iron deficiency can contribute to fatigue, weakness, headaches, poor concentration and reduced exercise tolerance.
And simply taking iron without knowing whether you need it isn't necessarily the answer. Persistent fatigue deserves investigation.
Protein becomes increasingly important as we age
Through midlife and beyond, maintaining muscle matters.
Muscle isn't simply about how our body looks. It contributes to strength, mobility, metabolic health, independence and healthy ageing.
This makes adequate protein alongside resistance and weight-bearing activity increasingly important as we move through menopause and beyond.
And don't forget the bones
The hormonal changes around menopause can accelerate bone loss.
Calcium, vitamin D, adequate protein, movement and resistance exercise all have important roles in maintaining bone health.
Nourishment, then, isn't about eating less and making our bodies smaller.
It is about giving our bodies the building blocks they need to carry us through every season of life.
Herbal Ally - Nettle
Urtica dioica
Nettle is one of those plants I have enormous affection for.
It isn't exotic or glamorous. It grows close to the earth and has been used traditionally for generations.
In Western herbal medicine, Nettle leaf has a long history as a nourishing herbal tonic and is often incorporated into teas and formulas where gentle nutritive support is wanted.
It also reminds us of something I love about herbal medicine:
Powerful plant medicine doesn't always come from somewhere far away. Sometimes it grows quietly beneath our feet.
Today's invitation
Rather than asking:
“What should I stop eating?”
Try asking:
“What could I add today that would nourish my body?”
Perhaps some protein with breakfast.
Another handful of vegetables.
Some colourful fruit.
Nuts or seeds.
A proper lunch.
Or simply another glass of water.
Nourishment doesn't require perfection.
DAY TWO - BALANCE
Hormonal balance isn't about keeping hormones perfectly still
We hear the phrase hormonal balance everywhere.
But hormones aren't supposed to remain at one perfect level.
They rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle and change considerably across a woman's lifetime.
Perimenopause is a particularly interesting and sometimes challenging hormonal season.
During the reproductive years, oestrogen and progesterone generally follow a reasonably predictable rhythm across the menstrual cycle.
As we move into perimenopause, ovarian function begins to change.
Ovulation may become less predictable.
Progesterone can become more variable as ovulation becomes less consistent, while oestrogen may fluctuate considerably rather than simply declining in a neat, straight line.
Eventually, as menopause approaches, ovarian production of oestrogen and progesterone falls.
For some women, this transition is relatively smooth.
For others, it can feel as though somebody has quietly changed the rules of their body without telling them.
Periods may become irregular, heavier, lighter, longer or shorter.
Sleep can change.
Hot flushes and night sweats may appear.
Some women experience mood changes, anxiety, brain fog, headaches, fatigue, changes in libido, vaginal or urinary changes, or aches and pains.
But there's something very important here:
Being a woman in your 40s or 50s doesn't mean every new symptom is caused by hormones.
Thyroid conditions, iron deficiency, nutritional deficiencies, medication effects, sleep disorders and many other conditions can overlap with symptoms commonly attributed to perimenopause.
Good women's healthcare should remain curious.
Herbal Ally - Vitex
Vitex agnus-castus
Vitex has a long history of traditional use in Western herbal medicine for particular menstrual and hormonal presentations.
But I chose Vitex for today for another reason.
It beautifully demonstrates why herbal medicine shouldn't be practised as:
“You have symptom X, therefore take herb Y.”
I wouldn't recommend Vitex simply because someone tells me their hormones feel "out of balance".
I'd want to know much more.
What are the menstrual cycles doing?
Has the pattern changed?
What stage of life is this woman in?
What medications is she taking?
What other symptoms are occurring?
What is her medical history?
What might need investigation?
And what are we actually trying to achieve?
Two women can walk into clinic with seemingly identical symptoms and leave with completely different herbal formulas.
That individualisation is one of the great strengths of herbal medicine.
Today's invitation
Notice what's changing.
Your cycle.
Your sleep.
Your temperature.
Your mood.
Your energy.
Your libido.
Your body.
Write things down.
Patterns often become much clearer when we stop relying on memory and begin tracking them.
DAY THREE - RESTORE
“I'm just tired.”
These may be some of the most common words I hear from women.
Life is busy. Sleep gets interrupted. Stress accumulates.
Sometimes we genuinely are tired because we need more rest.
But there's a difference between having a tiring week and living with persistent fatigue that doesn't improve.
Fatigue can have many contributors.
Poor sleep.
Chronic stress.
Heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency.
Not eating enough.
Blood sugar fluctuations.
Thyroid conditions.
Hormonal changes.
Illness or recovery from illness.
Medication effects.
Nutrient deficiencies.
Mental health.
And often, several things are happening at once.
This is where the herbalist's detective work begins
When someone comes to me saying:
“I'm exhausted.”
My first thought isn't:
Which herb gives energy?
I want to understand the fatigue.
