Have you ever wondered about the history of pubic hair removal, current trends, risks and benefit? In this episode, you will learn more than you ever wanted to know including:   The EVOLUTIONARY reason for pubic hair The BIOLOGIC BENEFIT of pubic hair A brief HISTORY of pubic hair removal trends and techniques Current TRENDS in pubic hair styles WHY women choose to remove their pubic hair My survey on PARTNER preference  HEALTH BENEFITS of pubic hair removal If removing hair has any...

The only thing more miserable than a urinary tract infection (UTI) is when it happens again, and again, and again. But, good news, there are ways to prevent post menopause RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS.  But sometimes urinary urgency, burning and that “gotta go” feeling is NOT FROM an INFECTION, and need a completely different kind of treatment.  You need to know the difference.  In this episode, Dr. Streicher covers: WHY post menopause women have so many UTIs The typical symptoms of...

When one thinks of a medical specialty that is knowledgeable about menopause, usually an Ob Gyn, Family Practice doctor, Internist or maybe a urologist comes to mind. In this episode , I am talking to Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon who has made it her mission to raise awareness about the musculoskeletal changes that occur as a result of menopause, and how a lack of estrogen  sabotages  the ability to be active. And that lack of activity not only impacts bone health and cardiovascular...

Every available type of hormone therapy will effectively eliminate hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.   However, all hormone therapy is not the same.  Individual formulations impact bone health, breast health, and cardiovascular health differently.   In episode 123, Dr. James Simon and I discussed starting hormone therapy after the age of 60. In this episode, we discuss the nuances between different hormones and their impact on breast cancer and bone health.  Why it is important...

While it has been established that the most optimal time to start hormone therapy is within ten years of the menopause transition or before age 60, one of the most common questions that pops up is, “Is it safe to start hormone therapy after age 60?” In this episode I have a conversation with Dr. James Simon to determine WHO is a candidate for a “late start” and HOW to evaluate if it is safe.   I also included (at the end!) breaking news on a new study that gives reassuring data about...

In 2009 I was invited to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a menopause expert to counter the other menopause “expert”, actress turned author Suzanne Somers.   “Dr” Somers is not the only celebrity to help women navigate menopause.  Today, Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Hayek, Naomi Watts, and others are also doling out advice, and in some cases selling products, to manage menopause symptoms. And now, Drew Barrymore has joined the ever-growing list of actresses who have jumped on the menopause money...

                                Don't Mess with These Menopause Experts! When The Lancet, one of the oldest, most respected medical journals, published a series of articles saying that “menopause had been over-medicalized”, that many symptoms were “just in her head” and that overall, women should navigate menopause “without the need for medical treatments” a group of furious menopause experts went ballistic.  In this episode, Dr. Mary Claire Haver and I tell you why there was such a huge...

Up to 50% percent of women who take an antidepressant have sexual problems. By age 60, roughly 1 in 4 women are taking an antidepressant.  This episode is all about the science behind WHY SSRIs and other antidepressants can sabotage your sex life, and what you can do about it.   Why so many mid-life women take anti-depressants Why perimenopause hormonal changes trigger mood issues.  Why anti-depressants impact libido and the ability to orgasm.  Other things that impact on libido and...

Dr. Kathleen Jordon and I sat down to discuss the two most commonly prescribed GLP- 1 Inhibitors:  Semaglutide (Ozempic™) and Terzepatide (Mounjaro™)  What are GLP1 Inhibitors? How GLP-1 Inhibitors  Who is a GOOD CANDIDATE to take a GLP-1 Inhibitor Who is NOT a GOOD CANDIDATE based on medical conditions Other HEALTH BENEFITS from taking a GLP1 Inhibitor besides weight loss The COST of the drugs?  INSURANCE coverage? When it is OK to get a GLP 1 inhibitor from a COMPOUNDING pharmacy What...

It was news to me that estrogen levels can impact on the likelihood of reflux, your gut microbiome, and even the frequency and consistency of your poop. It’s complicated, and I had a hard time interpreting the data, so I invited gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Ruchim to help me out.  In this episode: How and why GERD is impacted by menopause  If  Hormone Therapy Make GERD worse or better? The impact of hormones on the gut microbiome How frequency of bowel movements correlates with menopause...

In this episode I am talking to a dermatologist that has over 100 thousand followers on Instagram. And with good reason. She is funny, she tells it like it is, she is a rock star in the world of dermatology and is my go-to when it comes to mid-life skin care, fillers, Botox, not to mention how to have more hair on your head and less hair on your face. Dr. Ellen Gendler is a Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, where she was a co-director of the Contact...

Estrogen is not only good for your brain, your bladder, and your bones, estrogen is also good for your blood vessels. And a lack of estrogen is one of the reasons, that heart disease spikes in women post menopause. Hormone therapy, if started within ten years of the menopause transition, appears to be heart protective. Today I am joined by Dr. Marla Mendelson, a cardiologist and associate professor of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.   She is also the...

