The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

Consultant dermatologist Dr Saj Rajpar, making his fifth visit to the podcast, joins Louise to explain why acne, hair loss and ageing skin are so often driven by hormones rather than skincare.

Saj runs Midland Skin in Birmingham and has worked alongside Louise for years, since a shared patient's hair loss first brought them together. That collaboration runs through this conversation, from hormonal acne that flares before every period to a patient whose acne returned after switching from bioidentical progesterone to the Mirena coil.

They also discuss why "dermatologist" isn't a protected title and what to check before booking high-street laser treatments, how the contraceptive pill and synthetic progestogens can block oestrogen's benefits for skin, and why dramatic skin ageing can be a sign of unaddressed menopause rather than normal ageing.

Louise closes, as always, with three take-home tips — this time on why the skin matters more than you'd think.

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms andunderstand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

👉 Follow Saj:@dr.rajpar_dermatologist

Mathilde Barker was 23 when she finally understood why, since the age of 14, doctors had told her it was "just" muscle strain, put her on antidepressants, and once removed her appendix by mistake. It took five years to get a diagnosis of endometriosis, and two surgeries later, adenomyosis too.

She joins Dr Louise Newson to talk through her whole journey: the misdiagnoses, a scan result that was reversed by a phone call, being told by a doctor at 19 that having a baby would cure her symptoms, and the reality of being put into a medically induced menopause in her twenties just to manage the pain.

Louise explains what's actually happening in the body with endometriosis and adenomyosis, why low testosterone and progesterone are so common in women with these conditions, and why blocking hormones completely isn't always the right approach.

Louise ends, as always, with three take-home tips for anyone who suspects they — or someone they know — might have endometriosis or adenomyosis.

Lets connect

👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: ⁠https://bit.ly/4yZty5A⁠👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: ⁠https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson⁠👉 Follow Mathilde: @mathildebarker

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr Pooja Saini and psychologist Dr Olivia Hendriks to discuss their important research into perimenopause, menopause and suicide risk. Together, they explore why hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can have such profound impacts on mental health, and why this connection is still often overlooked in both research and clinical care.

They also discuss findings showing significant improvements in mental health and suicidal thoughts with appropriate hormone treatments, and why greater awareness, better research and more frequent prescribing of hormones are urgently needed to improve the health of women.

This is a really important episode highlighting the important link between menopause and suicide risk that can’t be ignored.

Let’s connect

👉 Read the full research paper discussed in this episode: https://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/knowledge/hormone-related-suicide-risk-going-undetected

👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Jo flew supersonic jets under extreme pressure for a living, but missed the menopause happening inside her own body.

This week Dr Louise Newson is joined by Jo Salter, Britain's first female fast jet pilot, who spent years pushing through severe menopause symptoms without realising what they were, until she found herself mentally ticking off a symptom checklist in the middle of a conference. They talk about why testosterone is still so hard for women to access even on an NHS prescription, and the guidelines that leave many women denied any hormones at all after a surgical menopause.

Louise also explains why breast cancer shouldn't automatically rule out HRT, the buried history of progesterone and postnatal depression, and shares a patient story that shows just how much hormones can transform a life.

Jo closes with her three take-home tips for building the confidence to advocate for your own health.

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

👉Follow Jo: @josaltermbe

Rose Stokes, journalist and host of the Matter of Fat podcast, joins Dr Louise Newson to talk GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, the hormones behind weight gain and the shame around women's bodies.

Rose has lived with obesity on and off for thirty years and is currently taking GLP-1 medication herself, after months of exercise and calorie counting made no difference to her weight post-pregnancy. She and Louise talk candidly about what these drugs can and can't do, and why "easy" is the last word Rose would use to describe taking them.

Louise explains why women are so often told their weight is a food and exercise problem when the real cause can be hormonal. They also cover the research gaps around GLP-1s and women's hormones and why blame and shame make it harder to get the right help.

Rose closes with her three take-home tips for anyone rethinking their relationship with weight.

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

👉 Follow Rose: Insta: @rosestokeshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-matter-of-fat/id6805913565

https://open.spotify.com/show/469s4SFr3DNivfx1dQVyXR?si=9065a05ed85b4723 

Up to 80% of women with PMDD have suicidal thoughts. Online, it's being trivialised as the 'luteal uglies'.

