Healthy Hormones, Healthy Ageing: What Women Need to Know - Miranda Naylor

Rest Without Guilt

Yeah, a lot of it comes down to even, especially for women, how we take care of others before ourselves, how we might feel guilty for taking time to rest, feeling like we're being lazy or something like that. There are a lot of stories and societal things that come up with that. Um, and so that's part of it. That's part of, you know, breaking through that to then be able to, you know, realize that you're just loving yourself like you would love someone else in your life and that you really need to do that to then be able to take care of the other people still and and maintain yourself.

Fertility Journeys And Missing Answers

So I would love for you to start, if you don't mind, by sharing a little bit about your own journey with fertility. I had a not similar experience, but certainly um didn't fall pregnant until I was 40. Um, and and then that was with IVF. And then I had my second baby naturally, um, and that was when I started to really think about how I had more agency with my health, with my hormones, and how my body worked, which I'd never really believed before. So I I think you've had a similar experience with your fertility journey. So yeah, I'd love for you to share a little bit of happy to share.

Yeah. And I love your experience. I love when that happens naturally and it just kind of throws a loop and you're like, wow, wait, and opens up a whole new world. I love that. Um, yeah. So for me, it started when I was a very busy resident doctor and decided that that was just a lovely time to start a family and stopped birth control, and I didn't have a period. And that was the first time that I really felt like, wow, I'm I'm a doctor, but I don't know, even know what to do for myself. The people that I look up to, the specialists that I was going to also didn't have answers for me. And I felt really dissatisfied where I was like, why am I not able to find out what's going on with my body rather than just wait and try this and that's not working and then, you know, go to IVF when I was like, well, wait, but we didn't answer the first question of what's happening to me. So that's what really pushed me into looking for different answers, looking to functional medicine, particularly. That's when I started my training in functional medicine to really understand how we can get to the root cause of things rather than just treating symptoms. And especially for women's health, I found that there are so many other answers that the conventional world wasn't really offering outside of, you know, birth control pills. That's about it. So, so it really pushed me into this whole journey. Um, I was able to conceive both my boys naturally, um, which is amazing because again, I got to the bottom of it. And luckily I was able to then, you know, things were working smoothly after that. Um, but it really just put a whole new lens on my perspective as an individual, but then also in my professional world.

Yeah, it's really interesting, isn't it? I'm just kind of going back to that time when I had IVF and I went through a period of um ovulation tracking. But you know, they did the blood tests and they said everything's everything's normal, but I wasn't conceiving. And and fair enough, I was like in my late 30s by that point, but there was no question about lifestyle. I was also cross-fitting, so I was like doing intense exercise, and there was there were other people that I knew that had got pregnant, so I was like, Well, the doctors aren't saying that there's anything showing up that's wrong, other people are doing it, and there was no investigation, there was no in-between. Um, and yeah, it's literally we're very fortunate that now people like you are coming up coming out and talking about it more, but really I feel like you have to back that was 12 years ago when I had my first child, and it's like you're just kind of winging it, you're just finding out bits and pieces by listening, doing your own research. There's not it's not happening in our medical systems, I don't think.

No, even to this day, it's not happening, unfortunately. Your experience is still status quo that, you know, you know, you get maybe a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, which is literally nothing. That means nothing. It means we just don't know. And it really unfortunately is because the conventional system is so geared towards pathology and finding out what's wrong. But especially for this, if there's nothing truly life-threatening wrong, then they just say it's nothing, you're normal, even if there is something that's not functioning appropriately, and there absolutely is something that you can do about that. Um, and that's where, you know, I love to work with people because there is so much that we have power over that we can really understand our body and understand what it needs, and then be actually be able to change those things and change the outcomes that we have too, with fertility or with other, you know, hormonal symptoms, everything.

Yeah, I'd be really keen to just hear a little bit more about how what you needed to change or what you found was going on in your own personal experience. And then we can kind of shift gears to to more about like managing our our hormones at whatever stage of life we're in, and some questions around perimenopause and menopause after that.

Stress Shuts Down Ovulation

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Um, yeah, so for me, it was the official diagnosis with hype was hypothalamic amenorrhea, which basically means that my body was so stressed out that it shut down reproduction. And again, I mentioned I was in residency, I was doing night shifts, I was also doing CrossFit at the time, which I'm I'm back to CrossFit now and I really have nothing against it. But we have to be very mindful about how we use that, especially as women. I was also doing hot yoga. Like you you can probably get the picture that I was, I had a lot of mental emotional stress. I had a lot of extra should do's on my plate, and I was really pushing it to the limit when really that's not what our body needs typically when it comes to fertility. Oftentimes we need a lot more safety and softness so that our body feels like reproduction can happen. Our body's very smart and there's an evolutionary trick there where if we're in war, if we're in famine, if it's not a good time to reproduce, or if it's something that is, you know, we need to take all of our energy to keeping us alive, keeping our heart pumping, our lungs breathing, reproduction is not necessary for that. So that gets shut down, whether that looks like missing our period, whether it looks like even, you know, oftentimes it can look like just having bad PMS or something like that. But those are warning signs that, you know, there's an energy deficit or something that is, you know, again, putting that danger signal up rather than safety, which is just not, it doesn't work when it comes to fertility. Um, so for me, it was really finally understanding that it took me a while. I was pretty stubborn, to be honest about that. Honestly, a couple of years to really admit, oh my gosh, I really am stressed out. I really am, you know, not in a place that my body is able to reproduce right now. Because again, I did the same thing as you. I was like comparing to all these other people. Well, so-and-so got pregnant, so why can't I? Um, and so it's really accepting that for myself and then starting to slow down, starting to make some changes. I was also vegetarian at the time. I had to start eating meat again, things like that. Um, and the bottom line again was just giving my body all those safety signals that I didn't have to stress about what I was eating so much. I didn't need to put so much stress on my body with exercise. And then once that all clicked in, then ovulation started kicking in. Um, so yeah, so that's where my story was. I love that.

