Managing menopause in the face of cancer can be complicated. Many women are made to think that they should just be grateful to be alive and not complain about their all day all night hot flashes, brain fog and sex that is excruciatingly painful. Many oncologists are not experts when it comes to menopause or sexual function and don’t bring it up or give information that isn’t accurate. Many women aren’t aware that hormone therapy may be safe, and if it’s not, that there are non-hormonal options to solve virtually every problem. 

In this Q and A episode I am joined by Dr. Mindy Goldman, the Director of the Gynecology Center for Cancer Survivors and At-Risk Women at UCSF and the Chief Clinical Officer at Midi Health. 

• Options to treat vaginal dryness when taking an aromatase inhibitor

• Options to prevent bone loss if estrogen is not an option

• Using testosterone to help libido with a breast cancer diagnosis

• If it is OK to take hormone therapy with an ER negative breast cancer

• If it is OK to take hormone therapy with a recent or remote diagnosis of an ER positive breast cancer

• Hormone therapy with endometrial (uterine cancer)

• Hormone therapy post lung cancer

• If estrogen will decrease the risk of colon cancer if there is a genetic pre-disposition such as Lynch syndrome

• If someone is at risk of breast cancer, are some forms of hormone therapy better to use than others 

• Why you are asked about estrogen use when you have a mammogram

• Is it safe to use hormone therapy with a BRCA mutation

• Should a hysterectomy be performed along with ovary removal with ovary and tube removal

• If radiation from a mammogram increasesthe risk of getting breast cancer? 

• If it is safe to use hormone therapy with dense breasts

• And much more…

                                                        Mindy Goldman MD

                                                              JoinMidi.com

Dr. Goldman is the Chief Clincial Officer at Midi Health and a Clinical Professor Emeritus in the department of OB/GYN at UCSF, where she is also the Director of the Gynecology Center for Cancer Survivors and At-Risk Women. She has worked with both the American College of Ob/Gyn (ACOG) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and is a nationally recognized expert in the management of women’s health issues, including menopause, for women with cancer or at high risk.

                                                      Other Episodes of Interest

Episode 92 Estrogen Cancer Conundrums?

Episode 114- Is Duovee the Ideal Hormone Therapy?

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com

• Instagram @DrStreich

• Facebook @DrStreicher

• YouTube @DrStreicherTV

• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

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Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain

• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat

• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever

• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 

The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx

• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 

If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 

The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.