Skip to main content

Gennev is covered by insurance companies. Check if you are in network now.

That’s what I’m doing this week “” hanging out with 1,200 menopause doctors “” and I’m loving it!

Some of the Gennev menopause team and I are attending the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) Annual Meeting.

It’s a time of the year when certified menopause practitioners gather for continuing education on how to better help women like you through menopause.

You can read more about Gennev’s involvement in NAMS here.

I’m not a doctor, so I basically hang out in the exhibition hall for companies like Gennev, but nonetheless, I’m getting to hear what practitioners are hearing from their patients. I’m hearing what their needs are. I’m seeing the products and solutions pushed at the docs, just like they’re pushed at women”¦and like women, doctors just want clear answers, no BS.

Why are we at a conference for physicians?

We built Gennev for women. That’s always been our goal.

But we also built Gennev as a companion-solution for doctors. We’re here for them as a trusted platform. We can provide menopause health and wellness education when they don’t have enough time with patients as or they can’t get to all the email requests for questions they may receive from their patients.

Our own Chief Medical Officer, Dr Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, says, “I don’t get to spend as much time with each of my patients as I’d like to, so Gennev is a trusted resource I can send them to without worrying they’re going to hear something I don’t agree with.”

And guess what, other doctors agree. In our first day at the conference, we’ve given away hundreds of referral cards and scanned hundreds of badges. Just as women are hungry for trusted health and wellness information and products, physicians are too.

So, that’s why we’re here. We’re promoting Gennev to ob/gyns, nurse practitioners and internal medicine doctors who attend conferences like NAMS.

If you think Gennev would be beneficial for your doctor, send them our way. They can email us at info@gennev.com and request Gennev informational materials to place in their office as an added extension of the services they offer to their patients.

It takes a village to address menopause, and our village is starting to come together.

To keep hormonal health as balanced and symptom-free as possible, functional nutritionist Nicole Negron starts with the HPA (hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal) Axis.

This axis is what regulates our stress response system, says Nicole; so if you’re lying in bed at night, unable to sleep because of bills, worries about kids or aging parents, etc., your HPA is responding to that stress.

Your brain (hypothalamus) sends stress signals to the pituitary, which in term triggers the adrenal gland to produce and release more cortisol into the bloodstream.

Cortisol, says Nicole, triggers an inflammatory immune response via inflammatory cytokines. These travel back up and talk to the brain, setting the cycle off again. And inflammation equals heat.

So what can trigger the inflammatory response that can lead to hot flashes?

Stress. This is probably the biggest trigger, Nicole says. Stress starts in the brain, firing off the cycle; it’s also the point where there’s the best opportunity for intervention, because our stressors are often things we have control over.

Controlling triggers in your life

We need to keep the body calm and satiated, Nicole says; this is how we start managing the signals that can set off the hot flash cycle.

Work. Are you where you want to be and doing what you want to be doing? Are you fulfilling your life’s passions and purpose? If not, can you change or find a way to redirect your current job to be closer to your goals?

Family. If you have aging parents or younger kids who need care, are you asking for help when you need it? Says Nicole, many women, including her clients, are wonderful at everything except two critical skills: asking for help, and saying no. Learn to do both of these to make life so much simpler and less stressful.

Partner. Are things good with your spouse or partner, if you have one? Are all your many loads as financial, physical, emotional as being divided equally, or are you taking on more than your share? Can you have a conversation or get therapy to make this relationship a source of strength and not more stress?

Before you turn to a medical intervention, be sure you’re maximizing what Nicole calls the “in-house remedies.” You know what stresses you out; it’s time to do the work to reduce those stressors in favor of reducing hot flashes and supporting long-term good health.

Nutrition and hot flashes, the “no’s”

“People hate me for saying this,” Nicole says, laughing, “but you have to get rid of alcohol, all sugars, and caffeine.”

“It’s about survival. Women wake up in the morning, they don’t have much energy even though they’ve been “˜resting’ for the last several hours. They’re short on time, they’re stressed. But if we’re talking about calming the HPA Axis, you can’t start your day with coffee. One, it’s dehydrating, and two, it’s activating your stress response. Wine is the same, so no wine at night! Alcohol, sugar, and definitely caffeine all can increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of hot flashes.”

Nutrition and hot flashes, the “yes”

Really the question should be, what buffers the stress response? Micronutrients are great, especially if you also have a thyroid condition to consider, says Nicole. Leafy greens are great; cooked if you have difficult digesting or absorbing the nutrients, raw if not. A digestive enzyme might also make the goodness more bio-available.

Selenium is great for supporting your system, so eat a couple of Brazil nuts every day. Many women report feeling better with an increase in foods containing vitamins D and E and Zinc, or adding ashwaganda to their diet.

Phytonutrients: if you have lower estrogen, estrogenic foods can be helpful. Soy foods like tofu, edamame; flax seeds, sweet potatoes as these may have a positive effect.

 

What else can we do to reduce hot flashes?

Gentle yoga before bed is great for those with night sweats, Nicole says. Think about breathing from the diaphragm, which soothes and calms. Qigong, a type of tai chi, done an hour or so before bed can be very calming to the central nervous system, making it easier to sleep deeply.

Turn off screens, reduce activity and do things that relax the body and mind. No answering emails, no watching TV that hypes up adrenaline. In the two hours before bed, you need to ready your mind and body for rest, so activity, food, and drink all need to support that goal.

If you follow a religious or spiritual practice, that can be very calming. Touch is very nourishing and healthy as well, particularly as we age, so getting a foot or shoulder massage from a loving partner as you discuss your day (the good, calm parts of your day, anyway) may actually reduce night sweats. For those who aren’t partnered, schedule regular massages. Your insurance might even cover it. Finally, as long as you’re not drained all day, every day, an orgasm before bed is great, says Nicole. “And you don’t need anyone else for that.”

Hot flashes can be disruptive to such a level that women even consider leaving their jobs or drastically reduce their social lives to avoid embarrassment. At Gennev we believe there should be no embarrassment around the body’s natural functions, but we understand society hasn’t quite caught up with this notion yet. We also believe women don’t need to suffer in silence as there are remedies that help. You may just have to keep experimenting with different options until you find the solution or combination of solutions that work for you.

Just please, always keep in touch with your doctor about any new lifestyle change, supplement, medication, or practice that could potentially interact with medications or conditions.