And I love that it's all it's through practical solutions. Like you didn't have to do anything apart from really just sort of change your your behaviors and and listen to your more feminine side, that reproductive side about rest and and um yeah, nourishment rather than pushing, pushing, pushing.

Yeah, yeah. And I did the supplements and stuff too. I did the I tried all the fancy things also, but it really when it comes down to it, it's some of the most boring things that we want to ignore because it's not exciting, that really makes the biggest difference. And I love how you mentioned the feminine too, because that's that's a really big part of it. Just getting back into our feminine flow. Yeah.

Um you mentioned how I think some of these lifestyle changes, um, or lifestyle challenges, I don't know what how to put it. Um, like you know, pushing, doing all of the things, your hot yoga, CrossFit, working hard, you know, late nights, all of those things that we tend to find ourselves doing, that they um can show up, not just in infertility if someone's trying to get pregnant, but they can show up in other ways. Um PMS. Um what was one of the other ones that you mentioned?

Um, I don't know if I did, but it could look like you know, even you know, other symptoms like high estrogen, symptom, breast tenderness, heavy periods, heavy periods, that sort of thing.

Yeah. Basically, all of those lifestyle factors are the things that are are contributing to that hormonal problem. Would you say that hormones should be it could be should be asymptomatic to have a period? And you said I can't hear you. Can you hear me now? I can. Okay, cool. That's all right. Would um would you say that a period or our hormones should really be asymptomatic? We shouldn't be having any kind of side effects, I guess.

Yes. So ideally, we really don't have any symptoms throughout our cycle. There can be minimal shifts that do happen naturally.

What A Healthy Cycle Feels Like

So, for example, in the second half of our cycle after we ovulate, it's really normal to feel a little bit more calm, maybe a little bit more tired. We might have a little bit more cravings too. We have a slightly higher energy need. So it may look like craving chocolate in particular or just wanting a little bit more food in general. And it can be normal to have some cramping during a period, although it should not take us out of our normal activities. It shouldn't keep us from work, it shouldn't be really severely painful. Even I say, to the point of even having to take something for it, it really should be mild, where it's like, oh, it's a little uncomfortable, but we're able to still function and maybe just take it a little bit easier that day.

What do you think about um the cycle sinking that a lot of women are starting to do now where

Cycle Syncing Without The Extremes

they change their eating habits, they change their um physical activity based on where they are in their cycle? And when they actually do have their period, they they tend to rest. Is that a recommended routine? Because I feel like a lot of women are just like, well, there it there's like there can be extremes, I guess. And there's some women who just want to ignore it. It's like they just want to push through and keep having, you know, do their normal everyday life when they've got their period. Would you recommend what would you recommend in those circumstances?

Yeah, I I love the idea that comes from cycle syncing that we're actually listening to our body. So again, maybe we, you know, each of us are unique. Maybe for one of us, we feel great on our day of ovulation, another person might feel that quick shift in hormones and they feel a little bit more, you know, tired, whatever. It's the important piece is listening to our body and knowing that we don't show up the same every single day when we're cycling because we're we're sort of a different person in those different phases. Um, so I think that's the the most important piece in my mind. Now, some people take the cycle thinking a little bit to an extreme where technically we don't have to say avoid a certain workout just because we're on our period. If you feel good, go for it. You know, we don't have to completely overhaul everything or feel scared that we're going to hurt something by doing the wrong thing in a wrong phase. Um, but it's again tapping into our own truth and understanding our body and what it's telling us, and then being mindful about that. And also looking for cute clues that that may be outside of that particular phase. Meaning, again, we mentioned PMS earlier. Well, if you're having terrible PMS all the time, it might not be what you're doing right then in that day. It might be the overall level of stress, for example. So, so also taking some curiosity with the big changes too. Okay, maybe I'm gonna focus a little bit more on sleep. And then how are my cycles looking for the next few cycles, for example?

Okay. So with um PMS, it what would

Why PMS Gets Worse

be some of the things that you would recommend specifically for PMS?

Yeah.

But I think people be, yeah, what might be happening in a woman's body when she does experience really bad PMS?