When did it begin?
Is it worse in the morning or afternoon?
Is sleep refreshing?
Are they struggling to fall asleep or waking throughout the night?
What are they eating?
How are their periods?
What is happening hormonally?
How much stress are they carrying?
What medications or supplements are they taking?
Have appropriate blood tests or medical investigations been done?
Because simply stimulating an exhausted body isn't always what it needs.
Sometimes the body needs nourishment.
Sometimes it needs nervous-system support.
Sometimes it needs better sleep.
Sometimes it needs investigation.
And sometimes it genuinely needs permission to stop.
Herbal Ally - Chamomile
Matricaria recutita
Chamomile is often dismissed as "just a tea".
Herbalists know better.
Traditionally used in Western herbal medicine for nervous tension and digestive complaints, Chamomile is a beautiful example of a gentle plant that can still hold an important place in herbal practice.
I particularly love the connection between the nervous system and digestion here.
Many of us know exactly what stress can do to the stomach.
And there's another part of Chamomile's medicine I think we sometimes overlook.
The ritual.
Boiling the kettle.
Making the tea.
Holding something warm.
Sitting down long enough to drink it.
Sometimes restoration begins with stopping.
Today's invitation
Take ten minutes today where absolutely nothing is required of you.
No scrolling.
No chores.
No multitasking.
No need to achieve anything.
Just ten minutes to restore.
DAY FOUR - LISTEN
Your body doesn't need to be shouting before you pay attention
Our bodies communicate with us constantly.
But many women become incredibly good at overriding the messages.
I'm just tired.
My periods have always been awful.
It's probably stress.
I'm just getting older.
I'll make an appointment when things settle down.
Listening to your body doesn't mean becoming frightened by every ache, pain or change.
It means knowing what is normal for you and recognising when something is different.
There are some things we shouldn't simply keep pushing through.
Very heavy or unusual bleeding.
Bleeding between periods.
Bleeding after sex.
Any bleeding after menopause.
Persistent or unexplained pain.
A new breast change.
Significant changes in bowel or bladder habits.
Persistent fatigue.
Ongoing changes in mood or mental wellbeing.
Or a symptom that simply keeps concerning you.
These deserve an appropriate healthcare conversation.
Herbal medicine and conventional medicine don't have to sit on opposite sides of the fence.
This is something I feel strongly about in my practice.
I love herbal medicine.
I believe deeply in the value of traditional plant medicine.
And I also believe in blood tests, imaging, medical investigations and referrals when they're needed.
They are not mutually exclusive.
If something needs investigation, I would much rather we understand what we're dealing with before trying to support it.
Herbal medicine can then sit alongside conventional healthcare where appropriate, with a clearer understanding of the whole picture.
Herbal Ally - Tulsi
Ocimum tenuiflorum
Tulsi has a rich history of traditional use and is a plant associated with wellbeing and resilience.
For today's purpose, though, Tulsi represents something beautifully simple:
creating enough space to hear ourselves again.
Because not every symptom needs to be immediately silenced.
Sometimes it needs to be understood.
Today's invitation
Ask yourself:
“What has my body been trying to tell me lately?”
Perhaps there's an appointment you've been putting off.
A symptom you've normalised.
A health check that's overdue.
Or something you've mentioned before but still don't feel satisfied has been properly understood.
You are allowed to ask questions.
You are allowed to seek another opinion.
And you are allowed to say:
“This isn't normal for me, and I'd like to understand why.”
DAY FIVE - CONNECT
We weren't designed to do everything alone
Health isn't created solely through what we eat, how much we exercise or which supplements we take.
Humans need connection.
Connection with people who make us feel safe.
Connection with community.
Connection with our bodies.
Connection with nature.
And perhaps most importantly, connection with ourselves.
The modern idea of "self-care" can sometimes make caring for ourselves feel like another task we're failing to complete.
Buy the candle.
Do the meditation.
Take the supplements.
Get 10,000 steps.
Drink the water.
Journal.
Meal prep.
Get eight hours sleep.
And somehow fit all of that around an already full life.
I think self-care can be much simpler.
Sometimes it's asking for help.
Sitting outside in the sunshine.
Calling someone you love.
Walking amongst the trees.
Saying no without explaining yourself.
Going to the doctor.
Having lunch instead of working through it.
Or making yourself a cup of tea and actually sitting down to drink it.
For me, connection with the natural world also holds an important place in wellbeing.
Plants have their own seasons of growth, flowering, fruiting, dying back and renewal.
So do we.
We aren't meant to remain in full bloom all year.
There are seasons for growth and seasons for rest.
And as we move into spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps this is a beautiful time to notice what is beginning to stir within us again.
Herbal Ally - Rose
Rosa spp.
Across cultures and generations, Rose has become deeply entwined with love, beauty and the heart.
Within traditional herbal practice, Rose also has its place — but for our final plant ally, I have chosen her primarily for what she represents.
