How to Balance Your Hormones: What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Menopause

Today, a top menopause doctor is here to give you the science and facts on menopause and hormone replacement therapy that your doctor isn’t telling you.

This episode is a must listen because you’ll learn EXACTLY what to do to feel like yourself again.

Dr. Jen Gunter, MD is known as the internet’s best Ob-Gyn. She is a double board certified, fellowship-trained medical doctor, and a fierce advocate for women’s health. 

She says you deserve science-backed solutions, not fairytales, and she is here to bust through all menopause myths and clear through the misinformation.

You’ll learn:

-The best intervention for menopause symptoms to help you lose weight, sleep better, and stop suffering now

-Should you or a loved one be on hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?

-Which form of HRT is best?

-Are “bioidentical hormones” better?

After today you will know how to hack your hormones and get your mojo back. 

Bookmark this episode and share it with every single woman in your life, because it’s time to change the paradigm: you do not have to live with symptoms that can be resolved and you do not have to suffer.

If you liked this research-packed episode, you’ll love our first episode about menopause with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, MD: The #1 Menopause Doctor: How to Lose Belly Fat, Sleep Better, & Stop Suffering Now.

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• Disclaimer

Dr. Jen Gunter, MD:

• Dr. Gunter’s book, The Menopause Manifesto
• Dr. Gunter’s book, Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation
• Dr. Gunter’s website
• Dr. Gunter’s newsletter, The Vajenda
• Dr. Gunter’s TikTok
• Dr. Gunter’s Instagram‍
• Dr. Gunter’s podcast: Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter

In this episode:

• 3:26: If you struggle with menopause, you need to hear this. 
• 6:37: How long does menopause actually last?
• 8:02: What “normal” menopause changes look like in the body. 
• 9:42: There is a positive at the end of menopause – here’s what it is. 
• 11:14: 3 non-hormonal interventions that will help with menopause symptoms.
• 12:19: What exercises will help with muscle mass in old age. 
• 13:21: What is hormone replacement therapy and  what are the different types?
• 14:15: What makes hormone replacement therapy safe? 
• 15:32: Is plant-based hormone replacement therapy even a thing?
• 16:48: What you should ask your doctor about your hormones for the next appointment.  
• 18:04: Don’t make this ONE menopause mistake. 
• 21:16: What you need to know about “compounded” hormones. 
• 26:04: How do you even know what is FDA approved and safe to use?
• 29:45: The only 2 hormones you need to know about for longevity & vitality. 
• 31:12: Do you want to see Mel’s hormone replacement therapy patch? 
• 32:34: What the heck are “pellets” and are they safe to use?
• 40:34: Does HRT increase the risk of breast cancer? 
• 43:07: How to know if HRT is a safe option for you? 
• 45:34: If you are struggling with menopause, you need to hear this. 
• 49:43: If you wake up with hot flashes here’s what’s going on in your body. 
• 51:02: What the real reason for brain fog during menopause is. 
• 53:02: Don’t use menopause to excuse mediocre men!

More resources:

• The North American Menopause Society: Find a practitioner.
• MIDI Health: one possible source for menopause-focused telehealth care.
• Journal of Midlife Health: At 30 years, a woman has lost nearly 90% of her eggs.
• PubMed: Menopausal arthralgia: Fact or fiction? 
• Duke Obstetrics & GYN: Hormone therapy appears to reduce shoulder pain.
• The New York Times: Women have been misled about menopause.
• Journal of Neuroinflammation: Effects of perimenopause on the brain.
• The New York Times: How menopause affects women of color.
• Menopause Review: Menopause increases chronic inflammation response.
• Harvard Health: A surprising array of menopause symptoms.
• PLoS One: Increased inflammation, reduced T-cell subsets in postmenopause.
• American Heart Association: HRT may not be for you if you have heart disease.
• Women’s Health Report: Changes in body composition in menopause.
• Post Reproductive Health: HRT reduces risk for osteoporotic bone fractures.
• The New York Times: How menopause changes the brain.
• Breastcancer.org: Systemic HRT not recommended for women with history.
• Cancer Journal: HRT after breast cancer: it is time.
• Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology: HRT after breast cancer: yes, no, maybe?
• Cancer.net: Impact of HRT on cancer risk.
• The New York Times Magazine: What to know about menopause and HRT.
• Medicina: High physical activity may reduce menopausal symptoms.
• Menopause: Resistance training improves bone density, reduces hot flashes.
• Climacteric: Resistance training, 3x a week, improved quality of life. 
• Endocrine Metabolism: Resistance exercise may be most optimal strategy.
• Journal of Translational Medicine: Influence of diet on gut microbiome.
• Int J of Women’s Health: Spotlight on gut microbiome in menopause.
• Dr. Mary Claire Haver: Galveston Diet helps women lose stubborn weight.
• The New York Times: Menopause is having a moment. (podcast)
• Frontiers in Pub Health: Estrogen, progesterone on memory, mood, behavior.
• Ann Allergy Asthma Immunology: Asthma increase in menopausal women.
• Women’s Reproductive Health: Hormone disruptors and women’s health.
• Endocrine Society: What you can do about hormone-disrupting chemicals.
• Harvard Health: Taking aim at visceral (belly) fat.
• Journal of Translational Research: Anxiety higher for women in menopause.
• National Women’s Law Center: Insurance discrimination against women.‍
• The New York Times: Is hormone therapy for you? What to know.‍
• American Journal of Medicine: Hot flashes - treatments and their relation to sleep.‍
• Duke University: Understanding relationship between nutrition and menopause.‍
• The Conversation: Research finds strength and resistance training best during menopause.‍
• National Library of Medicine: Adequate sleep improves treatment for obesity.‍
• Nutrients Journal: Sleep deprivation and its effect on weight loss.‍
• National Library of Medicine: The controversial history of hormone replacement therapy‍
• The New York Times: How certain foods could help with hot flashes‍
• UCLA Health: 3 ways to increase estrogen naturally