How to Balance Your Hormones: What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Menopause

Everything you need to know about menopause.

Just like you went through puberty, which might have been challenging and had some symptoms, menopause is n- in many ways the same thing. You can think about it as puberty in reverse.

That actually makes a lot of sense. You know, when I was going through perimenopause, I got bioidentical hormones from a compound pharmacy, and I thought I was fancy.

Move away from using bioidentical and just call them compounded, 'cause bioidentical doesn't mean anything. So bioidentical is a marketing term used to describe hormones that are plant-based. They're just making things up.

There were all these warnings like, "Don't expose to light. Don't do this. Do that." Now, did I follow those? Of course not.

So this is the analogy I use. Using FDA-approved hormones is like going to the gas station. You fill your car and you have a working gas gauge, and you're like, "I know what's in there," and that's important. Getting these compounded formulations is like buying gas from a dude on the side of the road who's telling you he has bespoke gas for you.

I am speechless. Hey, it's Mel. I am so thrilled to bring this episode and conversation to you today. Dr. Jen Gunter is here to tell you everything you need to know about menopause, with a very particular focus on exactly what to do in order to feel better. Now, Dr. Gunter has been called the internet's favorite OBGYN. She is a double board-certified, fellowship-trained medical doctor, and she is a fierce advocate for women's health. She is also the bestselling author of three international bestsellers, including The Menopause Manifesto and her latest best-seller, Blood. She's known for myth-busting and no-nonsense facts, and you are going to love this conversation with her today. And I want to remind you, this is not just for you. Please be generous and share this with every single woman that you know, because what you're about to hear will change her life and yours. Without further ado, please help me welcome Dr. Jen Gunter to the Mel Robbins Podcast. Dr. Gunter, I'm so glad you're here.

I am so glad to be here.

So, Dr. Gunter, thank you so much for jumping on a plane, flying all the way across country to be here with us in Boston. I cannot wait to jump in and talk about menopause, bust the myths, have you empower us. I want to start by having you speak directly to the person who's listening who is either about to hit menopause, going through menopause, or maybe they're listening to this episode because somebody that they love has sent it to them. Could you talk to the person listening about what they are going to experience and what they're going to learn and how they're going to feel after they're done learning from you today?

Yeah. So I want you to feel seen if you're going through the menopause transition. I think so often women are made to feel small and they're not important, and women are uniquely affected by ageism. So you kind of have the double whammy at this time. So I'm hoping that you'll feel that your concerns are valid and they're important, and there are lots of options to do from a health standpoint, and there are many ways to take care of yourself. And I'm hoping that I can give you some tools to reframe what's going on with your body so you kind of know where you are and also give you tools to find help if you're struggling.