OvaryActive

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Progesterone: soothing hormone, sleep savior, uterine bodyguard… or wildly overhyped perimenopause celebrity? 
In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch take on micronized progesterone, progestins, and the many confident claims the internet has made about both. Because apparently even hormones need a PR team.
The Docs explain the difference between progesterone, progestogens, and progestins; why micronized progesterone is formulated the way it is; and why progesterone creams and "natural" wild yam products are not doing what TikTok may have promised. 
The episode also looks at progesterone's reputation for improving sleep, why some people feel dramatically better while others feel absolutely nothing, and the small subset who can experience poor mood effects instead of calm. Finally, Rebecca and Amy tackle the complicated evidence around micronized progesterone, breast cancer risk, and long-term hormone therapy. 
Listeners will walk away knowing what the research actually says, what it definitely does not say, and why "it depends" remains medicine's least satisfying but frequently most correct (for now) answer.
What you'll hear in this episode:
[0:46] Progestogens: Pick a Lane
[3:43] Micronized, Not Magical
[5:34] Please Don't Put That There
[8:10]  Protecting the Uterus, Ideally
[12:12] Bleeding: Worth Investigating
[17:51] Allopregnanolone Enters the Chat
[21:27] When "Calming" Backfires
[23:16] More Doesn't Always Mean Better
[25:10] Sleep Savior? Let's Check the Data
[32:20] Breast Cancer Risk: Hello, Nuance
[41:07] The Five-Year Rule That Isn't Really a Rule
[42:17] Progesterone: Neither Villain Nor Savior
Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Meet the Docs:
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
 
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Blood clots and hormone therapy: two things that can make perimenopause feel even more delightfully complicated. 
In this episode of OvaryActive, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch dig into the risk of blood clots with menopausal hormone therapy, and why the internet's favorite phrase, "It's totally safe," deserves a few very large asterisks.
Rebecca and Amy take a data-driven look at what we actually know about oral versus transdermal estrogen, including findings from the Million Women Study. 
They also explain what "provoked" blood clots really mean, when prior clots may make estrogen especially risky, why a hematologist might need to join the group chat, and how shared decision-making should work when the research doesn't give a clean yes-or-no answer. 
Listeners will come away understanding why hormone therapy recommendations need to be individualized, what questions to ask their clinician, and why "we don't have enough data yet" is sometimes the most medically accurate answer available.
What you'll hear in this episode:
[0:43] Clot risk controversy
[1:54] Not birth control estrogen
[3:15] Million Women Study
[10:31] Let's talk about our high risk ladies
[12:03] Provoked clots debate
[18:54] Prior clot evidence
[25:05] Clinical counseling approach
[30:25] Shared decision making
 
Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive



Meet the Docs:
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
 
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html



This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Perimenopause can change your sleep, your body, your mood, and — because apparently the transition needed another hobby — your sex life. 
Returning guest Julie Weitlauf, PhD, joins the OvaryActive Docs to talk about low libido, vaginal dryness, unpredictable bleeding, less-intense orgasms, and the deeply unsexy experience of thinking about tomorrow's dinner during intimacy.
The conversation explores why satisfying sex in midlife may require more time, better stimulation, fewer distractions, and a willingness to stop comparing forty-something you to your nineteen-year-old self. Julie explains how mindfulness, body image, relationship dynamics, sexual shame, past experiences, and changing identities can all influence desire and pleasure. Big surprise, simply telling yourself to relax is not a particularly effective treatment plan.
This conversation offers practical ways to expand the sensual menu, reconnect with pleasure, and approach midlife intimacy with curiosity instead of panic. 
What you'll hear in this episode:
[1:35] Perimenopause, Sex Myths, & Midlife
[5:07] Recenter what you want
[9:13] Relationships & Life's Mental Load
[13:55] Normal Desire & Pleasure Gaps
[16:51] Expand Your Menu
[26:17] Menopause Sex Concerns (mindfulness, sensate focus, body image, scheduling)
[40:26] Substance Use and Sexuality
[44:08] Questioning Sexual Identity in Midlife
[48:07] Relationship and Family Dynamics
[52:47] Make Pleasure a Priority by Expanding Your Intimacy Menu
 
