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...

The number one complaint during perimenopause and menopause is insomnia. When a woman goes to her doctor and asks for help, she is rarely if ever, told that cannabis may be the answer. But at least one of four women walk out of the office and march right over to a local cannabis dispensary to get some help.  Today’s guest, Ellen Scanlon, is the host of the hit podcast, How to Do the Pot, and she is going to help you figure out, How to Do the Pot ...and get some sleep.  How many women are...

When someone is diagnosed with uterine cancer, in most cases, their uterus announces there is a problem by bleeding when it is not supposed to, or bleeding too heavily. Breast cancer, in most cases makes itself known by a lump, a nipple discharge or an abnormality on a mammogram. But ovarian cancer is not so accommodating and, in many cases, does not make its presence known until it has already moved well beyond the ovaries. My guest today is Dr. Shieva Ghofrany a practicing Ob-Gyn who was...

You are never going to get your 20-year-old body back any more than you are going to return to a wrinkle-free face. In Episode 100,  I went through all of the reasons why on average, women put on 5-7 pounds during perimenopause, and are twice as likely as mid-life men to have obesity. So now that you understand why you woke up one day and your scale registered your mother’s weight, there are strategies to prevent the weight gain in the first place, keep it from continuing to climb and take it...

On average, women put on 5-7 pounds during perimenopause, and then 1 to 5 pounds every year after. While lifestyle and age are partially responsible, men have the same genetics, lifestyle changes and less than perfect diets as women do. But it is twice as likely- for a midlife woman to have obesity compared to men.  So, what’s the difference? The difference is men don’t have hot flashes, insomnia, and a sudden drop in their hormones. And that’s where the menopause factor comes in.  This...

Years before estrogen production completely shuts down, hormone levels start to fluctuate wildly during that special time of life known as perimenopause. Perimenopausal hormonal fluctuations result in the same symptoms that many women experience when they are in full menopause, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and insomnia. But there is a bonus symptom that post-menopausal women don’t experience - irregular and unpredictable bleeding.  In this episode, I discuss: WHY perimenopause women have...

The Menopause Society, formerly known as the North American Menopause Society, or NAMS, is the professional society to which pretty much every menopause expert and researcher belongs. Every year menopause experts from all over the world gather for five days of lectures, symposiums, panel discussions, and presentation of new research at the menopause society annual meeting.  In this episode, I will give you my top 5 takeaways from the meeting, followed by interviews with many of the experts...

If you laugh, weep, or have foot pain when have an orgasm, you are not the only one. But, since it’s not a topic that generally comes up in casual conversation, you may think you are the only one, and end up spending a lot of time explaining to your partner that you are not laughing at them, and if you burst into tears post orgasm, you are not necessarily unhappy.  What you may be experiencing is peri-orgasmic phenomenon.  In this episode, I discuss: The difference between a normal...

Lubricants can be water based, oil based, silicone based, CBD infused, flavored...not to mention the ones that claim to elevate your orgasm and boost your libido.  Not all lubricants are created equal, and the first lubricant you grab, probably won’t get you slip sliding away, and even worse, may end up damaging and dehydrating vaginal tissue. In this episode, I am going to give you the low down on lubes…what they do, what they won’t do, which are the most slippery and how to use that...

It is estimated that between 50% and 75% of postmenopausal women use complementary and alternative therapies for management of menopausal symptoms. The options are as endless, as are the ads. In today’s episode I’m going to fill you in on which of the over-the-counter botanicals might fix your broken thermostat.  This episode is the last segment of a three-part series covering all of the NON-HORMONAL options currently available to help with hot flashes. Episode 85 was an update of...

Have you ever wondered why so many women professional singers retire in their prime, but the guys keep on going?  I googled “musicians over the age of 70 who are still performing” and Paul McCartney, Elton John, Marvin Gaye,  Mick Jagger, and dozens of others popped up. The list was really long for guys, and really short for women.  One reason is that when estrogen levels take a plunge, the change in hormones has a significant impact on vocal frequency and range. In this episode, my guest is...

