Clearly Hormonal

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S2E29

Can 10 or 20 jumps a day really protect your bones after menopause? And what if jumping hurts your knees, causes pelvic floor symptoms, or isn't safe for you?

In this episode of Clearly Hormonal, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia, a triple board-certified endocrinologist and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, separates the science from the social media hype surrounding jumping for bone health.

We'll explore what research actually shows about jumping routines, why findings in premenopausal women don't automatically apply after menopause, and what studies like LIFTMOR teach us about resistance training and impact exercise.

We'll also connect the dots between estrogen, bone density, muscle strength, balance, and fracture prevention. Plus, we'll discuss vibration plates, Tai Chi, knee arthritis, pelvic floor symptoms, hormone therapy, and osteoporosis medications.

Because protecting your bones isn't about following a viral routine. It's about understanding your risks and finding the right combination of tools for your body.

Listen for four practical questions to bring to your next healthcare appointment.

Clearly Hormonal: Hormonal health, without the confusion.

This episode is for educational purposes and is not individualized medical advice.

Audio Time Stamps

00:00 Welcome to Clearly Hormonal

01:03 Why Everyone Is Talking About Jumping

03:36 Estrogen and Bone Remodeling

05:05 Bone Density vs. Fracture Prevention

06:06 How Impact Exercise Loads Bone

07:25 What the Jumping Study Actually Found

08:52 Why Bone Structure Matters

09:48 What LIFTMOR Teaches Us

10:46 Strength, Power, and Balance

12:06 Knee Pain, Fractures, and Pelvic Floor Symptoms

13:33 Do Vibration Plates Work?

14:58 Why Tai Chi Deserves Attention

15:43 Hormone Therapy and Osteoporosis Medications

17:20 Medication Is Not a Personal Failure

18:01 Four Questions to Ask Your Clinician

19:38 Final Takeaways

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

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I just got back from the Menopause Society annual meeting in San Diego, and in this episode I share what I am bringing back to my clinic and my patients. Women's health is having a moment, and with that attention has come a lot of polarization. My take as an endocrinologist is simple: there is no one-size-fits-all menopause, and good care combines the data we have with clinical nuance, your symptoms, and your goals.

We walk through the biggest themes from the meeting: how body composition and bone change during the transition, where exercise and hormone therapy fit, what the FDA label changes do and do not mean, nonhormonal options for hot flashes, sleep and mood, heart health screening, sexual health, hair loss, supplements, and why bleeding after menopause always needs evaluation. You will leave with clear questions to bring to your next visit.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 | Podcast welcome
01:03 | Conference context
01:56 | Nuance over hype
03:42 | Key themes recap
05:35 | Body changes explained
07:17 | Bone loss window
08:18 | Exercise practicalities
09:14 | Hormones' role
10:09 | Hormone therapy labels
12:56 | Sleep and insomnia
14:15 | Mood and brain fog
15:09 | Heart health screening
16:33 | Sex, hair, and skin
18:19 | Supplements and safety
18:48 | Postmenopausal bleeding
19:18 | Care that fits your life
20:26 | Wrap up and takeaways

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

"Hormones cause breast cancer" is the sentence that keeps many women from even asking about hormone therapy. In episode three of our Menopause Awareness Month series, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia takes it apart using what the Women's Health Initiative really found, and shows why the real question is which hormone, for whom, for how long, and compared to what.

You will hear who was actually studied, what the numbers mean in absolute terms, what the FDA label changes do and do not mean, and how body fat, screening, and breast density fit in, plus options for women with a breast cancer history. Whatever you decide, you deserve to make that decision with facts, not fear.

Timestamps

00:00 | Welcome to Clearly Hormonal
01:03 | The fear statement
02:02 | Why this episode now
02:56 | WHI study context
04:39 | Two trials, two outcomes
06:31 | What the WHI missed
07:25 | FDA label changes
08:41 | Absolute risk numbers
10:35 | Four common myths
12:09 | Body fat and estrogen
14:03 | Screening and density
15:40 | High risk and survivors
17:28 | Key takeaways and what is next

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

Your weight has not changed, but your body has. In this episode, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia explains why body composition shifts during the menopause transition, why the scale cannot tell the whole story, and what you can do about it. She shares her own experience after a hysterectomy, breaks down the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fat, explains insulin resistance with a classic TV analogy, and walks through a realistic foundation of strength, nutrition, sleep, and sustainable planning. She also covers where menopause hormone therapy and obesity medications fit, and why higher body fat after menopause is linked to breast cancer risk without placing blame on anyone.

