🎙️ Season 2, Episode 4: How Does Talking About Menopause Lead to Gender Equity?

A Conversation About Menopause with Lauren A. Tetenbaum, LMSW, JD

In this episode, we sit down with Lauren to confront one of the biggest taboos in women’s health: menopause — a natural life phase that has been misunderstood, stigmatized, under-researched, and under-treated for generations. Together, we explore why millennials are pushing a cultural shift toward more open, honest conversations, and how misogyny and ageism have fueled decades of silence around this transition. We dig into the emotional, physical, and social realities of perimenopause and menopause, why destigmatizing this experience is essential for gender equity, and how women can advocate for better care, access, and insurance support. Lauren reframes menopause as a long-term health transition — not a single moment — and makes the case for recognizing it as a feminist issue central to improving women’s health across the entire lifespan.

🎤 Meet Our Guest:

Lauren A. Tetenbaum is a licensed clinical social worker, lawyer, women’s advocate, certified menopause practitioner, mother of two, and author of Millennial Menopause: Preparing for Perimenopause, Menopause, and Life’s Next Period.
She blends expertise, honesty, and humor to help women understand the full scope of perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause — not only as health experiences, but as feminist issues tied to gender equity. Follow her on instagram @thecounselaur

🗣️ What We Talk About:

Why menopause is so misunderstood — and why that’s changing

The rise of millennial women pushing for transparency about hormonal health

How misogyny + ageism have shaped decades of silence

What perimenopause actually feels like (the emotional, physical, and social layers)

What women aren’t taught — but desperately need to know

How to advocate for better care, diagnosis, and insurance coverage

Why menopause is a feminist issue

The urgent need for research, access, and systemic change

How solidarity and community can help women feel less alone

📚 Resources:

Menopause Society (menopause.org) — free educational tools + insurance denial letter templates

Millennial Menopause by Lauren A. Tetenbaum https://thecounselaur.com/millennialmenopausebook/

Sponsored By:

Poppy — the voice-note memory app for modern moms.  Poppy lets you add voice notes to your photos, so you can tell the stories behind them in seconds.

✨ Use promo code MommyHasPoppy for 3-months free at checkout! Download Poppy here or directly in the iOS store. ✨

👯‍♀️ Meet Your Hosts:

Cristina Sansone – Public health pro turned full-time stay-at-home mom of three

Jamie Dennison – Corporate exec and mom of two

Tiffany Hodges – Writer, actor, filmmaker, and mom of one   

🔗 Find Us Everywhere

💬 Want to share your story or ask a question? [email protected]

🔑 Keywords:

menopause, perimenopause, women’s health, gender equity, hormonal health, feminist health, aging, stigma, millennial women, medical advocacy, emotional wellbeing, identity shifts, healthcare access, social change, community support