Tenderness.
Connection.
And remembering that the relationship we have with ourselves matters too.
Today's invitation
Ask yourself:
“What helps me feel most like myself?”
And then find a little space for it.
Five days. Five conversations.
One relationship worth tending.
Women's health is enormous.
We could talk about menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, pelvic health, cardiovascular health, metabolic health, breast health, bone health, mental health, sexual wellbeing, perimenopause, menopause, healthy ageing and so much more.
We can't fit all of women's health into five days.
But we can begin a conversation.
And perhaps Women's Health Week can simply be the little reminder we sometimes need to stop and notice how we're travelling.
To nourish ourselves.
To understand our changing bodies.
To restore rather than continually push.
To listen when something doesn't feel right.
And to remain connected to ourselves, our communities and the world around us.
And I'd love to finish the week with you in person
On Thursday 10th September, I'm opening the doors of Inner Peace Holistic Herbal Therapy for our:
WOMEN'S WELLNESS OPEN DAY
Come in for a cuppa, explore the clinic and spend a little time talking about women's health, herbal medicine and connecting.
There will be:
🌿 Herbal tea tasting
🌿 Herbal displays and free samples
🌿 Ask the Herbalist- bring along your general herbal questions
🌿 Free Women's Wellness Check-Ins
🌿 Women's health information
🌿 Our beautiful Women's Wellness Hamper Giveaway
🌿 And plenty of time for tea, conversation and connection.
You don't need to already be a client.
You don't need to know anything about herbal medicine.
And you don't need to have something "wrong" with you.
Come exactly as you are.
Perhaps this Women's Health Week is simply your invitation to come back.
Come back to your body.
Come back to what nourishes you.
Come back to what restores you.
Come back to your people.
Come back to nature.
Come back to yourself.
Further Reading & Health Information
Good Australian sources include:
- Healthdirect Australia – Perimenopause
- Australian Government Department of Health – Menopause
- Healthdirect Australia – Women's Health
Frequently Asked Questions About Women's Health & Herbal Medicine
Can herbal medicine help with perimenopause?
Herbal medicine may be used as part of an individualised approach to support some women experiencing symptoms during perimenopause. However, there isn't one herbal formula that suits every woman. A herbalist considers symptoms, menstrual patterns, medical history, medications, nutrition, lifestyle and other factors before recommending treatment. New, persistent or unusual symptoms should also be appropriately medically assessed.
What are some common signs of perimenopause?
Perimenopause can involve changes to menstrual cycles as well as hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, mood changes, fatigue, changes in libido, vaginal or urinary symptoms, headaches and difficulties with concentration or memory. Experiences vary considerably between women, and other health conditions can sometimes cause similar symptoms.
Is persistent fatigue normal for women?
Feeling tired occasionally is normal, but ongoing or unexplained fatigue shouldn't simply be dismissed as part of being busy, getting older or going through menopause. Sleep problems, stress, iron deficiency, thyroid conditions, nutritional factors, medications and other health conditions can contribute to fatigue, so persistent symptoms may need further investigation.
Why does a herbalist ask so many questions?
Western herbal medicine looks beyond an isolated symptom. A herbalist may ask about sleep, digestion, menstrual and hormonal health, stress, nutrition, medications, energy, medical history and other aspects of health to understand the broader pattern before developing an individual treatment approach.
Can I take herbs if I'm taking medication?
Herbal medicines can interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and some herbs aren't appropriate with particular medical conditions. Always tell your herbalist about medicines and supplements you're taking, and don't stop or change prescribed medication without discussing it with the appropriate healthcare professional.
Do I need to be unwell to see a herbalist?
No. Some people seek herbal and nutritional support because they have a particular health concern, while others want support with general wellbeing, nutrition, sleep, stress or navigating changing stages of life. Where symptoms require medical investigation, an appropriately qualified healthcare professional should also be involved.
About the Author
Michelle Ringin | Medicinal Herbalist & Weight Management Practitioner
Michelle Ringin is a qualified Western Herbal Medicine practitioner and member of the NHAA, practising at Inner Peace Holistic Herbal Therapy in Lithgow, NSW. Her work includes women's health, hormonal wellbeing, fatigue, nutrition and individualised herbal medicine support through both in-clinic and online consultations.
Michelle believes traditional herbal medicine and modern healthcare can work alongside one another, with appropriate investigation and referral forming an important part of responsible herbal practice.
This article provides general health education and is not intended to diagnose or treat an individual health condition or replace individual medical advice. New, persistent, severe or concerning symptoms should be assessed by an appropriate healthcare professional. Herbal medicines can interact with medicines and may not be suitable during pregnancy, breastfeeding or with some health conditions.
Inner Peace Holistic Herbal Therapy
Healing, Naturally. Together.
Located Lithgow | 0490 335 602 | info@innerpeacehealth.com.au
NHAA Member 155639 | ABN: 30874985213