Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: THE Menopause Podcast Lauren Streicher, MD

There continues to be great confusion regarding the impact of hormone therapy on the breast. And despite the known benefits of hormone therapy, and reassuring data regarding the impact of hormone therapy on breast cancer, most clinicians are still reluctant to prescribe it, and most women are reluctant to take it. Even more so if a woman is high risk for breast cancer or has a breast cancer diagnosis. 

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Corinne Menn, a board-certified Ob GYN and menopause expert who herself had a breast cancer diagnosis when she was in her 20s. We will be reviewing the latest research on the impact of estrogen on the breast in several different scenarios. 





PREGNANCY post breast cancer
Women who have a BREAST CANCER diagnosis 
Women with a FAMILY HISTORY of breast cancer
Women with a BRCA MUTATION after prophylactic ovary removal
The approach to therapy for women with a NEW BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS
The use of local vaginal estrogen in women with a breast cancer diagnosis that are taking TAMOXIFEN or using an AROMOTASE INHIBITOR
If a LOCAL VAGINAL ESTROGEN needs to  be used at the lowest dose
What to do if your DOCTOR NOT WILLING to prescribe local or systemic estrogen (list of articles to share is below) 
If a woman with a breast cancer diagnosis can use TESTOSTERONE for libido and other possible benefits




Dr. Corrine Menn
https://drmenn.com/
@drmennobgyn



For more information:

Episode 124 All Hormones Are Not Created Equal with Dr. James Simon

Episode 65- The Dilemma of Menopause and Breast Cancer

Episode 31 The TRUTH About Hormone Therapy: Does it CAUSE or Does it PREVENT Breast Cancer?

Episode 28: The BEST approach for BREAST Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction with Dr. Lisa Larkin


Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal health care clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.


Scientific Articles 

Hormone Therapy and Risk of Breast Cancer





Bluming AZ, Hodis HN, Langer RD. 'Tis but a scratch: a critical review of the Women's Health Initiative evidence associating menopausal hormone therapy with the risk of breast cancer. Menopause. 2023 Dec 1;30(12):1241-1245. 
Bluming AZ. Introduction: Estrogen Reconsidered: Exploring the Evidence for Estrogen's Benefits and Risks. Cancer J. 2022 May-Jun 01;28(3):157-162. 
Hodis HN, Sarrel PM. Menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer: what is the evidence from randomized trials? Climacteric 2018;21:521–8.
Levy B, Simon JA. A Contemporary View of Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Mar 14. 
Chlebowski RT, Aragaki AK, Pan K, Mortimer JE, Johnson KC, Wactawski-Wende J, LeBoff MS, Lavasani S, Lane D, Nelson RA, Manson JE. Randomized trials of estrogen-alone and breast cancer incidence: a meta-analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024 Apr 23. doi: 10.1007/s10549-024-07307-9. 
Pan K, Lavasani S, Aragaki AK, Chlebowski RT. Estrogen therapy and breast cancer in randomized clinical trials: a narrative review. Menopause. 2022 Sep 1;29(9):1086-1092. 


Use of Hormone Therapy in Women with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis





Bluming A. Hormone replacement therapy after breast cancer: it is time. Cancer J 2022;28:183–90. 
Bluming AZ. Safety of systemic hormone replacement therapy in breast cancer survivors. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2022 Feb;191(3):685-686. doi: 10.1007/s10549-021-06479-y. 
Fahlén M, Fornander T, Johansson H, Johansson U, Rutqvist LE, Wilking N, von Schoultz E. Hormone replacement therapy after breast cancer: 10 year follow up of the Stockholm randomised trial. Eur J Cancer. 2013 Jan;49(1):52-9.
Mikkola TS, Savolainen-Peltonen H, Tuomikoski P, Hoti F, Vattulainen P, Gissler M, et al. Reduced risk of breast cancer mortality in women using postmenopausal hormone therapy: a Finnish nationwide compara

Men have always had the obvious advantage of inspecting their genitalia with essentially no effort on their part. For women, it’s a little more challenging. Combine that with the recommendation that there is no need for women to have a gynecologic exam as they get older, most doctors are also not looking. Today I am joined by Dr.Jill Krapf, a gynecologist whose area of expertise is …the vulva. We will be discussing one of the most maddening, frustrating symptoms in all of gynecology- THE ITCHY VULVA , but just as important, why even if your vulva isn’t itching, why it still needs some attention. 
  