Clearly Hormonal is for education and is not personalized medical advice. Take what resonates and discuss it with your own healthcare team.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why you can gain fat and lose lean tissue without a big change on the scale
• What body composition is, and why lean tissue is more than muscle
• What the SWAN study found about fat and lean mass during the menopause transition
• Why abdominal fat storage can shift before your periods stop
• Other contributors beyond hormones: aging, activity, sleep, stress, medications, and conditions like hypothyroidism, prediabetes, and insulin resistance
• Subcutaneous versus visceral fat, and what a changing waist measurement may signal
• Insulin resistance explained, and why less muscle means less sugar used up
• Strength training at least twice a week, plus building toward 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity
• Protein and fiber at meals, personalized protein needs, and why restriction is not the goal
• Sleep, night sweats, sleep apnea, and when to ask about a sleep study
• Menopause hormone therapy and body composition: what the evidence does and does not say
• When obesity medications may be appropriate
• The breast health connection, discussed without blame

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 | Welcome to Clearly Hormonal
01:03 | PMOS Course Announcement
01:41 | Midlife Body Changes
03:41 | What Is Body Composition
05:03 | Hormones and Other Factors
06:59 | Visceral Fat and Waist
07:58 | Insulin Resistance Explained
10:59 | What Helps Most
11:06 | Strength and Movement
12:36 | Nutrition Basics
13:58 | Sleep and Barriers
15:25 | Hormone Therapy and Meds
18:11 | Breast Health Connection
19:01 | Key Takeaways and Next Week

Course announcement
The PMOS Conversation You Deserve is Dr. Komal’s patient course on understanding PMOS and advocating for yourself in the doctor’s office. It includes three months of access plus a monthly live Q&A webinar with Dr. Komal. Introductory pricing runs through October 13, with regular pricing beginning October 20. Monthly webinar calls begin October 21, 2026. 

Details and enrollment: The Perimenopause Conversation You Deserve

Connect

• Instagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodia
• Website: eastsidemm.com
• Questions about the course: send a message through the website or DM on social

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

Perimenopause is often missed because the most common symptom is vague (“I just don’t feel like myself”) and hormone tests can look normal. In this episode of Clearly Hormonal, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia walks through how perimenopause is actually recognized: from your age, your menstrual pattern, and your symptoms over time.

This is Episode 1 of our Menopause Awareness Month series.

In this episode you will learn

• Why a normal hormone result does not rule out perimenopause
• The three things Dr. Komal focuses on: age, periods, and symptoms
• How cycles differ in early and late perimenopause, using the STRAW+10 framework
• What can make perimenopause harder to recognize: birth control, hysterectomy, and PMOS (formerly PCOS)
• Why FSH and estradiol are a snapshot, and when blood tests do help
• Why pregnancy testing should be one of the first tests if you miss a period
• Four symptom groups: sleep, mood and thinking, physical comfort, and sexual and urinary health
• Other conditions to rule out: thyroid disease, anemia, sleep apnea or insomnia, medication effects, and worsening anxiety or depression
• What a useful perimenopause appointment includes, and how to prepare for it

Timestamps
00:00 | Could This Be Perimenopause?
01:06 | Why Labs Miss It
02:16 | Three Diagnosis Clues
03:45 | Cycle Changes Explained
04:49 | Early vs. Late Transition
06:36 | When Cycles Mislead
07:32 | Hormone Testing Myths
08:50 | When Bloodwork Helps
10:12 | Symptom Categories
11:53 | Rule Out Other Causes
13:02 | Differences Across Women
15:38 | What a Good Visit Includes
16:52 | Three Key Takeaways
17:26 | Prep for Your Appointment
18:17 | Series Wrap and Course Announcement

Course announcement
The PMOS Conversation You Deserve is Dr. Komal’s patient course on understanding PMOS and advocating for yourself in the doctor’s office. It includes three months of access plus a monthly live Q&A webinar with Dr. Komal. Introductory pricing runs through October 13, with regular pricing beginning October 14. Monthly webinar calls begin October 21, 2026. 

Details and enrollment: The Perimenopause Conversation You Deserve

Connect

• Instagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodia
• Website: eastsidemm.com
• Questions about the course: send a message through the website or DM on social

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

About one in eight women lives with PMOS, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly called PCOS. It is one of the most common hormone conditions there is, and still one of the most misunderstood, by patients and by many clinicians.

In this final episode of September PMOS Awareness Month, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia explains why the name changed, why the condition is about far more than ovarian cysts, and why the metabolic and cardiovascular pieces so often get missed when a visit stays focused on periods, acne, or hair growth. She also shares what the data shows about diagnosis delays and disparities, and a piece of her own story.

