Is It Your Hormones? What Every Woman Should Know (But Wasn’t Taught)

What if the symptoms you’ve been brushing off — the fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, low libido, mood swings, and even skin changes — are actually your hormones asking for help?

In this incredibly honest and eye-opening conversation, I sit down with Brittany Meeker, nurse practitioner at Thrive Lab (and my personal hormone provider for the past year), to unpack what every woman deserves to understand about hormone health. We cover everything — from perimenopause, postpartum hormone shifts, and cortisol overload to GLP-1s, peptides, PCOS, thyroid health, and even birth control side effects most of us were never told about.

If you’ve ever wondered:
– Is this just my age?
– Where do I even start?
– What can I do if my doctor brushes me off?
– How do I get tested and find the right dose for me?

…this episode is for you.

We also talk through the real cost of hormone therapy, how Thrive Lab works, and why so many women are finally feeling seen and supported in their health journey.

Whether you’re 31 or 61 — this is the kind of episode you’ll want to re-listen to, take notes on, and send to your best friends.

Resources mentioned:
– Free month at Thrive Lab – sign up here

Get your first month free: https://go.thrivelab.com/gift113  

Let’s connect:
If this episode spoke to you, share it with your group chat, tag me on Instagram, or DM me with your biggest takeaway. And if you’re feeling generous, leave a quick review — it helps more women find this conversation. 💛

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You're listening to Real and Naturalish, the podcast where we evolve and own the glow up in real time. I'm your host, Natasha Pearson. Welcome to Real and Naturalish, our very first video episode, which I am so excited for. We are on video today because I have a special guest I am bringing on to the podcast. Her name is Brittany Meeker. She is actually my nurse practitioner that I have been working with for my hormone health. And I am so excited. I have learned so much from her. And I actually have asked for a lot of questions to ask her. So I have literally I got flooded with hundreds of DMs and questions to ask Brittany today. And so I'm gonna get all of that answered. But before we get into it, I just wanted to share my own story and my own hormone health journey because it actually started years ago before I lost a hundred pounds. It was right after I had Claire and I was working so hard to lose weight. And in my first year of postpartum, I only lost about 20 pounds. And this was doing all of the things because in the past, I mean, I had lost weight before. I knew exactly what I needed to do to lose weight, but all of those things weren't working. And it was actually when one of my friends told me, she's like, you know, you should go get your hormones tested. I knew nothing about that. I didn't even know my hormones could be out of balance. And through a lot of research, I have I've learned, you know, yeah, through pregnancies and breastfeeding, your hormones are on this roller coaster. And I never made it back to this baseline. And so I made an appointment to see a doctor. It took me months to get in. I got my blood work done and I finally got some answers and I started taking supplements to help regulate my hormones. So fast forward a little bit, I got pregnant with Alan. Um, I had Alan, I breastfed Alan, and through all of this, I knew, you know, after pregnancy, after breastfeeding, I need to go get my hormones tested again. I didn't want to wait months to see a doctor. And also at this point, I have four kids. I'm really busy. I don't even really have the time to get on the phone to make an appointment to see a doctor. So I found an online telehealth company called Thrive Lab. And I instantly knew it was right because they take a more holistic approach to healthcare, which is something that I was interested in and I needed to get my hormones tested. And so I signed up for a membership. And yes, it is like a membership because you get pretty much wholesale prices on your supplements and any hormones that you're taking. I got seen immediately that week. I had to wait until I was at a certain point in my cycle to go get my blood tested, but I got my blood work done and I started to get answers. And now it's amazing because Brittany, who I work with, anytime I have questions or I need something, or you know, maybe I feel like my dosage is off because I'm experiencing a different symptom, I can text her and I can get answers right away, um, which is so helpful. I mean, one day I I woke up and I had four zits on my face and I was like, uh, is this a side effect of like this increase of this hormone that I'm taking? They're like, yes, it is. Do this instead. So I got immediate answers. It was so convenient. And that is who I am going to be introducing you to today, asking all of the questions. I know so many people had concerns about things. We're gonna address all of that. So let's get into the interview. And if at any point while you're listening and you're thinking this is something I need to do, I actually contacted Thrive. I got a special deal for you. So if you tap on the link in the description, or if you're interested in getting your hormone levels checked, you can do that with Thrive Lab. The website to get your first month for free is go.thrivelab.com slash gift113. Again, that's go.thrivelab.com slash gift113. Today's guest is someone I am so excited for you to listen to. Her name is Britney. She is a nurse practitioner, and she's actually the person I have been working with for the past year with my own hormone health. And I actually put up a question box on my Instagram stories yesterday because I wanted to know what you wanted to hear, what questions you had, and I was overwhelmed. I literally had hundreds of DMs, hundreds of responses to my question box. I went through them all, I organized everything, and so we are gonna get into it because I know that so many people have a lot of questions about hormones being out of balance and what actually to look for. But before we get into all of that, I would love for you to just kind of introduce yourself, Britney, and maybe just share a little bit about your background and how you got into this.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Natasha, it's absolute pleasure. Wow, how things come full circle, and I'm so honored to be a part of today's podcast. Um, I am a provider with Thrive Lab. Um, I do service several states throughout the United States just to kind of serve our mission, which really the baseline of it is getting to root causes and issues for men and women. Um, with this line of work, I found that in my clinical setting and my training, I was treating patients like a revolving door. Um there was never a issue that was found a solution. It was more of band-aids that were getting placed. And while those band-aids are great, I'm always wondering, can we just kind of checkbox that off and get everything to be finalized and and you know healed? And so I I found that line of work to be very depressing. It was more in a family clinic setting where there was a lot of heart disease, hypertension, and things that I found that if we get to the root cause of why that's happening, the patient won't have to come back and kind of feel like they're stuck in this waiting room for the rest of their lives because they need their refills done. Um, Thrive Lab, I was part of more of getting started on the platform as one of the second provider. Um, and it it's great because we've seen this transition of being able to help patients that they feel that their main providers can't help them with. And what that means is when we're getting lab work, we're looking at root issues of thyroid dysregulation, vitamin deficiencies, hormone disruptors, looking at inflammation throughout the body. And so I found that when I'm following up with my patients, the beautiful outcome is that they are feeling better and their body is healing versus kind of keeping everything the same and getting a band-aid to kind of keep things at bay. Um, so I am absolutely honored to do this line of work. I really could not imagine doing anything different. And the fact that I see the progression of my patients getting better is absolutely priceless. I truly feel like they're getting healed. Um, there's nothing more that I could ask for from that.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Yeah, and I absolutely love that. And it's part of why I chose Thrive Lab because I wanted more of a holistic view of everything going on and not just, oh, your blood work says this, take this. It's really been looking at all aspects of my life, and I have noticed a tremendous difference personally in the past year. Um, but let's talk specifically about hormones because I think that's what most women have questions on. So, just very basics. A lot of the people that follow me, and even myself in the beginning, when I first started learning about this, I didn't know anything. So, how do you know if your hormones are out of balance? What should you even be looking for? Um, and could it be other things? How do you know it's hormones?

