Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: This is Karen with 3564 a podcast for the Middle I am on a mission to spread the word about perimenopause, menopause, how to better understand it and how to take back control of this beautiful time in middle age so that perimenopause and and menopause symptoms don't destroy your joy. I have pulled some of the top most viral clips. If you are a woman in middle age, please share this with someone. Listen to it with your daughter, talk about it with your friends. The more we can share and spread this information, the more support we can generate for this beautiful, incredible time of life, middle age.
I hope these clips are helpful for you. I've pulled them from my favorite sources that are trusted.
I'm going to link in the show notes to all these full videos. If you can take the time to listen to them, please do. I have pulled some of the best, most viral moments that you need to be aware of. But if you really want to truly understand your body and what is happening during perimenopause and menopause, read these books, do the research, listen to the podcast episodes and most importantly please talk with your physician, your support system. This time of life. You don't have to do these symptoms alone. There are natural and medicated options.
I am currently on hrt. I have only been for nine months. It's, it's been a game changer. I tell everyone, I literally tell all of my girlfriends. I think we have a responsibility to share it with other women. Please like comment, share and most importantly do something with the information.
Here you go. I had to start with this most important clip.
If you have not listened to this full interview inside and out with Dr. Huberman and also Dr. Attia, I'm going to link to it in the show notes. It is a game changing discussion that you can start with in order to better understand perimenopause, menopause and in particular the language that the medical field has been delivering over the last decade or two in regards to HRT now debunked studies and other things that you need to know as a woman to better navigate this time. Listen to this short clip and please if you have the time take a listen to this full episode. I have to call out the comment on the YouTube video here. It says I am sitting here watching two men talk about menopause and I've learned more than I have from any female or doctor in my whole life. Thank you.
Listen to this clip. It's very important to understand the context.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: This is a very important topic. It's also probably let me think. I just want to make sure I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this.
Yep, I don't think I am. It's hands down the biggest screw up of the entire medical field in the last 25 years.
Now again, it's possible in the next hour I'll think of. Nope, there's a bigger screw up.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: Another giant screw up.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: Yeah. But I don't think I will. I'm pretty confident that I won't be able to think of a bigger act.
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Of.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: Incompetence than what happened with the Women's Health Initiative in the late 90s and early 2000s, which is effectively the study of that turned the entire medical field off hormone replacement therapy for women.
So it's important, I think, to explain what this study looked at. So this was a study that was conducted in response to the widely held belief in the 70s and 80s that women should be placed on hormones as they're going through menopause.
[00:04:38] Speaker B: One of the clips that I have to start out with is when Dr. Natalie joins the Today show and chats with Savannah Guthrie about what is menopause, what is perimenopause, and what are the most common symptoms that women are experiencing. Go ahead and listen to this clip.
[00:05:00] Speaker D: It's not a universal experience. Right. We were just talking. Every woman is going to go through this in a slightly different fashion. But by definition, perimenopause is this transitional time before menopause, which is defined as 12 months without a period where so your ovaries are producing less hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone. And some women find this happening already in their 30s and their 40s. Typically it can last a couple of years, but it can actually last up to 10 years in some people. So it can be pretty impactful. So when people are going like, ugh, menopause, are they really talking about perimenopause? Is that when all the symptoms are. So the interesting thing is that perimenopausal symptoms are very similar to menopausal symptoms. And one of the first symptoms to happen is an irregular period. And if you're in your 30s, you may actually think that you're pregnant when in fact your period is just starting to fluctuate. It can get really heavy or it can become very light. People will experience what are called the vasomotor symptoms, hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems like insomnia and never to dismiss, as we talked earlier, also depression, anxiety, mood swings, Those sort of more emotional psychological symptoms can really impact women quite, quite a lot.