Resources:
Julie Weitlauf on LinkedIn
Managing Hot Flushes and Night Sweats by Myra Hunter
psychologytoday.com/us
 
Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
 
Meet the Docs:
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Perimenopause has officially entered its supplement era, and apparently every capsule on the internet is promising to fix your metabolism, your wrinkles, your joints, your brain, and maybe your credit score. 
In the third installment of the Swallow This series, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch sort through another round of popular supplements with their trademark mix of evidence, skepticism, and just enough sarcasm to make reading medical studies almost fun.
This episode tackles berberine, glucosamine, CoQ10, collagen, and NAD+, separating promising science from clever marketing. Rebecca and Amy explain why the quality of a study matters just as much as the headline, how industry-funded research can paint a very different picture than independent studies, and why "natural" doesn't automatically mean effective, or even safe.
Listeners will learn which supplements may have a role for specific medical conditions, which ones don't live up to the hype for perimenopause, and why the phrase "more research is needed" is sometimes the most honest answer in medicine. 
What you'll hear in this episode:
[0:55] Berberine buzzkill
[3:05] Natural GLP-1... maybe?
[6:32] Leave your liver alone
[8:03] Dog joint medicine? Glucosamine reality check
[14:21] CoQ10 heart talk
[20:00] Collagen vs. wrinkles
[25:17] Lasers in the vag (please don't)
[29:34] NAD+ hype train
[32:43] DON'T INJECT RANDOM STUFF!
[33:47] Cowboy hats for the Wild West
[35:29] Social media vs. science
 
Studies Mentioned:
Gianturco SL, Mattingly AN. Distinguishing between compounding facilities and the development of the 503B bulk drug substance list. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). Jan-Feb 2021;61(1):e8-e11. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2020.06.024
A 2-yr Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation during Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health. Philip D Chilibeck et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc.2023.
Prokopidis K, Witard OC. Understanding the role of smoking and chronic excess alcohol consumption on reduced caloric intake and the development of sarcopenia. Nutrition Research Reviews. 2022;35(2):197-206.
Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. Mar 10 2023;81(4):416-427. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064
Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. Jul 15 2018;108:166-173. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013
Ye Y, Liu X, Wu N, Han Y, Wang J, Yu Y, Chen Q. Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone for Several Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Apr 26;12:653887.
 
Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
 
Meet the Docs:
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
 
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.

We have an announcement! OvaryActive has a Patreon! Help support the show — become a patron for as little as $5/month! patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive
Perimenopause is apparently the new Black Friday for supplement marketing, and this episode is here to check the receipt. 
In part two of the Swallow This supplement series, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch dig into the body-building-adjacent products showing up all over social media, including peptides, creatine, and the many "miracle" promises aimed at people who are tired, foggy, sweaty, and understandably over it.
They start with peptides, the trendy injectable alphabet soup being marketed for healing, metabolism, anti-aging, and performance. The verdict? Big no. We think you'll understand once you hear what peptides actually are and why FDA-approved peptide medications are very different from what is being sold online. Then the Docs turn to creatine, which thankfully has more information and science behind it and does not immediately need to be thrown into the medical dumpster fire. 
This episode covers what looks promising, what looks sketchy, what is probably safe, and what should absolutely not be injected into your body unless you are in an actual doctor's office and not a cash-pay wellness cave.
What you'll hear in this episode:
[0:29] Supplements, again
[1:39] Influencer red flags
[2:57] Peptides: alphabet soup and a hard nope
[10:17] Safety risks and compounding
[13:47] Creatine enters politely dressed as muscle sprinkles
[22:27] Kidney caveat
[24:37] Supplement quality roulette
[25:35] Please don't inject things



Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube | perimenopausedrs.com/ovaryactive
Estrogen, Interrupted by Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Dr. Amy Voedisch
Support the show: patreon.com/cw/OvaryActive

Meet the Docs:
More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su: 
Gennev:  www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su
LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su
 
More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:
Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html
 
This episode was produced by Audiotocracy Podcast Production.