S3 Ep148: GYNE HACKS for Midlife Women
You know what a Hack is…something that solves a problem, simplifies a task or reduces frustration.  Who doesn’t love a good hack? This episode is loaded with  GYNECOLOGIC HACKS ...your gyne never told you. Useful tips, tricks and solutions for frustrating gyne problems. Alternative uses for products that are intended to be used on your vulva or in your vagina.   And if this does well, I’ve got ...
17m Oct 03, 2024
17m
S3 Ep149: Orgasm Equality with Dr. Laurie Mintz
There is a long history of women not only not knowing nothing about sexual pleasure but being made to feel as if there is something dangerous and wrong with them if they seek it. My guest for this episode is Dr. Laurie Mintz a professor, a therapist, and the author of “Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters- and how to get it”, the groundbreaking book that changed not only how millions...
47m Sep 26, 2024
47m
S3 Ep145: TESTOSTERONE for ALL? with Kelly Casperson MD
Put a group of menopause experts in a room, and there are certain things everyone will agree on. But there are other topics, that do not result in universal agreement. And, usually, when that happens, it’s the battle of the academic purists vs …everyone else. And in the menopause world right now, there is  no more controversial topic than the use of testosterone as part of the standard hormone ...
54m Sep 12, 2024
54m
S3 Ep144: ESTROGEN for the FACE? THE FACTS!
Something happens to skin after your 40th birthday, and that something isn’t good. So is it just a coincidence that wrinkles and sags show up at the same time your periods disappear, or is it just one of those mid-life things? The answer is both.  Post menopause skin without estrogen is dryer, thinner, blotchier, hairier, and wrinklier.  So, is TOPICAL ESTROGEN the answer? And is it safe? The ...
23m Sep 05, 2024
23m
S3 Ep143: Who Do You Believe When Experts Disagree? with Tamsen Fadal
In a world where women are barraged with information when it comes to how best to manage menopause, it can be overwhelming and confusing. Between having their symptoms dismissed by their regular physician, and then being overwhelmed with information on social media, it’s hard to know what’s fact and hype.  And what do you do when the doctor you trust, tells you that the social media expert you ...
49m Aug 29, 2024
49m
S3 Ep142: Don’t Go with This Flow: Post Menopause Bleeding
It can be terrifying to have bleeding when you are post-menopause. It’s not just about making the midnight run for tampons, it’s that stomach-dropping fear that “blood equals cancer” that causes women to spend hours consulting Dr. Google for some reassurance. But, although most women imagine the worst, in most cases, postmenopausal spotting or bleeding is not, is not, an indication of anything ...
30m Aug 22, 2024
30m
S3 Ep141: When Your Hair Today is Gone Tomorrow - PART 2
In Part 1 on Mid-Life Hair Loss,  I covered hair care strategies, vitamins, and supplements. And pretty much every section ended with the equivalent of “Don’t waste your money.” This episode has useful advice to get those follicles to kick in and significantly increase the hair on your head. TOPICAL minoxidil ORAL minoxidil FINASTERIDE Dutasteride Platelet-rich plasma  (PRP Injections) Low Lig...
21m Aug 15, 2024
21m
S3 Ep140: Stress Incontinence- You Go Girl- But Only When You Want To ( A Hot Flash-Back Episode) with Dr. Rachel Rubin
The market for adult diapers in the US is almost as large as the market for baby diapers. Part of this trend is because birth rates have slowed and longevity continues to lengthen. Still, the other reason why almost 50% of adults experience some form of urinary incontinence is due to an increase in risk factors. Today, with my guest, urologist Dr. Rachel Rubin, I am taking on the taboo topic of...
51m Aug 08, 2024
51m
S3 Ep139: Hair Today- Gone Tomorrow-Part 1
For guys, middle-aged hair loss is upsetting, but not something that generally prompts a doctor’s appointment. But that is not the case for women that are suddenly seeing a lot more scalp. While not exactly a medical emergency, it qualifies as an emotional emergency. This is PART 1 of 2 parts on post-menopause hair loss. This episode covers  hair care strategies, vitamins, and supplements. PAR...
23m Aug 01, 2024
23m
S3 Ep138: The Shocking Trend Happening in Bedrooms with Debby Herbenick PhD
A recent New York Times article was titled “The Troubling Trend in Teenage Sex”. Before I even clicked, I knew what that troubling trend was since I had recently attended a medical conference where I heard a lecture from Dr. Debbie Herbenick about the increasing numbers of young adults who were including CHOKING as part of their sexual repertoire. Today I am having a conversation with Dr. Herbe...