If lifestyle and/or nutritional choices have helped you with hot flashes, we’d love to hear what worked for you. Share in the comments below, join the conversation in our community forums, fill us in on Facebook or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group. 

 

The winter holiday season can quickly twist into a tangle of emotions, logistics, dates, delights, and indulgences. This forthcoming season of gathering and giving comes with a long list of additional chores for an already-busy life for a woman in midlife and perimenopause.

Before your stress-levels shift up to the next gear, take a big breath, and scan for ideas that will help you take all the season has to offer in stride. Why? Stress can exacerbate and intensify the most inconvenient and least-fun of the current menopause symptoms you’ve been experiencing in your regular life. A few ideas to get your “scan started”: 

How will I remember to… drink water during the busy times… or at least get more uncaffeinated, non-caloric liquids in my body?

How can I get my best… sleep? I’m going to want to experience that during the holidays too.

Lately, it’s been difficult to… find time for lunch (or whatever meal or task that feels good to accomplish). What would make getting this done easier?

Let’s jump in for more ideas and get you set up, rather than stressed out.

A quick debrief: how did last year shake out?

Checking in so you can make a plan

What are the top 5 things (yes, small things) that could give you more energy, focus, peace, and presence?

What subjects are lately igniting your system to insta-rage? 

The more specific you can be, the better you can make a plan to minimize or avoid your triggers. 

It doesn’t matter what it is”¦ but what is it? And hey, irrational is okay. Awareness of what triggers you to anger can only help you to make a good plan for the holiday at hand.

Making your plan

Once identified, stay with it, and ask, “What would help?” or, “What would be easier?”

How about, “What would be more fun, or more natural, and still accomplish what I’m going for?”

Here are a few options to help minimize the frantic feels and manage your stress for the long season of good cheer.

Instead of doing it all…

In place of buying it all”¦

Rather than being it all”¦

Have you traditionally been the “point person” for a holiday? Or, the hostess? Who can you loop in, in the group of loved ones, to lend more help? How about a co-host? Collaboration can be fun, though it may come with a bit of release of control”¦ and pressure”¦ and responsibility. #justsayin.

What’s this time of year all about, again?

Remember what you’re doing all this for”¦ and reassess.

Where can you lower the bar of expectations, take a breath, and have the best winter holiday season ever? The one that is best for you, your body, your mental and emotional frame of mind, and the ones you hold most dear.

Heightened stress and more frequent or intense menopause symptoms aren’t going to help you spread any kind of good cheer this year. Make a plan for less stress with an informed approach, a few boundaries, and a smart intention for fun and enjoyment for all, including yourself.

 

We’d love to hear what this brings up for you, as well as the brilliant ideas and strategies you and your loved ones will enjoy in the coming weeks. Consider joining and sharing with all of us in the Gennev community forums.

 

What do you give a woman who has every menopause symptom? (or so it seems, anyway)

You give her sweet relief. 

If you’re dealing with all the other gifts like hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia during menopause, we have a list for you. Stick it under a loved one’s nose as a not-too-subtle hint or buy “˜em for yourself because you deserve it.*

Self-care for menopause

Teadora

We have two recommendations this year from one of our favorite self-care brands. This is a company that will raise your holiday spirits: woman-led, environmentally aware, super-healthy products that really work.

Wild Acai Canna Cream with CBD: Whether it’s the acai berries or the CBD, we don’t know and we don’t care. It’s totally refreshing and soothing. And it’s CBD, not THC, so it’s legal in all 50 states and non-hallucinogenic.  

 

 

Wild Superfood Miracle Shampoo: If your hair is particularly frizzy and temperamental now, this shampoo will tame and calm it. Just a little goes a long way, and it’s gentle enough for daily use.

 

 

Gennev founder, CEO, and current Night Sweats Champion Jill Angelo always runs hot (and not just when she’s running). She wears the Birkenstock Arizona sandal pretty much all the time at home. They keep her feet cool and help her be all-over comfortable. 

 

 

Exercise is the gift that keeps on giving in menopause: it helps with bone health, retaining muscle, managing weight, and protecting your brain, heart, and emotions. But let’s face it, as the days get shorter, darker, and colder, getting out for a run or to the gym is tough. We love the Excy for exactly all those reasons “” you get a full-body workout in the comfort of your own home.  

 

Menopause symptom relief gifts

Gennev

We are the source for menopause relief, and two of our favorites are Gennev Magnesium Glycinate for sleep and joint pain (and many women report anxiety relief), and our new Black Cohosh for help with hot flashes and night sweats.

  

 

Hush

We love the Iced Hush weighted blanket. Weighted blankets are great for easing the insomnia and anxiety that can plague women in midlife, but who wants more blankets when they’re having hot flashes? Hush has one designed to keep you cool, despite the extra weight. 

 

Embr

The Embr Wave is the cutting edge of “FemTech” as a very attractive bracelet that will help you regulate body temperature. Too cool? Hit the button from a warm-up. Feeling a hot flash starting? Nip it in the bud. 

 

 

Great reads for women in menopause 

Darcy Steinke’s Flash Count Diary is a fantastic read about one woman’s journey into understanding menopause and her own identity in this second half of life. We dare you not to tear up in the whale section.

 

 

She may be a neuroscientist, but she’s also an amazing author. We recommended Dr. Lisa Mosconi’s book Brain Food last year; this year it’s The XX Brain: The Groundbreaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. She is making the claim that what we eat has huge effects on our brain health, and it’s an empowering, positive read. 

 

 

No, eating sugar won’t give you a yeast infection. Dr. Jen Gunter’s The Vagina Bible clears up so many misconceptions we have about our intimate bits and promotes a truly healthy approach towards women’s bodies and female sexual health.  

 

 

Pleasure 

If you’re very close to a woman in midlife and menopause, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, Chief Medical Officer of Gennev, ob/gyn, and expert in women’s sexual health, recommends the Lelo SONA. This sonic clitoral massager may be, quite literally, just what the doctor ordered for a woman struggling with low libido and painful-sex issues. Great for solo play or with a partner, the SONA can help you find new ways of enjoying and expressing sexuality and pleasure.

 

 

Nourishment

Food at its finest is a glorious balance of nutrition and pleasure. To help you get the most from your food, we turned to our Director of Health Coaching and Registered Dietitian, Lauren Leedy. 

