If you are waking up at 3 a.m. every night, getting enough hours but still feeling exhausted, or suddenly having trouble sleeping when you never used to, please stop writing it off as "just perimenopause." Yes, your hormones are changing. But that does not mean every sleep problem after 40 should automatically get blamed on hormones and left there. Women can have real sleep disorders in midlife that show up very differently than the symptoms most doctors were trained to look for.

In this episode of The Ovary Club, Dr. Andrea Matsumura and I unpack why broken sleep after 40 is more complicated than "your hormones are changing," and why so many women are still not getting the right answers. We talk about the sleep problems that are commonly missed in midlife, what your 3 a.m. wake-up may actually be telling you, and why some of the most popular sleep fixes may not be helping the way you think they are

Dr. Andrea Matsumura is a board-certified sleep medicine physician, certified menopause practitioner, and founder of the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method. She has built her work around something that should have happened a long time ago: looking at women's sleep through female physiology. Her framework considers daily habits, your sleep environment, emotions, circadian archetype, and the medical conditions that can quietly keep women from getting restorative sleep.

What's Discussed

(7:42) Why estrogen changes can disrupt the melatonin signal helping you stay asleep.

(12:26) The four-part sleep pattern Dr. Matsumura keeps seeing in women entering menopause.

(15:19) What may really be happening behind the 3 a.m. wake-up.

(23:05) Why women with sleep apnea often do not look like the sleep apnea patient you are picturing.

(46:28) Why your own melatonin production can take a major hit by midlife.

(51:14) The problem with taking high-dose melatonin right before bed.

(1:03:43) What to ask when you know your sleep is not normal but no one has investigated it.

If you are doing all the "right" things and still waking up exhausted, this conversation will give you a very different way to look at what might be going on.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

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The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90 Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/e9c34804dc

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com

Learn more about Dr. Andrea Matsumura:

Instagram: @drandreamatsumura

YouTube: @DrAndreaMatsumura

If you have ever been told, "Well, you are over 35," as if that is the end of the fertility conversation, I need you to hear this episode. Of course age matters. I am not arguing with biology. But there is another piece of fertility that I pay very close attention to, and it can tell us so much more about what is actually happening with your ovaries than the number on your birthday cake.

I have lived this myself. I had PCOS, was told when I was younger that having children could be very difficult for me, conceived my first daughter at 37, and had my second two months after turning 44. None of that happened because I found some magic fertility trick at the last minute. There were very specific things I had been doing for years to support my hormones, my ovaries, and my fertility, and in this episode I am walking you through the five biohacks I believe made the biggest difference.

So whether you are trying to conceive right now, getting ready for IVF, coming back from a loss, or sitting there thinking, "I definitely want kids someday, just not yet," this conversation is for you. We are getting into the things I wish more women were told to think about before fertility becomes urgent, including a few that probably are not even on your radar yet.

What's Discussed:

• (2:26) Why your chronological age is not the only age that matters for fertility.

• (5:17) My own fertility story and what I had been doing long before I was ready to conceive.

• (11:15) Why fertility is much more than simply whether or not you ovulate.

• (17:26) The difference between taking a prenatal and actually preparing your ovaries for conception.

• (27:55) The fertility biohack most women would never think to put on their preconception list.

• (31:08) Why some of the "healthy" habits women are following may actually work against fertility.

• (35:08) The overlooked nighttime factor that can change what happens hormonally in your next cycle.

If becoming a mom is something you want now or someday, I do not want you waiting until you are actively trying to start thinking about your fertility. There is so much more to this conversation than age, and that is exactly what we are getting into in this episode.

Get Your Fertility Game Plan After 35: alisavitti.kit.com/a2b80c30b0

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Veracity: Veracity's Metabolism Ignite is a great alternative to GLP-1s. Code INTHEFLO20 gets you 20% off: tinyurl.com/

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In your 40s, libido can start feeling completely unfamiliar. One week you cannot keep your hands off your partner. The next, they initiate and you would genuinely rather finish your to-do list. And suddenly your brain goes there: Am I not attracted to them anymore? Is something wrong with our relationship? Why do I feel so different?

This is where understanding female biology can save us from making a hormonal shift mean something it may not mean at all. Desire changes across the menstrual cycle, and the way it shows up can change again during perimenopause. Sometimes it is spontaneous. Sometimes your body needs touch, connection, foreplay, emotional safety, or simply enough space to get out of your head and back into your body.

In this solo episode of The Ovary Club, I am breaking down what happens to female desire across your cycle and through perimenopause, what your libido can reveal about your overall health, and the unexpected ways to support it in midlife. And no, this is not another conversation telling you to put on some lingerie and "get in the mood." We are going much deeper than that.

