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.

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

Blood clots and hormone therapy: two things that can make perimenopause feel even more delightfully complicated.

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch dig into the risk of blood clots with menopausal hormone therapy, and why the internet's favorite phrase, "It's totally safe," deserves a few very large asterisks.

Rebecca and Amy take a data-driven look at what we actually know about oral versus transdermal estrogen, including findings from the Million Women Study.

They also explain what "provoked" blood clots really mean, when prior clots may make estrogen especially risky, why a hematologist might need to join the group chat, and how shared decision-making should work when the research doesn't give a clean yes-or-no answer.

Listeners will come away understanding why hormone therapy recommendations need to be individualized, what questions to ask their clinician, and why "we don't have enough data yet" is sometimes the most medically accurate answer available.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:43] Clot risk controversy

[1:54] Not birth control estrogen

[3:15] Million Women Study

[10:31] Let's talk about our high risk ladies

[12:03] Provoked clots debate

[18:54] Prior clot evidence

[25:05] Clinical counseling approach

[30:25] Shared decision making

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

Perimenopause can change your sleep, your body, your mood, and — because apparently the transition needed another hobby — your sex life.

Returning guest Julie Weitlauf, PhD, joins the OvaryActive Docs to talk about low libido, vaginal dryness, unpredictable bleeding, less-intense orgasms, and the deeply unsexy experience of thinking about tomorrow's dinner during intimacy.

The conversation explores why satisfying sex in midlife may require more time, better stimulation, fewer distractions, and a willingness to stop comparing forty-something you to your nineteen-year-old self. Julie explains how mindfulness, body image, relationship dynamics, sexual shame, past experiences, and changing identities can all influence desire and pleasure. Big surprise, simply telling yourself to relax is not a particularly effective treatment plan.

This conversation offers practical ways to expand the sensual menu, reconnect with pleasure, and approach midlife intimacy with curiosity instead of panic.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[1:35] Perimenopause, Sex Myths, & Midlife

[5:07] Recenter what you want

[9:13] Relationships & Life's Mental Load

[13:55] Normal Desire & Pleasure Gaps

[16:51] Expand Your Menu

[26:17] Menopause Sex Concerns (mindfulness, sensate focus, body image, scheduling)

[40:26] Substance Use and Sexuality

[44:08] Questioning Sexual Identity in Midlife

[48:07] Relationship and Family Dynamics

[52:47] Make Pleasure a Priority by Expanding Your Intimacy Menu

Resources:

Julie Weitlauf on LinkedIn

Managing Hot Flushes and Night Sweats by Myra Hunter

psychologytoday.com/us

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

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

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

Perimenopause has officially entered its supplement era, and apparently every capsule on the internet is promising to fix your metabolism, your wrinkles, your joints, your brain, and maybe your credit score.

In the third installment of the Swallow This series, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch sort through another round of popular supplements with their trademark mix of evidence, skepticism, and just enough sarcasm to make reading medical studies almost fun.

This episode tackles berberine, glucosamine, CoQ10, collagen, and NAD+, separating promising science from clever marketing. Rebecca and Amy explain why the quality of a study matters just as much as the headline, how industry-funded research can paint a very different picture than independent studies, and why "natural" doesn't automatically mean effective, or even safe.

Listeners will learn which supplements may have a role for specific medical conditions, which ones don't live up to the hype for perimenopause, and why the phrase "more research is needed" is sometimes the most honest answer in medicine.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:55] Berberine buzzkill

[3:05] Natural GLP-1... maybe?

[6:32] Leave your liver alone

[8:03] Dog joint medicine? Glucosamine reality check

[14:21] CoQ10 heart talk

[20:00] Collagen vs. wrinkles

[25:17] Lasers in the vag (please don't)

[29:34] NAD+ hype train

[32:43] DON'T INJECT RANDOM STUFF!

[33:47] Cowboy hats for the Wild West

[35:29] Social media vs. science

Studies Mentioned: Gianturco SL, Mattingly AN. Distinguishing between compounding facilities and the development of the 503B bulk drug substance list. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). Jan-Feb 2021;61(1):e8-e11. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2020.06.024

A 2-yr Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation during Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health. Philip D Chilibeck et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc.2023.

