Send us a text

This podcast originally ran on August 1, 2024

You may have been hearing a lot about testosterone lately – what it is, why we need it, why we can’t get it… I’ve gone to Melbourne, Australia to ask an expert in women’s hormones across our lifespan, and one of the few people who has studied testosterone in-depth.

Professor Susan Davis is a clinician researcher, consulting endocrinologist and head of the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program in Melbourne.

She is going to help us to tackle the current confusion – and hype – over testosterone, armed with what she knows best: the evidence. We talk about it all: the evidence, benefits, and potential misconceptions about testosterone supplementation for women, especially during menopause and perimenopause; the difficulty in measuring testosterone accurately, the placebo effect, risks and benefits of different hormone therapies, including testosterone pellets and creams, and the critical importance of credible sources of information. Professor Davis also highlights her extensive research, including studies on the cardiovascular effects of low testosterone and the physiological impacts on women's health.

Highlights:

03:38 Testosterone's role in a women's hormone structure

06:35 Challenges in measuring testosterone

19:50 Testosterone and cardiovascular health

30:02 The misleading promises of testosterone therapy

32:55 The controversy surrounding pellets

36:17 Breast cancer risks and hormone therapy

40:15 Testosterone for menopausal symptoms

42:12 The role of DHEA in hormone therapy

44:49 The impact of birth control pills

46:26 Navigating hormone therapy and misinformation

50:50 Current research and future directions

53:33 The Influence of social media on health information

56:10 Conclusion and credible resources

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

This podcast originally ran on October 15, 2024.

Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Leigh Erin Connealy, a leading figure in integrative medicine, known for her unique approach in combining conventional and alternative treatments in addressing chronic illnesses and cancer. Dr Connealy is the founder of the Center for New Medicine and the Cancer Center for Healing in Irvine, California and author of two books: The Cancer Revolution and the Be Perfectly Healthy. She is also co-founder of leading hormone brand, Raena Health.

She talks about why so many people are getting cancer, how to make chemotherapy more effective and less lethal, why prevention needs to be the focus. For Dr Connealy, the question we need to be asking: what is going on with your terrain, and why is it making cancer? Everything from the food we eat to the chemicals we surround ourselves with to the emotional work we aren’t doing is causing this. And find out what she thinks our number one risk is – why and what we can do about it. (It’s probably not what you are thinking)

Dr Connealy wants us all to know that in most cases, cancer is 10 years in the making. She has really good guidance for women considering hormone therapy, explaining the differences in synthetic hormones and the importance of the “orchestra”, including progesterone and pregnanalone, and more than one kind of estrogen. She explains why there is no one solution that fits all women – even though that’s what mainstream medicine wants us to believe – and gives guidance on the particular cocktail, with tweaks, that she likes to prescribe. She also gives her take on whether hormone therapy prevents cancer – its worth listening to the end just to hear what she has to say about that – and addresses that ongoing fear women have, which is weighing our fear of breast cancer risk when considering hormone therapy.

Dr Connealy is recognized for her personalized, holistic approach. This episode is nothing short of a masterclass on how to get our inner house in order.

Highlights:

01:56 The importance of personalized medicine

02:07 The rise of chronic diseases

03:09 The need for preventive healthcare

04:44 Challenges in cancer treatment

13:08 The importance of self-care

14:40 The impact of EMFs on health

28:12 The power of essential oils

28:46 Reprogramming the mind with EVOX

29:41 Healing affirmations and subconscious reprogramming

33:37 The importance of sleep and water purification

34:14 Nourishing rour body with proper nutrition

35:01 The role of exercise and movement

35:47 Detoxification and cleasing methods

38:42 Understanding hormonal health and therapy

39:23 Personal experiences with hormonal treatments

46:10 The importance of individualized hormonal care

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

This podcast originally ran on October 21, 2023.

This week we get down to basics, and basics are exactly what we need in this confusing world right now. This is THE podcast to listen to if you are confused about all things to do with taking hormone therapy.

Dr Vikram Sinai Talaulikar is a specialist in reproductive medicine at University College London Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust and an associate professor in Women’s Health at the University College London. He graduated in medicine in India in 2003 and completed a postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynecology in 2007. He is a certified menopause specialist by the British Menopause Society, a menopause trainer and he is constantly educating others on this transition as well, via online webinars, events and through social media.