What's Discussed:

(02:51) Why your sex drive is not supposed to feel the same throughout the month. (05:36) Spontaneous vs. responsive desire and why confusing the two can create unnecessary relationship worry. (08:50) Why lubrication naturally changes across the cycle. (13:14) What libido can reveal about your overall health. (17:35) What desire may look like during each phase of your cycle. (28:29) Unexpected ways to support libido and sexual response. (42:32) The everyday habits that can quietly shut desire down.

Thank you to our sponsor:

Veracity: Veracity's Metabolism Ignite is a great alternative to GLP-1s. Code INTHEFLO20 gets you 20% off: https://tinyurl.com/2pxh4j5r

Free Guide:

The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com

Stress is often presented to women as a vague explanation for symptoms no one has investigated deeply enough. You are exhausted, anxious, unable to sleep, gaining weight, or noticing that your cycle has changed, and the conversation ends with advice to relax. But what if stress is not the end of the explanation? What if it is the beginning of a physiological loop affecting nearly every system involved?

In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Dr. Taz Bhatia to examine what happens when a healthy stress response stops resolving and cortisol begins running the show. We trace the progression from feeling constantly activated to disrupted sleep, unstable blood sugar, low progesterone, sluggish thyroid function, inflammation, burnout, and chronic disease. We also explore why ignoring your intuition can become a stress input of its own, what cortisol testing can and cannot reveal, and how to build a recovery plan without overwhelming an already overwhelmed body.

Dr. Taz Bhatia is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author of Super Woman Rx and The Hormone Shift, and founder of hol+. Her clinical approach combines Western medicine with Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, nutrition, emotional health, and nervous-system regulation to identify the individual drivers keeping each patient stuck.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Get my free guide to stress-proofing your hormones: https://alisavitti.kit.com/55777c884d

(01:54) What separates ordinary stress from the cortisol loop and why the body can become unable to switch it off.

(08:41) How cortisol dysfunction progresses from constant activation to reversed rhythms, daytime exhaustion, insomnia, and hormone disruption.

(15:30) The hidden cortisol inputs women may overlook, including the physiological cost of repeatedly ignoring their intuition.

(19:20) Why chronic stress affects women differently and how cortisol can drive androgens, blood sugar instability, weight gain, PMOS, and difficult perimenopause symptoms.

(32:36) How cortisol interferes with progesterone, thyroid function, insulin, testosterone, ovulation, and the wider hormonal axis.

(35:55) The tests and personal data that may help reveal cortisol dysregulation when a standard laboratory panel appears normal.

(39:54) How Dr. Taz sequences recovery and the practical routines that help women begin breaking the loop without adding more pressure.

FLO Living supplements: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com

Free Guide:

The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com

Learn More About Dr. Taz Bhatia:

Website: doctortaz.com

hol+: holplus.co

Instagram: @drtazmd

For years, women have been told to focus on the number on the scale. We count calories, spend hours doing cardio, and chase smaller bodies, believing weight is the biggest marker of health. But one of the most powerful things a woman can do for her hormones has very little to do with losing weight. It has everything to do with building muscle.

Muscle is far more than strength or appearance. It helps regulate blood sugar, supports insulin sensitivity, lowers inflammation, protects ovarian function, and influences everything from PMS and fertility to perimenopause and healthy aging. In this solo episode of The Ovary Club, I explain why muscle may be the missing piece behind stubborn weight, cravings, fatigue, mood swings, hormone symptoms, and metabolic dysfunction. I also share the simple strength training approach every woman can start, no matter how busy life feels.

If you've ever wondered why eating well and doing more cardio still hasn't given you the results you expected, this episode may completely change the way you think about women's health.

Get my free Strength Training Starter Kit here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/01c76bd1a9

What's Discussed:

(03:10) Why muscle is one of the body's most important organs for hormone health.

(08:05) The connection between muscle, blood sugar, insulin, and ovarian function.

(13:12) How muscle may help slow ovarian aging and reduce inflammation.

(17:36) Why women with more muscle often experience fewer hormone symptoms during perimenopause.

(21:45) The surprising signs you may have lower muscle mass than you realize.

(28:10) The minimum amount of strength training research shows women actually need.

(34:30) How protein, creatine, and progressive overload help support muscle and hormone health.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com

Free Guide:

The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/e9c34804dc

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com

By the time perimenopause begins, fatigue, stubborn weight changes, irregular cycles, low progesterone, low mood, and fertility struggles can all be folded into the same explanation: hormones are changing. But what if some of the symptoms women are taught to expect during this transition are also pointing to a gland that rarely gets included in the conversation?