She suggests the Instant Pot pressure cooker for quick, easy weeknight meals or a subscription to a meal delivery service to take the guesswork out of meal planning and food prep.  

 

 

Says Lauren, “My top recommendation is Sun Basket for cooking kits and Thistle for fully prepared meals.”

 

What are you hoping to find under the tree this holiday season? Share your awesome gift ideas with the Gennev community in our forums! 

*Note: Gennev has affiliate relationships with some of the retailers on this list and receives compensation at sale. 

 

Two years ago I got acquainted with Lori McKenna, a rising singer-songwriter in the folk and country music scene. My husband, one of my best gal pals, and I bought tickets for Sundance Mountain Resort’s summer Bluebird Café Songwriter Series, where they feature the songwriters behind some of the biggest hits.

I love a good story, but I love even more knowing where it came from. When I learned the Grammy award-winning song Girl Crush was co-written by a middle-aged mother of five, I was intrigued and in love. I love unexpected people doing the unexpected.

McKenna went on to share stories of how songs come to her while carpooling kids to soccer, school, doctors’ appointments and everything in between. She writes at her dining room table. And when she needs a boost of gal-pal power, she hops a plane from her Boston suburban home for Nashville to co-write with 2 other women songwriters. All of them in their midlife, having fun and shaking up the country music scene.

Then, this past week, I was watching CBS’s Sunday Morning as yes, I watch the morning news show that’s written for my parent’s generation as and lo and behold, they did a feature of Lori McKenna. And, once again, my girl-crush on her was fueled with admiration, inspiration and a real motivation for my own pursuits. Being able to see myself in others whom I see paving a cool path in life and making it all work fuels me.

Ironically the song Girl Crush, is a sad story about the “other woman.” It’s not at all what moves me about the song. What moves me is the person who wrote the song, her life, and how she is living it to its fullest. I’ve got a different kind of girl crush that speaks to the admiration and appreciation for the women in my life that are my tribe. They get me. They listen. They challenge me, and laugh at and with me when the moment calls for it.

On this Valentine’s Day, I want to celebrate the notion of those in our lives that we have my kind of “girl crush” on. Women need women. We need friendship, emotional support, and most of all, we need trusted peeps that help us through the highs and lows of life.

Consider your girl crushes, send them a quick email, text or pick up the phone, and thank them. Tell them you love them, and honor them on this day of hearts. Doing so will bring as much warmth to you as it will to them.

Happy Galentine’s Day!

jill angelo, genneve cvo

Check out the video!

How many of you read The New York Times article What if Menopause Wasn’t Dreaded?

It was an opinion piece on Sept 12, 2019 by University of Georgia distinguished research professor Susan Mattern.

In it, she shares a history of menopause and takes us back to a time when it was named. She writes, “The word “˜menopause’ itself was coined by a French physician in 1821; by then, there were colloquial expressions for it in Europe, such as “˜women’s hell.'”

She plants a notion in readers’ minds that society sort of created the bad energy that menopause is associated with.

In the article she states, “This bleak view of menopause is unique to modernized cultures. In cultures with minimal exposure to modernization “” few of which survive today “” the idea that the end of a woman’s reproductive years will be accompanied by a collection of unpleasant symptoms (what physicians sometimes call “˜menopausal syndrome’) is hard to find. Hmong immigrants to Australia, for example, when questioned by researchers in the 1990s, were surprised to learn that white Australian women thought that menopause caused physical symptoms and problems.”

How profound. If we didn’t have awareness that menopause was a bad thing, would we even think that it was when it arrived? Or dread its natural cycle in our bodies?

There’s a fair amount of you reading this article who would loudly answer my question with a definite NO.

The symptoms are real. In fact, today I heard from a woman who told me every time she gets up on stage, she gets a hot flash. Another mentioned in a quiet voice that she now knows what other women mean when they say they “can’t control their anger.”  

I, for one, believe menopause is very real. But I also believe that the social picture that’s been painted since the 1800s in modern cultures has unfairly flavored its role in our lives as women.

I wish we could reverse that. I wish we could see the transition in life through menopause as a preparation for the second half of life. And if we treat it with the care it deserves, our bodies, hearts and minds will be ready to lead our families, local communities, companies and organizations with only the wisdom that time on this planet can bring.

My wish is that when women (and men) think of menopause, they consider it the moment when women are preparing to “arrive.”

“I’ve arrived and I want everyone to know it” is the bumper sticker I’d like to print for all menopausal women.

Is this too far-fetched to even wish for? I believe we can start working to make this ginormous shift. You with me?

I’m encouraged by Professor Mattern’s view on menopause, because it’s not like we’re inventing anything new. We’re just making the old cool again.

Jill Angelo, genneve CEO

Why are “grey divorces” so common?

Conversations around divorce in  midlife  ordinarily focus on the couple and their shared concerns: Financial worries.  Empty nest  syndrome. Parent care.  Painful sex.

But what if the dissolution of long-term marriages were about something else entirely? Something that hides behind arguments about retirement planning and how to spend weekends? What if the problems of midlife aren’t the concerns couples share, but are instead the expectations they don’t?

Menopause Divorce Regret: Show me your midlife and I’ll show you mine.

For men, the second half of life can feel like a reduction. Physical strength is waning. Authority at work may be less as younger colleagues with different skills start asserting themselves. Sexual appetite and ability can be more complicated. Less hair, less energy, less respect, fewer choices.

For women, midlife often looks more”¦ liberating. The children are grown or nearly grown. She may hold a position of high responsibility, or she may be passing the torch and freeing up her time for other things. She may have a decent salary and therefore some disposable income. She’s likely still healthy and active and may even (finally!) be liberated from the inconvenience of a monthly cycle and pregnancy concerns.

Her body is changing and maturing in ways our sexist, ageist society disapproves of, but she cares less about the opinions of others as which, for many women, is the biggest liberation of all.

What do you do when one of you feels like you’re going to seed and the other is on the verge of bursting into blossom? Does a difference in perspective on what the future holds mean a marriage is doomed?

Travel Plans

Add together dissatisfaction and a sense of urgency, and you have a recipe for throwing out babies with bathwater and deciding it’s time to remodel the upstairs bathroom or maybe just sell the darn house and move to Tahiti.

Big impulsive decisions can be made in a midlife crisis in menopause as after all, there’s only so much time left to do all those things you planned, and if anything (one) is holding you back, you need to jettison it (him/her) and get on with living!

