"Talk to your doctor" sounds simple. Actually getting useful menopause care can be anything but.

In this episode of our special podcast series with WellnessMD, Jacquie Court sits down with Dr. Daniela Steyn to talk about how women can navigate menopause care in Canada.

They discuss where to begin, why some primary healthcare providers may be able to prescribe hormone therapy but may not have additional menopause training, and what to do when your doctor cannot provide the support you need.

You will also learn how to prepare for a short appointment, describe the impact of your symptoms more clearly and identify the one issue you most want addressed first.

Because "I'm tired" is true. But "I'm barely sleeping, I cannot focus at work and it is affecting my ability to function" gives your healthcare provider somewhere to begin.

This series is presented in partnership with WellnessMD. She2.0 provides general information and conversation, not medical advice, and does not necessarily endorse every opinion or claim made by the experts we interview. Always speak with a qualified healthcare provider about your individual health and treatment options.

In this episode:

• Where to begin when looking for menopause care in Canada
• What your primary healthcare provider may be able to offer
• Why menopause training varies among providers
• How to prepare for your appointment
• How to explain the effect symptoms are having on your life
• The "magic wand" question that can help you identify your priority
• How to ask what happens next when your provider cannot help

You are still getting your period. You have had one hot flash, possibly. But you are not sleeping, your brain feels unreliable and everyone around you has suddenly become exceptionally irritating.

Could this be perimenopause?

In this episode of the She2.0 and WellnessMD podcast series, Jacquie talks with Dr. Daniela Steyn about what perimenopause actually is, how it differs from menopause and why symptoms can begin years before your final period.

They also unpack the misconception that one hormone test can confirm or rule out perimenopause. Hormone levels fluctuate throughout the cycle, which means a result may appear normal even when a woman is experiencing disruptive symptoms.

That does not mean blood work has no role. Testing can be helpful in certain circumstances and can also identify other health concerns that may cause or worsen similar symptoms. The important point is that menopause care requires more than a single number on a page.

In this episode:

• What perimenopause and menopause actually mean

• Why symptoms can begin while periods are still regular

• How early the menopause transition can begin

• Why one blood test may not provide a complete answer

• When hormone testing may still be helpful

• Other blood work worth discussing with your healthcare provider

• Sleep disruption, brain fog, anxiety and irritability

• Fertility and ovulation during perimenopause

• What happens when an IUD or hysterectomy makes periods an unreliable clue

• The connection between menopause symptoms and confidence at work

• Why previously manageable ADHD symptoms may become harder to manage

• Bone, heart and metabolic health during the transition

• Why early menopause deserves medical attention

• The importance of advocating for yourself

This series was created in partnership with WellnessMD. She2.0 provides general information and conversation, not medical advice. The opinions and claims expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by She2.0. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options.

Menopause gets blamed for everything, including the disappearance of our sex drive. But what if hormones are only part of the story?

In this episode of She2.0, I'm talking with Dr. Daniela Steyn of WellnessMD about sex in midlife: painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, changes in orgasm and the libido that has gone MIA.

We get into the physical stuff that deserves proper attention, including vaginal atrophy, vaginal estrogen, lubrication and testosterone. We also talk about the less tidy stuff: stress, resentment, body image and the mental load. Because it's hard to feel interested in sex when you're exhausted, disconnected from your partner or quietly keeping a running list of everything that still needs doing.

I share what happened when sex became painful for me, why fixing the pain didn't automatically bring intimacy back, and what finally helped me and my husband start talking honestly.

If your sex drive has changed during perimenopause or menopause, you're not broken, and you don't have to shrug and accept painful sex. There may be several things going on, and this conversation is a good place to start asking better questions.

This episode is part of She2.0's podcast series with WellnessMD. Our conversation is for information and discussion, not personal medical advice. If sex is painful, bleeding or otherwise uncomfortable, speak with a qualified healthcare professional about what's causing it and what options are right for you.

Why Don't I Feel Like Myself? Brain Fog, Mood and the Midlife Mind

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

You forget a word. Lose your train of thought. Walk into a room with absolutely no idea why you are there.

At first, you laugh. Then it happens again, and a much more frightening question appears: Is something wrong with my brain?

In this episode of the She2.0 and WellnessMD podcast series, Jacquie talks with Dr. Daniela Steyn about the cognitive and emotional changes that can happen during perimenopause and menopause.

They explore brain fog, memory changes, disrupted sleep, anxiety, depression and hormone rage, along with the fear many women carry about dementia.

They also talk about why depression is not a failure of willpower. When getting out of bed already feels impossible, being told to exercise, meditate and prepare a beautifully balanced meal is not particularly useful. Sometimes support and treatment must come first.

In this episode:

• Why brain fog does not automatically mean dementia

• How sleep can affect memory and cognition

• Why midlife memory changes carry so much fear

• Anxiety and depression during the menopause transition

• Why needing medication or mental health support is not a personal failure

• Hormone rage, emotional regulation and the shame that can follow an outburst

• How ageism turns ordinary memory lapses into questions about competence

• Why women may leave the workforce during the peak of their careers

• Hormone testing and why symptoms matter

• Nutrition, movement, rest and other foundations of brain health

• Why friendship and social connection deserve to be treated as part of our health

If changes in your mood, memory or ability to cope are affecting your life, speak with a qualified healthcare professional. You do not need to wait until you are in crisis to ask for help.