Most women hear about the thyroid in relation to metabolism, yet its reach extends through the cycle, ovaries, ovulation, progesterone, fertility, and the wider endocrine system. In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Dr. Amie Hornaman to uncover why thyroid dysfunction can be hidden inside what looks like perimenopause, why having the thyroid checked is not always the same as having it fully evaluated, and what women may be missing when every symptom is treated as a separate problem. We also examine the surprising research connecting long-term hormonal contraceptive use with thyroid risk and the overlooked overlap Dr. Amie calls thyropause.

Dr. Amie Hornaman is a functional medicine clinician, founder of the Advanced Thyroid and Hormone Clinic, host of the top-rated The Thyroid (and Hormone) Fixer Podcast, and author of The Thyroid Fix. Through her clinical work, she helps women investigate persistent symptoms, understand the thyroid markers that standard testing may leave out, and explore more individualized approaches to thyroid and hormone care.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

What's Discussed

(03:40) Why the thyroid belongs in the conversation about cycles, progesterone, fertility, and perimenopause.

(05:50) The first thyroid question Dr. Amie asks when hormone symptoms do not fully add up.

(09:13) The surprising link between long-term hormonal contraceptive use and thyroid risk.

(13:59) What can happen when the body is not converting thyroid hormone efficiently.

(19:18) What "thyropause" means and why it can overlap with perimenopause.

(29:31) Why some women continue to struggle even after starting thyroid treatment.

(34:41) The thyroid markers that may reveal what a basic panel leaves unanswered.

Thank You to Our Sponsor:

FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com

Free Guide:

The Lab Request Checklist: Struggling with hormonal issues that you just can't figure out? Get the exact labs to ask your doctor for so you can measure progress instead of guessing. alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Dr. Amie Hornaman

Website: dramie.com

The Thyroid Fix book: thyroidfixbook.com

Instagram: @dramiehornaman

Facebook: facebook.com/groups/dramie

YouTube: youtube.com/dramiehornaman

TikTok: @dramiehornaman

7-Day Thyroid Healing Kickstarter: fixyourthyroid.com/7daykickstarter

Could the workout clothes you wear be affecting your hormones? Can you reverse perimenopause? What does a sudden chin breakout after 35 reveal about your hormonal health? And why can ADHD symptoms feel harder to manage before your period?

In this solo Q&A, I'm answering questions submitted by Ovary Club Insiders about the hormone concerns so many women are trying to make sense of. We're talking about synthetic fabrics and endocrine disruptors, ovarian aging, fertility with low AMH or one ovary, hormonal acne, recurring yeast infections and UTIs, creatine for women, and the connection between ADHD symptoms and the luteal phase.

I'll help you connect these concerns to the systems involved, including estrogen, progesterone, ovarian reserve, blood sugar, muscle mass, sleep, gut and vaginal health, and dopamine. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of what may be happening in your body, what to start tracking, and which supportive steps may be worth exploring.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

What's Discussed

00:05 Can synthetic workout clothes, lingerie, and other fabrics affect your hormones?

07:30 Can you reverse perimenopause, or support healthier ovarian aging?

13:10 Why chin acne can suddenly appear after 35.

21:50 Low AMH, fertility with one ovary, IVF, and natural conception.

29:35 Recurrent yeast infections, UTIs, and the vaginal microbiome.

37:30 Creatine for women: muscle, brain health, and hormone changes after 35.

43:12 Why ADHD symptoms can become harder to manage during the luteal phase.

Thank You to Our Sponsor:

FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at http://floliving.com

Free Guide:

The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

When we talk about perimenopause, the conversation usually centers on hot flashes, irregular periods, poor sleep, brain fog, mood changes, and weight gain.

The heart is rarely part of that conversation.

But estrogen also affects the arteries, blood pressure, blood-vessel flexibility, and the endothelium, the thin lining inside the arteries. As hormones begin to shift, changes may already be happening in the cardiovascular system, even while women are being told their symptoms are stress, anxiety, aging, or "just menopause." In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with preventive cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to talk about why perimenopause may be one of the most important windows for protecting long-term heart health. We get into what estrogen is actually doing for the heart, why women can still have cardiovascular disease developing even when standard testing looks normal, and which parts of a woman's history deserve a place in her cardiac risk assessment.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum has spent nearly three decades changing the way women's heart health is understood and treated. She has served as Director of Women's Cardiovascular Prevention, Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai, Director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Director of the Center for Cardiac and Pulmonary Health at Beth Israel Medical Center. She is also the founder of Heart-Tech Health, whose signature program, Adesso, gives women access to cardiovascular prevention designed around female biology.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

What's Discussed

(00:17) Why women are still being missed in heart-disease research, diagnosis, and care.

(12:34) What begins to change in the arteries during perimenopause.

(18:10) What estrogen does for cardiovascular health and why hot flashes may carry more information than women realize.

(21:01) How chronic stress, pregnancy complications, depression, and emotional history can affect future heart risk.