Yeah, yeah. So again, you know, there are some normal things that are happening during that time. In the second half of our cycle, we have progesterone on board, we have estrogen as well. And again, this is a really common one that I see, especially when we start to maybe, you know, overdo it, that that can be one of the first early signs because again, you know, our body is sensitive to our energy needs and what we have available. And progesterone production is especially sensitive to that. Um, basically, when we ovulate, it's this big energetic feat that it's actually creating sort of this temporary organ called the corpus luteum, which is it that comes out of the follicle that ovulates, and that is what produces progesterone. So that energetic feet needs some energy for it. And if we are depleted, whether that be, you know, nutritionally, you know, exercise-wise, just in our lifestyle that we're so stressed out, then that can impact that. Um, and it's not the only cause for it, but that's the most common cause that I see that we're then maybe a little bit depleted in progesterone. We could have some imbalance in estrogen also. And and maybe also we're just, we're again, we're at our breaking point and that makes us more irritable. And then all those things compile to then make us extra cranky, extra moody, maybe feeling more anxious or more depressed before our period. Um, so yeah, so those are the things that typically I would I would look at and have a conversation with a woman about of like what elements are are present in your life here, um, and then being able to address those pieces. They're also, of course, again, supplements and fancy things that can help with that. But, you know, the bottom line is oftentimes we can just change our lifestyle and and nutritional, you know, foundations to then be able to resolve that.

Is that when you say change in your lifestyle, would you say change it, you know, in the long term? It's it's like finding um ways to rest and recover. I mean, I guess that can easily go back to cycle syncing, right? Like to listening to your body more. Um yeah, can what sort of lifestyle changes? And is it like a temporary thing, or is it you look at like long-term shifts?

Yeah, more often than not, it's the long term. It's how can we shift our way of being? And and we could think of it as phases in life, because of course we have it it can feel different for different phases in our life in our reproductive years, in our perimenopausal years, in our menopausal years, our body is different and needs different things. So we can think about it in that sort of long term that, you know, what is it that your body needs in this phase? And of course, there are more short-term things. Say you're just like, you have one month that's really stressful, you have a really stressful event and you're just getting through that. Of course. Sometimes there's like, okay, how can we get extra rest, take care of ourselves, have extra connection, you know, the things that revitalize us during that tiny, you know, period in life. But again, more often than not, most of us have chronic stress and chronic things that have been going on for a long time that suddenly stop working as well. And so that's where how can we shift our lifestyle, our diet and things? And oftentimes it's not like we have to overhaul everything. It's making small shifts in how can I maybe modify my workout so that I do have enough recovery time between exercise? Or, you know, how can I actually get that rest or not work late into the night, little things like that that can really have a huge impact.

That's a big challenge for a lot of women, isn't it? It sounds like you need to be a psychologist as well as a doctor.

Right. I mean, that's part of it. It's really part of it. And it uh yeah, a lot of it comes down to even, especially for women, how we take care of others before ourselves, how we might feel guilty for taking time to rest, feeling like we're being lazy or something like that. There are a lot of stories and societal things that come up with that. Um, and so that's part of it. That's part of you know, breaking through that to then be able to, you know, realize that you're just loving yourself like you would love someone else in your life and that you really need to do that to then be able to take care of the other people still and and maintain yourself.

It's just so it's still so early on in the piece, isn't it, when we're sort of learning about this stuff. Um, yeah, it's gonna take some time and practice, I think, to to really get a handle on it. And and I guess if society and the expectations on women aren't shifting at the same speed, then that becomes a challenge because we're kind of like pulled towards what we know we should be doing for ourselves and our health, but then we're pulled towards the other expectations that are more societal that we don't feel like we necessarily have as much control over. And it's really like like where do yeah, where do you make the change? And I guess like as you're suggesting, those small shifts can make a big difference.

Yeah, yeah, you're absolutely right. And it is luckily, I'm seeing it change where more and more women are talking about this. We're on podcasts like this, you know, and we're having these conversations and spreading this where women have the permission slip to take care of themselves, put on their own oxygen mask, sort of speak. That yeah, we need to do that. But you're right, there's still those polls. There are, you know, all the ads out there telling, you know, selling us all these other fancy things that we need to do. You know, we need to do all these things. Or, you know, we have, you know, social media that's pulling us into this spiral that, you know, we're we're stuck to our screens. Of course, there are those things. But um, again, it can be we're not moving towards perfection here in one way or another, meaning we don't need to do all those should do things, the the red light face mask and the whatever, whatever stuff. We also don't need to be completely devoid of all of those things and just meditating on a mountain, we can be in life. We can still have a modern lifestyle and have a lot of demands on us, but we can also build up our capacity for those and our resilience and find the balance for ourselves. And so, while yes, it can be a challenge for someone who is like just in the thick of it, you know, in the go-go lifestyle and, you know, haven't taken a step in this, it can feel like a big uh leap to, you know, go into this different lifestyle. But truly it could start looking like, okay, they just carve out 30 minutes for themselves once a week and they listen to a podcast or they listen to their favorite music or they dance, something like that, that all of a sudden has this big ripple effect throughout their entire life, and everything else becomes so much more easy and more approachable then.