In this episode 


Why it is important to have a VULVAR EXAM

Why VULVAR CANCER numbers are increasing

HOW to inspect your vulva 
What products can IRRITATE the vulva and should be avoided 
When URINE is the culprit 
The difference between a VULVAR YEAST infection and a vaginal yeast infection 
How to get rid of CHRONIC YEAST 
Vulvar itching from LOW ESTROGEN 
How to know if you have a dermatologic condition such as LICHEN SCLEROSUS 
How to get the best results from your lichen sclerosus treatment 
If your vulvar itching could be CANCER 


Why even if your vulva is not itchy, it still needs to get checked regularly
  
                                                     Jill Krapf MD
                                        www.jillkrapfmd.com
  
                                          Dr. Krapf Instagram 
                            https://www.instagram.com/jillkrapfmd/ 


  
Dr. Krapf’s Lichen Sclerosus Webinar on YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltY9mr8E68 
  
To find a vulvar specialist: 
Lichen Sclerosus Support Network: https://www.lssupport.net/ 
  
The International Society for the Study of Sexual Medicine: 
 https://www.issm 
  
  
For More info on this topic:   
Episode 93 What’s Up Down There 
Episode 131Why You Need to Keep Seeing a Gyne with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany
Episode 60  Lack of Lubrication Not Always From Lack of Estrogen   
Episode 4: Is Your Lubricant Helping or Hurting Your Vagina?
Episode 5: Vaginal Estrogen- Rings, Creams, and Other Things 

Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 
DrStreicher.com

Instagram @DrStreich
Facebook  @DrStreicher
YouTube  DrStreicherTV

Books by Lauren Streicher, MD
 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain

Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat

Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever

The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

More likely than not, if you are over 65, your internist has declared everything between your belly button and your thighs to be the “NO NEED” zone. “NO NEED”  for a pap, “NO NEED”  need for a speculum, “NO NEED”  to remove your underpants, and definitely “NO NEED”  to see a gynecologist unless you have a specific problem. But in today’s episode, I am joined by Dr. Shieva Ghofrany to explain the flaw in this reasoning and why “no complaint” is not the same as “No problem”.

We discuss specific issues that are addressed post menopause: 





Pap tests and other screening tests
The reason for a gynecologic exam in non-Pap years
The problem with your internist doing your Pap test
Other reasons the annual exam is important 
Conditions with no symptoms
STI screening
Sexual Health
Menopause issues
Hysterectomy
Insurance issues


Shieva Ghofrany MD
Instagram -@drshievag
Website: Tribecalledv.com

For more information:

Episode 62 Are Current Screening Guidelines Helping Women or Hurting Women? With Dr. Melissa Simon 

Episode 102 An Insider approach to Ovarian Cancer with Dr. Shieva Ghofrany

Episode 130- Are You Ever Done with Menopause? 


Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal health care clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 


Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 

DrStreicher.com

Instagram @DrStreich

Facebook  @DrStreicher

YouTube  DrStreicherTV


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain


Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat


Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever


The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

… and how to increase longevity with and without hormone therapy

The idea that menopause only lasts for a few years is a common misconception. You may have even been told by a  medical professional that when you no longer have hot flashes, you are done with menopause!  

But menopause means you’re no longer producing estrogen. There are hormone receptors throughout the body and there are lifelong consequences of being without estrogen even if perimenopausal symptoms are in the rear-view mirror.

In this episode: 


Why not every woman has long-term health issues post menopause
The long-term impact of menopause (not aging) on
Bone health
Joints and muscles
Frailty
Cardiovascular System
Diabetes
Brain Function
Vulva and  Vagina
Sexual Function
Urinary Tract



How to increase your longevity without hormones
Nine Secrets of the Blue Zones where women live to 100 (without taking estrogen) 
If you can take hormone therapy for life



For further information on this topic: 
The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi
Netflix: Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones https://www.netflix.com/title/81214929






Episode 2:Think Your Hot Flashes Can't Kill You? Think Again!