Gynecologists have the unique position that it is appropriate to ask personal, invasive, and otherwise inappropriate questions. One question that is standard when you go to the gynecologist is “Are you sexually active? “This seems like a reasonable question, but is, completely meaningless. In my opinion doctors can learn a lot from Dr. Ruth’s approach!  The Doctor is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life and Joie de Vivre Put the O Back in Mojo: A Guide to Post Menopause Libido and Orgasm (available...

Menopause experts rarely see patients with no medical issues. We see the patient with multiple medical problems and concerns.  In this episode, I bring in menopause expert Dr. Risa Kagan to collaborate on options for a complex patient.  My name is Beth, and I am 51 years old.  I’ve been flashing for 2 years with no end in sight.  I really want to try estrogen not just to help my hot flashes, but also because my mom had osteoporosis. I don’t have osteoporosis yet, but I’m worried since I’ve...

It’s so tempting. His little blue pills are sitting there and seem to solve his problem. Why not take one and see what happens? It did wonders for Samantha on Sex in the City who had earth-shattering orgasms after she took her guy’s Viagra™. Viagra™ is the trade name for sildenafil and is one of a class of drugs known as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, also known as PDE5 inhibitors. PDE5 inhibitors are currently only FDA-approved for men, but there are circumstances in which sildenafil...

In the 1960s, under the leadership of Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmo morphed from a “proper ladies' magazine” to a much racier version that was thought of as being a sex manual disguised as a woman’s magazine. The target audience was the young working woman. Women in their 60s were not reading it and were certainly not buying subscriptions for their daughters or granddaughters.  And here we are, Cosmo has just published a groundbreaking, article titled Sex after 60 based on research done in...

While many women are aware that hormone therapy is good for the bones, it is usually thought of as a side benefit. You know, women take hormone therapy because they are flashing or can’t sleep and then are told, are told, by the way ..estrogen will also help prevent bone loss.  In the United States, there are 10 million women with OSTEOPOROSIS and 43 million women with OSTEOPENIA. Most of these women have no idea that they are at risk for a potentially life-changing or even fatal fracture...

Pregnancy tests, ovulation tests…and now the latest in tests you can do in your bathroom laboratory- Menopause Tests! Clear Blue™, who sell ovulation predictor kits and home pregnancy tests, has come out with an over-the-counter kit to help women who are “confused and wondering if what you’re feeling is the start of the menopause journey, or perhaps something else.” All you need to do is pee on a stick, and you will know if you are pre-menopause, perimenopause or post-menopause. So, what’s...

Jill Wine-Banks may be known to you as the Watergate Special Prosecutor who famously cross-examined Rose Mary Woods, President Nixon’s secretary, about the 18-minute gap in the Watergate tapes.  In addition to multiple other high-profile jobs (scroll down for the list!) decades later, she is now an MSNBC Legal Analyst. In addition, she is the author of The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President.  Jill is also one of the hosts of two hit podcasts- Sisters...

 A recurrent theme in my podcasts is that most medical students and residents do not get training in sexual medicine and menopause, which is why most doctors are not experts. And why so many women get frustrated that finding solutions for their menopause symptoms is too often a do-it-yourself research project. But today, I am joined by someone who is passionate and dedicated to educating the doctors of tomorrow.    This episode was initially aired on Sex Med for Sex Ed, hosted by Dr. Terry...

Consider the “cycle of sex” throughout our lives. In your twenties, it’s all about sex, all the time. Then there’s the baby-making years, where sex has a purpose. And before you know it, the bedroom is a place where all you want to do is get a decent night’s sleep.  The years go by, and suddenly it occurs to you that you can’t remember the last time you had sex. And if you try to get things going your brain and your body don’t necessarily cooperate.  And then things get even more complex...

In a perfect world, an alert would pop up on your phone announcing, “You are now in perimenopause,” followed at the appropriate time by “You are now leaving perimenopause and entering post menopause.” But it’s not a perfect world, and unless you are thrust into menopause because of ovary removal or chemotherapy, in many, if not most cases, it’s hard to know what your ovaries are doing. Menopause is defined as starting when you haven't had a period in 12 months. And while that’s a very...

 If you think you’re having a hard time navigating vaginal dryness, painful sex, insomnia, and hot flashes, I can guarantee that if there is a man in your life, he is also having a hard time. More likely than not, he is completely in the dark about why you are having these symptoms and what he can do to help. In this episode, I sit down with Rachel Hughes, the host of Perimenopause WTF to discuss five things guys need to know about menopause. This segment was originally aired during a live...

I spend a lot of time talking about dry vaginas and the impact that genitourinary syndrome of menopause has on your sex life, your day-to-day comfort, and bladder function. But vaginas are not the only thing that gets dry during menopause. This episode is all about another area of the body that biologically has a lot in common with a dry vagina…and that’s your post-menopause mouth.  What mouths and vaginas have in common. How common dry mouth is in post-menopause women  Other things that...