If you’ve been attuned to the zeitgeist of the 2020s, you may have noticed that perimenopause and menopause are having a much-needed moment. Women’s health has historically been overlooked and under-researched, and although I could write pages on this topic alone, we’ll need to save that conversation for another day. The good news is, the attention is here! Menopause, a nearly universal experience for women who reach middle age, is finally in the limelight. Social media has been a driver that has helped us get where we are, but I think we all know that social media can be complicated. With many health and wellness topics, as has been the case in the menopause space, it can feel impossible to sort through the onslaught of information. Who are the true experts with education and patient interests in mind? And who are grifters monetizing pseudoscience and exploiting our desire to learn more? Sometimes the differentiation is easy, but often it’s not!
As a family physician and a woman rapidly approaching my 40s, perimenopause and menopause are topics that frequently find their way into my professional and personal conversations. I have invested a significant amount of time in educating myself to better care for and inform my patients. While I am not here to provide medical advice today, I hope to offer reliable resources that empower more women to understand what is happening to their bodies and seek appropriate care when needed.
While this is certainly not an exhaustive list of resources, it is trustworthy, and I hope it can help provide a starting point or some clarity in a space that can feel very overwhelming.
Podcast: Ovary Active with Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
If you’re a podcast girlie like me, this is a great place to start. The two women physicians who created this podcast have dedicated their careers to the menopause/perimenopause space in recent years. This was made for the non medical person as a source of reliable education. They are passionate and nerdy in the best way, and truly just want to reach more people than they can see in their offices on a day to day basis. Episodes are digestible (often 35-45 min) and cover a range of relevant topics in perimenopause – hot flashes, your brain, mood, hormone therapy, etc. Start back at the beginning and give the whole thing a listen. Oh, and their tagline: “You’re not crazy. This is actually happening.” How’s that for validation?
Podcast: Episode #348 from The Peter Attia Drive with Dr. Rachel Rubin, MD
This 2.5-hour episode (“Women’s sexual health, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy”) is worth every minute. Incredibly informative and validating. Rachel Rubin is a urologist and sexual medicine specialist. Her career in this lane has led to her caring for many women during perimenopause and post menopause. She is a huge advocate for women’s health and for making sure people feel heard.
Book: The Menopause Manifesto, by Dr. Jen Gunter
Informative and empowering. Reliable information about perimenopause and menopause – what is happening, why, and what you can do about it. Knowledge is power, people!
The Vagina Bible is another great book by Dr. Gunter, although not specifically about menopause.
Instagram: @drjengunter
If you can’t leave social media behind (no judgment, I can’t either), I recommend following Dr. Jen Gunter. She is a Canadian gynecologist and author of the book mentioned above. Fierce advocate for women’s health. She aims to empower women by providing them with reliable information on the internet. After her own children were born extremely premature, she realized how incredibly difficult it was – even as a physician herself – to differentiate the facts and fiction on the internet. She is going to provide you with the most up-to-date and evidence-based information. Not trying to sell you supplements you might not need.
Rachel Rubin (@drrachelrubin) is another great follow.
Find your own doc!
You can have all the information in the world, but it’s unlikely to be very helpful if you don’t have a reliable physician on your side. If you feel that your concerns are not being addressed, try to find someone who can assist you. If you’re unsure where to start, I recommend searching for a menopause practitioner in your area through The Menopause Society. There are many physicians capable of treating you through perimenopause and menopause who are not necessarily certified through the menopause society. Still, many people are doing crazy things out there. If you feel lost or scared, start here!
There is a long history behind how we got to our current state when it comes to women’s health and menopause care. Please know that, although it may not always feel like it, your physician likely truly cares for you and wants to help. Health care is currently a mess, and our training specifically in menopause during medical school and often during residency was almost non-existent. There are many intelligent and well-intentioned people working hard to effect change, but it doesn’t always happen overnight. Continue to advocate for yourself, and as Drs. Dunsmoor-Su and Voedisch would say, remember – “You’re not crazy. This is actually happening.”