Okay, so we kind of excuse me, we've kind of talked, we've talked about fertility,

Perimenopause As A Continuum

and I'm curious more now. Let's sort of move into the and hormonal balance. Um, you work with a lot of women in perimenopause and menopause. So there's probably I mean, for me, they're all very close together because I didn't have my first child until I was 40, my second one when I was nearly 42. So then, like very soon after that, I started you know moving into perimenopause, I missed a period, and um that's been a long 10-year journey. Um, and it has been I've been very fortunate actually actually that I was pretty much symptom-free, you know, the odd thing here and there. Um, anyway, uh so yeah, hormones, perimenopause, menopause, what's going on there? And I'm curious to hear about like biological age, chronological age, like what happens to us, because I think there's I feel like there's a menopauses and perimenopauses kind of become uh an industry to a degree. So, you know, we're we're being served up a lot of information about what we should be doing to manage our age, like yeah, how does that all fit in?

Yeah, yeah. Well, I love how you said for yourself, you see them as very close. I I also see them as closely linked. We tend to think of fertility as just when we're trying to have babies, and then it's the hormonal stuff over here, and you know, in this other phase. And truly it is our ovarian function and ovarian health, whether we're trying to have babies or not, that is what produces. A lot of our hormones, at least the hormones we think of, our sex hormones are estrogen, progesterone. And so that really is a continuum and something that's very parallel between fertility and especially, you know, the early perimenopause transition is where it usually shows up, is that sensitivity to stress. Outside of fertility, even for those who didn't have an issue with fertility, oftentimes suddenly they're going into perimenopause, or again, maybe a little bit before perimenopause, they're suddenly more sensitive to stress. All of a sudden their workouts are backfiring and they're gaining weight and they're feeling more anxious. The PMS is coming up, all of that. And again, it's that oftentimes tied with that stress energy balance and the body not feeling safe and things kind of getting out of whack there. So, so that really is connected in the same way that we were just talking about fertility. Um, and and oftentimes that's where we again have to accept this new phase that we're in and find what works for our body there. It oftentimes doesn't look the same. You know, our diet may not look the same as it did when we were in our 20s or 30s, in our 40s, and then again in our 50s and 60s and on. So it's finding those things that really work for us there can be the best way to then be able to move through it more smoothly, like you did. And a lot of women really can, especially when they've been, when they've worked on their health ahead of time. Oftentimes they can progress through these hormonal changes much more smoothly and be able to have a different perspective on them too, where it can really be almost like a reawakening. It can be, you know, exciting to find a new, a new way of supporting yourself, a new way of thinking. Oftentimes we're less concerned about some of the things we used to care about, you know, what other people think and things like that. And so it really can be almost like this this new life that we can claim and really make it something really fun.

Do you see any particular patterns with um women in paramenopause? I mean, you've mentioned stress a lot in the way that um they need to approach this phase in order to like move through it with more ease. Are there certain things that you see regularly showing up?

Yeah, again, stress would be the biggest one. Because again, it's also a time in life where we tend to have a lot on our plate. Yeah. We may be in a Sienna generation where we have kids we're taking care of and we're taking care of our parents as well. Things start to, you know, go wrong in life. You also may have a big career that's going on. So it can be a lot on our plate. And simultaneously, again, our body, uh, our ovaries in particular get more sensitive to stress then. And when I say stress, it doesn't, I don't mean just the mental emotional stress, although that's a big piece of it. But also, like I said before, exercise, you know, the wear and tear on our body, even inflammation, things like that, our body perceives as stress. Um, so that's a really big one. And I would say probably the most dominant one that I see. Um, but also there, there are things, well, for one, there are things that impact our stress. So, you know, we talked about some of the lifestyle factors like sleep, and um, we didn't really talk about it yet, but like toxin exposure is a really big one. Okay. And it usually comes up with fertility also, but that can be a big one here that's straining our hormonal systems and our detox systems. Um, so that can be another one that we need to re-evaluate or, you know, make some shifts around. Um, our nutrition changes too. Our our energy needs change in that our calorie burning does go down a bit as we age. And when we go into a new shift, sometimes that can feel pretty sudden. Um, and so sometimes we need to reevaluate even just like our macronutrients, how much protein are we getting, how much fiber are we getting? Those are really important ones that, of course, are are very hot on social media right now. Everyone's talking about that, um, not with much nuance. But um, and also our fat intake is one that I've noticed that that can be a big shifting point for a lot of women, even if they're eating healthy fats. There, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. They're not, you know, I'm not here to villainize any food group. But sometimes we're eating a lot, especially when we're in our reproductive years, and suddenly we don't need as much. And so that could be one shift too. Um, that, you know, being more mindful about it or looking at our portions there can be helpful.

