The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

Primodos was the pregnancy test pill containingsynthetic hormones that was prescribed to millions of women during the 50s, 60s and 70s that caused severe congenital malformations, stillbirths and miscarriages.Primodos contained etihylestradiol and norethisterone - two synthetic hormones that are still prescribed every day as contraception to millions of women.

These risks were covered up by Schering, the drug company, and the Committee of Safety of Medicine decided not to warn people of the harms of these synthetic hormones as they did not want women to be “scared away” from taking contraceptive pills which contain the same synthetic hormones.

In 1970, Marie Lyon’s GP prescribed her Primodos tablets to find out whether she was pregnant with her first baby. Nobody mentioned any risks, and when her daughter Sarah was born with part of her arm missing, Marie was told “these things happen”.

She has campaigned for decades as chair of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests. Millions of women were prescribed Primodos with countless harms to these women’s babies until it was banned many years after the initial warnings were reported.

Louise explains why synthetic versions of estrogen and progesterone can be harmful and the problems with prescribing them to pregnant women without proper testing. They talk about the early warnings that were completely dismissed, why so many mothers still blame themselves, and why Marie believes an apology by the drug company is no longer enough.

If your mother took this synthetic hormone pregnancy test, Marie’s advice is to ask your GP for your records. She closes with the three changes she wants to see in how medicines are regulated.

Chapters

00:00 What was the Primodos scandal?
01:27 How were pregnancy tests done before Primodos?
02:30 Where did synthetic hormones come from?
05:13 How did the pill become a pregnancy test?
06:14 What did Marie's GP tell her?
08:01 Was Primodos ever tested in pregnancy?
09:20 Did the drug company know about the risks?
10:39 What happened when Sarah was born?
11:24 When did families make the connection?
12:20 Who was Dr Bill Inman?
16:01 Who was Dr Isabel Gal?
18:38 What does duty of care mean once you know?
19:17 Which birth defects were reported?
21:05 How do you find out if your mother took Primodos?
25:42 Are synthetic hormones still causing harm?
28:31 Why weren't condoms made free?
32:00 Why isn't an apology enough?
33:01 What three changes does Marie want?

Let’s connect

👉 Understand the difference between synthetic and body-identical hormones in my book, The Power of Hormones:

👉 More from Dr Louise Newson:

https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Can hormones help postpartum psychosis? Why the fall in estrogen and progesterone after birth is so often overlooked.

Jade Lloyd had her daughter in December 2020 after a three-day labour. Within months she was living with anxiety, intrusive thoughts and suicidal feelings, and when she asked her health visitor for help she was told to have a glass of wine, some chocolate and a bath. Weeks later she had her first psychotic episode and was admitted to a mother and baby unit, yet hormones were never once mentioned as part of her treatment.

Jade, now a maternal mental health advocate, talks to Dr Louise Newson about recovery, relapse and why her GP said it wasn't normal for a 32-year-old to take hormones. Louise explains the pioneering work of Dr Katharina Dalton, how some antipsychotics can lower hormone levels and where progesterone may help.

Jade closes with three take-home tips for spotting the signs and finding support.

Follow Jade: @jadealloyd

Let’s connect

👉 If hormones have never been part of the conversation about your postnatal mental health, the doctors at Newson Clinic can talk it through with you: https://shorturl.at/B0GIl

👉 Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode

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

Chapters

00:00 Why are hormones ignored after birth?
01:36 What happened after Jade's traumatic birth?
03:06 What did her six-week check miss?
04:24 What are intrusive thoughts after birth like?
06:01 Why was she told to have a glass of wine?
07:05 What are the early signs of mania after birth?
07:40 What does a psychotic episode feel like?
09:04 What happens in a mother and baby unit?
10:37 How did antipsychotics affect Jade's weight?
11:51 Can postpartum psychosis come back?
12:52 Did anyone ever mention her hormones?
15:29 Why did psychiatrists ignore hormones?
18:21 What is a therapeutic trial of hormones?
18:50 How does Jade feel on hormone treatment?
20:35 Why did her GP say hormones aren't 'normal' at 32?
22:32 How should doctors weigh benefits and risks?
26:16 Why is there a double standard on evidence?
27:51 Can progesterone prevent postpartum psychosis?
28:25 Can antipsychotics lower your hormone levels?
28:53 How do you ask for hormone treatment?
30:21 Are hormones safe while breastfeeding?
31:40 What are the signs of postpartum psychosis?
33:08 Where can families find support?