Then she moves from the science to the practical: what to ask, what to track, and what to do when you raise a reasonable concern and do not get a useful answer. She introduces her new six-module course, The PMOS Conversation You Deserve, built to help you walk into your next appointment better informed and better prepared.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why PMOS stands for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and why the change from PCOS was more than a rebrand
• How PMOS can show up across the lifespan, from adolescence through the reproductive years, perimenopause, and beyond
• The metabolic side of PMOS: insulin resistance, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and long-term cardiovascular risk
• What one large international study found about diagnostic delays: about one in three women waited more than two years, and nearly half saw at least three healthcare professionals
• Disparities in who gets diagnosed, including findings in a safety net health system study for Black women and patients on Medicaid or charity care
• Why knowing the science is not the same as knowing how to use it in an appointment
• A first look at The PMOS Conversation You Deserve, including the pushback module, the workbook, and three months of live Q&A

TIMESTAMPS

00:00  Welcome to Clearly Hormonal

01:08  PMOS: Why It Matters

02:22  PMOS Name Change Explained

02:57  Symptoms and Lifespan Impact

04:04  Diagnosis Delays and Disparities

05:51  Turning Knowledge Into Care

07:17  Course: The Conversation You Deserve

08:53  Enrollment Dates and Details

09:45  Final Takeaways and Wrap Up

COURSE DATES

• Pre-order opens: October 7
• Introductory pricing through: October 13
• Regular price begins: October 14
• First live Q&A: October 21

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• The PMOS Conversation You Deserve (pre-order opens October 7): Sign up here to get on the list.
• Eastside Menopause & Metabolism: eastsidemm.com
• Follow Dr. Patil-Sisodia on Instagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodia

DISCLAIMER

This podcast is for education and is not personalized medical advice. Please discuss what resonates with your own healthcare team.

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

In the final episode of PMOS Awareness Month, I focus on something that does not get talked about enough: the mental health toll of PMOS and the harm caused by waiting years for a diagnosis. We walk through what weight-matched studies show about depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, why so many people carry these burdens long before anyone connects them to PMOS, and what real care should look like.

In this episode

• Why people with PMOS are about four times more likely to have depression and more than five times more likely to have anxiety
• Why a PMOS diagnosis often comes before a new diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or sleep problems
• How eating disorder risk rises with PMOS, and why it is not limited to larger bodies
• How years of scattered symptoms and "it is just stress" responses make things worse
• Why body image distress from visible symptoms is a real pathway to disordered eating
• What good care includes: screening at diagnosis, CBT as a first step, careful medication choices, treating physical symptoms, and mind-body approaches

Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Clearly Hormonal

01:01 PMOS Series Finale Setup

02:04 Mental Health Stats in PMOS

03:24 Eating Disorders and PMOS

04:00 Why Diagnosis Takes Years

05:37 Body Image and Visible Symptoms

06:56 What Good Care Looks Like

08:50 What This Means for You

09:51 Series Wrap Up and Resources

11:02 PMOS Mini Course Announcement

Key numbers from the episode

• About 4 times more likely to have depression with PMOS, in weight-matched studies
• More than 5 times more likely to have anxiety with PMOS
• About 1 in 3 people with PMOS have moderate to severe depression; more than 4 in 10 have real anxiety symptoms; well under 15 percent without PMOS
• About 1.5 times more likely to have an eating disorder, with the biggest increases in binge eating disorder and bulimia

The full PMOS Awareness Month series

• Episode 1: What happens in PMOS after your childbearing years
• Episode 2: Why PMOS gets missed in people with a normal BMI (lean PMOS)
• Episode 3: Where GLP-1 medications fit into PMOS treatment
• Episode 4: PMOS and mental health (this episode)

A note on support

If anything in this episode brought up something personal for you, especially around food, body image, or how you have been feeling emotionally, please do not sit with that alone. Talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. If you are in crisis in the US, you can call or text 988 at any time.

Connect

• Instagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodia
• eastsidemm.com

This episode is for education and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia, obesity advocate Michael Donnelly-Boylen, and Dr. Matthea Rentea explain why they withdrew from a planned ADA-hosted webinar in support of a broader boycott, after an ADA Scientific Sessions keynote by a MAHA representative and the removal of peacefully protesting scientists were followed by an organizational response the three of them found unsatisfying.

They still share the content they had planned to present: integrating peer and lived experience into obesity care, to address a trust gap driven by weight stigma, shaming language, and oversimplified messaging that can delay or derail care, including preventive screening and procedures. They talk through curiosity, person-first language, motivational interviewing, and acknowledging medical trauma, along with practical solutions such as moderated peer support groups, credible online resources, and comprehensive programs that combine lifestyle foundations, medications, bariatric pathways, and clinic infrastructure shaped by patient input.

