Gennev: Let's talk about menopause

Many women aren't familiar with the term "perimenopause," even though it could explain their suddenly unpredictable periods, night sweats, and even crappier PMS.

Doctor of Pharmacy Dr. Anna Garrett is on a mission to help women better understand their bodies – and help us all better understand the hormonal journey women travel throughout their lives.

In this podcast with genneve CEO Jill Angelo, Dr. Anna discusses why 35 isn't "too early" to start talking about and preparing for perimenopause and menopause, how these two phases of a woman's life differ, and why it's so important to all women's health to have open conversations about hormones.

Have a listen, then check out Dr. Anna's book, Perimenopause: The Savvy Sister's Guide to Hormone Harmony.

In 2002, the Women's Health Initiative released the results of its study, claiming use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) increased a woman's risk of breast cancer.

Almost overnight, use plummeted, leaving a great many women without a good alternative for managing their menopause symptoms.

In their book Estrogen Matters, Dr. Avrum Bluming and Dr. Carol Tavris take a deep and detailed look at the WHI study and its conclusions.

Not only, they argue, did the WHI unnecessarily frighten women and leave them suffering with very real symptoms, they may also have prevented women from taking a life-changing, even life-prolonging treatment.

In this podcast with genneve CEO Jill Angelo and genneve Director of Health ob/gyn Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, Drs. Tavris and Bluming take us through their research and make a compelling case for the safety and effectiveness of HRT.

If you're in or approaching menopause, this podcast and the book Estrogen Matters can help you better understand HRT, its true risks, and the very real benefits it can offer.

Learn more and find the full transcript at genneve.com.

If you're a woman with a personal or family history of heart disease, don't assume your heart health is completely out of your hands.

And don't assume you "don't need to worry about heart disease" because you're a woman with no family or personal history.

In this podcast, genneve Director of Health, ob/gyn Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, interviews one of Seattle's leading cardiologists, Dr. Sarah Speck, on ways to improve your heart health, starting right now, today.

Know your risk factors (preeclampsia can be a risk factor for future heart disease – who knew?) and how to manage them (losing 10% of your body weight if you're overweight can substantially reduce impacts on heart health). 

Also, if you're considering HRT to manage perimenopause and menopause symptoms, what are the implications for your heart? 

Take 15 minutes to listen; it could change your life.

It's tough enough to start a second career at age 46 – but what if that new career involves wearing a bathing suit and getting your picture taken? 

Rachel Peru did it, beautifully. 

Volunteering to be in a friend's fashion show led to an entirely new career and, even better, a new confidence in her beauty, power, and resilience. 

Now a model, Rachel has embraced her silver hair, her body's natural curves, and is flipping the idea that "women are invisible after 40" on its head. 

If this is what 40+ looks like, we say, bring it on!

Photographer Matt Brown @mattsphoto

There's already a shortage of ob/gyns in the US, making it even more difficult for women to find a menopause specialist.

According to Fortune Magazine, "By 2020, there will be a shortage of up to 8,800 OB-GYNs, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. And by 2050, the shortage may grow to 22,000."

What are the consequences to women's health if there aren't enough ob/gyns to fill the need? 

genneve CEO Jill Angelo talked with genneve Director of Health, ob/gyn and menopause specialist Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, about the strain this puts on women, on physicians, and on the health care system as a whole.

They also discussed how genneve's telehealth is an excellent way to help fill the care gap for women in midlife and menopause.

Learn more about genneve and our telehealth service, and read the full transcript of this conversation, at genneve.com.

Like many women, Lauren Chiren had a rough transition to menopause. During a particularly bad 18-month stretch, her brain fog and short-term memory got so bad, she quit her high-powered senior role, concerned she was developing early onset dementia.

When she learned she was actually dealing with menopause and there were ways to manage her symptoms, she decided to commit herself to helping women so no one would go through what she did.

Now as Founder and Director of Women of a Certain Stage, Lauren coaches executive women, helping them make the lifestyle changes that allow them to continue to perform during perimenopause and menopause. And she educates organizations on how to best support this very valuable workforce of women.

