There is so much positive momentum happening in the world of women’s health. Recently a group of OBGYNs and other experts contributed to the FDA Expert Panel on Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy for women.
In Episode 3 of The BeingBrigid Show, which will be available on Tuesday, I dive into some of the most overlooked yet life-altering transitions in women’s lives: perimenopause and menopause. These are seasons filled with hormonal shifts, rising risks of chronic disease, and symptoms that can disrupt everything from your sleep to your brain function to your bone health. Yet too many women are dismissed, under-educated, or simply told to “wait it out.”
Ten years ago when I was doing my board certification training in functional medicine, there was a huge emphasis on hormone replacement therapy, something that I have witnessed massive improvements in for women during this phase.
Today I’m sharing a recap of what happened at the FDA meeting, why it’s so important to address the changes in women’s hormones and decrease the stigma around hormone replacement therapy while also accepting that no amount of HRT will replace the need to also do the work when it comes to nutrition and lifestyle. Here’s a sneak peak into this topic.
In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative study caused widespread fear about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), linking it to breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease. But what was often overlooked was that the average age of women in that study was 63—not reflective of women beginning HRT after menopause.
Newer evidence—and a recent FDA roundtable featuring OBGYNs, urologists, and other experts—has showed the opposite for many women:
The problem? Most doctors still receive little to no training in menopause care and don’t proactively recommend or prescribe hormones to their patients. On average, women see five to seven physicians before getting meaningful help with their symptoms.
Symptoms during this transition can include:
These can be debilitating symptoms but they’re also markers of bigger shifts in long-term health risks. For example:
These statistics were shared in the FDA hearing by prominent experts who shared that hormones play a huge role. And at the same time, so does nutrition and lifestyle.
This is where food-as-medicine comes in. Research continues to confirm what I’ve seen in over a decade of practice: nutrition and lifestyle interventions can be game-changing during perimenopause and menopause. Underlying issues that were happening prior to these shifts become louder and more pronounced as your hormones fluctuate. A few aspects to focus on:
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s about building sustainable, consistent habits that support your biology at each stage.
Imagine a generation of women in their 50s and beyond—cognitively sharp, strong, energized, confident, and thriving. That future is possible. But it requires us to both demand better medical care and take proactive ownership of our health through nutrition and lifestyle.
That’s exactly what we’ll be exploring each week on The BeingBrigid Show: evidence-based conversations, practical strategies, and the real talk women deserve.
If this resonated with you, I’d love for you to:
Together, we can change the story of women’s health.
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