SPEAKER_00 5:55

It's this very solid question. So, the one of the flags of the body signaling hormone disruption is your sleep. Um, that is usually at bedtime when you're going to bed, that's when the dumpster trucks per se come out and clean things up. If you're not sleeping, your body is really not improving because those dumpster trucks are almost frozen in time and they're not able to do their job. So I would say the number one indication is sleep disruption. But there's other layers to that because if you're not sleeping the next day, you're not gonna feel most energized and you're gonna have brain fog and you're gonna have low energy. But outside of sleep disruption, women and men can experience brain fog, low energy, low stamina, they feel sluggish. All the sleep in the world is not gonna help them feel better. They feel like there's something off. Now, when that happens, you start to notice that the momentum and drive you had with work or relationships or hobbies or even in the gym, that it's just not there anymore. And so I would always say that our, you know, hormones are a fountain of youth, and really the common decline of that happening is in your 30s, and that is very, very young. But even before your 30s, we find women in their 20s or even men that are having hormone disruptors, whether it's in the environment or our foods, or even things that you can have for more of an insulin resistance.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

I mean, for me personally, that's actually how I thought something might be off with my hormones was my sleep patterns. And it was several years ago after I had had, I think I had three babies at the time, but I got to a point where I wasn't even falling asleep until two o'clock in the morning. I would be waking up at eight and I would just feel so tired all day long. And it was that pattern for months and months and months, and then I realized it started to affect so many other aspects of my life as well. And would you say, I mean, do hormone imbalances just come out of thin air? Is it age? Uh, does pregnancy, breastfeeding, does that create these issues for people?