And is that in terms of like, you know, a lot of women say that their body shape starts to change, or and you mentioned also like what I used to do doesn't work anymore. So would you say specifically with the like some of those nutritional things that it is to do with body composition? Like women start to feel like they put on weight even though they haven't changed their diet. Um, is that is that your reference? Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. The gaining weight and also we do lose lose muscle mass as well. And it becomes a little bit harder to create that signal to put on muscle as well. Okay. And so, yeah, in in both sides of that, um, we can have shifts happening there. And again, another thing that most people are hearing about nowadays, which is great, is that for longevity, having muscle is important. It's a really important metabolic organ in our body. Um, and so exactly for longevity, for body composition, just for how we look and feel, um, it can be helpful to make, to potentially make some shifts. I shouldn't say that like not every single person needs to, but if they're seeing some signs of, you know, it feels really hard to put on muscle, it feels like I'm gaining weight, like you said, without, you know, doing anything different, then that's where it could be a signal that your body just needs a little shift.

Have you had any experiences yourself with um putting on muscle? I mean, I don't even know how old you are, so

Protein, Training, And Body Composition

um, and like protein intake and that sort of thing. I've been tracking mine for like I was crossfitting and and have exercised for for a long time now. So, like it didn't seem like a problem for me until probably the last 12 months, and so I've been more conscious of the type of training that I'm doing and how much protein I get. But the shift has been pretty minimal, actually. It's actually really hard to maintain muscle or increase muscle mass. What's your experience been with that?

Yeah, so I have had experience with that as well. I'm 41. Okay. And I went back to CrossFit after some time with my having my kids and everything like that. Um, I went back to it and I was feeling really good. And I was, you know, I wasn't going hard every day or anything, but I was going three days a week and, you know, feeling good, definitely getting stronger. And I was noticing sort of this squishy layer over my entire body. And I was like, what is this happening? Um, and again, I had to learn that way for myself that for one, it was causing more stress for me. It was probably, you know, spiking my cortisol more than it should have. And again, I'm I'm personally in a phase where I still have pretty young kids. They're now five and eight, but they're they're crazy busy boys, and I've got my business and I've got life happening. And so that was just a little bit too much for me. I realized I took a step back, started walking a little bit more, going two days a week, and suddenly that started to go away. Um, so I could tell that that was that was a big part of it. Um, and again, also, you know, reevaluating my diet. The fats was another one for me where I'm like, oh, I shouldn't really be having such a high fat diet anymore. Maybe this is a little different for me now. And so again, it was like some of those subtle changes that I made. Um, again, focusing on the protein and the fiber, which, you know, it doesn't have to be excessive, you know, it, but making sure that we're meeting our needs so that when we are working out in the gym and lifting weights and you know, giving that impulse to create the muscle, that it also has the resources to actually be able to put that muscle together. Um, so yeah.

I had the same experience with um fat, actually. I was pretty uh like I have a pretty decent breakfast, like with eggs and veggies and stuff like that. But I was having yogurt as well because I felt like the fat was satisfying and kept me going for longer, but that stopped working, and like I could feel the squishiness, and and uh I just cut that out, and it was just that one simple change that like yeah, changed my body composition, which was really interesting. But the protein can be difficult to just get a consistent amount and be you have to be very aware of it because it's easy not to get enough, isn't it?

Especially in you know, in the Western way of eating, where we're eating these like quote unquote breakfast foods that, yeah, some of them like eggs have protein in them, but the whole carnival protein rather than just yeah, like meat and vegetables. You know, if we ate dinner for breakfast, we'd be in a lot better place, but that can be a really tough one. Um, yeah, and it it does take intention by all means, especially if we're really intentionally putting, you know, putting muscle on or, you know, lifting weights and things, we then need more protein also. So it's hard, and it's hard for a lot of people to to do that without then just relying on purely protein powders and added protein to things, but as much as possible when we can get that from real food and you know, maybe just choosing some leaner versions of those, then yeah, then we can be set with what we need.

What happens to our hormones when we have more muscle? Is there something that happens to us?

Muscle, Insulin, And Cortisol

Yeah. Yeah. One of the biggest things that is affected by that is our insulin levels. Our insulin is the hormone that helps control our blood sugar, and it basically takes sugar from your bloodstream and puts it into your cells. Um, and that again, it's sensitive in this time of life. It it has a tight connection with cortisol. When our cortisol goes high, our insulin goes high and the other way around. And so, so that's a big one with that. When we have muscle, the more muscle we have, the more sugar we can really take into our cells, the more sensitive we are to insulin. And so we don't need a lot to get the same message to get the sugar into the cells. So, so that's one of the biggest ones. And again, this has it has this ripple effect to then be able to address our cortisol. Then the other hormones have almost like the energy they need to be able to be produced. Because if cortisol is really high, it can sort of steal away from the efforts to produce some of those other hormones.

Thank you. I love that um just sort of reflecting on our conversation so far, that you're it it's really affirming to know that we do. I mentioned that word agency, we do have agency over our bodies, and that there can be some quite simple ways that we can that we can take care of our um hormonal health and our physicality as well. Um, because we're you know mentioning that um perimenopause and menopause being a bit of a marketing thing at the moment, but we get sold a specific like this is the things, these are the things that you're gonna experience. You're gonna experience night sweats, you're gonna get put on belly fat, you're gonna um lose your libido, blah blah blah blah, you know, whatever. What else? Oh my gosh, yeah, you're gonna be angry. Um and it's really preying on on that this is this is it. I mean, don't even get me started. How many stories have we been told about womanhood that aren't really the truth? But yeah, it can easily put us in a particular uh give us a particular perspective. And I love that right throughout this conversation you've just been saying these things are all manageable with the right knowledge. Absolutely.