This conversation covers postpartum (postnatal) psychosis, intrusive thoughts, antipsychotics and the role of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone after birth.

Biochemist Dr Phyllis Bronson on why women who can't tolerate progesterone may actually be reacting to progestogens/progestins (the synthetic type of progesterone)

Phyllis has spent decades researching progesterone and mood, and her doctoral work looked at the molecular differences between body identical progesterone and the synthetic progestogens found in many contraceptive pills and older types of HRT. She joins Dr Louise Newson to share the primate study that changed how she saw synthetic hormones, and why a small change to a molecule can have such a big effect on the body.

They talk about progesterone as the "molecule of calm", how transdermal and oral progesterone work differently in the brain and why some women may simply need a higher dose. They also discuss progesterone's role in making cortisol, and why it's often the first hormone to decline, sometimes as early as your 20s and 30s.

Can you take HRT if you have endometriosis? Nicola Roberts feared it would bring her pain back. Now she takes estradiol, progesterone and testosterone and feels the best she has since she was 12.

Nicola's periods were agonising from the start, but she was put on the pill at 13 and told by nurses to take Anadin and use a hot water bottle. At 25 she was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, then spent years on Depo-Provera, which left her with low mood, body aches and, at 40, osteoporosis.

Dr Louise Newson explains why synthetic contraceptives aren't the same as hormones, why Depo-Provera works "like giving you a menopause straight off", and how low testosterone is linked to endometriosis. They also talk about why so few women are offered testosterone, and how changing her diet and cutting sugar helped Nicola.

Nicola closes with her take-home advice for anyone with endometriosis who has been told hormones aren't an option.

Let’s connect

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

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

Doctors are being taught to treat hormone guidance as if it's law, but according to retired GP and medical educator Dr Mark Coombe, that guidance is too often "at best very conservative, at worst wrong."

Mark spent two decades in education and assessment for the Royal College of GPs and founded FourteenFish, the training platform used by hundreds of thousands of clinicians. He and Louise previously built free hormone education for GPs together — education that was pulled from its hosting platform after a handful of doctors complained it didn't "run to the guidelines."

In this conversation, Mark and Louise unpack how guidance gets misused as law in consultations and courtrooms, why NICE menopause guidance mentions breast cancer over 20 times more often than osteoporosis, and why more female GPs take HRT than the general public despite so much hesitancy to prescribe it. They close with three take-home tips on why every healthcare professional has a duty of care to understand progesterone, estradiol and testosterone.

Let’s connect

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

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

In this really interesting episode, two ocean rowers over 50 share their menopause journeys. One of them takes all three hormones, and the other would love to but has been refused testosterone by so many doctors.

Gail Wolstenholme and Nicola Matthews are part of Team Old Enough to Row Better, a five-person crew aiming to become the oldest mixed team to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Row. Gail takes all three hormones and describes testosterone as "like the sun coming out." Nicola has tried the Mirena coil, gels and patches without feelinglike herself, was told by one GP she was too old for "that mucky stuff" and handed antidepressants, and still can't get testosterone prescribed in Scotland.

Dr Louise Newson explains why it's still so hard to access evidence-based hormone treatment, why testosterone matters for women's mood, energy and coordination, and why you can't exercise your way out of hormone deficiency.

They also share why taking up something new after 50 matters, from staying physically and mentally active to building confidence and widening your social circle, with four take-home tips.

Sponsor the crew: www.oldenoughtorowbetter.co.uk

Follow: @old_enough_to_row_better

LET'S CONNECT
👉Been dismissed or offered antidepressants instead of hormones? Book with Newson Clinic: https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/
👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

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