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Episode description

Yulia Mintchin, Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur and creator of FemGene, reveals why perimenopause is an epigenetic reprogramming event — not just a hormone dip — and how genetic testing can predict your symptoms and HRT response before a single prescription is written

Key topics discussed

• Perimenopause as a communication breakdown between genes and hormones
• Why women were excluded from medical research and what that means today
• Hormone genomics and hormone genetics — a new medical category
• The three hormonal archetypes: Sensitive, Silent and Resilient
• The COMT gene variant and oestrogen clearance, affecting around 20% of the population
• Why HRT fails for 40% of women — and how FemGene aims to fix that
• Hormone metabolites vs hormone levels: the missing safety step
• Bioidentical vs synthetic oestrogen — the cherry Haribo analogy
• Endometriosis case study: progesterone and halted progression
• Oncology’s shifting stance on HRT and oestrogen during cancer treatment
• The WHI study and tamoxifen: historical context

Timestamps

00:00 Why perimenopause may be about genetic response, not just hormone decline
01:00 Meet Yulia Mintchin and the FemGene thesis
03:10 Why perimenopause is medicine’s biggest blind spot
05:05 Hormone genomics and hormone genetics explained
14:15 The three hormonal archetypes: Sensitive, Silent and Resilient
23:05 Why doubling HRT doses can backfire
24:10 COMT, oestrogen clearance and personalisation
31:40 When women should start testing
33:20 Endometriosis case study: progesterone and progression
37:20 How archetypes change HRT decisions
41:05 What the FemGene process looks like
45:00 Bioidentical vs synthetic oestrogen
51:20 Red flags that HRT is being managed poorly
56:05 Oncology, HRT and shifting views on oestrogen
58:10 Outro and disclaimer

References and resources mentioned

• FemGene hormone genomic test — via Will Be: https://www.mywillbe.co.uk/
  
  
• The WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) study — landmark trial that shaped HRT policy
• Biohacking Eve episode with Jennifer Garrison, referenced as approximately Episode 1, on hormonal changes affecting 80% of body systems
• COMT gene and oestrogen metabolism — widely studied SNP; Yulia references the slow COMT variant
• Tamoxifen and breast cancer treatment — historical context discussed

Guest social links

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yulia.mintchin/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliamintchin/
• Will Be website: https://www.mywillbe.co.uk/

Insta/TikTok: @BiohackingEve
Website: www.BiohackingEve.com