Join us for one of our LIVE events: https://bit.ly/3UeeHEL

Perimenopause is hard enough without being told you need expensive supplements, miracle hormones, and a new workout routine that apparently requires becoming an Olympic athlete. With menopause misinformation everywhere and wellness influencers selling solutions to problems you didn't know you had, how do you separate science from a really good sales pitch?

Women's health and fitness coach Amanda Thebe joins the Docs on this episode of OvaryActive for a refreshingly unfiltered conversation about menopause, hormone therapy, and the business of women's health. Amanda shares her own difficult menopause journey, why hormone therapy isn't right for everyone, and how she went from struggling with symptoms to advocating for evidence-based menopause education and realistic lifestyle changes.

Amanda and the Docs are talking all about menopause myths, misleading hormone claims, questionable supplements, and the growing industry profiting from women's fears. They also explore realistic fitness goals, the power of small habits, the mental load of midlife, and why a doctor's appointment alone isn't a complete menopause plan.

You will learn how to recognize misinformation, advocate for better menopause care, and prioritize sustainable lifestyle changes without spending a fortune or being a complete jerk to themselves.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[1:37] Amanda's menopause journey

[5:06] Menopause misinformation

[8:47] Hormone therapy hype

[13:54] Building a menopause community

[18:51] Lifestyle over supplements

[27:28] Reframing midlife expectations

[31:25] Managing mental load

[34:09] Menopause healthcare gaps

[37:45] Coaching meets medicine

[41:29] Healthcare inequality

[45:01] Questionable hormone treatments

[49:48] Advocating for yourself

Links:

amandathebe.com

Join SPRING w/ Amanda Thebe

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive

Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch

Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Is it ADHD, perimenopause, or has your brain simply decided it has reached maximum capacity?

In this episode of OvaryActive, the Docs are talking about the very real overlap between ADHD symptoms and perimenopause. This includes brain fog, forgetfulness, disorganization, overwhelm, and the sudden inability to keep all those carefully balanced plates spinning.

ADHD may become more noticeable in midlife, especially for women whose inattentive symptoms went undiagnosed as kids. They explain what ADHD can actually look like in women, why old coping strategies may stop working during perimenopause, and when it might be worth getting a formal ADHD evaluation instead of assuming hormones are responsible for everything.

Sometimes the answer is hormones. Sometimes it's ADHD. Sometimes your brain has simply opened 47 tabs and refuses to tell you where the music is coming from.

You'll hear about ADHD versus perimenopause symptoms, hormone therapy and stimulants, estrogen and dopamine, study limitations, and why worsening ADHD symptoms in your late 30s or 40s may be worth discussing with your doctor. The research still has plenty of unanswered questions, but one thing is clear: if your mental gigabytes suddenly feel full, you're not imagining it.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:30] Why ADHD comes up NOW

[3:30] ADHD diagnosis basics

[7:38] ADHD Symptoms checklist

[12:04] Peri & ADHD tools

[17:35] Let's talk data!

[23:52] We hear you. We see you. You're not crazy.

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive

Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch

Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Progesterone: soothing hormone, sleep savior, uterine bodyguard… or wildly overhyped perimenopause celebrity?

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch take on micronized progesterone, progestins, and the many confident claims the internet has made about both. Because apparently even hormones need a PR team.

The Docs explain the difference between progesterone, progestogens, and progestins; why micronized progesterone is formulated the way it is; and why progesterone creams and "natural" wild yam products are not doing what TikTok may have promised.

The episode also looks at progesterone's reputation for improving sleep, why some people feel dramatically better while others feel absolutely nothing, and the small subset who can experience poor mood effects instead of calm. Finally, Rebecca and Amy tackle the complicated evidence around micronized progesterone, breast cancer risk, and long-term hormone therapy.

Listeners will walk away knowing what the research actually says, what it definitely does not say, and why "it depends" remains medicine's least satisfying but frequently most correct (for now) answer.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:46] Progestogens: Pick a Lane

[3:43] Micronized, Not Magical

[5:34] Please Don't Put That There

[8:10] Protecting the Uterus, Ideally

[12:12] Bleeding: Worth Investigating

[17:51] Allopregnanolone Enters the Chat

[21:27] When "Calming" Backfires

[23:16] More Doesn't Always Mean Better

[25:10] Sleep Savior? Let's Check the Data

[32:20] Breast Cancer Risk: Hello, Nuance

[41:07] The Five-Year Rule That Isn't Really a Rule

[42:17] Progesterone: Neither Villain Nor Savior

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive

Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch

Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.