This week’s episode was supposed to be a deeper dive into perimenopause, but as I started talking, the conversation went somewhere completely different. And honestly, I think it went exactly where it needed to go.

I open up about some very personal parts of my health journey, including living with HPV, abnormal pap smears, precancerous cervical cells, and a recent conversation with my doctor about potentially having a partial hysterectomy. That conversation brought up so many questions for me about what happens to our bodies as we age and the parts of womanhood we don’t talk about nearly enough.

I also share what I’ve noticed changing in my 40s when it comes to sex, libido, vaginal health, and how those changes have affected the way I see myself as a woman. We talk about vaginal estrogen, recurrent UTIs during perimenopause, my recent experience with an infection I initially ignored, and why listening to our bodies and advocating for our health matters so much.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Living with HPV and my history of abnormal pap smears
• Why my doctor brought up a partial hysterectomy
• Sex, libido, vaginal dryness, and intimacy in your 40s
• Vaginal estrogen and vaginal health during perimenopause
• My recent UTI experience and why I wish I had acted sooner
• Learning to listen to your body and advocate for yourself

If you’ve been experiencing changes in your body that you don’t understand, putting off an appointment, or simply wondering why no one ever taught us about some of these things, I hope this conversation encourages you to ask questions, listen to your gut, and take your health seriously.

Our bodies are such a gift, and sometimes, watching them change can be harder and more emotional than we expect.

Here’s to asking more questions and learning as we go. ❤️

WANT TO JOIN A COMMUNITY THAT UNDERSTANDS THIS? Sign up for my next 30 Day Challenge: CORE, PELVIC FLOOR + HORMONE STRENGTH, starting August 31, 2026…go to heidipowell.net/reset or click HERE.

Here are the key moments from the episode:

00:00 Why I’m Going Deeper Into My Perimenopause Journey

03:19 What I’ve Learned From Living Through Perimenopause at 44

05:55 HPV, Cervical Cancer Risk & What Women Need to Know

08:43 Why I Refuse to Skip My Annual Pap Smear

11:42 The Partial Hysterectomy Decision I’m Now Facing

14:28 Sex, Libido & Vaginal Changes During Perimenopause

17:15 The Emotional Reality of Watching Your Body Age

20:20 The Bladder Symptoms I Mistook for Something Else

23:28 My UTI Got Worse: When I Finally Went to Urgent Care

25:08 Why UTIs Can Become a Bigger Problem During Perimenopause

27:28 Vaginal Health Signs Women Shouldn’t Ignore

28:24 The Health Checks I Want Every Woman to Stop Putting Off

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