Feeling foggy, flat, or just not yourself? You’re not alone — and your hormones could be the reason. In this insightful episode, Dr Sunita Chelva, Dr Aoife O’Sullivan, and Dr Rachel Rubin explain how hormonal changes in perimenopause affect your brain, mood, sleep, libido, and energy — and how HRT, testosterone, and vaginal hormones can help restore balance and wellbeing. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why there’s no “too young” age to explore HRT when symptoms impact life.How the pill differs from HRT and when body-identical hormones matter.What testosterone can (and can’t) do for libido, focus, and fatigue.The role of estrogen and progesterone in brain, bones, sleep, and heart.How to balance benefits and risks when deciding how long to stay on HRT.Why vaginal hormones (estrogen, DHEA, testosterone) support comfort, continence, and sex at any age.Practical guidance for monitoring and dosing without over-testing.A fresh look at what “natural menopause” means today. Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social: Podcast Website: www.allaboutyoupod.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts https://www.instagram.com/drshaunawattsgp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247 Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. 00:00 – Introduction & “Too young for HRT?” 02:19 – Pill vs HRT: what’s the difference? 04:26 – Testosterone for women: why and when 05:23 – How to use testosterone cream & what to expect 11:52 – Blood tests, PCOS cautions & prescribing 14:16 – How long should you stay on HRT? 15:23 – Brain health, dementia risk & estrogen 16:18 – Personalising HRT: continue, pause, or stop? 17:56 – “Menopause is natural”—but is modern life? 19:55 – Vaginal hormones: comfort, UTIs & continence 25:18 – Rediscover You: program overview 26:22 – Hormone basics & perimenopause physiology 29:54 – Testosterone reality check (levels vs estrogen) 30:33 – Why body shape & fat distribution change 31:34 – Estrogen’s systemic roles (vessels, joints, brain) 33:20 – Progesterone’s role: balance, bones, GABA, sleep 35:05 – HRT: making the decision with evidence 35:24 – Progesterone for sleep: who benefits? 36:23 – Contraception during perimenopause on HRT 37:54 – Estrogen + progesterone: tailoring treatment 39:18 – Dosing: treat symptoms, not numbers 41:43 – Bloods & monitoring: limits of testing 42:57 – HRT & breast cancer: context and nuance 45:42 – WHI, media, and risk communication perimenopause symptoms HRT benefits risks testosterone for women vaginal estrogen DHEA UTIs after menopause brain fog menopause sleep and progesterone body-identical hormones pill vs HRT genitourinary syndrome menopause midlife weight gain estrogen brain health osteoporosis prevention WHI breast cancer study menopause is natural myth