Men have always had the clear advantage of being able to inspect their g******s with very little effort on their part. Women’s g******s are not quite as accessible, resulting in a lot more uncertainty about what’s normal and what’s not. No wonder women are frequently blindsided by not only the physical changes that occur with the onset of menopause but also symptoms like dryness, painful sex, itching, recurrent urinary tract infections, and that constant “gotta go” feeling!  Why the term...

                          Uterine? Ovarian? Cervical? Lung? Breast? Colon? Hormone therapy really needs a PR firm. Most people think it is right up there with cigarettes and asbestos as something that will more likely than not, give you not only breast cancer, but also other life-threatening cancers. In this episode, I am going to set the record straight and tell you the facts when it comes to using systemic estrogen (both birth control pills and menopause hormone therapy) and your risk of...

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 far more women are taking their advice than the advice of medical professionals.  In this episode, I’m...

It’s no secret that there is a connection between menopause and hot flashes, but there are many other symptoms that are consequences of a lack of estrogen beyond night sweats, vaginal dryness, and bone loss. And joint pain is definitely on that list. So, what is the impact of menopause on arthritis and joint pain? Is estrogen therapy the answer?  In this episode I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Faubion, the Director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health, chair of the Department of Medicine...

While not every woman fakes orgasm, and most don’t do it routinely, it’s the rare woman who hasn’t done it at least once. Early research indicated that roughly 55% of women have faked orgasm at least once in their lifetime. This general pattern has since been confirmed in more recent studies, some reporting rates as high as 74%. In this episode I am joined by certified sex therapist Rachel Zar, LMFT.  We discuss:  WHY women fake orgasm What factors predict the likelihood of faking orgasm If...

Not only can you laser your face smooth, laser your pubic hair away, and laser off regrettable tattoos—you can also laser your vagina. But should you? Vaginal laser is highly controversial in medical circles. Here’s why it gets mixed reviews, along with need-to-know info if you do choose to sign up.  This episode will include:  The science behind the CO2 laser and how it works Why many doctors and medical organizations do not recommend laser Why the term “vaginal rejuvenation” should never...

Many women are highly motivated to manage their hot flashes without hormones, drugs or sketchy herbs and spices.  But before investing in a pricey cooling device or signing up for a year’s worth of unlimited yoga, it helps to know what works—and what doesn’t. This is part two of a three-parter on non-hormonal strategies to treat vasomotor symptoms. Part one, Episode 84, included non-hormonal prescription options. Part 3 will consist of herbal and botanical preparations.  This episode...

It is beyond unfair that when someone with menstrual migraines is finally heading into menopause and no longer must worry about monthly migraines, those same women often experience an uptick in frequency of headaches due to the peri menopausal hormone roller coaster.  In this episode, Dr. Streicher discusses:  The relationship between hormones and migraine headaches Why birth control pills are often not prescribed to women with migraines with aura If it is safe for women with migraines to...

The 2023 Menopause Society  (NAMS) position statement regarding the non-hormonal treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms- hot flashes and night sweats- was just released. Position statements are expert analyses of current studies in order to determine recommendations based on science, as opposed to what the latest Tik Tok star or celebrity is promoting. Because new studies are constantly being published, there is always new information to inform those recommendations, which is why position statements...

An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia and woman are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease as men.   So does hormone therapy increase the risk of Alzheimers, decrease the risk or have no effect? That question has been in the news this last week because of a new study that suggests that hormone therapy increases the risk..a finding that is exactly opposite to other studies. But is this new study valid?  In this episode, I break down: The...

When it comes to treating the physical changes and symptoms that develop from a lack of estrogen, there are a lot of choices- both hormonal and non-hormonal. But while all prescription products claim to treat vaginal dryness and painful sex, there are differences in what these products can do. The specific symptom of genitourinary syndrome of menopause determines which product you should choose, and how to use it best. In this episode, I discuss which of the following *products to use, and...