[00:06:08] Speaker B: Another viral moment that you need to know about is with my personal favorite, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. She had an incredible full length episode all about menopause, perimenopause and the top rumors and kind of points of dissension. She had a bunch of doctors on Maria Shriver. It was such a good episode. I'm going to link to it in the show notes, but I want to pull this favorite clip I have about the age old question should I take hrt? And what are the main reasons why I shouldn't? Go ahead and take a Listen. This is Dr. Sharon Malone, MD. Explaining to Oprah and her audience why you would not be a candidate for hrt.
[00:07:03] Speaker E: Number one, there seems to be misinformation about hormone replacement therapy known as hrt.
Like so is it safe for the.
[00:07:13] Speaker A: Overwhelming majority of women who are between the ages of 50 and 60 who are symptomatic and bothered by those symptoms? Yes, it is a safe.
There are only like three or four contraindications. You should not take hormones if you personally have breast cancer. Not because you have a family history of breast cancer. And let's make that clear. I take hormones and I have taken hormones for the past 15 years and I have two sisters who've had breast cancer. That does not scare me. So understand that just because you had a family history, not a contraindication. So a personal history of breast cancer, or what we call an estrogen dependent cancer, uterine cancer, if you have had a blood clot in your legs or lungs, that's a soft contraindication. But that's usually a reason where that requires a lot more conversation before you just go out and take hormones.
And the others are whether or not you have active liver disease or you personally have had a heart attack or a stroke. Because the one thing that we know about decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease is that it works before you have cardiovascular disease. That's why it's important to take it when you're 50, not when you're 75.
[00:08:30] Speaker B: One of the absolute faces of perimenopause, menopause and all things midlife, middle age women's health is a hero of mine. Dr. Mary Claire Haver, you may have heard of her. She is a board certified OB gyn, a certified menopause practitioner. Yes, there is such a thing.
She's also an adjunct associate professor who is an absolute viral sensation about spreading how to deal with menopause. What is it like going through perimenopause how can you live your best life through these transitions?
I also just have to mention her amazing book. It is a New York Times bestseller, the New Menopause.
I'm going to link to this in the show notes. I also want to call out something super duper cool that she has done. She has this free checklist that she is offering women to fill out this form and it helps you know how to engage with your doctors and care team so you get the care you need.
So many times us women roll into the doctor's office and and we just get flustered with terms that they're using, tests that they're naming. We might be nervous in the first place and then they start throwing out these terms that we don't understand or even sometimes we just don't know what we need.
This free test. I'm going to send the link in the show notes here. This free checklist test that you can do on your own and print out, bring with you or use when you're dialing into your telehealth appointment. These are things that are going to help make a massive difference in your care plan. You're going to ask the right things. You're not going to back down. Keep on asking for them and you'll know what to ask for.
You've got to listen to this absolute viral clip. Over 2 million views on this right now. 10 things that Dr. Mary Claire suggests if you are in menopause symptoms and how to tackle them. Love this. Go ahead and take a listen.
[00:10:55] Speaker F: Here are 10 perimenopause tips I wish I knew sooner. I'm Dr. Mary Claire Haver, board certified OB GYN. Number one inflammation is the root cause of so many things that are starting to ail us and anti inflammatory nutrition is the best way to combat it. Number two, intermittent fasting is incredible at fighting inflammation. Number three make sure I'm getting enough magnesium. Number four make sure I'm getting enough vitamin D. Number five make sure I'm getting enough omega 3 fatty acids. Number six using lubrication for every single intimate encounter. Number seven getting a good sleep, hygiene habits every single night. Number eight Learning how to set boundaries in my personal life. Number nine Getting the right kind of exercise, both aerobic and resistance training. And number 10 don't roll your eyes self care putting on your own oxygen mask first before you take care of everybody else in your life.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: We all know and love Halle Berry. I also love Drew Barrymore and Halle Berry had a viral moment when she joined the Drew Barrymore show snuggled up on the couch and started describing her amazing new relationship.
And then what went down?
This was a pivotal moment for Halle in understanding that the medical culture, the doctors that she was going to, simply did not have the support that she needed during perimenopause.
Listen to this clip.
[00:12:29] Speaker G: One morning I tried to go to the bathroom and I couldn't go.
