Sex, hormones and the menopause with Dr Kelly Casperson | The Dr Louise Newson Podcast 

Trigger warning: To generalize for a moment, a lot of men expect sex to be the same all throughout their lives. As a woman I was never educated that it would fluctuate with hormones, and I worked as a health care professional for over 10 years. There is this sort of unspoken rule that our bodies belong to everyone else but our own: many of us have experienced some sort of sexually abuse, many of us are mothers and have sacrificed our bodies to motherhood, many of us are silent and deal with sexual pain and/or lack of desire just to make our partners happy... It's long overdue that we regain control of our bodies. Educating both men and women is crucial. Having health care practitioners who are informed and who work with us is key. Personally I'm done working with doctors who aggressively dictate my health care, treat me with confirmation bias, and fail to review peer reviewed data that could greatly benefit not only my health care but that of the countless other menopausal women they treat.

I super appreciate the discussion around how important healthy female sexual functioning is. I also want recognition and access to testosterone for the benefit of my health for other reasons, including the desire to even be active and work, outside of if I want to be sexually actively or not.

Thank you both, this is a fab discussion, I hope Dr Casperson is back on again soon for more. I'm in the UK and have noticed the recent pushback against HRT by NHS GPs. We're saying it's almost as if they got a memo. After hearing that 14 percent is too high, 2 per cent is fine, I'm shocked and horrified for all of us women. There MUST be something we can do to stop this harmful, ageist, anti - woman policy that's being put in place? I understand doctors don't feel comfortable prescribing HRT, especially if they don't know enough about it. And that's a doctor problem, not a patient problem. There is a lot of good data, and there IS good education available. They're very comfortable prescribing oral contraceptives, so it isn't about the hormones. Dr Newson, what can we do, now, to stop HRT, and the right HRT, being denied to women by the NHS? Thank you 💛

Thank you both for educating women. Very informative . I’m 56 and it’s been one year since my last period. I’m on vaginal estrogen, but I’m suffering with joint pain and weight gain. My TSH has elavated for the first time. My menopause symptoms have worsened. I’m going to have a Dexa scan today. I feel better asking my gynecologist for HRT after listening to your podcast. I waited a year because that’s what I had been taught.

Thank you both so much for all that you are doing to get this important information out. Just recently started following you and Dr Rachel Rubin and others to try and educate myself before going to my drs. to request what I want. I missed the the 10 yr window, now 63 yrs “young”, very active, healthy. (Not one of my drs in 3 different countries ever mentioned options to me) Started now on vag. estradiol cream, est. gel/ micronized progestin. Just can not seem to find a knowledgeable Dr to follow my progress. Frustrating. Any good data base for menopause specialists in Switzerland?

This is amazing to listen to. I'm blown away. The simple information you are both sharing with people like me needs to hear . I'm having lots of the issues you are talking about. It's made me very emotional to listen to what you have both said but made me realise when I have my next appointment with my doctor what I need to tell them .

Wonderful tutorial ❤️ unfortunately when it comes to testosterone is not easily prescribed, this is almost impossible, unless you go to a clinic that prescribes bioidentical hormones...

What a lovely talk. ❤ Thank you. 🙏 The insights about SSRI’s and osteoporosis are very helpful. Also the topic about communication between partners concerning intimacy was great. Keep up the good work!

Brilliant and so educational once again! Thank you, ladies 😉!

That French PROFESSOR OF GYNECOLOGY (sic) I saw here in France 1st. Did not recognise a yeast infection 2nd. Told me I have wasted away from not using my organs. Told me to use dilators. Never mentioned hormones. Ladies, medical ignorance is a world-wide problem (as I'm sure you know). Those people get professor titles, ugh.

Wow didn’t know that about SSRIs & osteoporosis! Ffs! My osteoporosis risk is very high. My GP tried to get me on SSRIs, rather than put me on HRT. I told her I thought I was low because of my hormones!

Estriol is the safest of the estrogens and from my own research wonder why this is not used instead of estradiol as a gentler and safer way of delivering estrogen. My endocrinologist told me estradiol is a type 1 carcinogen for breast uterine and ovarian cancer. I’m honesty very interested in finding the truth in all of this. Are you able to explain this please.

You raise many interesting points, but l strongly object to your Idea of "rebranding" menpause. We live roughly 40 years with, and can hope to live at least 30 more without menstruation, it does seem problematic to me to call women "deficient" for decades...

LOL, until recently I hadn't realized that Mario updated his favorite way to tackle ED and it's a relief! Although what he previously suggested was pretty good, it was a real pain to follow... I just go'ogled the latest in Volpstein's Erections at Will, it's so much simpler and potent now!

Menopause brought its challenges, but Eve Plus Capsules by Planet Ayurveda have been my secret weapon. These capsules have helped me regain hormonal balance, making this transitional phase much more manageable.

Kelly Casperson is brilliant but she was hardly given the chance to speak