Can CoQ10 make motherhood easier after 40? A midlife mum’s honest review

There comes a point in midlife when you stop expecting your energy to magically return after a night’s sleep. You accept that “tired” has layers now, physical, emotional, hormonal, and caffeine can’t fix them all.

For me, that moment arrived shortly after becoming a mum at 40. I adored Cyrus, but motherhood at this stage of life felt like climbing a hill with a backpack full of dirty washing and responsibilities. I wanted to be energetic. Instead, I was running on adrenaline and cold burnt toast.

When supplements went wrong

Before motherhood, I’d always dabbled with vitamins. I liked the idea of supporting my health, but it was a bit haphazard, a multivitamin here, some omega oils there, mostly based on whatever was on offer in the chemist.

When I decided to prepare my body for pregnancy, I tried to be more intentional. I stocked up on supplements with names that sounded reassuringly scientific. One of them was Coenzyme Q10, a nutrient that helps cells produce energy. It all sounded sensible, until my body decided otherwise.

Headaches, dizziness, stomach aches, I was the opposite of energised. I stopped taking everything and went back to my usual coping strategy of coffee and sheer determination and willpower.

A different approach

A few years later, my son was four, and I was still tired. Not in a dramatic way, just consistently low on spark. My workouts felt harder, my focus wandered, and my patience sometimes evaporated mid-sentence.

That’s when I came back to Q10, but this time with a better understanding of what my body needed. I chose Pharma Nord’s Q10 Gold, known for its research-backed formulation, and started slowly with 200mg a day.

This time, my body seemed to welcome it. Within a couple of weeks, my energy felt steadier, my thinking clearer and I wasn’t bouncing off walls. I wasn’t dragging myself through the day either. I could get up, work, parent, and even enjoy a walk or a beach run without that familiar fog of fatigue.

It felt like restoration, like I’d quietly found my footing again.

Why energy matters more in midlife

No one warns you about midlife tiredness. It’s not laziness or lack of willpower; it’s biology. Our natural production of Coenzyme Q10 declines as we age, particularly after 35, just when life starts demanding more of us.

Add perimenopause into the mix, and it’s no surprise we feel permanently depleted. Q10 supports the mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses in our cells that convert food into energy. By replenishing levels, it helps the body run more efficiently.

In simple terms: it gives your cells the support they need to keep up with you.

For me, that meant I could go from just “getting through” each day to actually feeling engaged in it. And at this stage of life, that shift is everything.

The quiet trio

Alongside Q10, I take BioVitamin D3 and Bio-Magnesium, also from Pharma Nord. Between them, they help with mood, focus, and muscle recovery, all the things that tend to falter once you’re balancing family life, hormones, and a career.

It’s not a miracle cure. I still have tired days. But the difference is that my energy doesn’t bottom out completely. I can think clearly, manage stress better, and feel more balanced both physically and emotionally.

I think that’s the part often missing in midlife conversations about health. It’s not just about appearance or anti-aging. It’s about supporting your body so you can live well with focus, and enough strength left to enjoy the good bits.

The science in plain English

You won’t feel a jolt like caffeine, but over time, you notice a deeper resilience, the kind that helps you move through your day without crashing.

Midlife lessons in maintenance

What midlife has taught me is that maintenance isn’t defeat, it’s wisdom. There’s a quiet dignity in learning what your body needs and giving it that, without guilt or apology.

For years, I thought supplements were indulgent, or worse, unnecessary. Now, I see them as one part of a broader strategy: good food, movement I enjoy, early nights when possible, and a refusal to glorify burnout.

Taking Q10 daily is a small act of consistency that pays off. It’s not about trying to look younger; it’s about staying capable. It reminds me that my energy deserves the same care I give everything else in my life.

For women like me

If you’re over 40, juggling work, family, and a body that’s subtly changing, Q10 might be worth exploring. Choose quality, start gradually, and just give it time.

Midlife is a stage of life that asks you to be more intentional about what you eat, how you rest, and what you allow into your daily routine.

I no longer chase the endless to-do list or compare myself to the high-energy versions of my past. I just want to feel well enough to enjoy the life I’ve built, and Q10 helps me do that, quietly, consistently, every day.