It was so painful. When I tried to let a little bit out, I couldn't go.
[00:12:40] Speaker H: I had to squeeze it.
[00:12:40] Speaker G: I had to let. It took me almost 10 minutes to just empty my bladder because it was so painful.
And substances were down there that I had never seen before. And I thought, what is this? So I go right to the doctor and he's, you know, doing the exam, looking up there, and he said, yep, uh huh.
I think I know what this is. And I'm like, what? He said, it's a really bad case of herpes.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: What?
[00:13:10] Speaker H: Okay, so you're in his office and now what?
[00:13:12] Speaker G: And now Van. That's my guy. He drove me there because this was so swollen, I couldn't even put my legs together to drive. So we spend the next 72 hours kind of doing the blame game, trying to figure out who gave it to me, who gave it to him. And then a couple hours after that, my doctor called me and said that you do not have herpes. Oh my God. It's almost like I was like, what? I'm like, okay, then what is it?
And this was the defining moment for me. He said, I don't know, that's what it looked like. And that sent me on my own reconnaissance and my own researching. And that's when I came up with dry vagina syndrome that women have when they're in perimenopause.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Another topic moment that has gone viral in relation to all things menopause and perimenopause is when the beautiful kind.
Naomi Watts joined the Today Show. She was speaking with Savannah Guthrie on why she decided to write her book, Dare I say.
And I'm going to throw a link into the show notes for this. This book is really one of those life changing moments where you can say, I am not alone. I am going through this. Other women are too, and it is not the end. Naomi, thank you for writing this beautiful book. It's absolute, one of those things that you need to get a friend, that you need to purchase for yourself.
Dive in, get all the tips and advice on what to expect.
And remember, you are not alone.
Take a listen to this clip.
[00:14:58] Speaker H: I was 36 when my doctor told Me, right at the precipice when I was trying to start a family, that I was on the brink of menopause. It was going to come very early for me. And that just put panic in me and I didn't know what to do. I was felt very lonely, ashamed, like everything was over. And that's another reason I wanted to write the book, because I want people to understand that it is not the end. There is still much life ahead of us and plenty to do.
[00:15:27] Speaker D: So, yeah, it must have taken a lot of courage, though, not only to take it on in your personal life, but then to say, you know what? Actually, I'm going to say it, I'm going to speak it, I'm going to be connected with this.
[00:15:39] Speaker H: It took a long time and I think the exhaustion of carrying that secret, that shame, eventually just became too burdensome. And I wanted to just name it and say, you know, and when you do the research and you discover half the population will be going through this, it's a third of our lives.
I'm not alone and my suffering must reflect others as well. So why not share it and just lean into it?
[00:16:03] Speaker B: I am coming straight back to Oprah Winfrey, who once again is one of my favorite people in the world.
I absolutely love this clip. She is brutally honest with her viewers and listeners about why she decided to do a full blown menopause special.
And I actually had no idea of the variety of symptoms that us women can face as we gear up and enter into perimenopause and go through menopause.
Take a listen to this viral clip in which Oprah explains why she wanted to do this special and what she was struggling with in particular.
[00:16:54] Speaker E: I didn't have night sweats and I didn't have hot flashes, but I had never heard that heart palpitations was a symptom of menopause. I wanted to do this because when I was going through it, there was nothing. There was nobody.
I felt literally like I was going to die every single night.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: The queen of daytime TV says her menopause symptoms were missed by doctors.
[00:17:21] Speaker E: For two years straight, y', all, I did not sleep. I picked up a book and the pages open to palpitations, your heart's wake up call. And that was the first time that I learned that those were symptoms, that the change was coming. One time my heart rate was 212 beats per minute because I was in an afib heart palpitation situation. And nobody ever once said this is a symptom of menopause. I really thought I was going to die and was always surprised that I woke up. The worst part for me this is when I knew I was really in trouble is when I couldn't concentrate reading. I'm really going to tear up because I love reading so much. I let go of the book club because I could not concentrate when I was reading. I couldn't. I could no longer finish a book. And that is the real reason why. Because I could no longer concentrate enough.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: To finish a book, I had to include this just viral video. I can't even explain that. 85 million views on this particular clip. I want you to watch it. Listen to Tamara hall on her show. She interviews Tracy. All about this viral steaming head clip and what exactly happened. Take a listen.