50m Jul 25, 2024
50m
S3 Ep137: A Short History of Estrogen Therapy
“The physician who puts a woman on ‘Premarin’ makes her pleasant to live with once again- something for which husbands are grateful"    1960 Premarin ad The history of hormone therapy goes back over 100 years.  And it didn’t start with horses; it started with cows.  If there is a theme, it is that history continues to repeat itself, and following the money is as important as following the scie...
22m Jul 18, 2024
22m
S3 Ep136: Muscle Mass and Menopause with Amanda Thebe
Vaginas are not the only part of the body that change mid-life. With age, muscles start to naturally atrophy- a condition called sarcopenia. Women can lose up to 10% of their muscles mass every decade.  In this episode, my guest is fitness expert Amanda Thebe, who addresses the value and importance of exercise, diet, and lifestyle choices to keep your muscles from getting mushy! Amanda’s PERSO...
58m Jul 11, 2024
58m
S3 Ep135: Minimizing the Monotony of Monogamy: How relationships change over time with Dr. Alexandra Solomon
When there is a lack of lust decades into an otherwise loving marriage or relationship, many, if not most, women assume their indifference to sex is a result of declining hormone levels and that a prescription for estrogen, testosterone or a libido enhancing drug will re-light the flame. A plunge in hormones can be part of the problem, and sometimes a trip to the pharmacy will help, but there a...
48m Jul 04, 2024
48m
S3 Ep134: The FACTS on CLOTS and ESTROGEN
Women who have a history of a blood clot, or a risk factor that makes them at high risk for developing a blood clot are generally told that hormone therapy is not an option. And then there is that terrifying black box warning on every single estrogen product, including local vaginal estrogens, that states, “Using estrogen alone may increase your chances of getting strokes or blood clots” Except...
26m Jun 27, 2024
26m
S3 Ep133: Best Breast Advice When it comes to Hormone Therapy With Dr. Corinne Menn
There continues to be great confusion regarding the impact of hormone therapy on the breast. And despite the known benefits of hormone therapy, and reassuring data regarding the impact of hormone therapy on breast cancer, most clinicians are still reluctant to prescribe it, and most women are reluctant to take it. Even more so if a woman is high risk for breast cancer or has a breast cancer dia...
57m Jun 20, 2024
57m
S3 Ep132: The Itchy Vulva (and Not So Itchy Vulva) with Dr. Jill Krapf
Men have always had the obvious advantage of inspecting their genitalia with essentially no effort on their part. For women, it’s a little more challenging. Combine that with the recommendation that there is no need for women to have a gynecologic exam as they get older, most doctors are also not looking. Today I am joined by Dr.Jill Krapf, a gynecologist whose area of expertise is …the vulva. ...
1hr 4m Jun 13, 2024
1hr 4m
S3 Ep131: Why You Need to Keep Seeing a Gyne with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany
More likely than not, if you are over 65, your internist has declared everything between your belly button and your thighs to be the “NO NEED” zone. “NO NEED”  for a pap, “NO NEED”  need for a speculum, “NO NEED”  to remove your underpants, and definitely “NO NEED”  to see a gynecologist unless you have a specific problem. But in today’s episode, I am joined by Dr. Shieva Ghofrany to explain th...
58m Jun 06, 2024
58m
S3 Ep130: Are You Ever Done with Menopause?
… and how to increase longevity with and without hormone therapy The idea that menopause only lasts for a few years is a common misconception. You may have even been told by a  medical professional that when you no longer have hot flashes, you are done with menopause! But menopause means you’re no longer producing estrogen. There are hormone receptors throughout the body and there are lifelon...
22m May 30, 2024
22m
S3 Ep129: PCOS Problems Post Menopause with Dr. Allison Rodgers
When I first learned about PCOS during my training, I was told that once a woman with PCOS hit menopause, irregular periods, excess hair growth dealing with fertility problems and other manifestations of PCOS were in the rear-view mirror. And that’s true, but we now know that women who had PCOS during the reproductive years, are not entirely off the hook down the road and that PCOS early in lif...
36m May 23, 2024
36m
S3 Ep128: Can you Exercise Your Hot Flashes Away? A Journal Club with Dr. Maria Sophocles
While not everyone is necessarily good about regular physical activity, no one questions that it’s good for you. Cardiovascular health, weight management, cognitive function, mood, better sleep and even reducing the risk of many kinds of cancer are all established benefits to moving as opposed to sitting on your butt all day. But, when it comes to the impact of exercise when it comes to reducin...
