This Is Perimenopause: Menopause, Perimenopause and Women's Health in Midlife

Where did this belly suddenly come from? And is a GLP-1 the answer?

Everyone's talking about GLP-1s, but few people actually understand how they work. Dr. Sean Wharton is an internal medicine physician, a pioneer in obesity medicine, and founder of the Wharton Medical Clinic. He's here to give us the facts.

Dr. Wharton explains what GLP-1s do in your body, why midlife belly fat is a health issue and not just a cosmetic one, and what to consider before you ask your doctor for one.

In this episode:

• What a GLP-1 is and how it works
• Why your body changes shape in midlife
• Why some women struggle with weight more than others
• When belly fat becomes a health risk
• What happens when you stop taking a GLP-1
• How to decide if a GLP-1 is right for you
• What to consider before you ask your doctor for one

Want to learn more? See Dr. Wharton live at the National Menopause Show on October 17 & 18 at the International Centre in Toronto. He’s just one of the incredible expert speakers lined up. Tickets are only $35/day or $45 for both days. Buy your tickets today!

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Dr. Wharton has his doctorate in Pharmacy and Medicine from the University of Toronto in

Canada. He practices internal medicine and is the director of the Wharton Medical Clinic, a

community based weight management and diabetes clinic. He is an assistant professor at the

University of Toronto and adjunct professor at McMaster and York University. He is the lead

authour of the 2020 Canadian Obesity Guidelines, which has been recognized around the world

and has published many peer-reviewed articles in international medical journals, including lead

author on several New England Journal of Medicine articles Dr. Wharton is involved in advocacy to achieve health equity in medicine.

Links for this episode

Rushed appointments. Leaving your doctor’s appointment with no real answers and more questions than before. Have you thought about seeing a nurse practitioner?

Dr. Roberta Heale has been a nurse practitioner for 27 years. She holds a PhD, co-founded Canada's first nurse practitioner-led clinic, and was the first president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada. Today she runs a virtual menopause clinic for women in Ontario and Alberta.

And she’s here to share with us what an NP can do to support you in perimenopause.

In this episode: 

• What a nurse practitioner can do for you in perimenopause
• What to expect at your first appointment
• How to find an NP who really knows menopause
• Why your provider might be following outdated guidelines
• Plus a sneak peak into her talks at the National Menopause Show:
• Hypnosis for hot flashes, and why it works
• How perimenopause is affecting women at work

Want to learn more? See Roberta Heale live at the National Menopause Show on October 17 & 18 at the International Centre in Toronto. She’s just one of the incredible expert speakers lined up. Tickets are only $35/day or $45 for both days. Buy your tickets today!

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Roberta Heale is a nurse practitioner, a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner and owner of the Virtual Menopause Clinic where she provides care to women in Alberta and Ontario for symptoms of perimenopause through to post menopause. Not only does her practice include hormones, treatment for insomnia, weight management and more, women may choose Clinical Hypnosis. Roberta is also a university professor and has used her academic role to conduct research about the impact of the symptoms of menopause on work.  

Links for this episode

• Follow Roberta on Instagram
• Roberta's Virtual Menopause Clinic
• Take Roberta's survey on menopause and work
• Find a Menopause Society certified provider

This episode will change how you think about that itch you've been ignoring down there.

Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Amanda Selk, gynecologist and one of the leading voices in vulvar skin conditions, as she breaks down lichen sclerosus. It’s a common but wildly under-recognized chronic skin condition that can permanently change your anatomy if it goes untreated.

In this episode:

• What is lichen sclerosus?
• Symptoms to watch for
• Why your doctor probably isn't checking for this, even during a Pap smear
• The permanent anatomical changes that can happen if it's left untreated 
• How lichen sclerosus is diagnosed and treated
• The genetic and hormonal factors at play, including why perimenopause and postpartum estrogen drops can trigger symptoms
• How to become "a looker" with Dr. Selk's simple monthly self-exam habit to catch problems early

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Links for this episode

Dr. Amanda Selk Podcast - The Vulva Diaries

Lichen Sclerosus Guide (patient information)

Lichen Sclerosus: ISSVD Practical Guide to Diagnosis and Management

We know Gina Livy as the weight loss expert. So when she told her community she was writing a book, we assumed we knew exactly what it would be about. We were wrong.

Liv Lighter: The Art of Living Well in Your Body, Home, and Mind is out September 8, co-written with home designer Lynne Knowlton and travel planner Norma Thiessen. It's a book about the weight women actually carry. The guilt. The permission we're still waiting for. The house we keep clean for people who aren't even coming over.