But hasty decisions can have lasting consequences and bring lasting regret. Thinking through the possible repercussions before acting could be the difference between facing the music and dancing to it.

It might be helpful to think of all your possible futures as travel destinations. How do you plan for the trip that is the rest of your life?

1. Decide on a destination. What do you want from this journey? Excitement and adventure? Relaxation, comfort, and predictability? Bear in mind that this isn’t two weeks in Prague, this is the rest of your life as you have time for many adventures. It may be risk and wild times now, familiar comforts next. You don’t have to make decisions that cut off future choices.

2. Pick a travel partner. To do this right, ask yourself: What do you need from your partner? Someone to come along with you, step for step, as eager to take on the next adventure as you are? Or someone to come home to, tell your menopause stories to, who provides a safe and familiar harbor? You may discover the travel partner you need is the one you already have. And if not, you may be better equipped to choose the next one, or to decide it’s time to go it alone.

3. Be aware of baggage fees. We all carry a lot of extra emotional and spiritual “weight” around, and our dissatisfaction with ourselves and what we feel we haven’t accomplished can turn into resentment of our partner. Is that person truly holding you back? If so, a re-evaluation may well be in order. But if the baggage is your own, be careful you aren’t jettisoning your best support system and your best friend.

4. Know the weather at your destination. Okay, this analogy is pretty much milked, I admit, but here’s what I mean: if you’ve been together a long time, your lives are all tangled up together. Untangling all that may mean losing some mutual friends, in-laws, estranging children. You may lose access to meaningful places, events, and activities. It will likely be a bit cold and lonely at first, and while that may not be the most important aspect of your decision, it’s important to be realistic”¦ and ready.

So what do you do now?

The urge to throw it all off and flee, wind in your hair, bridges alight behind you, may be nearly overwhelming, but you owe it to yourself and to the person who’s shared their life with you to get this right.

If your partner as male or female as is imagining the future differently than you are, they may not even be aware of the gap in your expectations. One of you is envisioning matching recliners and sports teams on the telly, while the other is signing up for scuba lessons and learning Japanese, and the two points of view seem utterly incompatible. But are they, really? Might it be possible, with a bit of negotiation and compromise, to have it all?

Give yourself and your partner the respect of having the conversation. Be kind. Be open. Be honest. It may not save a marriage that has truly reached its expiration date, but it may help preserve a relationship that’s meant a lot for a long time.

Are you finding your long-term relationship is wearing a little thin in midlife? What are you doing about it? If you’re willing to share, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment here, join the “gray divorce” conversation on our forums, or find us on Facebook or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our Facebook group. 

This article first appeared on PRiME Women and is reprinted here with permission. 

 

It’s nearly the end of November which means, if you’re like me, you have at least three weeks before you need to start seriously planning and buying holiday gifts.

If you’re one of those folks who likes to give actual gifts (as opposed to handwritten notes saying, “I got you an X; it’ll be here next Tuesday”), we’ve got some suggestions for you to give that wonderful, sexy, midlife someone, whether it’s your wife, girlfriend, best buddy, or self. A menopause care package never hurt anyone! Here are some gifts the team at Gennev recommends.

Our menopause gifts guide

One: Help with menopausal night sweats /hot flashes. One of the worst aspects of hot flashes and night sweats is how they interrupt  sleep. For women who wake at night from the heat, and then lie awake as the anxiety takes over, a weighted blanket made especially to keep her cool can be an amazing and wonderful gift. Check out the Iced Hush weighted blanket.

(Read up on one Gennev-er’s experience with hot flashes and how she handles the heat)

Two: Relief from symptoms. Many women report real relief from menopausal joint pain, hot flashes, anxiety, and interrupted sleep, thanks to acupuncture, so a gift certificate might be a great way to introduce a friend to this ancient practice. You’ll want to set her up with a licensed practitioner, so check to see if your state has a licensing requirement or consult the directory at the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Jennifer Mason of Vitamin Chi also suggests checking out websites to find an acupuncturist who specializes in the area your friend needs, whether it’s pain relief, fertility support, perimenopausal insomnia, etc. Acupuncture for menopause symptoms is a great alternative medicine. For another alternative medicine, we recommend you try black cohosh for hot flashes.

(What can fascia Chinese medicine do for you? Find out in this podcast with practitioner Jennifer Mason)

Three: Peace and quiet. Since we ran our story on how Deborah managed the stress of her breast cancer treatment by floating, we’ve heard a lot from other women who have tried it for various reasons. Nearly all reported an improvement in stress levels and sleep. Lying in a silent, dark tank full of warm salt water may sound like an odd way to manage stress, but reports are floating is a slice of sanity, especially in the mad holiday season. Menopause can really hamper peace and quiet, so this is a fantastic option to get some of that back. Single float, $89 at LifeFloat.

Four: Good food. We talk about nutrition again and again in our blogs: kicking sugar, eating healthy in the holidays, and so on because it’s so critical to nourish yourself right in midlife. So how about getting your buddy a gift certificate for the local organic market, or treating yourselves to some healthy cooking classes? And after you’ve cooked and consumed that healthy meal, there’s nothing better than chocolate that’s good for your skin, brain, heart, and hormones, says Nicole Negron, Certified Women’s Health and Nutrition Specialist.

Five: Exercise equipment to build muscle. Starting in our 30s, most of us begin losing muscle mass and function. Healthy muscles help with posture, balance, strength, metabolism, and general quality of life, so help your buddy keep what she’s got and even build more. We like Bintiva dumbbells because the colors make it easy to grab the ones you want quickly, and the hexagon shape keeps them from rolling under the furniture.

Six: Comfort for itchy skin. Midlife skin needs some special treatment to stay hydrated, which means no harsh soaps. Especially when you’re dealing with down-there care, you want to be sure anything that touches sensitive skin is super gentle and free of the sorts of chemicals, fragrances, and other additives that can irritate. Gennev Ultra-Gentle Body Wash and Cleansing Cloths are great for cleaning all of you without irritating any of you. After cleansing, Nicole recommends a probiotic moisturizer. Skin’s pH changes during midlife, Nicole says, and “this product helps retain moisture for improved suppleness and added glow. It also combats free radicals and calms inflammation to safeguard collagen.”

