Most women don’t enter perimenopause and menopause with clarity; they enter it with fear. That’s because so much of what you’ve been told about hormones comes from outdated education, scary anecdotes, or someone else’s terrible experience.
Hormones are framed as a burden, bad experiences are treated like inevitabilities, and hormone therapy is framed as risky, confusing, or something you only try when you’re desperate.
Even perimenopause itself is misunderstood; not as a nuanced hormonal transition, but as a chaotic, mysterious stage women are expected to simply “get through.”
That’s why this conversation with Dr. Carrie Jones matters. She’s one of the most trusted experts in hormones and women’s health.
The truth about hormones is that everything varies: the type, the dose, the delivery method, the timing, the testing, and even the way your body metabolizes them. There is no universal starting point. There is no standard dose, and there is no one “best” hormone.
Yet millions of women today are trying to crowdsource hormone therapy from social media comment sections, which is a bad idea.
Hormone replacement therapy, when done correctly, is far more flexible, safe, and effective than most women have been led to believe. Feeling terrible is not the default. Feeling dismissed is not the expectation. And feeling confused is not a requirement of this stage of life.
So how does DIM, one of the most popular supplements online make menopausal symptoms dramatically worse? What kind of testing actually helps you understand where your hormones are going, not just what your levels are?
In this episode, we talk about what women are rarely told about hormones, and why personalization, metabolism, and timing shape everything about the HRT experience. We break down the most confusing topics in the hormone world, from progesterone sensitivity to the myth of “normal labs,” to why the route you choose matters just as much as the hormone itself.
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
The truth about perimenopause Women are told perimenopause is unpredictable and beyond their control. What’s really happening, and what can you do to feel more grounded, comfortable, and supported through it?
Progesterone sensitivity isn’t random Nutrient levels, liver function, metabolites, and even the ingredients inside your capsule can completely change your experience. Why does progesterone feel amazing for some women and unbearable for others?
The route of hormone therapy matters How do you choose hormone therapy that fits your body and your real life instead of trying to force something that fights against it?
Hormone testing isn’t about a single lab value Standard labs miss the daily fluctuations that explain your symptoms. What can pattern-based or cycle-mapping tests reveal that a one-day blood draw simply can’t?
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