In this solo episode, Dr Louise Newson explains what'sactually happening in the second half of your menstrual cycle. She describes the sharp drop in progesterone that can trigger low mood, anxiety, irritability, brain fog, fatigue and more, and why calling it the 'lutealuglies’ does women a disservice.

Louise traces how PMDD was made a psychiatric condition in the 1960s and 70s, sidelining the work of Dr Katharina Dalton, a GP whose research on natural progesterone was decades ahead of its time. She explains why hormonal contraception doesn't actually contain hormones, why low testosterone is so often mistaken for fibromyalgia or depression, and how a symptom questionnaire can help you track your own pattern across your cycle.

Louise closes with three take-home tips on getting the right diagnosis and treatment and why sharing this episode matters.

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms andunderstand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Kim Smith went on a family holiday to Spain with a UTI and woke up nine weeks later having lost all four limbs to sepsis.

Twice missed by Spanish doctors, Kim's kidney pain and uncontrollable shivering escalated so fast she doesn't remember being flown home. She tells Dr Louise Newson what actually happened, from the misdiagnosis to being told all four limbs would need amputating, and how she's rebuilt her life since as a quadruple amputee and sepsis awareness advocate.

Louise and Kim discuss the sepsis warning signs so often missed, why kidney pain and sudden shivering are red flags, and how around 30% of sepsis cases start as a urine infection. They also cover why vaginal hormones significantly cut UTI frequency and severity and are safe for almost everyone, including women who've had breast cancer, yet are still rarely prescribed.

Kim shares her three take-home tips on sepsis before the episode ends.

Follow Kim: @kims2ndchance

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms andunderstand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Nutritionist Dominique Ludwig, author of No NonsenseNutrition, explains why your gut controls your hormones and hunger.

Dominique trained at King's College and has spent 20 years in clinical practice, working with around 4,500m people before writing the book that turns her clinic advice, and the recipes behind it, into something anyone can use at home.

Louise and Dominique talk through how your liver and gut clear out old hormones, why the wrong gut bacteria can impact your hormones and how the Contraceptive Pill can block your absorption of B12, zinc and folate. They also unpick why protein and fibre switch on the body's own satiety hormones (the same pathway GLP-1 medications work on) and why so many of Dominique's clients describe the disappearance of "food noise" as life-changing.

Follow Dominique: @dominiqueludwig_nutrition

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Many women are told that all hormone treatments are essentially the same. But the reality is far more complex, and understanding the difference could have a significant impact on your health, fitness and wellbeing.

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by women’s health and fitness coach Davey Maher to discuss why bioidentical and synthetic hormones work differently in the body, how they influence inflammation, muscle, metabolism and long-term health, and why these differences are so often overlooked.

Together, they explore why so many women struggle with weight gain and muscle loss during midlife, why strength training and nutrition become increasingly important as hormone levels change, and how taking the right hormones alongside healthy lifestyle habits can help women stay stronger, healthier and more active for longer.

Let’s connect

👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A

👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Natalie Sykes spent years using heroin and crack cocaine to self-medicate undiagnosed PMDD, autism and ADHD, and now finally understands why.

Natalie, founder of the PMDD & Neurodivergence Alliance, tells Dr Louise Newson how PMDD's crushing hormonal mood swings collided with undiagnosed autism and ADHD to leave her, in her words, "allergic to my own body." Misdiagnosed as bipolar for decades, she turned to substances that numbed what nobody could explain. While using heroin, her PMDD symptoms disappeared completely.

Louise explains that progesterone, estradiol and testosterone act directly on the brain's opioid and dopamine receptors, so when women are chronically short of these hormones, the body looks for relief elsewhere. They discuss why neurodivergent women are especially vulnerable to this pattern and why harm reduction has to be part of the conversation.

Natalie shares her three take-home tips for anyone who suspects PMDD, ADHD or autism might be behind their struggle to cope.

If you've experienced hormonal changes at any stage of life - from menstruation through to menopause - and have experience of addictive behaviours, coping strategies or gambling, you can help shape future support by taking part in this research survey: https://newson.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1YtaHkftP8GrSbc

Follow Natalie @pmddneurodivergencealliance

Let’s connect👉 Been dismissed or misdiagnosed? Book a consultation at Newson Health clinic: https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/consultations👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson👉 Follow Natalie's work with the PMDD & Neurodivergence Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CzUafKyFt/?mibextid=wwXIfr