(ditch itchy menopause skin: tips on how to handle one of the most common symptoms)

Seven: Body-loving smarts. Team Gennev believes the book She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women’s Intimate Health. Period. is a great gift for anyone and everyone. Dr. Sherry Ross is out to educate the world on vaginas, so we can all stop being fearful and embarrassed and start loving this part of our bodies. Ditching the taboos around vaginas and women’s bodies generally can help all women be healthier, and Dr. Sherry gives us a humorous, touching, seriously smart and entertaining way to get answers to those questions we’ve all been too embarrassed to ask.

Eight: Healthy pleasure. Appeal to all parts of your lady friend with the Lioness! This smart vibrator gives pleasure in more than just the “usual” ways as the built-in sensors also speak to her smart phone, giving her all kinds of fascinating information on her sexual response. She can track her orgasms, take notes on what factors might be involved on a given day (food, sleep, mood, cycle), and generally geek out on her O-information. Plus, orgasms are super healthy, so there’s that (here’s our tips on how to orgasm better!). Learn more about the Lioness. $230 at lioness.io.

Nine: Essentials. According to Dr. Arianna Staruch of the Bastyr University School of Naturopathic Medicine, “the safest way to deliver essential oils is through the air in a diffuser. Make sure they are high quality, organic, and if possible, sustainably and ethically harvested. Oils like Sandalwood come from endangered trees. A good all-purpose essential oil is lavender, Lavendula angustifolia. It is one of the very few oils that can be used undiluted on the skin (unless you are allergic). Lavender is helpful to support skin health and is naturally antibacterial. It’s also calming and is great to use in a diffuser at night to promote restful sleep.”

Ten: Hair care. For a lot of women, hair care becomes a whole lot more challenging in midlife. Hair can become drier, more brittle, thinner, and limper. Teadora turns your shower into a rain forest, with all a rain forest’s nourishing, hydrating glory. We love this company because they are so environmentally aware, their products are all-natural, and their products and processes are healthy for women and the planet.

Eleven: Pain relief. Sex after menopause can be harder. Menopause and midlife can come with some extra aches in the joints and some all-over fatigue. Fight both with a potent and ancient pain reliever: hemp. Sagely Naturals has a cooling, non-greasy Relief and Recovery Cream that’s super lightweight and penetrates quickly. We appreciate that it’s made here in the US and isn’t tested on animals. Don’t worry as this is made from hemp, so it’s legal nationwide and won’t affect drug tests or cause you to feel the effects of THC.

Bonus gift: You. One great gift that won’t cost you anything is the gift of your support. Menopause is a challenging time for many women. Understanding the challenges your friend (partner, mom, sister, colleague) is going through and rallying around her when she needs you (and disappearing when she really just doesn’t) might be the best, most valuable gift of all. Thanks for asking.

If you try any of these products or have other suggestions for great gifts for a midlife, menopausal gal, we’d love for you to share. Check in with other women in the same situation on our Community forums!

 

Aching joints is a very common complaint for more mature folks. But what’s the connection between menopause and arthritis?

And more importantly, what can women do to manage joint and arthritis pain to maintain healthy, happy, active lives?

Dr. Darcy Foral, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Edmonds Orthopedic Center. We squeezed ourselves into her busy scheduled to get a orthopedist’s view of arthritis and other aches and pains.

What is arthritis?

Dr. Darcy: Arthritis literally means “joint pain.”

The word arthritis is thrown around by doctors and lay people alike to refer to a wide variety of aches and pains, and this creates a lot of confusion.

When my orthopaedic colleagues and I use the word arthritis to describe a condition, we are referring specifically to damage to a joint, significant enough that it is causing pain. We usually see this initially on x-rays or some other form of imaging (MRI or CT scans). 

When we diagnose someone with arthritis, we have seen changes to the joint, usually narrowing and the formation of cysts or bone spurs, that indicate this process is happening.

Is there more than one kind of arthritis?

Dr. Darcy: There are many kinds of arthritis.

The most common is osteoarthritis, which is the “wear and tear” type that happens to the majority of people as they age. While there is a genetic component to osteoarthritis, as some families get it worse than others, the science behind that is not yet clearly understood.

Another common form of arthritis is traumatic arthritis. If you had an injury, last year or in childhood, it can lead to damage to a joint that eventually causes that joint to wear out. The timing of the joint wearing out is usually dependent on the severity of the original injury. Repetitive injuries, like multiple ankle sprains from “weak ankles” can also lead to arthritis, even if the injury itself doesn’t seem that severe.

Finally, rheumatoid arthritis, falls into the category of autoimmune diseases and usually has a much worse prognosis. Autoimmune diseases can affect almost every aspect of the human body, but they have the common denominator of your own body attacking itself because your immune system has mistakenly identified one of your own tissues and foreign and something it must get rid of.

In rheumatoid arthritis, your body is attacking the lining of your joints and can cause wide spread destruction. Luckily, in the last 20 years, we have new medications to suppress this, and our treatments have improved significantly.

There is a strong genetic component to autoimmune arthritis and the diagnoses and treatment is also more complicated, usually being managed by a rheumatologist.

If rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or a similar disease runs in your family and you are starting to have pain or swelling in multiple joints, muscle pain and weakness, or other unexplained symptoms that are sticking around and don’t seem related to activity, you should see your primary care doctor and let them know what you are experiencing sooner rather than later. They should be able to help direct you where to go next in obtaining a diagnosis. 

Can menopause cause arthritis or make it worse?

Dr. Darcy: The good news is that menopause does not make your chances of getting any kind of arthritis worse in and of itself, but it can certainly feel that way.

Arthritis and osteoporosis

Most of us know that our bones get weaker with age (osteoporosis), with the maximum density happening before menopause. Once menopause hits and our hormones change, we start to lose bone density if we don’t work hard to prevent it, and sometimes even if we do.

Magnesium can be helpful for both bone health and joint pain, so consider adding a magnesium supplement to your day. 

Having poor bone density will not give you arthritis, but it will make you more prone to injury. Let’s say you start to get some compression fractures in your spine due to osteoporosis. As your spine compresses and the shape of it changes, you then develop arthritis in your spine, or narrowing of the joints, causing pinching of the nerves or narrowing of the spinal canal. These changes lead to back pain, nerve pain and weakness, and can be very debilitating as we age. 

Arthritis and weight management

The other common factor that can lead to joint pain and arthritis is weight gain.

