Women's Health, Bio-Identical Hormones & Menopause - #28

If you’re around the same age as me, mid-50’s, then you have/had a mom that hit menopause around 30-40 years ago during which time many women were put on HRT during post-menopause. HRT started in the 60’s, but became very popular in the 90’s, when the first clinical trials on HRT and post-menopausal women were started (1991), called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), launched by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. In 2002, the first results were shared declaring that HRT had more negative than beneficial effects, thus HRT use dropped dramatically in the US (by 46%). Years later, the WHI trial was reanalyzed and showed that HRT use in younger women or started in the onset of post-menopausal women (within 10 years of their last cycle) had multiple beneficial effects including reduced cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, meaning HRT protected against all ways of dying. Needless to say, women are still confused and worried about starting HRT, or BHRT, and are struggling through this phase in their lives with symptoms such as weight gain, cognitive decline/ Alzheimer’s disease, loss of lean muscle mass, night sweats, loss of sleep, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, osteoporosis, thinning hair and more.

By the time a mid-life woman gets to me, she’s already tried out several diets, takes a cocktail of anti-depressants, anti-anxiety and sleep pharmaceuticals, has lost her sex drive, gained weight causing her waist circumference to be well over 30”, placing her in the obesity-category, lost her vitality and has low self-esteem. So, just as the kids are leaving the nest for college, mom feels like crap.

On today’s episode, my guest and I deep dive into women’s health, the misconceptions of HRT and BHRT, and how to best prepare yourself with the correct medical data so that you can make an informed decision for yourself.

Dr. Wendie Trubow, MD, is a functional medicine gynecologist. She received her M.D. from Tufts University in 2000 and has been practicing functional medicine since 2009. Through her own struggles with mold and metal toxicity, Celiac disease, and a variety of other health issues, Dr. Trubow developed a deep sense of compassion for what her patients are also experiencing. She is passionate about helping women optimize their health and their lives. There are many different challenges a woman faces in her life: work, home, relationships, spirituality, health, and they are all connected. While her credentials allow Dr. Trubow a solid medical foundation to help women achieve vitality, it was her own health journey that has inspired and supported her methods of care.

Dr. Trubow and her husband founded the Five Journeys Functional Medicine Clinic outside of Boston and offer services such as IV Therapy, primary care, women’s health and functional medicine.

You can contact Dr. Wendie Trubow here:

website: www.fivejourneys.com

Facebook: @fivejourneys

IG: @5journeyshealth

Twitter: @5journeyshealth