Yeah, yeah, it's it's I don't even know, a multi-billion dollar industry, apparently. It's this new, you know, this new place that women can be sold a lot of things. And it's really unfortunate that it's, you know, there is a lot of great information out there coming too, but it's unfortunate that it's also, you know, become this opportunity to be sold. Um, and I I have to admit, I'm partly guilty of this too, where in trying to inform women about perimetopause and menopause, I was having, I got some feedback from a friend where she's like, I'm just terrified of this happening. And I'm like, oh, but it doesn't have to happen. And that was my point. But then I realized I was like, wow, when we're as we're informing women of what could be part of that, we're also sort of inadvertently telling them this is how it's going to be when truly we could also have an experience like you where we can breeze through it pretty much symptom free and feel really great too. Um so it's good to be aware of that. It's good to know that, you know, okay, this I'm being a little bit preyed on here. And, you know, knowing that like maybe having a filter to some of the ads that you get and some of the things that are, you know, being put in front of you that you don't necessarily need all of them. And and it could be very simple three things that are what help you get through it and feel really amazing.

Yeah, and I think I've I've spoken to uh like several different guests. Um there are some guests uh that just say, Oh well, you just need um HRT or you know, the biodentical hormones. Women need it. That's basically the information. You need biodential hormones if you're in perimenopause. Um literally, that you know, you're gonna have uh heart disease or you know, osteoporosis if you don't. What's your take on that? I've like I've heard of uh some different perspectives from women, those other perspectives are often from male doctors, or um, you know, I'd love to hear your perspective on it.

Yeah. Well, I you know, I may I disagree with that. I don't think that every single woman needs HRT. Um, I also think that it

HRT, Risk, And Ovarian Age

can be a great tool for some women. And, you know, it's it is true that when we go into menopause and we don't have estrogen on board anymore, then we do have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, dementia. That is true. But hormone replacement therapy is not the only solution. And especially there's some women that it might not be a good idea for them at all. You know, if they have, for example, a history of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer or something like that. Okay, maybe it's just not on the table for them. But there's still so many other things that we can do to support our health and our longevity. Um, and there's actually a great piece, you know, you mentioned earlier the biologic AIDS versus chronologic age that we didn't really get into yet. Um, basically, chronologic age is our age that we think of. Like I said, I'm 41 years old. That's because based on my birthday, that's how old I am. Our biologic age is actually the age that our our body perceives. So our cells have, you know, wear and tear that happens, and that can happen in a faster, on a at a faster rate or at a slower rate. And so our biologic age is a little bit more of how are we actually like how is the aging process happening on our body? And to take it one step further, we also have an ovarian age now that we have ways to determine the perception of our ovaries on that aging process. And, you know, again, this can be, it could be similar to our chronologic age, or it could be older or younger. And that can give us some really great feedback again about how, you know, how our body is health-wise. Um, the reason why I'm mentioning it here is because that actually can also be a really big, you know, strategic point when we're thinking about those risk factors that come up with menopause. That also, if we can just, you know, ideally before perimenopause or as early as possible, if we can understand and support our ovarian aging process, then we could potentially push out menopause a bit. Not that we're trying to avoid it completely, because it's impossible at this point. Um, and it's, you know, it's not necessary to completely avoid it. But if we push it out to a more normal timeline, you know, rather than going into early periomenopause in our 40s, you know, maybe we can push it out to a more normal range of like early 50s or or even later potentially, then that can also decrease our risk of some of those health events later on in life. And, you know, it's it's, you know, so so to speak, like getting high on your own supply where you're it's your own hormones and you don't have to be, you know, supplementing with them. Um, that doesn't, it isn't for everyone. And there are so many factors that go into that. So some women will say, well, well, you know, I had to get a hysterectomy and suddenly went into menopause or whatever. Um, it doesn't mean that they're going to then have a higher risk of all of those things. Um, but it just is one of the factors that, you know, we potentially have some control over what our risk factors could look like. And again, HRT could be a tool there. Other things are tools there too.

What are some of the other tools?

Love it. Um, well, I mentioned some of the things earlier about, you know, what affects our hormone experience. Again, part of that is that it's impacting our ovarian aging process. So our exposure to toxins can be a really big one. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are rampant throughout our personal products, our environmental products, you know, the off-gassing furniture and the plastics in our kitchen and, you know, all of it. Um, so that is a really big one. You know, of course, smoking is that one's a huge one. If we smoke, you know, I think the status, the statistic is that we we go into menopause one to two years earlier for a chronic smoker. Um, I don't remember, to be honest, like how many smoking years that is, but one study really pointed that out. Um, stress can be another big one that just increases that aging process. Umcohol, definitely. That one, again, I kind of think of it honestly in the toxin category because it really just puts a lot of stress on our liver and so many different pathways in our body. Um, but our sleep can be a huge one too, that you know, chronically disrupted sleep can increase the aging process, nutrition, you know, if not only if we're getting just more of the inflammatory foods and processed foods, but also if we're lacking some of the really antioxidant-rich foods, the fiber-rich foods, the protein, um, those things help our body repair. Um, you know, our again, it's it's part of just living that we have what are called reactive oxygen species or free radicals. You know, it it happens and our body should be able to take care of that. It's just when that process piles up and our body can't really keep up with all that cleaning. If you think about, you know, a school that, you know, is just like all the kids have like come through and they just left for spring break and there's like trash everywhere. There's one janitor versus having like five janitors, you know, that process that's where we can again, you know, if we if we don't have the resources to then be able to clean up the wear and tear, it piles up. And that's where that aging process just really gets a lot faster. Oh, right. Inflammation.