(29:34) The symptoms women may mistake for hormones, anxiety, stress, or aging.

(39:01) Why a normal cardiac workup may not always show the full picture.

(47:21) The testing, movement, nutrition, and prevention strategies that can help women act earlier.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

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Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum:

LinkedIn: @drsuzannesteinbaum

Instagram: @drsteinbaum

Website: drsuzannesteinbaum.com

Adesso Health: adesso.health

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum's Heart Book: Every Woman's Guide to a Heart-Healthy Life: a.co/d/006QRNln

Note: This episode was recorded before PCOS was renamed PMOS, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. Throughout this episode and some original episode materials, you may hear or see the former name PCOS used.

If you have ever left a PMOS diagnosis with no real explanation of why your body is doing this, this is the episode I wish you had.

In Part 1, I shared the PMOS story I rarely get to tell in full and walked through what this condition can look like on the symptom level. In this episode of The Ovary Club, we're picking up where we left off and going underneath the symptoms to look at what can actually keep the PMOS loop active.

I'm also talking about the well-intended "fixes" that can backfire when you are trying so hard to get better, and the protocol I wish someone had handed me when I was 19. My goal is not to overwhelm you with another list of things to do. It is to help you understand what your body may be responding to, what inputs matter, and how to start moving from guessing to knowing.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

Get the exact 5-step protocol Alisa used to reverse her own PMOS: blood sugar, inflammation, gut, androgens, and tracking, all in one printable cheat sheet: https://alisavitti.kit.com/7d62882557

What's Discussed:

(46:34) What triggers PMOS and why understanding the symptoms is only the first step.

(47:56) The blood sugar and insulin loop that can keep PMOS active.

(49:48) How chronic stress can affect the ovaries, ovulation, and androgen production.

(51:59) The inflammation piece of PMOS and why your environment matters.

(54:13) The common PMOS mistakes that can backfire when you try to fix everything aggressively.

(1:04:04) The PMOS protocol I wish someone had handed me when I was 19.

(1:22:53) How to track your cycle, confirm ovulation, and know if your hormones are actually shifting.

If PMOS has made you feel like your body is unpredictable, frustrating, or impossible to figure out, this episode will help you understand what may be driving the loop and where to begin.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

MyFLOⓇ App: Download the MyFLOⓇ App at floliving.com/pages/app and use the code FREEMONTH

Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

When a woman is told she cannot get pregnant, the assumption is often that something in her body has failed. But what if infertility is not the final answer? What if it is a signal that the body needs different internal conditions before it can support conception, implantation, and pregnancy?

In this episode of The Ovary Club, I'm joined by Dr. Aumatma Simmons to talk about fertility through the lens of female biology. We get into why infertility should be understood as a symptom, what the body may be doing when conception is not happening, why most biohacking advice was built around male physiology, and how women can start supporting fertility by working with their cycle instead of against it.

Dr. Aumatma Simmons is a double board-certified Naturopathic Endocrinologist who has spent nearly 20 years specializing in fertility. She works with the cases that often fall through the cracks, including unexplained infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, and helps women and couples look beyond standard testing to understand hormones, egg quality, sleep, blood sugar, toxins, partner health, and the deeper factors that can affect conception.

Want to go deeper with this episode? Insiders get to submit questions and receive monthly Q&As directly from Alisa. Join here: alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

What's Discussed:

02:36 – Why infertility should be understood as a symptom, not a diagnosis.

06:59 – What the body may be doing when conception is not happening.

09:58 – Why biohacking fertility has to account for female biology and the infradian rhythm.

13:58 – What to assess before starting another supplement stack, protocol, or fertility plan.

19:06 – Why sleep can change ovulation, progesterone, egg quality, and fertility outcomes.

38:34 – How carb restriction, fasting, and intense workouts can work against fertility.

52:59 – What standard testing can miss in unexplained infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss.

If you are trying to conceive, navigating unexplained infertility, dealing with recurrent pregnancy loss, or wondering why everything looks "normal" but something still feels off, this episode will help you understand what your body may need before conception can happen.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

MyFLOⓇ App: Download the MyFLOⓇ App at floliving.com/pages/app and use the code FREEMONTH

Ovary Club Insiders: Ovary Club: Join us at alisavitti.kit.com/products/the-ovary-club

Learn more about Alisa Vitti:

Instagram: @alisa.vitti

Website: alisavitti.kit.com/

Learn more about Dr. Aumatma Simmons:

Instagram: @holisticfertilitydoctor

LinkedIn: Aumatma/

Facebook: DrAumatmaND

YouTube: HolisticFertilityExpert

TikTok: @holisticfertilitydoctor

Website: holisticfertilityinstitute.com

Madre: madrefertility.com