44m May 16, 2024
44m
S3 Ep126: A Deep Dive into RECURRENT UTI-Update!
The only thing more miserable than a urinary tract infection (UTI) is when it happens again, and again, and again. But, good news, there are ways to prevent post menopause RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS.  But sometimes urinary urgency, burning and that “gotta go” feeling is NOT FROM an INFECTION, and need a completely different kind of treatment.  You need to know the difference. In this e...
27m May 02, 2024
27m
S3 Ep124: All Hormones Are Not Created Equal With Dr. James Simon
Every available type of hormone therapy will effectively eliminate hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.   However, all hormone therapy is not the same.  Individual formulations impact bone health, breast health, and cardiovascular health differently.   In episode 123, Dr. James Simon and I discussed starting hormone therapy after the age of 60. In this episode, we discuss the nuances betwe...
46m Apr 18, 2024
46m
S3 Ep123: Hormone Therapy AFTER Age 60 with Dr. James Simon
While it has been established that the most optimal time to start hormone therapy is within ten years of the menopause transition or before age 60, one of the most common questions that pops up is, “Is it safe to start hormone therapy after age 60?” In this episode I have a conversation with Dr. James Simon to determine WHO is a candidate for a “late start” and HOW to evaluate if it is safe.  I...
28m Apr 11, 2024
28m
S3 Ep122: Navigating Menopause: Celebrity Style- Here We Go Again!
In 2009 I was invited to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a menopause expert to counter the other menopause “expert”, actress turned author Suzanne Somers. “Dr” Somers is not the only celebrity to help women navigate menopause.  Today, Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Hayek, Naomi Watts, and others are also doling out advice, and in some cases selling products, to manage menopause symptoms. And now, D...
28m Apr 04, 2024
28m
S3 Ep121: Dr. Streicher and Dr. Mary Claire Haver Respond to a “New” Model to Manage Menopause
                                Don't Mess with These Menopause Experts! When The Lancet, one of the oldest, most respected medical journals, published a series of articles saying that “menopause had been over-medicalized”, that many symptoms were “just in her head” and that overall, women should navigate menopause “without the need for medical treatments” a group of furious menopause experts w...
42m Mar 28, 2024
42m
S3 Ep119: Weighing in on Weight Loss Drugs
Dr. Kathleen Jordon and I sat down to discuss the two most commonly prescribed GLP- 1 Inhibitors:  Semaglutide (Ozempic™) and Terzepatide (Mounjaro™) What are GLP1 Inhibitors? How GLP-1 Inhibitors Who is a GOOD CANDIDATE to take a GLP-1 Inhibitor Who is NOT a GOOD CANDIDATE based on medical conditions Other HEALTH BENEFITS from taking a GLP1 Inhibitor besides weight loss The COST of the drugs?...
46m Mar 14, 2024
46m
S3 Ep118: How Hormones Impact the Gut and GERD
It was news to me that estrogen levels can impact on the likelihood of reflux, your gut microbiome, and even the frequency and consistency of your poop. It’s complicated, and I had a hard time interpreting the data, so I invited gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Ruchim to help me out. In this episode: How and why GERD is impacted by menopause If  Hormone Therapy Make GERD worse or better? The im...
27m Mar 07, 2024
27m
S2 Ep117: Top Tips for Terrific Skin & Hair with Dr. Ellen Gendler
In this episode I am talking to a dermatologist that has over 100 thousand followers on Instagram. And with good reason. She is funny, she tells it like it is, she is a rock star in the world of dermatology and is my go-to when it comes to mid-life skin care, fillers, Botox, not to mention how to have more hair on your head and less hair on your face. Dr. Ellen Gendler is a Clinical Associate ...
58m Feb 29, 2024
58m
S2 Ep116: Your HEART on Hormones-Update!
Estrogen is not only good for your brain, your bladder, and your bones, estrogen is also good for your blood vessels. And a lack of estrogen is one of the reasons, that heart disease spikes in women post menopause. Hormone therapy, if started within ten years of the menopause transition, appears to be heart protective. Today I am joined by Dr. Marla Mendelson, a cardiologist and associate profe...
53m Feb 22, 2024
53m
S2 Ep112: The Cosmo Report on Sex After 60 with Dr. Rachel Zar
In the 1960s, under the leadership of Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmo morphed from a “proper ladies' magazine” to a much racier version that was thought of as being a sex manual disguised as a woman’s magazine. The target audience was the young working woman. Women in their 60s were not reading it and were certainly not buying subscriptions for their daughters or granddaughters. And here we are, Cosm...