In this episode:

• Why weight loss is so much more than the numbers on the scale
• How your home is a wellness partner
• Why travel is about perspective, not sightseeing
• Why sleep and stress are the actual midlife levers
• Why Gina's back at the National Menopause Show in Toronto this October, and what she's moderating on the main stage

This conversation went places we didn't plan for, and we're keeping all of it.

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Gina Livy is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, podcast host, and founder of The Livy Method, one of North America’s largest weight loss and wellness communities. A two-time recipient of WXN’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women award, Gina has spent more than 30 years helping hundreds of thousands of women create lasting change through a practical, lifestyle-first

approach to health and wellness. Her newest book, Liv Lighter , expands that conversation beyond weight loss, exploring what it means to live well in your body, your home, your relationships, and your everyday life.

Links for this episode

• Liv Lighter: The Art of Living Well in Your Body, Home, and Mind Get 30% off at Indigo when you pre-order before September 7.
• The Livy Method - $10 Off Program Code To access your $10 off discount, head to the website, click Get Started and choose either the Fall Program or Monthly Membership. Enter code PERPODF26 at checkout and click Apply.
• Follow Gina on Instagram
• Follow Gina on Facebook
• Follow Gina on YouTube

In the second part of this incredible episode with Master’s level clinician and eating disorder specialist, we dive even deeper into how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why "clean eating" (clinically called orthorexia) is becoming increasingly problematic
• The deeper psychological roots beneath our food and body struggles
• How to model healthy eating behaviors for your children without passing on your own issues
• That freedom from these patterns is absolutely possible, no matter how long you've been stuck

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
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Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more. For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

Okay, so you're convinced. Sleep matters. Now what?

In Part 2 of our conversation with Stefan Underwood, SVP of Methodology at Exos, we get into the practical stuff — the things you can actually do to protect and improve your sleep, even when perimenopause is working against you. No overwhelm, no 17-step overhaul. Just a clear framework and a few things worth trying.

Because as Stefan puts it: perfect is the enemy of better. And better is absolutely worth fighting for.

In this episode:

• The three-chapter framework for improving your sleep: foundational biology, environment, and disruptors
• Why morning and evening light exposure is one of the most powerful (and free) things you can do for your sleep
• The truth about temperature and why cool isn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
• How to think about your sleep environment beyond cool, dark, and quiet 
• The real cost of that one glass of wine 
• Why heavy resistance training and sleep have a bi-directional relationship and what adenosine has to do with it
• The emerging research on heat acclimation - hot tubs, dry saunas, and why training your body to handle heat might help reduce hot flashes and improve sleep

Plus: the one thing Stefan wants every woman to know about sleep.

This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there. It'll change the way you think about why sleep matters in the first place.

This is part of our Endy Reclaim Your Rest Sleep Series - helping you wake up rested, focused, and ready to take on whatever the day brings. 

Endy is Canada’s leading online mattress brand, trusted by over 1 million sleepers. Endy’s mattresses are designed to keep you cool and supported all night long, so you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on your day. With three comfort options—plush, medium-firm, and firm—you can find the perfect fit for your body and sleep style. And the best part? Endy delivers straight to your door, so upgrading your sleep is simpler than ever.

• Subscribe to our Substack
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• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
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Links for this episode

Exos on Instagram

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Babelio White Noise Sound Machine

Blackout Sleep Mask

Tired of being told sleep is good for you? Yeah, us too. We already know. The real question is: why aren't we protecting it?

In this episode, we sit down with Stefan Underwood, Senior Vice President of Methodology at Exos, a human performance company that has worked with elite athletes, Special Operations Forces, and Fortune 500 leaders. 

Today Stefan is going to completely reframe the way you think about sleep. Not with guilt. Not with generic advice. But with a compelling, personal reason to finally fight for it.

Because sleep isn't just rest. It impacts every single cell and system in your body. And in perimenopause, when your hormones are already working against you, what's happening (or not happening) while you sleep matters more than ever.



In this episode:

• How to find your personal "value proposition" for sleep
• What REM sleep does for your emotional regulation 
• Why the woman who's showing up to the gym three days a week and not seeing results may be missing this one critical piece
• Why perimenopause is the exact wrong time to sacrifice sleep and what's really at stake when you do
• The "mom tax" and why the invisible mental load women carry makes sleep deprivation even more costly

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Stefan. Consider this your wake-up call.

This is part of our Endy Reclaim Your Rest Sleep Series - helping you wake up rested, focused, and ready to take on whatever the day brings. 

Endy is Canada’s leading online mattress brand, trusted by over 1 million sleepers. Endy’s mattresses are designed to keep you cool and supported all night long, so you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on your day. With three comfort options—plush, medium-firm, and firm—you can find the perfect fit for your body and sleep style. And the best part? Endy delivers straight to your door, so upgrading your sleep is simpler than ever.

