science & Menopause
💡 Midlife women deserve care guided by today’s science for the complex balancing act of menopause ⚖️
On a scenic drive through Maine 🌲 recently, while contemplating my own mid-life mayhem, I listened to Dr. Kelly Casperson on the Everyday Wellness Podcast with Cynthia Thurlow (episode 500), which was full of insights (some positive some negative) that every woman in their 40s, 50s and beyond should know, particularly with regards to UTIs, hormones, SSRIs, and some surprising revelations about brain function during mid-life.
Some of the key takeaways I contemplated on I-95:🛣️
🔹 Many women get stuck in “UTI purgatory.” Vaginal estrogen not only restores microflora balance but can reduce risk of serious infection, particularly sepsis, which I feel happens more often than many people realize.
🔹 Hormone therapy (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) has been misunderstood for decades. Current research supports its benefits when used appropriately. In fact, just this past week, a family member related to me how her compounded hormones were having a significant impact on her mood, or as she would say, her ability to be "nice", "balanced" and herself again.
🫸🏼 A note on the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI, 2002): Early headlines suggested hormone therapy increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. What often gets overlooked is that risks vary by age, timing, and individual health. For many women starting near menopause, hormone therapy supports bone health, heart health, and quality of life. Almost a WHOLE generation of women were left behind in terms of managing their menopause journey as a result of the sensationalized and oversimplified WHI headlines.
🔹 SSRIs may negatively impact bone health and fracture risk—another consideration for midlife women.
🔹Brain function and self-perception shift during midlife, at times described as an "awakening" driven by reassessing priorities, values, and health choices, exactly what a resilience coach wants to hear and help support!
👉 The takeaway for me was that science has evolved in the area of hormones, the microflora, and brain function for midlife women, and that evolving evidence-based care can help women thrive.
As a health coach, I’m passionate about helping women discover resources to make empowered choices in the balancing act that is menopause. And thought this episode/these experts could be a great listen! ▶️
Joy Devins, HWC
Loon Rising, LLC