He is also part of the trio who established the Menopause Research Education Fund, alongside medical journalist Fiona Clarke and groundbreaking menopause campaigner Diane Danzebrink.

Highlights of our discussion:

• Hormone therapy (HT) 101
• WHI: good, bad and what we can learn from it 20 years on
• Estrogen in the pill vs estrogen in HT
• All the kinds of estrogen and what they are used for strogen too ethinyl estradiolEstrone, Estriol, Estradiol, and Estetrol.17 beta estradiol
• Getting to the bottom of body simila, body identical and bioidentical – and why that varies from country to country
• Pharmaceutical company produced HT vs compounding pharmacy versions
• the big “Catch-22” with compounding pharmacies that keeps their bioidentical hormones out of official recommendations
• the pill, HRT and breast cancer risk
• why problems with the pill don’t get flagged and HRT does
• Evidence over estrogen and breast cancer risk (and randomized trials versus observational data)
• What’s what: progesterone, progestin and progestogens (how they work and which one carries a slight risk for breast cancer)
• how long you really need to take HRT to see if it’s working
• why HT works for some people and not others
• Dr Talaulikar’s favourite non-hormonal treatments

Where to find Dr Talaulikar:

X: @VikramSinai

Web: Menopause Clinic London

Menopause Research and Education Fund

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

This is a replay of Episode 129, originally aired on 16 November 2024.

In this solo episode, Hotflash inc podcast host and founder Ann Marie McQueen writes down all the questions she has about hormone therapy (and what we hear about hormone therapy).

This is a long time coming: she's been researching perimenopause, menopause, and women's midlife health for 5+ years now.

Settle in. And if you have any questions of your own, use that handy text message feature and send them our way.

The Hotflash inc Podcast is:
One of the Top 60 Menopause Podcasts
In the top 3% percentile on Listen Notes
#1 on Goodpods’ Top 10 Women’s Health Podcasts list

Join the Conversation:
Tag us on Instagram @hotflashinc and tell us your biggest takeaway from today’s episode!

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, supplements, or treatment plan. Opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hotflash inc

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, GenX journalist Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Deena Emera, an evolutionary geneticist, senior scientist at the Buck Institute’s Buck Center for Healthy Aging in Women, and author of A Brief History of the Female Body: An Evolutionary Look at How and Why the Female Form Came to Be.

Dr Emera’s research focuses on the genetic basis of reproductive longevity in mammals, and in this fascinating discussion, she breaks down the evolution of menopause, why female bodies age the way they do, and what modern science is uncovering about ovarian health and longevity.

If you’ve ever wondered why menopause exists, how it evolved, and whether science will ever be able to delay or even prevent it, this episode is for you.

Highlights:

• Understanding evolutionary biology (it's not boring, promise)
• The evolutionary mystery of menopause
• What animals do go through menopause?
• Why all women didn't used to die at 50 (and what actually happened)
• How modern life has changed menopause
• Why Dr Emera needs bowhead whale ovaries
• Can we really end menopause?
• The truth about the Grandmother Hypothesis

Quote:

"Menopause itself isn’t surprising – if you live long enough, you will run out of eggs. What’s unique about humans is that we have such a long post-reproductive life stage. That’s the real mystery we need to solve." – Dr Deena Emera

Where to find Dr Emera:

Instagram: @deenaemera
LinkedIn: Deena Emera
Buy her book: A Brief History of the Female Body – Available on Amazon

Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!

Disclaimer

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

In this episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast, host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with fellow journalist and midlife advocate, Tamsen Fadal. A veteran Emmy Award-winning news anchor, Tamsen has transformed her career into a powerful force for women in midlife. From creating the groundbreaking PBS documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause to her upcoming book How To Menopause (out March 2025), Tamsen is on a mission to change the conversation around menopause, confidence and aging.

Connect with Tamsen Fadal:

• Website: www.tamsenfadal.com
• IG: @tamsenfadal
• TikTok: @tamsenfadal
• YouTube: Tamsen Fadal
• The M Factor Documentary: Watch here

Thanks to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!

From The M Factor team: This partial statement is in response to Hotflash inc's request for comment in light of recent reports and fact-checking of the film by ob-gyn Dr Jen Gunter and published on her platform, The Vagenda.