• Subscribe to our Substack
• Become a TIP Insider
• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Links for this episode

Exos on Instagram

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Babelio White Noise Sound Machine

Blackout Sleep Mask

Think eating disorders only affect teenagers? Think again. What if we told you that the food rules, exercise obsessions, and body struggles you're experiencing during perimenopause might actually be disordered eating in disguise?

Meet Kyla Fox, a Master's level clinician and eating disorder specialist who's spent 20 years revolutionizing treatment approaches. After her own struggle with an eating disorder, Kyla identified critical gaps in traditional recovery methods and founded an innovative treatment center that's helping thousands of women break free from patterns they didn't even realize they had.

From the woman who exercises for hours after eating to the one sneaking food when her partner's away (Michelle, I see you!), Kyla reveals how disordered eating shows up in ways we never expected – especially during the hormonal chaos of midlife.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The difference between eating disorders and disordered eating 
• Why perimenopause often triggers or amplifies disordered eating patterns
• The three core symptoms of disordered eating: binge, purge, and restrict
• Why exercise is actually the most common form of purging behavior

We live in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. Luckily, Kyla is here to show us what true food freedom actually looks like.

• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Sign up for our weekly newsletter
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approach. Kyla is a Master’s level clinician with degrees from both the University of Toronto in the Master’s of Social Work program as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Women’s Studies. Kyla is a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She is also a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association. With such deep and varied experience in the field, Kyla is regularly called on by Canada’s top media outlets as a special commentator on a broad list of topics, including eating disorders, self-esteem, women’s health, body image, pregnancy and body confidence and more.

For more information please visit www.kylafoxcentre.com.

Links for this episode

Instagram: @KylaFoxRecovery

Facebook: @KylaFoxCentre

Twitter: @KylaFoxCentre

The Centre

Snoring, scrolling at 2am, hogging the blankets. These feel like small annoyances, but they might be quietly shaping your relationship in unexpected ways.

In this episode, we sit down with Kimberly Moffit, founder of KMA Therapy and relationship expert, and she breaks down why sleep is one of the most underrated factors in relationship health. 

In This Episode 

• Why a sleep-deprived you isn't really you — and isn't a fair partner
• The real reason sleep divorce carries so much stigma
• Why the problem isn't sleeping apart, it's never having the conversation
• Kimberly's red flag for when a couple stops collaborating
• Why grace, not guilt, is the right response to a partner who isn't sleeping

This is part of our Endy Reclaim Your Rest Sleep Series - helping you wake up rested, focused, and ready to take on whatever the day brings. 

Endy is Canada’s leading online mattress brand, trusted by over 1 million sleepers. Endy’s mattresses are designed to keep you cool and supported all night long, so you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on your day. With three comfort options—plush, medium-firm, and firm—you can find the perfect fit for your body and sleep style. And the best part? Endy delivers straight to your door, so upgrading your sleep is simpler than ever.

• Subscribe to our Substack
• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Facebook

Dr. Kimberly Moffit is a viral relationship expert who has studied the ins and outs of romance and has the answers to love’s toughest questions. With over 3M followers in total on social media and over 300,000,000 views on Youtube and Tiktok, her relationship advice is garnered from the latest research, which she brings to life in the form of fun and relatable tips. Kimberly achieved her Doctoral degree in Psychology from Middlesex University in 2015 and has appeared as a relationship expert on Fox & Friends, Good Day Chicago, and has been regularly featured in the New York Times.

Links for this episode

• Follow Kimberly Moffit on Instagram
• Learn more about KMA Therapy

Burning, itching, or something's just not right down there, but your doctor keeps telling you everything looks normal? Today, Dr. Dolores Fernandez, ND is back on the podcast, and she is not leaving any stone unturned.

She’s a naturopathic doctor, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and founder of IRIS, a clean science-backed vulva care brand. Dr. Dolores, ND specializes in vulvar and vaginal conditions, including the tricky ones most doctors aren't even looking for. If it's happening down there and no one can figure out why, chances are she’s seen it. And treated it.

In this episode:

• GSM (Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause)
• Vulvodynia and chronic vulvar pain
• Lichen sclerosis
• Vulvar psoriasis and eczema
• Recurring yeast infections
• Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
• Recurring UTIs

Plus:

• How your diet and gut health are connected to your vaginal health 
• How to advocate for yourself when the healthcare system keeps sending you home without answers

If something feels off, trust that. This episode will give you the language, the knowledge, and the confidence to push for the care you deserve.

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• Email us and let us know what you think of the podcast and what topic you want us to cover next.
• Follow This Is Perimenopause on Instagram
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Links for this episode

lovemyiris.com

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