SPEAKER_00 7:36

A hundred percent. Pregnancy, your body is going through a huge transition. Progesterone and estrogen alone, those levels are hundreds of times higher than at a baseline rate. What is the baseline typically? So usually it depends what part of the cycle you're in. Okay. Now you have different cycles throughout your month of your period that is different. The luteal phase is when you reach that huge spike within that menstrual month. But when you're having a baby and you're pregnant, those levels of hormones to help keep the baby stabilized and healthy and growing, progesterone and estrogen is very, very, very high. Now, once you deliver, it's like it falls off a cliff. There's a huge, drastic drop after you deliver the baby and the placenta. But keep in mind if you're breastfeeding, estrogen, that very dominant strong hormone that we thrive on as women, it is stopped. So estrogen like it stops completely? Yeah, because it's suppressed because you're breastfeeding. Okay. So when that's suppressed, and then you stop breastfeeding, again, a huge drop, and women are feeling these big hormonal fluctuations. I think it's important to know in a world of bounce back, feel yourself quickly, it takes about two years for women to fill themselves again hormonally.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Wait, wait, wait. Two years? Because I I know for me, I I got pregnant again when my first baby was only one year. So are you saying that I probably never even went back to a baseline?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Right.

unknown 8:55

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Okay, wow. And I have four babies now. That things are making so much sense to me.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Right. It's amazing what women can do and the fact that we can give birth and feed these babies. And again, we have to think too of cortisol during this, right? So not only are our hormones being suppressed like estrogen, when you are breastfeeding, there's cortisol. We have this baby as a mama we need to care for and love, but we also have sleep disruption because the baby needs us, and we have other children, and we have our partner and family and all of the things, and then we have the environment we live in and all of that. So cortisol is a huge disruption there too, which does affect our hormones even further. So there's like this cascade of almost chaos that you're trying to work through that the body's trying to compensate for. And again, given our lifestyle, our diet, our sleep habits, our day-to-day, you know, uh activities, that can all affect our hormones. And so delivery, breastfeeding, pregnancy, that is a huge, huge hardship in the sense of what we're mentally and physically experiencing, and it can really affect our hormones. So for those mamas who are going through it, um, again, I would say it's really not anything wrong with you. It's just getting this evaluated. I've had many women postpartum come to me and say, you know, something's wrong. They say my labs are normal, but I'm not feeling normal. But I want you to really keep in mind this is so important. When you get your labs drawn, every lab is different. Right. So if you go to one lab and another, their ranges are different, most likely. But also, too, when you get those results back, those results are a bell curve average of your age and what's expected.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Okay. So if you fit within that range, that's normal, quote, that's expected, quote, but you feel something's off. So it's not optimal. Right. It's not optimal. And so I tell patients the goal is to be optimized. If you fit within this huge bracket, it doesn't mean that there's not something wrong. It just means that this is the average expected range for your age. But as we get older, our hormones are declining. And so you're fitting more and more into that bracket of what's expected. And so a lot of things can be missed. And so it's really important to know that if your symptoms are there, the goal is to optimize what those levels look like.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Okay, that makes a lot of sense. And I know you had mentioned, you know, the roller coaster that your hormones are on through pregnancy and breastfeeding. Is there a specific time when you think that women should get this looked at? Should they wait until they're done having babies? Or even if it's before they've had babies, is this a good thing to get looked at now?

SPEAKER_00 11:15

I feel like you can't go wrong either way. Um, as time progresses, I don't feel like, well, I still want to have my family. Um, there's really no need to get this evaluated, especially in the realm of bio-identical, what that looks like when it comes to treatment is that molecular structure mimics your own hormone. And so the goal is that the body thinks it's your own hormone being replaced versus something synthetic that can stop your period or really cause adverse side effects. And so I would say with any single patient, if you feel off, get some some peace of mind and just get your labs drawn. There's nothing wrong with that. And if you find that you're taking them to a primary care or an OBGYN and you feel like there's not answers getting figured out, there's nothing wrong with seeking a specialist. There's plenty um throughout the US, even Thrive Lab specializes in it for you know a reference point. Um, but the goal is that there is something you need to keep in mind and that's listening to your inner voice. And if you feel that something's off, follow that arrow and at least seek answers.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Okay. And can we talk a little bit more about bioidentical hormones and what exactly that is? I had so many questions about what types of hormones are there. Are you taking a pill? Is there a lotion? Is it a shot? And who what is best for each person? Is there, is it a one size fits all? Is there one that you would recommend overall, or is it kind of based on an individual basis?