Prokopidis K, Witard OC. Understanding the role of smoking and chronic excess alcohol consumption on reduced caloric intake and the development of sarcopenia. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2022;35(2):197-206.

Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. Mar 10 2023;81(4):416-427. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064

Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. Jul 15 2018;108:166-173. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013

Ye Y, Liu X, Wu N, Han Y, Wang J, Yu Y, Chen Q. Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone for Several Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 26;12:653887.

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

Perimenopause is apparently the new Black Friday for supplement marketing, and this episode is here to check the receipt.

In part two of the Swallow This supplement series, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch dig into the body-building-adjacent products showing up all over social media, including peptides, creatine, and the many "miracle" promises aimed at people who are tired, foggy, sweaty, and understandably over it.

They start with peptides, the trendy injectable alphabet soup being marketed for healing, metabolism, anti-aging, and performance. The verdict? Big no. We think you'll understand once you hear what peptides actually are and why FDA-approved peptide medications are very different from what is being sold online. Then the Docs turn to creatine, which thankfully has more information and science behind it and does not immediately need to be thrown into the medical dumpster fire.

This episode covers what looks promising, what looks sketchy, what is probably safe, and what should absolutely not be injected into your body unless you are in an actual doctor's office and not a cash-pay wellness cave.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:29] Supplements, again

[1:39] Influencer red flags

[2:57] Peptides: alphabet soup and a hard nope

[10:17] Safety risks and compounding

[13:47] Creatine enters politely dressed as muscle sprinkles

[22:27] Kidney caveat

[24:37] Supplement quality roulette

[25:35] Please don't inject things

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.

Perimenopause is already a strange little carnival of bleeding patterns, hot flashes, hormone debates, and wondering whether your body has joined a group chat without you.

Dr. Kemi Doll, gynecologic oncologist, uterine cancer scientist, and author of A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing joins this episode of OvaryActive. Together the docs zoom out from the usual menopause chaos to talk about something bigger: the hidden crisis in gynecologic care, especially for Black women, and why "you're fine" has done a truly Olympic amount of damage.

They get into it all, the stories, science, and systemic failures behind disparities in fibroids, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, uterine cancer, and routine gynecologic care. Dr. Doll shares why maternal mortality is only the tip of the iceberg. And she also shares how Black women are often conditioned to minimize pain and symptoms and why doctors need to stop asking vague questions like, "Any problems with your period?" when someone may be casually working from a bathtub in an adult diaper.

Listeners will learn how language shapes care, why "normal" bleeding is not always normal, how misinformation finds its opening, and why better questions, better data, and better listening can literally change outcomes.

Also: nuance is not as catchy as a wellness influencer selling chamomile DNA rearrangement, but unfortunately for the internet, it matters.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• [0:34] Meet Dr. Kemi Doll
• [3:03] Beyond maternal mortality
• [5:22] Uterine cancer and menopause
• [7:00] Power of patient stories
• [10:25] Dismissal and invisibility
• [13:22] Asking better questions
• [19:30] Rebranding birth control
• [29:01] Why write?
• [32:04] Endometriosis misdiagnosis story
• [38:38] Nuance over quick fixes
• [45:37] Bleeding patterns and cancer risk
• [48:38] Let's talk HRT, unopposed estrogen, and estrogen cream
• [56:39] Myths! We always have to cover myths!
• [1:04:28] Wrap up

Links:

kemidoll.com

kemidoll.com/book

@kemidoll on Instagram

@kemidollcoach on Facebook

@kemidoll on LinkedIn

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

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

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.

In this special bonus episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch celebrate the arrival of their new book, Estrogen, Interrupted and share an excerpt from the audiobook.

This preview introduces their candid, science-backed approach to perimenopause: the symptoms no one warned you about, why "it's normal" is not a treatment plan, and why women deserve better information, better care, and a lot less medical shrugging.

Listen in for a first taste of the book, including what perimenopause really is, why it can feel so unpredictable, and how Rebecca and Amy are working to make this stage of life less confusing, less isolating, and slightly less "why are my pants suddenly attacking me?

Links:

Get your copy of Estrogen, Interrupted: bit.ly/Estrogen-Interrupted-preorder

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

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

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

Perimenopause is already handing out enough surprises without the internet yelling that menopausal hormone therapy is either a miracle cardiology cape or a one-way ticket to doom.