Timestamps

00:00  Why This Episode Changed

00:47  ADA Boycott Context

02:15  Meet The Panel

03:26  Inside The Keynote Fallout

06:41  Protest And Conference Mood

10:01  Choosing To Withdraw

11:18  Webinar Topic And Roadmap

13:47  Trust Gap And Weight Stigma

18:37  Language That Builds Safety

23:23  Peer Support And Community

25:09  Social Media And Group Coaching

27:19  Why I Started Posting

28:43  Building a Comprehensive Program

30:32  Three Pathways of Care

33:32  Designing for Real Bodies

35:54  Practical Clinician Changes

37:48  Mountain Dew Lesson

41:30  Trauma and Safe Spaces

42:25  Peer Support Communities

44:20  Insurance and Advocacy

46:27  Fighting Wellness Misinformation

47:55  How to Build Support Groups

50:53  Wrap Up and Where to Find Us

Connect

Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia: Instagram and TikTok @drpatilsisodia. Podcast: Clearly Hormonal.

Dr. Matthea Rentea: Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Podcast: The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea, MD, at renteaclinic.com.

Michael Donnelly-Boylen: Instagram and TikTok as Mike On A Mission. Podcast: Weight and Measure with Mike and Zach, at weightandmeasurepod.com.

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia continues the PMOS Awareness Month series by walking through where GLP-1 medications, like semaglutide and tirzepatide, fit into PMOS treatment. She explains what GLP-1s actually do in the body, who is likely to benefit, who they are not built for, and why they are never a stand-alone treatment plan for PMOS.

In This Episode

• What a GLP-1 is and the three main effects these medications have on the body
• Why insulin resistance sits at the center of PMOS for so many patients, and how that connects to androgen levels and symptoms like acne and excess hair growth
• Who is the clearest fit for a GLP-1: patients with insulin resistance or higher body weight, and those who haven't seen enough improvement from metformin or lifestyle changes alone
• Who GLP-1s are not built for: lean PMOS patients without insulin resistance, and anyone trying to conceive soon
• Why GLP-1s only work well alongside lifestyle change, and the real risks of low protein and fiber intake while on these medications
• What a GLP-1 does not replace: ongoing metabolic monitoring, fertility treatment, and androgen-targeted treatments like birth control pills or spironolactone
• The four questions Dr. Patil-Sisodia asks herself before recommending a GLP-1 for a PMOS patient

Timestamps

• 00:00 Podcast Intro
• 01:01 Series Setup
• 02:13 GLP-1 Basics
• 02:45 Why It Matters
• 03:28 Who Benefits
• 04:32 Who Should Avoid
• 05:27 Lifestyle and Safety
• 06:15 What GLP-1s Don't Replace
• 07:40 How I Decide
• 08:29 Wrap Up and Next Week
• 09:36 Mini Course Promo

Links Mentioned

• Newsletter sign-up: eastsidemm.com/newsletter
• Follow Dr. Patil-Sisodia: @drpatilsisodia on Instagram and TikTok

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.

Many people picture PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly known as PCOS) as a condition tied to weight gain. But the diagnostic criteria never mention body size at all, and a significant number of people with PMOS have a completely normal BMI. In part two of our PMOS Awareness series, Dr. Patil-Sisodia breaks down “lean PMOS”: what it looks like, why it is so often missed, and why the metabolic risk is just as real even when the outside doesn't show it.

In This Episode

• Why PMOS became associated with a specific body type, and why that picture was never the diagnosis itself
• The three actual diagnostic criteria: irregular or anovulatory cycles, elevated androgens (DHEAS, testosterone), and polycystic ovarian morphology on ultrasound
• What lean PMOS symptoms look like: irregular periods, acne, facial and body hair growth, scalp thinning
• “Normal weight obesity”: how insulin resistance and visceral fat can hide behind a normal-looking exterior
• The three-part pattern that causes lean PMOS to slip through the cracks in clinical practice
• Why an undiagnosed lean PMOS patient loses out on cardiometabolic monitoring, not just a menstrual explanation
• What needs to change: for clinicians, dropping body size as a screening filter; for patients, presenting symptoms as a pattern instead of one at a time

Timestamps

00:00 | Welcome to Clearly Hormonal
01:01 | Series Setup: Lean PMOS
02:09 | Why PMOS Has a Body Type
02:42 | Diagnosis Criteria, Not Weight
03:39 | Lean PMOS Symptoms
04:05 | Hidden Insulin Resistance
05:01 | Why Lean PMOS Gets Missed
06:51 | Why Diagnosis Matters
08:05 | What Should Change
09:24 | Wrap Up and Next Week
10:03 | Mini Course Announcement

Coming up next week: Episode three of the series looks at treatment, including where GLP-1 medications and other weight management tools fit into PMOS care, and who they actually make sense for.

Sign up for the newsletter at eastsidemm.com/newsletter, and follow along on Instagram or TikTok @drpatilsisodia.

This podcast is for education, not personalized medical advice. Please discuss anything you hear here with your own healthcare team.

Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.