When you say aging process, like I I just think, you know, getting wrinkles. Um but but uh that's directly related to ovarian health, basically.

Yeah, and all of our health. So yeah, wrinkles is what we see on the outside, right? And that is that is part of the aging of our skin cells. Um, and and truly it could you could think about it that way, that like all of our cells are getting wrinkly, but more like it's it's even more than that, it's sort of the functioning of the cells. Are the cells efficient at creating energy, particularly the mitochondria in the cells are the big driver there? Are they able to repair? Are they just sick but still alive? We can have what are called senescent cells, which are also nicknamed zombie cells, um, because they're basically half dead and they can actually infect other cells around them. And and this is a normal, again, a normal process of life, but this can just get out of control and our body can have a harder time getting rid of them as we age. And so that, you know, our cells could just be, you know, sick, half alive, barely making energy, just like kind of running on fumes versus having the nutrients they need, having everything kind of running smoothly and being sort of like a uh little like Porsche engine, so to speak. Like they're just like purring and really being able to work away. And we can see that impact the external things like our skin, our energy, how our joints feel. Um, but also it's some of the the internal things that we don't see that has a really big impact on our health.

Can you talk a little bit more about toxins? I just feel like this is something I mean, yeah, we know about smoking,

Endocrine Disruptors And Daily Toxins

we know about drinking, but we really don't get educated enough on toxic load and and the impact it has on our health. What's can you go a little bit deeper with that? I really I really want women to understand this.

Yeah. Yeah. It's a big one. Because again, in all of our products nowadays, there are chemicals. And especially if we're not being really intentional with picking the products we use, particularly, you know, if we're thinking about like our household cleaning products and, you know, our beauty products, the things that we're putting on our skin are absorbed into our body. And so those, you know, oftentimes have chemicals in them that help them be cheaper, help them, you know, thin out or whatever, get the nice texture that they want or the smell that they want. Fragrance is one of the biggest sources of toxins in our daily lives. And, you know, it's it's because a lot of them are synthetic fragrances that contain something called phthalates that are just terrible for our health, for our hormones in particular, um, and for our fertility and, you know, reproductive longevity. So yeah, they're everywhere. Um, in our kitchens as well, the nonstick pans, the plastic utensils are terrible. Um, you know, if you're getting takeout food, unfortunately, sometimes it's like, oh my gosh, there's one, we have this Indian food restaurant that we love. But every time we do takeout from there, it's this thin plastic container in this like blistering hot curry. And we're like, oh my God, it just feels like you can like feel the plastics go into it. It's mortifying. But yeah, it's it's throughout our environment. And unfortunately, it makes it really hard when we want to be intentional about it. It it does mean doing your homework and doing a little extra work to pick the products that don't have some of those chemicals. Um, also in our foods, you know, avoiding those pesticides whenever we can, choosing organic, especially for the foods that that have a higher pesticide load or absorb them more. Um, luckily we have resources like the environmental working group, ewg.org. They have a list of the dirty dozen and the clean 15, which are basically the foods that have the highest level of pesticides or most like most easily absorbed into them, versus the foods that you can do non-organic and you're fine. Those are oftentimes the thicker skin things like avocados and bananas and you know, those types of things. Um, so yeah, so it's it's a really important one. And and this goes even beyond hormones and reproduction, but also, you know, cancers and breathing issues and all sorts of things, you know, skin rashes and irritations. So, you know, it's it's really important in my mind to be mindful about those and to do, you know, take control of the things that we have power over. So we can choose our soaps, we can choose our cleaning products. We may not have control over the air quality in our area, the water quality. We can, you know, get a water filter. And and that's where, again, the things we're exposed to the most frequently, we can change, and our body can just be exposed to so much less. And and it doesn't have to be scary. It can feel scary, especially when we start on the journey, but it doesn't have to, especially once you you get a rhythm of, hey, here are the things that I like that work well for me. I like this product, it doesn't have any of those chemicals. Great. And you just put it on autopilot and you're able to just have that as your new lifestyle.

Yeah. And that's um detoxes you. Like you don't have to do anything special uh beyond that, like no kind of liver cleansing diet or yeah, our body is always detoxing.

