Scent and Sensitivity

Scent and Sensitivity

Why Does Everything Smell So Strong in Menopause?

Ladies, we need to have a very honest conversation about how unhinged my sense of smell has become. I do want to apologize in advance for what I’m about to address but, if you are even slightly overdressed in your own personal scent, please know my nose has already filed a full report. Unfortunately, it only knows one setting: you, times 3.

Somewhere between perimenopause and full-blown midlife, my nose appears to have upgraded itself without my consent. As my eyesight becomes progressively worse, my sense of smell has become a high-performance detection system. And this unwelcome new side effect has me gasping for new ways of reacting to it. I am not being dramatic when I say that lately, no one in my immediate vicinity is safe.

On the metro, the intensity is next level. At work, I notice everything. Elevators have become a situation. And yet, the moment I walk into my own home, my nervous system finally exhales. If you have found yourself in a similar position recently, please know you are not imagining this. Your body is not being theatrical. There is real physiology behind why smells can suddenly feel louder during perimenopause and menopause.

Many women in my situation report that perfumes become overwhelming, body odors seem stronger than before, and even ordinary cooking smells can feel oddly aggressive. It is surprisingly similar to what many of us experienced during pregnancy, when the world suddenly smelled like it had been turned up a few notches.

The reason begins with our bestie, estrogen. Our sense of smell is closely influenced by this hormone, and during perimenopause estrogen does not quietly fade into the background. It fluctuates. It spikes, dips, and generally behaves in a way that keeps the body guessing. These hormonal swings can temporarily sensitize the olfactory bulb, which is the part of the brain responsible for processing scent. When that system becomes more sensitive, everyday smells can register as far more intense than they used to. Thanks Bestie!

Layer on top of that the reality of midlife nervous systems. Many women in their late forties and fifties are navigating disrupted sleep, higher stress loads, and bodies that are simply more reactive than they were a decade earlier. When the nervous system is already on alert, the brain becomes less efficient at filtering background sensory input. Simply, that means the pleasant background hum of life can start to feel more like sensory surround sound. What once registered as “ oh my god that’s a strong cologne” can suddenly feel much more intrusive.

There is also a lesser-known player in this story: histamine. Estrogen and histamine have a surprisingly chatty relationship in the body. During perimenopause, mast cells, which are part of the immune system, can become more reactive. Histamine activity can feel higher. The mucous membranes, including those in the nose and sinuses, can become more sensitive. Histamine is well known for increasing nasal reactivity and sensory intensity, which helps explain why some women notice their seasonal allergies worsening right around the same time their hormones begin to shift.

This connection is part of why I personally became curious about black seed oil. Those of you who have been following my various self-experiments know I tend to pay close attention when my body gives me feedback. During a period when I was using black seed oil regularly, I noticed my skin looked calmer and my stomach felt noticeably flatter. Black seed oil contains thymoquinone, a compound that has been studied for its anti-inflammatory effects and its ability to help stabilize mast cells. It is not a miracle cure, and it is certainly not a replacement for proper medical care, but for some hormonally sensitive women it appears to gently calm an overreactive inflammatory terrain. My experience was enough to make me keep it in my personal toolkit.

While we are discussing midlife surprises, we should also address the under-eye puffiness that so many women suddenly notice. In this age range, puffiness is usually multifactorial. Hormonal fluid shifts, mild sinus inflammation, histamine tone, sleep quality, natural changes in the under-eye fat pads, and plain old genetics can all contribute. It is rarely one single culprit, and it is almost never the result of one indulgent evening or one stressful day. The body at fifty simply manages fluid and inflammation differently than it did at thirty.

This is where I have personally landed after a great deal of observation and research. Menopause itself is not a disease. That part is absolutely true. But midlife is undeniably a period of physiological recalibration. Many of us do become more sensitive, more reactive, and in some ways more discerning about what our bodies tolerate. That is not failure. It is information.

From both the literature and lived experience, the women who tend to feel best during this transition are the ones who focus on supporting their overall terrain. Prioritizing sleep as much as real life allows, keeping systemic inflammation as low as reasonably possible, supporting gut health, and paying attention to nervous system regulation can all make a noticeable difference. For women who suspect histamine sensitivity plays a role, gentle lifestyle adjustments can also be helpful. And, for the sake of public harmony, choosing lighter fragrances in close quarters is an act of community service we should all perhaps consider.

Most importantly, it helps enormously to stop gaslighting ourselves about what we are experiencing. The body in midlife is talking more loudly, not malfunctioning. The signals are simply more noticeable than they once were.

So if you have recently found yourself on the Milan metro mentally cataloguing three different perfumes, someone’s lunch, and the faint but unmistakable presence of overenthusiastic aftershave, you are not alone. Your nose is not broken. Your body is not being dramatic.

It is simply highly informed.

With curiosity and a very alert olfactory system,

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