This series was created in partnership with WellnessMD. She2.0 provides general information and conversation, not medical advice. The opinions and claims expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by She2.0.

You're eating the same foods. Doing the same workouts. Living in the same body. Except suddenly, your body feels different. Like you don't really recognize it anymore.

Sound familiar?

In the first episode of this new She2.0 and WellnessMD podcast series, Jacquie sits down with Dr. Daniela Steyn to talk about weight, nutrition and body composition during perimenopause and menopause.

They get into abdominal weight gain, the importance of maintaining muscle, blood sugar crashes, intermittent fasting and why waking up at 3:00 a.m. may not always be caused by hormones alone.

Dr. Steyn also explains how Ozempic and other GLP 1 medications can reduce food noise and support weight loss, along with the potential trap of relying on appetite suppression without paying attention to nutrition, protein and muscle.

In this episode:

• Why familiar eating and exercise habits may stop producing familiar results

• The difference between weight and body composition

• Why muscle matters so much in midlife

• What Ozempic means by quieting "food noise"

• Why weight loss can also lead to muscle loss

• How blood sugar may contribute to middle of the night waking

• Whether intermittent fasting is right for every woman

• Simple ways to make eating well more realistic

• Why personalization matters more than another universal menopause rule

This series was created in partnership with WellnessMD.

She2.0 provides general information and conversation, not medical advice. The opinions and claims expressed by guests are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by She2.0. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your health, medication and treatment decisions.

Menopause comes with enough questions. Finding clear, credible information shouldn't create another 47.

This fall, She2.0 is launching a special limited podcast series with Dr. Daniela Steyn of WellnessMD, created to help women better understand menopause and navigate some of the conversations that come with it.

We'll be talking about the menopause brain, hormone therapy, sexual health, symptoms, navigating menopause care in Canada and how to have more useful conversations with your healthcare provider.

And we're going to talk about something else that matters: how to listen to health information critically.

Because this series is a conversation, not a prescription.

Dr. Steyn is sharing her clinical experience, interpretations of the research and medical opinions. Those views are her own and shouldn't be taken as individualized medical advice. They also don't necessarily represent the views of She2.0.

I'll be asking questions, occasionally challenging things, and doing what I always want She2.0 to do: helping women get better information so they can ask better questions.

It's also worth remembering that not every new symptom in midlife is menopause. Symptoms can overlap with other health conditions, so new, persistent or concerning symptoms deserve proper medical assessment.

In this short introductory episode, I'm sharing why I wanted to create this series, what you can expect when it launches this fall, and why I think conversations like these matter.

No miracle cures. No one size fits all answers. No pretending menopause is simple. It..is...not.

Just candid conversations, credible information and a better starting point for figuring out what makes sense for you.

Navigating Menopause in Canada with Dr. Daniela Steyn, coming this fall from She2.0 and WellnessMD.

Welcome to Honest Conversations, a series from The 3AM Club where we pull up a chair and explore the questions many of us are thinking about, but don't always say out loud.

This week, we're asking:

Why is it always our bodies?

When we're tired, it's our body.
When we gain weight, it's our body.
When our libido changes, it's our body.

But when did we become so quick to assume our bodies are the problem?

In this episode, I unpack everything from failed cervixes and geriatric pregnancies to bingo wings, Botox and bathing suits, and why so many of us have inherited stories about our bodies that deserve another look.

This isn't about body positivity.

It's about curiosity.

☕ Pull up a chair.

Let's talk.

• Why women often blame their bodies first

• How language quietly shapes our relationship with our bodies

• The difference between caring for your body and constantly trying to improve it

• What research tells us about body image in midlife

• The question I'm asking myself this week

Curious about the research behind today's conversation? I've summarized it in plain English over on She2.0, along with links to the original studies. Visit our Substack to learn more

📸 Read this week's Honest Conversation on Instagram.

✍️ Continue reading on Substack.

💬 Join the discussion in the She2.0 Facebook Group.

After years of conversations about menopause, hormones, sleep, weight, relationships, aging, and women's health, the She2.0 podcast is evolving.

In this episode, I share why I believe many women in midlife are not lacking information, but struggling to make sense of it. Midlife brings changes to our bodies, identities, relationships, priorities, and sense of self, often all at once. Yet we are frequently left wondering why we no longer feel like ourselves.

This conversation explores why midlife can feel so disorienting, why so many women interpret change as personal failure, and why understanding what is happening may matter more than collecting more advice.

Moving forward, She2.0 will continue to feature expert conversations on health, menopause, and aging, while also exploring the deeper questions surrounding identity, self trust, expectations, and what it means to navigate change well.

If you've ever found yourself thinking, "I don't feel like myself anymore," this episode is for you.