Some of us have to be careful our whole lives to avoid excessive weight gain, but for many women, menopause is the first time in their lives that they see their metabolisms change dramatically. I see so many women who come in for very legitimate musculoskeletal issues, and so many of these issues are either caused or made worse by weight gain.

It’s a delicate topic, because of course no one wants to be overweight, and when your body isn’t working well for you, it’s easy to continue to put on more weight.

We know from many scientific studies on osteoarthritis that extra weight will wear out your joints, especially your weight-bearing joints which are your hips, knees, and ankles.

How can I manage my arthritis?

Dr. Darcy: I think that it is important to remember that many things change as we age, and running five miles over lunch may not be the best choice of exercise for you any more, at least not if you have an injury.

There are so many fun, low-impact options that you can choose to keep active without increasing wear and tear on your joints. Swimming, biking, rowing, and yoga are easy for most people to access if they are motivated.

While many women shy away from weight lifting, keeping your muscle mass up is a great way to keep your metabolism from slowing down, and it also is the single best thing you can do to help keep osteoporosis at bay. Staying strong helps your balance as well; good balance means less risk of falls and fractures and the ability to remain independent well into your 80s and 90s. 

Does diet affect joint pain?

Dr. Darcy: In the case of weight gain, yes, it really can, but there is a lot about diet we are learning, specifically the role of foods that cause inflammation, that may affect joint pain.

The make-up of our gut bacteria may also play a role in our disease processes and weight. I do not proclaim to be an expert in this area but I do watch it closely for solid recommendations to help direct patients who are looking for advice, as well as advice for myself! 

When should I talk to a doctor about the pain?

Dr. Darcy: It is very normal to get a little joint pain here and there. We all get sore and “tweak” a joint lifting something or turning the wrong way. We get excited and over-do it at the gym or on an extra long hike, or if you’re like me, trying to keep up with the kids.

Joint pain or musculoskeletal pain that doesn’t go away with a few days of rest, ice, and ibuprofen should probably be checked out by a doctor. The RICE formula is a good one to keep in mind as your first line of treatment for aches and pains (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

Orthopaedic surgeons like myself are specifically trained to figure out what is wrong with your musculoskeletal system and direct you to your best treatment course (imaging, lab work, physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, bracing, injections or surgery).

Will I need surgery for my arthritis?

Dr. Darcy: Even though we are surgeons, the vast majority of our patients do not need surgery. My goal is always to try to look at the big picture and find the best course of treatment for my patients, taking their whole lives into account, with surgery as a last option if all else fails.

I encourage all of you to find a doctor you feel respects you, takes your life goals into consideration, and helps make a reasonable plan with you to feel better and stay active and keep moving without daily pain.

I know from being a patient myself, it is not always easy to find and develop that kind of relationship with a doctor, especially if you are in a rural area. Reach out to friends, family, and co-workers to help find a doctor you are comfortable working with. If you can’t, online options might be the next best place to look.

While Dr. Google can be right sometimes, I encourage you to visit a physician if at all possible before you waste precious time and money on bad online recommendations or the wrong diagnosis. 

Do you suffer from arthritis or joint pain? What are you doing to manage the condition and the pain? We’d love to hear your story and solutions, so please share with us by commenting here, or starting a thread in our community forums. You can also reach out to us on Gennev’s public Facebook page or in our closed Facebook group.

 

Our menopause clinic recommends HRT or hormone replacement therapy for menopause symptoms. Hormone Replacement Therapy, when administered properly, can do a lot of good for perimenopausal and menopausal women, including helping to preserve bone mass, reducing vaginal dryness, and helping women sleep better.

It can also be a huge benefit for women who suffer from frequent, intense hot flashes.

Find out where you are on your menopause journey “” take the Gennev Menopause Assessment

If you’re considering HRT for hot flashes but aren’t sure whether or how to start, ob/gyn and Gennev Director of Health Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su has some information for you.

Why does HRT help with hot flashes?

Medical science isn’t entirely clear on what causes hot flashes, so the exact mechanism by which HRT turns hot flashes down or off is also not completely known, Dr. Rebecca says.

Here’s what we do know: hot flashes are caused, in part, by the lack of estrogen, though that isn’t the whole picture. Women in perimenopause have estrogen yet still have hot flashes, so it isn’t just the lack of the hormone that’s the cause.

“We think it also has to do with pulsality,” Dr. Rebecca says. “Your brain triggers the release of hormones by sending bursts of chemicals in pulses. These pulses help regulate the ovaries and keep everything working as it should. HRT provides an even, constant dose of estrogen that also helps to regulate the body.

What HRT do I need?

According to Dr. Rebecca, the key thing to remember is that every woman’s body is different, every woman’s experience of menopause is uniquely her own, so it makes sense that women’s experiences of HRT will be unique as well. There are a lot of pros and cons for HRT depending on which ones you take.

Fortunately, there are lots of configurations and delivery systems to try, so if one doesn’t achieve the desired result, that doesn’t have to mean HRT is off the table.

Hot flashes are systemic, meaning they aren’t limited to one area of the body, like, for example, different vaginal issues like dryness. Therefore, for hot flashes, pills and patches are the usual methods of delivery because they provide hormones that travel throughout the body.

Dr. Rebecca suggests trying patches first, because they deliver a more even dosage throughout the day rather than a larger amount when the pill is swallowed. With patches, there’s less impact on the liver, meaning there may be a slightly lower risk of estrogen caused blood clots. Also, women who experience menopause nausea from HRT pills might do just fine with the patch.

“There are lots of dosage and delivery options,” Dr. Rebecca says, “and it’s a bit of a trial-and-error process to find the one that works best. You should start to feel relief from symptoms within a month, but I tell my patients to wait at least three months before shifting to a new configuration. Your body needs time to acclimatize to the new levels of hormones.”

Map out your plan to manage menopause with a Gennev Health Coach

How do I know if I need HRT?

“If hot flashes are truly impacting your ability to live your life and/or do your job, let’s talk,” says Dr. Rebecca. “If you’re having one hot flash a week, or they’re more annoying than disruptive, then you probably don’t need hormones. But if you’re perimenopausal and have seven or more a day, or you can’t work because you have to change clothes three times a day, you might be a good candidate, especially since starting earlier, in perimenopause instead of full menopause, means you have fewer health risks.”

How long can I safely take HRT?

This depends on a lot of factors, says Dr. Rebecca. When did you start taking hormones, what are your risk factors for cardiovascular issues or blood clots? Are you active and making healthy dietary choices, do you smoke? All of these should factor into the decision.