The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause” documentary earned continuing medical education (CME) Accreditation. On October 17, 2024 the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) hosted a 90-minute live webinar offering continuing medical education (CME) credit for healthcare providers. The event featured the documentary “The (M) Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause,” which was followed by a moderated discussion with menopause experts Dr. Stephanie Faubion, Mayo Clinic and The Menopause Society and Dr. Wen Shen, Johns Hopkins Medical, moderated by FSMB board members and one of the film producers. Due to the limited capacity FSMB had for live registrations, CME credit was extended to those on the waitlist who accessed the recorded webinar online. After the live event, FSMB provided access to the recorded webinar for a limited period, and that window closed as scheduled. Accreditation remains intact for all participants, whether live or virtual.

The FSMB CME webinar and accreditation concluded on November 21, 2024. We stand by our film and the medical doctors who shared their expertise with

Do you want to live an awesome life and to also inspire others? Fish is a world...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

Jessica Barac is a registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and the founder of What The Menopause, a women's health platform of over 950,000 women globally.

After struggling with perimenopause in her late 30s and receiving little support from traditional healthcare, Jessica made it her mission to crack the perimenopause code and regain her vibrancy. Today, she has educated millions of women through her content and developed The Pause Power Method a science-backed approach addressing metabolic dysfunction and inflammation through nutrition, movement, and lifestyle to help women improve symptoms, achieve sustainable fat loss, and step into their most powerful era yet.

Episode highlights

• Jessica's journey from struggling with perimenopause to launching What The Menopause.
• The power of humor: Why memes about menopause resonated with so many women.
• Recognizing perimenopause: The symptoms that caught Jessica by surprise and how she finally connected the dots.
• The impact on family life: Jessica’s husband’s plea to “figure it out” and how her symptoms affected her loved ones.
• Connecting the dots: Why so many women don’t realize that symptoms like anxiety, depression, dry mouth, tinnitus, and frozen shoulder can be linked to perimenopause.
• The power of movement: How strength training, walking, and lifestyle shifts hold everything together in midlife.
• Quitting alcohol: The tough but transformative decision to stop drinking and how it changed Jessica’s life.
• Reframing midlife: The importance of thinking about your 8-year-old and 80-year-old self when making life decisions.

Top Quote

“Perimenopause calls on you to take a very hard look at yourself – if you’re willing to do it.” – Jessica Barac

Where to find Jessica & What The Menopause

Website: whatthemenopause.com

Instagram: @whatthemenopause

Facebook: What The Menopause

TikTok: @whatthemenopause

Thank you to our sponsor Timeline Nutrition Mitopure supports cellular energy and longevity—now available with a 10% discount! Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH and use the code HOTFLASH to claim your offer!

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information

Send us a text

In this special solo episode, Ann Marie McQueen shares reader letters, explores the journey of trusting yourself with hormone therapy, and reflects on a touching encounter with a tiny bird that left a lasting impression.

From listener messages that validate the power of open conversations about menopause to deep thoughts on aging, self-trust, and the emotional rollercoaster of hormone therapy, this episode is a candid, heartfelt exploration of what it means to navigate midlife with awareness and resilience.

Highlights from this episode:

• Why text messages from listeners matter – and how you can send one, too.
• A reader’s hormone therapy struggles – and why sometimes, stepping off the estrogen merry-go-round is the right decision.
• The fear of aging and how Ann Marie reframed her mindset about turning 55.
• The obsession with longevity and health hacks – and why some conversations in this space feel exhausting.
• A surreal experience with birds
• An honest take on learning to say “I don’t like it” – and why that’s an underrated midlife skill.

Quote from this episode:
"Sometimes you can do something, and sometimes you can't. The real wisdom is in knowing the difference."

Sponsored by Mitopure: This episode is brought to you by Mitopure, the purest form of Urolithin A, designed to support cellular energy and longevity. Visit timeline.com/HOTFLASH for 10% off your order.

The Hotflash inc Podcast is:
One of the Top 60 Menopause Podcasts
In the top 3% percentile on Listen Notes
#1 on Goodpods’ Top 10 Women’s Health Podcasts list

Disclaimer

The information shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making any health decisions, especially regarding hormone therapy or new treatments. Full disclaimer at the end of the episode.

Join the Hotflash inc perimenoposse:

Web: hotflashinc.com
Newsletter: Hotflash inc. on Substack
TikTok: @hotflashinc
Instagram: @hotflashinc
X: @hotflashinc

Episode website: Hotflashinc

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube | Substack

See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information