29m Jan 25, 2024
29m
S2 Ep111: BONE UP with Hormone Therapy with Dr. Kristi DeSapri
While many women are aware that hormone therapy is good for the bones, it is usually thought of as a side benefit. You know, women take hormone therapy because they are flashing or can’t sleep and then are told, are told, by the way ..estrogen will also help prevent bone loss. In the United States, there are 10 million women with OSTEOPOROSIS and 43 million women with OSTEOPENIA. Most of these...
54m Jan 18, 2024
54m
S2 Ep110: Home Menopause Tests YEA! or NAY?
Pregnancy tests, ovulation tests…and now the latest in tests you can do in your bathroom laboratory- Menopause Tests! Clear Blue™, who sell ovulation predictor kits and home pregnancy tests, has come out with an over-the-counter kit to help women who are “confused and wondering if what you’re feeling is the start of the menopause journey, or perhaps something else.” All you need to do is pee on...
17m Jan 11, 2024
17m
S2 Ep109: Don't Retire...Rewire! with Jill Wine-Banks
Jill Wine-Banks may be known to you as the Watergate Special Prosecutor who famously cross-examined Rose Mary Woods, President Nixon’s secretary, about the 18-minute gap in the Watergate tapes.  In addition to multiple other high-profile jobs (scroll down for the list!) decades later, she is now an MSNBC Legal Analyst. In addition, she is the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and...
48m Jan 04, 2024
48m
S2 Ep108: Hot Topics in Menopause with Dr. Terry Gibbs
 A recurrent theme in my podcasts is that most medical students and residents do not get training in sexual medicine and menopause, which is why most doctors are not experts. And why so many women get frustrated that finding solutions for their menopause symptoms is too often a do-it-yourself research project. But today, I am joined by someone who is passionate and dedicated to educating the do...
39m Dec 21, 2023
39m
S2 Ep106: It's Time To Redefine Menopause
In a perfect world, an alert would pop up on your phone announcing, “You are now in perimenopause,” followed at the appropriate time by “You are now leaving perimenopause and entering post menopause.” But it’s not a perfect world, and unless you are thrust into menopause because of ovary removal or chemotherapy, in many, if not most cases, it’s hard to know what your ovaries are doing. Menopaus...
30m Dec 07, 2023
30m
S2 Ep105: Top Things MEN Need to Know About MENOPAUSE
 If you think you’re having a hard time navigating vaginal dryness, painful sex, insomnia, and hot flashes, I can guarantee that if there is a man in your life, he is also having a hard time. More likely than not, he is completely in the dark about why you are having these symptoms and what he can do to help. In this episode, I sit down with Rachel Hughes, the host of Perimenopause WTF to discu...
45m Nov 30, 2023
45m
S2 Ep104: The Mouth and Menopause
I spend a lot of time talking about dry vaginas and the impact that genitourinary syndrome of menopause has on your sex life, your day-to-day comfort, and bladder function. But vaginas are not the only thing that gets dry during menopause. This episode is all about another area of the body that biologically has a lot in common with a dry vagina…and that’s your post-menopause mouth. What mouths...
18m Nov 23, 2023
18m
S2 Ep103: Can CANNABIS Help You SLEEP?
The number one complaint during perimenopause and menopause is insomnia. When a woman goes to her doctor and asks for help, she is rarely if ever, told that cannabis may be the answer. But at least one of four women walk out of the office and march right over to a local cannabis dispensary to get some help.  Today’s guest, Ellen Scanlon, is the host of the hit podcast, How to Do the Pot, and sh...
47m Nov 16, 2023
47m
S2 Ep102: An Insider Approach to Ovarian Cancer with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany
When someone is diagnosed with uterine cancer, in most cases, their uterus announces there is a problem by bleeding when it is not supposed to, or bleeding too heavily. Breast cancer, in most cases makes itself known by a lump, a nipple discharge or an abnormality on a mammogram. But ovarian cancer is not so accommodating and, in many cases, does not make its presence known until it has already...
53m Nov 09, 2023
53m
S2 Ep101: 23 Tips to Drop Peri &Post-Menopause Pounds: UPDATE!