“Generally, I tell my patients we’ll count on 3 to 5 years, then we’ll do a “˜trial stop’ to see where they are. If the symptoms come back and are disruptive, we can continue; if they find they can live with where there body is without HRT, then we can stop. It really depends on the woman, her lifestyle and risks, and her tolerance for whatever symptoms she experiences after coming off.”

What happens when I stop taking HRT?

Many women worry that if they stop taking HRT, the hot flashes will come roaring back. Will they?

“They probably will come back,” says Dr. Rebecca, “but they’ll likely be less intense and probably won’t last as long. We used to think HRT just postponed the inevitable, but now we think it probably allows women to skip some of the process. Also, we may be able to push back the symptoms to a time in life when you’re better able to handle them: maybe you’re working less or retired; maybe your kids are grown, so the occasional night of poor sleep won’t have as much impact on your family.”

If you’re experiencing impactful hot flashes, talk with your ob/gyn or primary care doc as or one of Gennev’s menopause specialists as about all your options, including HRT.

If you need an expert’s advice for HRT, a Gennev menopause-certified gynecologist can give you a trusted opinion, determine if medication is right for you, and they can provide prescription support. Book an appointment with a doctor here.

If you’re on HRT or have been, or opted out, we’d love to hear all about how you decided and what you experienced. Please feel free to share your experience with us on our community forums!

 

Is there a connection between estrogen and breast cancer? Maybe, but it may not be what you think. Gennev CEO Jill Angelo talks with Dr. Avrum Bluming, Dr. Joanne Weidhaas, and Gennev Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su on hormones, cancer risk, and the WHI study that changed everything.

Among them, these three doctors have decades of clinical experience, knowledge, and research, much of it focused on women and breast cancer. What their research has uncovered about estrogen, Hormone Replacement Therapy pros and cons, and breast cancer risk may surprise you.

HRT benefits and risks

In 2002, the results from the WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) study were released, and demand for HRT dried up nearly overnight. According to the results, the study clearly showed an increased risk of breast cancer for women on estrogen replacement. 

In the 18 years since, research has shown that the WHI study and results were deeply flawed, misleading, and in many cases, just plain wrong. But so deep is the fear of breast cancer, women are still reluctant to try a therapy that is the best we have to deal with hot flashes and vaginal dryness.

Additionally, it appears estrogen may actually have a protective effect against breast cancer for some women, we know it is effective against osteoporosis, and it may help women avoid heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Slowly, women and doctors are beginning to have the conversation again.

We strongly encourage every woman to listen to this podcast, then make an appointment with a menopause-specialist OB/GYN near you to discuss the risks and benefits of HRT for her. 

TRANSCRIPT TO FOLLOW 

Are you taking, considering, or scared of HRT? Come talk about it with other women and with Gennev health care professionals in our online Gennev Community forums!

Authored by Gennev Chief Medical Officer, ob/gyn Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su.

“There’s been yet another round of lay-press headlines about how estrogen plus progesterone hormone replacement may increase the breast cancer risk,” says OB/GYN Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su. 

Headlines don’t tell the full story, and Dr. Dunsmoor-Su, who is an epidemiologist as well as an OB/GYN, helps us separate fact from fiction in this podcast.

If you’re dealing with menopause symptoms and are worried about taking HRT to manage them, you’ll want to give this a listen.

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, this is Dr Rebecca Dunsmore-Su, the Chief Medical Officer here at Gennev. I wanted to put together a podcast today about hormone replacement therapy [HRT] and breast cancer. 

I’m addressing this again because there’s been yet another round of lay-press headlines about how estrogen plus progesterone hormone replacement may increase the breast cancer risk. And that’s because of some data presented at a breast conference recently. 

It’s important to note that this data is not new data. It is the same data from the Women’s Health Initiative that we’ve been talking about for many, many years. And the data from that study has been analyzed multiple times by multiple other investigators, and they all note that the data does not really show an increase of breast cancer in this population. 

When you actually parse the data out and look at the women who started estrogen and progesterone and have had never seen hormone before and therefore likely younger and more close to the time of transition of menopause, there is no difference in breast cancer rate between them and people given a sugar pill in the same group.

Importantly, the only group in which they found a difference between them and the sugar pill is in women who had taken hormones before and stopped. 

Two big issues with that: One, that’s not how we use hormones, and two, the group given a sugar pill in that subgroup actually had a much lower than average rate of breast cancer. So in comparing those two groups, you’re actually comparing to the wrong comparative group. 

If you look at that group of women given estrogen plus progesterone, they really actually don’t have a higher rate of breast cancer than any other E plus P group that we’re not calling significant. 

That’s a lot of statistics talk for saying if you work with your data enough, you can make something look like it causes harm. But really when you look at how we use hormones, estrogen plus progesterone really does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

But again, some studies say it does. Some studies say it doesn’t. Some big studies say it does. Some big studies say it doesn’t. And why are we seeing this back and forth? Why don’t we know the answer by now? 

I think there are two real reasons why that’s true. The first reason is, in anything that may have a very small or no impact, if you do studies you’re going to see studies give you false data on both sides of that true estimate. It’s why we do large studies. It’s a statistical anomaly and so what we’re getting is all of these studies on either side sort of telling us, well maybe the reality is somewhere in the middle or somewhere around zero.

The second reason is probably genetic. Not all women are the same and we know from some studies that there are gene products that probably make it an increased risk to take hormones and with breast cancer and we know from other studies that there are women for whom taking hormones can be protective against breast cancer.

The problem is we just don’t know all of the genes that can impact this yet and so you’re going to see different responses from different women to hormone replacement therapy. The one thing I do know is that no matter which side of that genetic line you fall on, the actual overall impact of hormones on breast cancer is probably exceedingly low. 

So what, you may ask, does that mean for you? Well, here’s how I approach hormone replacement therapy. I approach it by saying, well, what is it good for, and what could the risks be, and how do I balance those for my particular patient? 

Benefits of hormone replacement therapy

So first of all, what is hormone replacement therapy good for? 

Number one, it’s good for symptoms. If you are suffering significantly from hot flashes or night sweats or vaginal dryness or any of those symptoms, hormone replacement therapy is actually very a effective medication for that, and only you know how big the impact of those symptoms are on your life and how much you would value taking a medication that can make them go away.

