All About You With Dr Shauna Watts The Midlife Hormone Guide: HRT, Libido, Brain Fog & How to Feel Like You Again
Feeling foggy, flat, or just not yourself? You’re not alone — and your hormones could be the reason. In this insightful episode, Dr Sunita Chelva, Dr Aoife O’Sullivan, and Dr Rachel Rubin explain how hormonal changes in perimenopause affect your brain, mood, sleep, libido, and energy — and how HRT, testosterone, and vaginal hormones can help restore balance and wellbeing.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why there’s no “too young” age to explore HRT when symptoms impact life.
- How the pill differs from HRT and when body-identical hormones matter.
- What testosterone can (and can’t) do for libido, focus, and fatigue.
- The role of estrogen and progesterone in brain, bones, sleep, and heart.
- How to balance benefits and risks when deciding how long to stay on HRT.
- Why vaginal hormones (estrogen, DHEA, testosterone) support comfort, continence, and sex at any age.
- Practical guidance for monitoring and dosing without over-testing.
- A fresh look at what “natural menopause” means today.
Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: www.allaboutyoupod.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts
https://www.instagram.com/drshaunawattsgp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247
Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.
00:00 – Introduction & “Too young for HRT?”
02:19 – Pill vs HRT: what’s the difference?
04:26 – Testosterone for women: why and when
05:23 – How to use testosterone cream & what to expect
11:52 – Blood tests, PCOS cautions & prescribing
14:16 – How long should you stay on HRT?
15:23 – Brain health, dementia risk & estrogen
16:18 – Personalising HRT: continue, pause, or stop?
17:56 – “Menopause is natural”—but is modern life?
19:55 – Vaginal hormones: comfort, UTIs & continence
25:18 – Rediscover You: program overview
26:22 – Hormone basics & perimenopause physiology
29:54 – Testosterone reality check (levels vs estrogen)
30:33 – Why body shape & fat distribution change
31:34 – Estrogen’s systemic roles (vessels, joints, brain)
33:20 – Progesterone’s role: balance, bones, GABA, sleep
35:05 – HRT: making the decision with evidence
35:24 – Progesterone for sleep: who benefits?
36:23 – Contraception during perimenopause on HRT
37:54 – Estrogen + progesterone: tailoring treatment
39:18 – Dosing: treat symptoms, not numbers
41:43 – Bloods & monitoring: limits of testing
42:57 – HRT & breast cancer: context and nuance
45:42 – WHI, media, and risk communication
perimenopause symptoms
HRT benefits risks
testosterone for women
vaginal estrogen DHEA
UTIs after menopause
brain fog menopause
sleep and progesterone
body-identical hormones
pill vs HRT
genitourinary syndrome menopause
midlife weight gain
estrogen brain health
osteoporosis prevention
WHI breast cancer study
menopause is natural myth