Join us at genneve.com, the one-stop shop for an easier menopause, to learn more.

Sonya dreamed she was drowning and woke up choking and gasping for air.

She was tired all the time, grabbing quick cat naps in the middle of the day when she could to try and shake off the lethargy and brain fog.

Once a sound sleeper, Sonya just couldn’t make it through the night, sometimes getting up hourly to go to the bathroom. What was going on?

Sleep apnea was going on.

She took an at-home sleep test and was diagnosed with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, meaning her body was waking multiple times an hour to start breathing again.

Sleep apnea is dangerous – heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes are all associated with sleep apnea – and women in menopause are particularly vulnerable.

For more information, we talked to Dr. Katharine Christian, dentist and specialist in dental sleep medicine. She is the Dental Director of the Seattle Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center and Board Certified by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, and thanks to her, Sonya is finally able to get a good night’s sleep.

To get more information on sleep apnea and Dr. Christian and to read a full transcript of our conversation, visit genneve.com. 

You wear your skin every day, so it's a good idea to take care of it. Best way to do that? According to Dr. Keira Barr, board-certified dermatologist and Chief Wellness Officer of Resilient Health Institute, "get naked." 

You need to inspect your skin, top to toe, every nook and cranny, Dr. Keira told us. But that's just the beginning.

Dr. Keira shared with us the five things to look for and the three most important things you can do for your skin.

Your skin is your largest organ and a window into your overall health, so listen up and find out how to take the best possible care of it.

Get more information about Dr. Keira and the full transcript of this interview at genneve.com. 

In Part 1 of our conversation with neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi, we learned more about the connection between estrogen, menopause, and Alzheimer's.

In short, in perimenopause and menopause, as estrogen declines, women lose some of the neuroprotective advantages of the hormone, making them more vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease. 

Make sure to listen to Part 1 to get grounded in the science. In Part 2, Dr. Mosconi lets us in on how we can protect our brains from the cognitive decline of Alzheimer's. Food, exercise, intellectual stimulation all have a part to play, so you're going to want to hear what Dr. Mosconi has to say. (Bonus: a lot of these same tips can help men age better, too.)

Learn more about Dr. Mosconi, the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, and how you might participate in their research. If you want to start nourishing your brain against age-related decline (“eating for retirement,” as Dr. Mosconi puts it), get your hands on a copy of her fascinating and very readable book, Brain Food: the Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power.

See the full transcript of our conversation on genneve.com, then join the conversation in our community forums!

“In the next three minutes, 3 people will develop Alzheimer’s. Two of them will be women.”

As neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi says in her article, “Alzheimer’s and Women’s Health, an Urgent Call,” while women account for two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases, little is being done to understand why simply being a woman significantly increases your risk of developing the disease.

Dr. Mosconi is Associate Director of the Weill Cornell Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, where she and her colleagues are working to understand this critical – and critically overlooked – piece of women’s healthcare.

Team genneve came across this story because Dr. Mosconi and others have linked Alzheimer’s disease with menopause. They postulate that as estrogen levels subside in a woman’s body as she ages, so do its neurological protections.

As Dr. Mosconi puts it: “In straight talk: menopause causes metabolic changes in the brain that seem to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

“In straight talk: menopause causes metabolic changes in the brain that seem to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Fortunately, as Dr. Mosconi has helped identify the problem, she has also helped point to some powerful solutions. Exercise and nutrition, she says, can play a significant role in preventing cognitive decline.

In Part 1 of her podcast with genneve CEO Jill Angelo, Dr. Mosconi explains the mechanism behind menopause and Alzheimer’s risk. Come back for Part 2, where she discusses how women can protect their brains as they age.

Learn more about Dr. Mosconi, the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, and how you might participate in their research. If you want to start nourishing your brain (“eating for retirement,” as Dr. Mosconi puts it), get your hands on a copy of her fascinating and very readable book, Brain Food: the Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power.

For a full transcript of this conversation, join us at genneve.com.

For further reading on nutrition and your health: check out how your gut flora affects your brain power and, now that you’re going to eat so much better, how to give up sugar.