Modern Menopause by Parlor Games

A USA Today story about a nurse who died from an UTI sent Morven and Dr. Robyn straight to the research. In this episode they talk about how UTI patterns can look different as we age, why that's worth knowing, and what a large observational study of about 1.8 million women found when researchers looked at vaginal estrogen use — including what the researchers themselves say the data can and can't tell us. Plus: why “I’m not sexually active” isn’t a reason to stop using it.

USA Today article referenced in this episode: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/09/22/menopause-uti-vaginal-estrogen-sepsis/91680008007/

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Some of the best menopause advice comes from the friend who’s a few steps ahead of you and says it like it is. Marni and Dom, audiobook narrators and hosts of Bitches in Heat, built a whole podcast around that idea.

They join Morven and Dr. Robyn Kutka to talk about why humor makes hard conversations easier, why no question is too basic, and how sharing stories helps other women (and the people who love them) understand what’s going on.

Listen to the Bitches in Heat here: https://www.bitchesinheatpodcast.com/

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Her blood work said to raise your estrogen. Her saliva said lower it. Her urine said you're good. Dr. Robyn shares a real client's results, a 51-year-old with osteoporosis using topical hormones, and shows why each lab tells a different story. Then Morven asks the question: if the numbers disagree, which one do you act on?

A previously recorded podcast mentioned in the show is titled: The Great Testing Debate: Why Blood Work Says You're "Normal" When You Feel Terrible.

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Morven and Dr. Robyn tackle the myths women hear about life after 65, starting with the idea that it's too late to try something new, whether that's a hobby, a sport, or a whole new look. They get into the real science behind loneliness and the HPA axis, why balance training matters more than people think, and the pervasive myth that women over a certain age shouldn't be having sex. Plus: the "smallest dose, shortest time" rule for HRT is getting a second look, and we break down what the newer thinking actually says. So many symptoms doctors chalk up to "just aging" are worth a closer look and a real conversation with your doctor. And yes, we get into the one about heavy lifting being dangerous as you age (hear our take at the start).

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

A professional post-menopausal athlete came to Dr. Robyn with no hot flashes, no mood changes, no sleep issues — just injury after injury and a 25% drop in performance. The culprit turned out to be a compounding error that had quietly flipped her estrogen ratio, dosing her with four times the estradiol she should've had. Morven and Dr. Robyn walk through how that imbalance shows up in muscle and ligament health, why estrogen (not just testosterone) drives strength and recovery in women, and what the recovery arc looked like once things were recalibrated. Whether or not you're chasing a podium, this one reframes what "optimized" hormones actually look like.

Effect of Estrogen on Musculoskeletal Performance and Injury Risk: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6341375/

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Menopause doesn't just thin the hair on your head, it can thicken it in places you'd rather it didn't. Dr. Robyn explains why one hormone shift causes two opposite effects depending on where the follicle lives, and what's actually worth trying if you're dealing with noticeable hair changes.

Let’s talk about what's happening to your hair in midlife — and what's actually worth your time and money to fix it.

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

For decades, sex meant focusing on what your partner needed, not what you did. Board-certified sexologist Jackie JacksonDaley joins Morven and Dr. Robyn to talk about what changes when women finally ask what they want — from vanishing libido to the real reason so many couples feel mismatched in the bedroom. Plus: an honest, no-shame conversation about toys, boundaries, and why "self-exploration" isn't as intimidating as it sounds.

Learn more about Jackie JacksonDaley https://www.jackiejacksondaley.com/

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Insulin is a hormone and menopause changes how your body listens to it. Dr. Robyn Kutka joins Morven to talk meno belly, blood sugar, testing options, and why you can influence your numbers without needing to control them.

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

She built a tea company for women in menopause, produced a documentary that screened at the UN, founded Wise Pause Wellness, and it all started with one very inconvenient hot flash.

This week Morven and Dr. Robyn sit down with Denise Pines, a producer, entrepreneur, policy advocate, and filmmaker. You might recognize her as the woman behind The M Factor documentary series. Denise gets real about the moment that hot flash sparked a career pivot, why so many doctors have zero training in menopause care, and the wild story of a teacher who accidentally changed the trajectory of her entire life.

Learn more about...

The M Factor film: https://themfactorfilm.com/

Wise Pause Wellness: https://wisepause.com/

Tea Botanics: https://teabotanics.com/

Femaging: https://femaging.com/

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.

Ten years post-menopausal, feeling stuck in fight-or-flight, convinced the fix was obvious — she just needed her estrogen back. It's one of the most common assumptions women make during midlife, and one of the easiest for a provider to miss.

In this episode, Morven and Dr. Robyn walk through a real, side-by-side case study — two years of actual saliva test results — to unpack why "your hormones must be low" isn't always the right answer. You'll learn why blood work often comes back looking perfectly normal even when you feel far from it, what a cortisol curve can reveal that standard blood panels don't always show, and how this client's actual results pointed somewhere no one expected. If you've ever been told your labs look fine while you feel the opposite, this conversation is for you.

The information provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they intended to treat or diagnose. Any health concerns should be discussed and evaluated by your primary health care provider.