Episode 3: What's Up Down There? Genital Dryness & Misbehaving Bladders 


Episode 59 - Boning Up on Bones: Part 1 with Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri (Risk Factors for osteoporosis, and Screening)


Episode 123 Hormone Therapy After Age 60 with Dr. James Simon

Episode125 Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause with Dr. Vonda Wright



Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal health care clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.


Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 


Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 

DrStreicher.com

Instagram @DrStreich

Facebook  @DrStreicher

YouTube  DrStreicherTV


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain


Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat


Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever


The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

When I first learned about PCOS during my training, I was told that once a woman with PCOS hit menopause, irregular periods, excess hair growth dealing with fertility problems and other manifestations of PCOS were in the rear-view mirror. And that’s true, but we now know that women who had PCOS during the reproductive years, are not entirely off the hook down the road and that PCOS early in life is associated with several health issues later in life.  Today I am having a conversation with reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Alison Rogers, about the impact of PCOS later in life. 






The history of PCOS, AKA Stein Levinthal Syndrome
What Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is
Health concerns of young women with PCOS
If there is a genetic predisposition to PCOS
Why women with PCOS are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease
What happens to women with PCOS when they go through menopause
Post menopause risks in women with a history of PCOS
If women with PCOS can safely use hormone therapy
Wrap Up! 



                                                 Allison Rogers MD
                            https://www.fcionline.com/doctors/allison-rodgers/
                                   Social Media: @dr.allison.rodgers


For more information on this topic: 
Episode 2:Think Your Hot Flashes Can't Kill You? Think Again!

Episode 57 Uterine Cancer: Reducing Your Risk

Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal health care clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 


Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 

DrStreicher.com


Instagram @DrStreich

Facebook  @DrStreicher

YouTube  DrStreicherTV


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD


 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain


Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat


Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever


The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

While not everyone is necessarily good about regular physical activity, no one questions that it’s good for you. Cardiovascular health, weight management, cognitive function, mood, better sleep and even reducing the risk of many kinds of cancer are all established benefits to moving as opposed to sitting on your butt all day. But, when it comes to the impact of exercise when it comes to reducing hot flashes, the jury is still out. 

Dr. Maria Sophocles is the Medical Director of Women’s Healthcare of Princeton. She is a certified menopause practitioner and has a particular interest in non-hormonal approaches to help with menopause symptoms.  In this episode, we discussed a study that was recently published in the Journal Menopause titled “The influence of habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior on objective and subjective hot flashes at midlife” 

Link to article: Witkowski, Sarah PhD1; White, Quinn BA1; Shreyer, Sofiya MA2; Brown, Daniel E. PhD3; Sievert, Lynnette Leidy PhD2. The influence of habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior on objective and subjective hot flashes at midlife. Menopause





Chat about South by Southwest Panel
Dr. Sophocles Ted Talk
What research shows as far as exercise and hot flashes
The Menopause Society’s statement on exercise and yoga 
How hot flashes are measured in studies
Perceived hot flashes versus actual hot flashes
Findings of this study 
Dr. Sophocles research with EmberWave™




                                                  Maria Sophocles MD
                                                 mariasophoclesmd.com
                                                   @mariasophoclesmd
                                 Ted Talk- https://go.ted.com/rpUSM


For more information on this topic: 

Episode 2:Think Your Hot Flashes Can't Kill You? Think Again!

Episode 53 Not All Hot Flashes  Mean Menopause 

Episode 82 Journal Club with Mary Jane Minkin

Episode 87 Will THAT Really Help Your Hot Flashes? Lifestyle and other Interventions

Episode 95 Non-hormonal options to treat VMS- Herbs Spices &Wishful Thinking 


Laurie Mintz

Sheryl Kingsberg

Amanda Thebe


Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat



Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal health care clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 


Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 

DrStreicher.com


Instagram @DrStreich

Facebook  @DrStreicher

YouTube  DrStreicherTV


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD


 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain


Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat


Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your B