Johannesburg – A growing number of women over 35 are quietly struggling with unexplained weight gain, crushing fatigue, anxiety, inflammation, and a body that no longer responds to the same efforts that once worked.
According to Dr. Isstelle Jonker, medical practitioner at Dr. Smook and Partners, managed by RxME Group, many women are incorrectly blaming themselves for physical and emotional changes that may be linked to complex hormonal, metabolic, and stress-related shifts that commonly emerge after the age of 35.
“Many women come to us convinced they’ve become lazy or weak,” says Dr. Isstelle.
“But in reality, they’re navigating significant hormonal, metabolic, and stress-related changes that no one properly prepared them for.
“These patients are functioning in survival mode, building careers, raising families, managing households, and carrying emotional loads their bodies were never designed to sustain long-term.”
Dr. Isstelle explains that after 35, many people experience shifts in hormone regulation, cortisol levels, insulin sensitivity, sleep quality, muscle mass, and inflammation.
Chronic stress, in particular, plays a major role.
“The modern woman rarely truly rests,” she notes.
“Even when sitting still, her nervous system is often in overdrive.
“When the body feels chronically stressed, it prioritises survival over balance, which is why so many patients feel trapped in cycles of fatigue, stubborn weight gain, poor sleep, anxiety, and emotional eating.”
This struggle often leads to deep emotional distress, with patients feeling they no longer recognise themselves.
“Women tell me, ‘I don’t feel like me anymore.’ And that’s heartbreaking,” says Dr. Isstelle.
“It’s not just about appearance. It’s about confidence, energy, identity, and feeling comfortable in your own body again.”
Dr. Smook and Partners, managed by RxME Group, has positioned itself as a leader in women’s metabolic and hormonal health by taking a more compassionate, medically informed approach.
Rather than focusing solely on willpower and restrictive diets, the practice emphasises preventative care, hormone awareness, nervous system regulation, inflammation reduction, and emotionally sustainable wellness.
Dr. Isstelle adds that many individuals are now asking more informed questions about their health and seeking a deeper understanding of symptoms they may have previously ignored or normalised.
“Women are no longer only asking how to lose weight,” she explains.
“They are asking why they feel exhausted, why their bodies feel inflamed, why their energy has changed, and why they no longer feel like themselves.
“Those are important questions, and they deserve proper medical attention.”
As awareness around women’s hormonal and metabolic health continues to grow globally,
Dr. Smook and Partners, managed by RxME Group, is seeing a significant increase in women seeking personalised, medically informed approaches to long-term wellness.
“Most women are not looking for perfection,” says Dr. Isstelle.
“They simply want to feel healthy, energised and comfortable in their own bodies again.”
As conversations around women’s health continue to evolve, Dr. Isstelle and her team at Dr. Smook and Partners are committed to helping women better understand the complex relationship between hormones, stress, metabolism, and long-term wellbeing.