SPEAKER_00 12:28

You know, it's interesting. There is not a one size fits all. I almost I had to kind of break it down to like a coffee. If you're a coffee lover, chances are um not everyone likes the same kind of coffee. Espresso, no, I mean milk, no milk. I mean, every formulation of coffee is different based off of the preference of the patient, and that's the same with hormones. How you respond is completely different than someone else next door. Now, there is a standard of care guideline you want to follow to protect the patient, but also I'm huge on symptoms. Okay, I do believe the body keeps score, and I do believe that as you adjust dosing, it's based off of how the patient feels. Now, you do want to prescribe in the sense of what the patient's comfortable with, and that is yes, we do offer orals and we do offer creams, but each hormone is different. Now let's break it down for women. Um, we make three hormones, and clinically, through perimenopause and menopause, you treat two to three of those hormones depending on the patient, their symptoms, how they respond, and also labs as a guide, not the say and what hormones being used. So with injectables, that is something that usually is something like testosterone. Um, that is more of an energizer hormone. That is usually my last resort because it is a synthetic hormone, it is invasive, and anything you inject has peaks and valleys. My goal for patients is to have a streamlined consistent basal rate throughout the day and month so they're not feeling drop-offs. And so the goal is if it's daily, it's consistent or cyclically, that we can match that patient's hormonal cycle throughout the month. But again, some patients don't like pills, they're scared of pills, so we're not gonna prescribe pills. Some patients don't like daily, and so it's really kind of formulating what is best. Now, with bioidentical, that's usually through the skin, through patches and creams. The one thing that is bioidentical in a pill is progesterone. Um, that is actually the number one hormone that declines in perimenopause. There's a big drop-off post um baby. Um, so that is a very important hormone for women, especially when it comes to sleep disruption and anxiety, kind of PMS and things like that. But that is the one oral form that women do really well on, but sometimes they do well on the creams too. It's all based off of symptoms, feedback, and you know, your provider, the goal is to never sit there and ask a patient a million questions. It's a little bit exhausting when you fill out documents and you've shared your story, and it's like, can you just tell me what to do and what I need? But we're actually gathering your plan when we're doing it because we need to know the most we can about you and what you're experiencing to truly help you. And that plan is being formulated based off of your answers, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

So you've you're talking about paramenopause, and I have to share this story because I remember the very first time I met with you, the very first thing you said to me was, so paramenopause starts at 35. And I'm like, wait, so are you saying I'm in paramenopause? And you're like, Yes. What exactly is paramenopause? And like the number one question that I have on this is how do I survive this?

SPEAKER_00 15:07

You can survive it. Um, for women who, and this is feedback I've had from patients, get told this is normal, hang in there, um, get some some more water, um, maybe take this sleep medication to help you sleep, you're fine. This is expected, push through this. Um, I don't accept that answer. So, with perimenopause, the average age is about 35. Um what exactly is perimenopause? Right, good question. So, perimenopause is the phase before menopause. So, we'll start with menopause. That's a very common term. Menopause clinically is 12 months of no period. Um, so it's 12 months of the full entire year. You have no spotting, bleeding, and you are considered to be in menopause, meaning that your hormones are not being regulated. So think about it. Women find out a year later that they are in menopause. Okay. Holy smokes, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:54

So you're going through all these symptoms and you don't even know that this is what it is.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Right. So you have a period beginning of the year, and then it doesn't happen the rest of the year, but you know, come, come, you know, December, you have a little bit of another period. Uh, you're not in menopause, you start the clock all over, you are in perimenopause. Now that can last for four to ten years, and perimenopause is that time frame of the four to ten years that usually happen, ideally of perimenopause. Hormones are shifting, periods are shorter or longer, heavier clots, PMS, sleep disruption. So the perimenopause is the phase before you reach menopause, which is 12 months of no bleeding.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Okay. Okay, and so this is the time perimenopause is where women will probably experience things like sleep disruption. I know for me it was a lot of it was low libido. My skin started to drastically change and do things I had never seen my skin do before. And I know you had mentioned that was paramenopausal. And so all of those things can be helped with hormone replacement therapy. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 16:48

