Methylation is basically your body adding a small chemical group (one carbon + three hydrogens = a “methyl group”) to another molecule. Sounds tiny. But that little shift can completely change how your body functions.

You’ve probably heard people talk about estrogen like it’s either the hero or the villain when it comes to women’s health, especially breast cancer. The truth is, this area of women’s health is full of complexity, outdated research, and evolving science. But it’s also important. Because the way your body breaks down estrogen—your estrogen metabolism—can influence everything from mood and energy to long-term risks like breast cancer.

PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) refers to a group of physical and emotional symptoms that a woman may experience in the week or so leading up to the beginning of her menstrual cycle (when she starts menstrual bleeding) and subsides within a few days of menstruation.  

There are two types of estrogen therapy, local estrogen therapy and systemic estrogen therapy.

80% of women will experience hot flashes, flushing, and night sweats as they transition through the menopausal years. The medical community refers to these symptoms as vasomotor symptoms or VMS.  The hypothalamus triggers hot flashes and night sweats in the brain to release heat built up in the body in response to a surge of adrenaline, one of our stress hormones.  While the sudden drop in estrogen is thought to be the primary trigger of the cascade that causes a hot flash, high cortisol, low cortisol, low progesterone, or low serotonin can also be drivers for hot flashes.  

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone modulate different aspects of brain function through several pathways initiated ONLY after hormones bind to receptors on our brain cells.

If you’re going through perimenopause or menopause, you’ve probably heard conflicting messages about estrogen—some that spark curiosity and others that fuel fear. It’s no wonder many women feel uncertain about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), especially if they have a personal or family history of breast cancer. But let’s look at how the “war on estrogen” came to be and why a more nuanced understanding can make all the difference.

I'm often asked whether nonhormonal remedies are an effective alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women transitioning from perimenopause to menopause (and beyond).

Weight changes in perimenopause and menopause are common and the result of several factors

Chances are, if you’re in your perimenopausal or menopausal years, you’ve had your fair share of sleepless nights. I know I have. And most of my clients and patients have too.  Sleep is critical for hormone balance. Hormones are made when we sleep.  Hormones are detoxified when we sleep. Sleep affects ALL of our hormones, so we need to prioritize a good night’s sleep. 

If you’ve managed to make it through most of your adult years with regular, “normal” periods but now suddenly find yourself with heavy or irregular bleeding, it can be rather alarming.

The vagina, vulva, urethra, bladder, and pelvic floor muscles are loaded with estrogen receptors. When estrogen declines, these organs and tissues are no longer exposed to estrogen. Women wind up with vaginal atrophy, loss of elasticity, thin tissue, changes in vaginal pH, and changes in the vaginal microbiome.

Migraines affect women more than twice as much as men.  Any abrupt decline in estrogen makes women more vulnerable to developing migraine headaches[2].  Women are at an increased risk of developing migraines before/during menstruation, during perimenopause, and during post-partum.

When it comes to hormone balance, the goal is to achieve “Goldilocks” hormone levels ~ that is, not too much, not too little, just right levels of hormones.  Each woman is unique, which means she will thrive and feel best when hormones are at her own unique “Goldilocks” levels. 

Compounding is the creation of a pharmaceutical preparation by a licensed pharmacist to meet the unique needs of an individual patient when a commercially available drug does not meet those needs.