You are never going to get your 20-year-old body back any more than you are going to return to a wrinkle-free face. In Episode 100,  I went through all of the reasons why on average, women put on 5-7 pounds during perimenopause, and are twice as likely as mid-life men to have obesity. So now that you understand why you woke up one day and your scale registered your mother’s weight, (https://www...
29m Nov 02, 2023
29m
S2 Ep100: Why Women Gain Weight in Menopause
On average, women put on 5-7 pounds during perimenopause, and then 1 to 5 pounds every year after. While lifestyle and age are partially responsible, men have the same genetics, lifestyle changes and less than perfect diets as women do. But it is twice as likely- for a midlife woman to have obesity compared to men.  So, what’s the difference? The difference is men don’t have hot flashes, insomn...
23m Oct 26, 2023
23m
S2 Ep99: When Perimenopausal BLEEDING is the Problem
Years before estrogen production completely shuts down, hormone levels start to fluctuate wildly during that special time of life known as perimenopause. Perimenopausal hormonal fluctuations result in the same symptoms that many women experience when they are in full menopause, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and insomnia. But there is a bonus symptom that post-menopausal women don’t experience -...
27m Oct 19, 2023
27m
S2 Ep98: Live From THE MENOPAUSE SOCIETY Annual Meeting
The Menopause Society, formerly known as the North American Menopause Society, or NAMS, is the professional society to which pretty much every menopause expert and researcher belongs. Every year menopause experts from all over the world gather for five days of lectures, symposiums, panel discussions, and presentation of new research at the menopause society annual meeting. In this episode, I w...
42m Oct 12, 2023
42m
S2 Ep97: Are You Laughing at Me or Did You Have an Orgasm?
If you laugh, weep, or have foot pain when have an orgasm, you are not the only one. But, since it’s not a topic that generally comes up in casual conversation, you may think you are the only one, and end up spending a lot of time explaining to your partner that you are not laughing at them, and if you burst into tears post orgasm, you are not necessarily unhappy.  What you may be experiencing ...
14m Oct 05, 2023
14m
S2 Ep95: Herbs, Spices, and Wishful Thinking
It is estimated that between 50% and 75% of postmenopausal women use complementary and alternative therapies for management of menopausal symptoms. The options are as endless, as are the ads. In today’s episode I’m going to fill you in on which of the over-the-counter botanicals might fix your broken thermostat. This episode is the last segment of a three-part series covering all of the NON-HOR...
35m Sep 21, 2023
35m
S2 Ep94: HORMONES and the VOICE
Have you ever wondered why so many women professional singers retire in their prime, but the guys keep on going?  I googled “musicians over the age of 70 who are still performing” and Paul McCartney, Elton John, Marvin Gaye,  Mick Jagger, and dozens of others popped up. The list was really long for guys, and really short for women. One reason is that when estrogen levels take a plunge, the chan...
38m Sep 14, 2023
38m
S2 Ep92: The Estrogen and Cancer Conundrum
                          Uterine? Ovarian? Cervical? Lung? Breast? Colon? Hormone therapy really needs a PR firm. Most people think it is right up there with cigarettes and asbestos as something that will more likely than not, give you not only breast cancer, but also other life-threatening cancers. In this episode, I am going to set the record straight and tell you the facts when it comes to ...
26m Aug 31, 2023
26m
S2 Ep90: The Connection Between ACHING JOINTS and ESTROGEN
It’s no secret that there is a connection between menopause and hot flashes, but there are many other symptoms that are consequences of a lack of estrogen beyond night sweats, vaginal dryness, and bone loss. And joint pain is definitely on that list. So, what is the impact of menopause on arthritis and joint pain? Is estrogen therapy the answer? In this episode I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Fau...
24m Aug 17, 2023
24m
S2 Ep89: Faking Orgasm
While not every woman fakes orgasm, and most don’t do it routinely, it’s the rare woman who hasn’t done it at least once. Early research indicated that roughly 55% of women have faked orgasm at least once in their lifetime. This general pattern has since been confirmed in more recent studies, some reporting rates as high as 74%. In this episode I am joined by certified sex therapist Rachel Zar,...
40m Aug 10, 2023
40m
S2 Ep88: VAGINAL LASER -Hoax or Helpful?
Not only can you laser your face smooth, laser your pubic hair away, and laser off regrettable tattoos—you can also laser your vagina. But should you? Vaginal laser is highly controversial in medical circles. Here’s why it gets mixed reviews, along with need-to-know info if you do choose to sign up. This episode will include: The science behind the CO2 laser and how it works Why many doctors ...
25m Aug 03, 2023
25m