[00:18:45] Speaker I: I went to get me some snacks because I like to eat. I'm a foodie.
And when I came back up, I told my sister, I said, I feel hot. I'm having a hot flash. I'm having a moment. Had you had hot flashes before?
Yes. Okay, so you knew what was happening? Yes, I knew what was happening, but I didn't know the severity of it.
My sister captured the moment. She was like, if you take your hat off, your head's gonna be smoking. Okay, so.
You are so adorable, by the way, I tell you, a beautiful woman. So ok, you had a hat on? Yes. You took your hat off? I took it off and I was eating my food. You were eating?
[00:19:23] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:24] Speaker I: And your sister Michelle was like, you're not going to believe what I'm seeing right now.
Every good sister does records you in this moment.
[00:19:32] Speaker B: I am so excited to give you a short clip of a conversation I had with Karen Luna Ostatesky. She is the interview subject of a viral article published in Time that I will drop into the show. Notes here about perimenopause and what happened to her, the symptoms and really a real look at a normal everyday woman and what was going through her life as she discovered she was in this time. Go ahead and listen to this clip. I know that you'll relate.
You should also make sure to check out Karen's store. Is it hot or just me dot com. Go ahead and take a listen.
[00:20:21] Speaker J: I opened up in a way in that article that I was very vulnerable about my symptoms and what was happening. Everything from my. My panic attack that I had experienced on an airplane and then, you know, my irregular periods. I'll go through the article with you. So irregular periods, I describe them as mini monsoons where my periods just changed. Not so much the timing, but the amount, it became double the amount that I was used to. Literally going through a different tampon every hour kind of thing. So then hot flashes started. Some of the other issues that I haven't experienced, such as vaginal dryness, joint pain, weight gain being another common one, and then brain fog is another one. There's moments where I've walked into a room and I forgot why it was there, right? Like, what did I come in here for? Notes is probably the most used app on my phone and making lists of and putting everything on the calendar.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: But there was this moment where I.
[00:21:09] Speaker J: Was driving my car and I was driving a good two minutes going, where was I going?
That was so scary to me because it's not like I just walked into a room in my house. I'm driving a car and I really didn't know where I was headed. And about 30 seconds later, I'm like, oh, God, yeah, I'm going to the car wash. But it was just this scary moment. Pride myself on being someone who's really sharp and focused. And to have that was. Was kind of frightening. And mood changes is another one. And then finally, your sense of identity, and this is a big one. And this is something that you tackle head on in your podcast about being middle aged, aging being a part of our life, and how do we associate our identity as someone who is in the middle. We are taking care of our children, we're taking care of our parents. We don't see ourselves in the mirror the same way that we used to. And coming to terms with this next stage in our life and how do we approach it?
I was asked the other day, how do you know that you're in midlife? That's a great question. In some ways, I've earned every gray hair that I have. I've gone through these struggles. I've been through divorce, I've been through ivf, I've started businesses. I've overcome so many hurdles and chapters and moments in my life and tried on different senses of being. And so, yeah, I've earned every year that I have, and I'm really proud. There was this quote that I saw. It was something of like, that aging is a privilege that not everybody gets to be old. And I thought that was really beautiful.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: And that brings us to the end of another episode.
I hope you enjoyed the content and I'd love it if you would share this with a friend or family that you think would enjoy it. This is such a great time, middle age, and I want to spread that message. The best way to do that is to share it.
[00:22:50] Speaker J: And.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: And if you haven't already followed us or subscribed, make sure to do that so you don't miss any of our new content.
I'm going to leave you like I do every episode.
Remember, it's never too late. You're not too old, and you're definitely not dead.