100%. It definitely can be. It can help, but like I tell most patients, or all patients, scratch that, I tell all patients that hormones are a piece of the puzzle. We need to evaluate your cortisol levels, right? Your activity. I cannot prescribe any, I can prescribe really all the hormones in the world. But if you're not moving your body, you're not, you know, regulating your stress levels, if you're not, you know, getting outside and getting your body moving, you're not gonna notice too much of a drastic change. This is an addition of optimizing your system. Now, does it help? Absolutely, but it's a 50-50 relationship. If I can help you with the prescription, I need you to help me with your lifestyle modifications. And I think it's really important to note, you know, there is no prescription out there that can 100% help the patient if they're not also helping themselves, which a lot of them want to. It's just they don't feel well enough to. Well, the hormones can help you there, but we want to investigate to lifestyle, which is a big piece of what we do as well. Because again, there's no prescription or amount of a prescription that's gonna do everything in the perfect pill or cream to help you.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yeah. So let's talk, what exactly is cortisol? And then how does that work in relation with your hormones?

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Cortisol is really something that helps us survive. So it is common to go down a dark alley and and you know your blood pressure kind of rise, your heart rate gets inclined, and you feel like danger is happening. It's a survival mechanism that happens.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

So it sounds like stress to me. If you're stressed, your cortisol is probably out of balance.

SPEAKER_00 18:07

Absolutely, absolutely. And a lot of us live in that constantly. And it's really not something that's healthy. So if we keep in mind, if you're waking up, getting out of bed, grabbing your cell phone, getting on the computer, feeding your family, running out the door, grabbing a coffee, doing all of these things, your body's like, we're in war. Like we have to fight this and survive. And believe it or not, although we're used to things like that, the body is not used to that. And after long periods of time, we can start to notice the brain fog and the restlessness and the weight gain and more of having like a puffier face and hormone disruptor and things like that. So although cortisol is helpful for fight or fly in real life danger, a lot of us are walking around with it constantly and not balancing it out with the typical, you know, things of mindfulness, meditations, groundwork, moving their body, getting out of nature. Um, there's a lot of great uh, you know, references on the website on meditations that are free to anyone. But again, cortisol is great for survival, but a lot of us are living in constant high levels of it.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

And I think I even said that to you at one point where, you know, I was in that state for so long. And I'm like, my brain tells me I'm fine, like I can handle this, but my body started to say different things to me. And that's when I realized like maybe I do need help. I can think I'm okay, but my body is telling me otherwise. Um, and I know you had talked a lot about lifestyle, and actually one question I got because a lot of people follow me for weight loss. And I do have several people who are taking GLP1s or peptides, and they want to know: is it okay to do both at the same time? Is it wise to do both because you're making that lifestyle change and getting assistance, losing weight while you're working on your hormones? Can you just speak about that a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 19:40

I'm a huge fan of peptides and GLP1. GLP1 is a form of a peptide, right? And so they work really, really well with different forms. There are a list of different peptides out there. There's AOD is an anti obesity drug that really helps with patients with weight loss when it comes to things like the GLP1 not being effective. There's NAD. I mean, there are lists and so many. Layers with when it comes to peptides, but I would say as an overview, peptides is a fancy term that is more of like a byproduct of a protein and it's amino acid and it has like this short messaging system where if you're taking a peptide for healing, it says body, turn on the healing mechanism and like it starts doing that. So it is very, very beneficial when it comes to outcomes. There's certain peptides for certain things. You can do both together. Again, you want to consult with your provider, go over goals and see what you're looking for in a peptide. But the peptides being, you know, in this realm of options for patients is huge, especially those who aren't wanting like a standard protocol of your regular day-to-day medications. It does so much for healing and energy and cortisol. And so I would say when it comes to the weight loss space and even outcomes of helping with weight loss, there are so many out there. Even one of them helping with, you know, building muscle and helping to cut body fat. Yes, hormones can do that as well, too, but this is more of like an addition too. Now keep in mind too with peptides, there's some that you have to cycle on and cycle off. I mean, there's so many different approaches to peptides and what that peptide is, but they both work really, really well together. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

You know, and I don't know if you saw this, I actually have an appointment with you tomorrow. And that was one of the questions I wanted to ask because I feel like all of this information, peptides, is just a buzzword now and everyone's hearing about it. But I feel like the only one I really knew about at first was Ozepic. But then I have a couple of friends who were telling me they're really into like weightlifting and they were telling me, oh no, I'm doing a peptide for this. And I was like, what? And then I just have learned like there's tons and tons and tons of different peptides that people can take for different things. And one of the questions I was gonna ask you tomorrow is are there any other, aside from weight loss, like are there other peptides that you recommend for women, especially women who are parametapausal or going through menopause?