In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch take on the very confusing question of whether hormone therapy can help prevent cardiovascular disease in menopause.

They walk through the history of hormone therapy and heart health, from large observational studies like Framingham and the Nurses' Health Study to the much-debated Women's Health Initiative, a study that launched roughly a thousand menopause panic spirals.

The doctors explain why timing matters, why older hormone therapy data does not always apply to today's estradiol options, and why oral versus transdermal estrogen is more nuanced than "patch good, pill bad."

So yes, hormones can be fabulous. But no, they do not replace exercise, lipid screening, diabetes care, statins when needed, or the deeply annoying truth that lifestyle still matters.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[2:45] Where the "estrogen protects the heart" idea came from

[5:02] The Women's Health Initiative and why timing matters

[6:31] Plaque, blood clots, and starting hormones later

[7:26] The timing hypothesis and "window of opportunity"

[7:59 Older hormone therapy studies don't always match current treatments…why?

[12:04] What we know about oral estradiol, transdermal estrogen, and the liver

[16:40] Medicare data, mortality claims, and why database studies are tricky

[18:37] Can MHT prevent cardiovascular disease?

[20:37] Proven heart-health strategies that matter most

[22:42] What hormones can help with, and what they CAN'T promise

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

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

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.

Perimenopause is apparently the perfect time to start worrying about dementia, cholesterol, hearing aids, and whether your brain is quietly packing its bags.

This episode of OvaryActive is part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Ayesha Sherzai of the Brain Docs. Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch are talking with Dr. Sherzai all about dementia prevention, brain health, and the deeply rude realization that the "boring stuff" might actually matter.

This episode picks up with the Lancet Dementia Commission report and the 14 modifiable risk factors linked to dementia, including hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, depression, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, social isolation, vision loss, and more.

Dr. Sherzai explains why midlife is such an important window for prevention, how hearing aids are no longer giant beige Lego pieces, and why statins deserve a much better PR team.

Listeners will learn what really helps reduce dementia risk, what to know about APOE4 genetic testing, and why menopausal hormone therapy should not be started for dementia prevention alone. The conversation also goes over brain health supplements, the limits of "natural" wellness claims, and why expensive pee is not a long-term cognitive strategy.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:53] Lancet Report explained

[5:50] 14 risk factors

[7:57] Midlife window shift

[9:15] Hearing loss breakthrough

[14:18] Reading and APOE

[16:57] APOE and LDL

[21:30] Statins for prevention

[24:30] Hormones and dementia

[29:52] Social media hype

[32:52] Supplements reality check

Links:

thebraindocs.com

Find the Brain Docs on Instagram: @thebraindocs

Find the Brain Docs on Facebook: @BrainDocsFB

Find the Brain Docs on YouTube: @theBrainDocs

Purchase The NEURO Plan Playbook: thebraindocs.com/playbook

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

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

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.

Perimenopause can make your brain feel like it left the room — not that it remembers why it went there in the first place. In this first part of a two-part series with the Brain Docs, OvaryActive is talking all about migraines, hormones, cholesterol, hearing aids, and whether your brain is quietly packing its bags.

Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch welcome Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, one half of the Brain Docs, for a reassuring and science-backed conversation about what is actually happening in the brain during perimenopause. They talk about estrogen, memory, sleep disruption, hot flashes, mood changes, and why midlife brain fog is common, distressing, and usually NOT the beginning of dementia.

Part one is a hopeful, practical episode about brain health, dementia risk, and why You're Not Crazy continues to be the most medically useful sentence in perimenopause.

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:28] Meet the Brain Docs

[1:21] Why study preventive medicine in neurology specifically?

[4:18] Migraine mea culpa

[5:49] Modern migraine science

[9:29] CGRP treatments explained

[11:37] Hormones OCP stroke risk

[17:24] Midlife brain fog fears

[19:20] Estrogen and cognition

[21:25] "When to worry" signs

[25:16] Referrals, prevention and what's coming in part 2

Links:

thebraindocs.com

Find the Brain Docs on Instagram: @thebraindocs

Find the Brain Docs on Facebook: @BrainDocsFB

Find the Brain Docs on YouTube: @theBrainDocs

Purchase The NEURO Plan Playbook: thebraindocs.com/playbook

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

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

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.