Yeah. And so as long as we support our body and get out of its way, then more often than not, no, we don't need a fancy cleanse or we don't need to be, you know, not eating for several days at a time, something like that. Um, we just then need to get it the clean water, the clean air, and the good nourishing foods, the the antioxidants and the fibers and things like that also help us detox. So a lot of it can be done, you know, without us having to do anything fancy. Now, with that said, sometimes it gets piled up or we have genetics that that really make it harder for us to get rid of things. And sometimes we are really loaded up with some of those environmental toxins. We're really loaded up with maybe heavy metals like mercury or you know, molds. We've had mold exposure and it's just really inundating our system. Sometimes then we need to do a little bit more to really assist the body in getting rid of that. But again, for the average person, it doesn't have to be some crazy liver cleanse or whatever. It can just be, you know, the regular boring support.

What would you um what do you recommend for women who are going through um perimenopause and menopause? Talked a little bit about delaying menopause and some of the benefits that can that can come from that. What's your personal, what are your personal recommendations or do you work with each individual um client, patient to determine what their thoughts are on on the aging process and the you know delaying menopause?

Yeah, I mean, I do think that a personalized approach is the best approach. Because each of us, you know, while there can be commonalities, we're each different. And we have, you know, different genetics and different environments and different preferences of what we really want to focus on. And so I think that is really the best approach we can take. Um, again, with that said, some of the things we've talked about today are really things that any woman could likely benefit from in just, you know, again, learning to listen to her body, learning to rest a little bit more when she's tired, things like that. Um, again, can really have a massive impact.

Thank you. Um, I'm just kind of curious about this whole um delaying menopause situation. It's kind of a paradox, isn't it? Because I speak, because I've I've been in menopause, I think for the last, yeah, well, 18 months or something. Um, and when I speak to women who are still um or who are in perimenopause, still having their periods, they're like, oh, I can't wait to be in menopause and not have a period, but then we're taking hormones that keep us menstruating and prevent us from doing that. So yeah, I'm really curious uh about all of that, and I don't know you mentioned at the beginning I and I don't know if this is connected or not, but you mentioned at the beginning uh being on the pill, and I was on the pill years ago as well, and there was there's this again, I think it's a socially uh influenced thing where it's like ignore your period, don't have your period, and I feel like there's a potential for that on the other end of that you know, our menstrual life, where it's like avoid the menopause, ignore the menopause, get rid of the symptoms, and and this kind of suppressing of that whole cycle. So I'm just kind of I don't know if I really ask I I just want to know what your thoughts are on that. Yeah,

Embracing Menopause Without Suppression

very fine line, isn't it?

It is, it is, and it's so funny. I was laughing because I've heard the same thing from so many women. Like, can I just be done with this already? Especially when they're later through perimenopause, and especially if it's really been a chaotic journey for them. It's like, forget it. Can I just like they're looking forward to just having it be steady and one thing, and they can find just like one solution for themselves rather than just being having all these ups and downs. Um, and part of that again is like if your experience is horrible through perimetopause, of course you want it to end. Um, so it's part of it, just like, what can we do to support our body so that it isn't a terrible experience? So the transition is a little bit smoother. Um, but I absolutely hear you. And I I feel that contradiction in myself too. It's a fine line between talking about pushing it off and talking about it like it's some bad thing that we don't want to have. But then on the other hand, talking about embracing it and then also, you know, yeah, like the hormones keeping them alive and all that. It's it is a lot. And I would just say, you know, I don't think that suppression is the answer, of course. You know, it's it's really unfortunate that so that so many of us grew up with that. Of like, you know, don't even we had periods we didn't know what to do about it. There was no really conversation about what to do with them, what it meant, what our hormones were telling us. It was just don't worry about it. You know, you don't want to get pregnant. So just flatline everything. And it really isn't until we have this experience of coming off birth control in our 30s, 40s, even where then we're realizing, oh, this is what my cycle is, this is what it's telling us. Um, it can really be a beautiful thing to get in touch with that cycle. I know that when I finally started cycling, I was like, this is incredible. I am a fertile goddess. Like it just was so cool that I had this cycle to give me information. Um, and I think that's a really beautiful thing. And I think that process of it stopping can also be a really beautiful thing. And it's just again, like finding that balance that feels right for us, you know. For some women, there is a lot of fear that comes into with menopause when we talk about those risk factors. I'm not here to fear-monger and just say, like, you have to be on HRT, otherwise you're gonna get osteoporosis and dementia. That's not the point of it. It's just that, you know, knowing what are the tools at hand? Like for you in particular, do you want to take some hormones to make the process of perimenopause easier? You know, if you're having certain concerns, so you can have that libido still going, you know, whatever it may be for you, and then potentially, you know, put off some of those risk factors. Are you really embracing it? You feel good and you want to go through it naturally, you don't feel like you need any more support. Both answers are great. And both women might say, This changed my life and was like the best thing for me because it was the right option for them. So I know that isn't a clear answer, but it really is. I think, I think it's having these conversations that is the medicine really. Like we should have conversations about how can we just feel incredible through things? How can we create what we want to out of it? Do we want menopause to be our reawakening and you know, a new lease on life? How do we want it to feel? And and we have those tools and that power now to do that.

Hey there, Rebel. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Midlife Rebel Podcast. If you'd

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