The second thing we know it’s very good for is your bones. It’s one of the best medicines for preserving bone strength. We don’t typically use it just for that, but we certainly as providers understand that it does one of the best jobs with the least risk for protecting bones. 

The third thing I’ll talk about with people is cardiovascular protection from hormone replacement therapy. The answer to that is very complicated and again, women are genetically very different. So there’s no one answer for each woman. But we do know that women who have estrogen have a different lipid profile and a different cardiac risk in terms of heart attack than women who are menopausal. 

And so there is probably some protective effect from that perspective. But depending on how you use the hormone, it can also be dangerous because if a woman has already developed atherosclerotic plaques in her arteries, adding estrogen back can cause blood clots to form on top of those and could probably increase her heart attack or stroke risk.

So when you’re talking to a doctor about hormone replacement therapy and cardiac risk, you need to be having a very complex discussion about whether it might be beneficial or harmful for you. 

The next thing that we sometimes use hormones for is mood, and in some women it really can be quite beneficial in balancing mood, especially in the perimenopausal time. However, we don’t have great evidence that it helps all women. And again, this is likely because women respond differently both to hormone and have different reasons for having mood symptoms. 

And the last things women often ask me about are more what we typically think of as superficial things like their skin, their hair, their nails, and their weight gain. Hormones can be somewhat beneficial for those things, but I certainly don’t start women on it just for that because really its impact is quite low in those things and there are other things that are safer that we can use for that.

Risks of hormone replacement therapy

So if those are the things hormone replacement therapy can be good for, what are the risks? In my mind, the biggest risk is actually for blood clotting. 

So we know that estrogen increases the risk of forming a blood clot in the body. We know that women who are pregnant have a higher risk of that. We know that women before menopause have a higher risk of that. It is a known risk of estrogen. It is not a huge risk. 

The baseline risk of forming a blood clot if you don’t have a predisposition is quite low and the increase is relatively small from adding estrogen. But we do talk about it because it can be an important risk, especially in people who might be at higher risk of stroke. So it’s important to think about that risk and whether it applies to you.

The second thing we talk about when I counsel patients is breast cancer, and I tell my patients honestly I don’t think that estrogen really, on the whole, increases your risk of breast cancer. I think there are certain people for whom that might be true and there are certain people for whom it’s protective. But on the whole, for most women, it’s probably not a big risk. 

The important thing to keep in mind also is one of the things they show in the Women’s Health Initiative that we don’t talk about a whole lot and in some of these other large studies is that when women do get breast cancer on hormone replacement therapy, it’s often a lower grade or earlier-stage cancer and easier to cure. 

The last thing I always talk to my patients about is that one in eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. That’s your baseline risk, so it can be really hard to tell if something is actually increasing that risk when the risk is so common. And while breast cancer is very scary to us as women, we think a lot about it, in reality, it kills very few of us, and those of us who are at highest risk of dying from breast cancer and breast cancer complications or those of us getting it at earlier ages, and there’s a lot of genetic interplay with that. 

The sort of breast cancer that we see as women age that contributes to the large portion of this one-in-eight risk is generally caught fairly early stage — if you’re getting adequate screening — and is curable. 

Many, many, many more women will die of cardiovascular disease and many, many more women will die of hip-fracture related complications. So we need to be thinking and talking much more about cardiovascular disease and bone health in women in menopause.

Taking HRT safely

So I just gave you my counseling session that I give to women in my office for hormone replacement, and many of them after that counseling session say, well, what would you do? Or what should I do? 

And I tell my patients that if you’re going to use hormone replacement therapy, which I often recommend, you need to be using it safely, and the most important thing you can do is know what you are taking. 

I see many women in my office who have been told by other providers that they can be given a special, compounded, just-for-them hormone replacement, that will be better than anything made by an evil pharmaceutical company. 

This is not true. 

First myth: there is no “natural” hormone replacement. Estradiol and progesterone are synthetically made. If you get it compounded, it’s still synthetically made in the same pharmaceutical company that made the pills that I would prescribe you or the patches that I would prescribe you.

Second, no one can match it to the hormones that you had before menopause because those hormones are gone. We can’t predict what those were. So anyone who’s saying they’re making a blend especially for you really isn’t. They’re just making a blend that they’ve been taught to make. 

And the third big thing that I tell people is when you are getting things mixed into creams or rubbing them on your skin, you do not know what dose you are taking. While they try to do their best to get it evenly mixed throughout that compounded cream or lotion or base, it is not evenly mixed and we know it’s not. And when the Lin tests have been done on these products, the variation in the amount of hormone actually in any given dose is quite wide. If you’re going to take something that might have a risk, you need to be taking something where you know what dose you’re getting.

And so I tell my patients, I only use the pharmaceutically generated and regulated products such as estradiol pills, estradiol patches, and progesterone pills and things like that. And that’s just for safety’s sake. If there might be a risk associated with this thing, I at least want to know what I’m giving you. 

The second thing you can do is get your breast screening, get your mammograms, get your breast exams at the doctor. People don’t enjoy getting mammograms. Trust me, I don’t enjoy getting them either, but they are our best method of screening for early-stage cancer, and if we catch breast cancer early, it can be cured. 

The third thing you can do is when these articles come out in the lay press, read them with a critical eye. Many headlines are generated to scare so that you’ll read the article. So just be aware there may be no new data behind this. They may just be rehashing the same data that we’ve heard over and over again, trying to get a new article out of it. 

The fourth thing I tell people is, help us to understand better how genetics play into breast cancer risk and hormone. Go to an organization like MiraKind.org, and there’ll be a link on our website for this. That is a nonprofit organization that’s doing genetic research on how different gene factors play into the breast cancer risk in women. And it’d be great to sign up for one of their studies if you qualify. 

And finally, when you’re thinking about using hormone replacement, find someone with genuine credentials, find a physician who has some training in menopause and really understands the issues behind this and doesn’t automatically do the same thing for every woman. 

This should always be a discussion between you and your doctor and they should have a good understanding of the risks and benefits of hormones and be able to explain that to you and make a tailored decision for you. 

Thank you so much for listening. I know this is a constant question and issue for us here at Gennev. And our goal, as always, is to give you the best, medically valid and evidence-based information we can find.

 

Join the conversation that continues on about HRT, breast cancer, all things midlife and menopause, and more in our Community forums. You are always invited.