SPEAKER_00 21:36

So when it comes to women and peptides, there are so many. Um, I actually have a little cheat sheet based off of feedback from patients and what they tell me. And I'm just gonna refer to that because I think in this new buzzword of peptide, it's really important that I shine light on what each one does. So let's go over several of them that come to mind. The first one is the BPC 157. Um, so when it comes to chronic joint issues, um, really when it like tendons, healing, that is a peptide that can help with those things. So women who are going through the transition of perimenopause, aches, pains, you know, feeling like they're working out, they can't recover as well, BPC 157 is something that can help with that. Men and women, of course, but when it comes to my females, that is something that's really, really helpful. Um, NAD, right? If we're looking at energy, brain fog, anti-aging, helping with like the age and the stress, it is very, very good to consider something like NAD. It is a pick-me-up energizer hormone. Um, there is injectable form and like a nasal spray. Um, but for female patients wanting to ramp things up with an NAD peptide, exceptional. Um, we have too, when it comes to um, you know, kind of a decline in libido and feeling like the drive of intimacy is not there. Um, the PT141, this is something that can be utilized to help with sexual satisfaction for men and women, but I do feel like it's a good boost for those who are balancing their hormones and kind of getting things going quicker. That is a great peptide um for feeling kind of like sexual desire is not there. And so that peptide can really boost things up for you.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

And does that work uh together? Because I know testosterone is one of those things that help with libido. Do you do those together, like peptides and hormones, to get I guess because you were saying it is a more of a holistic view based on each patient individually, and sometimes it's a little bit of both.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah, no, you definitely can do them together. And so the one thing about peptides is it's like that amino acid or that byproduct of a protein that's signaling that the body to kind of turn this switch on. Um, and so if you have that switch getting turned on by a peptide and you're initiating things like testosterone and hormone optimization, it catapults into bigger and better outcomes. So doing it together absolutely can happen and it just makes results happen quicker. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

And then I was actually gonna inquire tomorrow about muscle building because I have noticed, you know, the older I get, I feel like it's harder to put on muscle. I've also recently started taking creatine because I know that as you do get older, you can lose muscle much more quickly. What type of peptide do you have for that?

SPEAKER_00 23:52

When it comes to building muscle, Sumorlin is something that can help kind of chisel weight, help with muscle mass and strength. But we also want to keep in mind that is a good tool in addition to those who are building muscle but also eating enough protein and keeping their energy reserved. When it comes to weight loss, um, patients find that even on the GLP ones, they're losing some of their muscle mass as well because they're not eating enough, and that is causing them to not feel as strong and have the definition in the gym. So there are peptides that can help with muscle growth and development, but we want to also keep in mind that we have to make sure the macronutrients are being met to help fuel that to the highest capacity. So there are peptides for muscle building, but I also want to relate a patient's let's go over and make sure you're getting your protein intake in because it's peptides a tool, but we want to make sure you have the reserve there when it comes to the nutrition piece. Now, again, with perimenopause, yes, hormone optimization is key here, but there are peptides that kind of turn that switch on, make it a little bit more aggressive to help with the muscle mass and growth and the toning and all of that.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Um, so let's talk a little bit about side effects because I know that was something people had a lot of questions about, both with peptides and with hormone replacement therapy. Um are there side effects to either and what would they be?

SPEAKER_00 25:01

So let's break it down to progesterone. That hormone is very calming, very relaxing. If you take it a little bit too late, I tell patients P for PM, take it at bedtime. You may feel groggy and tired the next day, and there could be a couple of reasons why. If you took it at midnight and your alarm's going off at five, you're gonna feel that way. You know, take it at least within eight to ten hours of when you want to wake up. Now, that is very, very conservative because depending on the type of progesterone you're using, it's metabolized pretty quickly. So side effects of progesterone commonly are a little bit of fatigue, low energy, and that's usually based off of the time frame you're taking the progesterone. Now, going to testosterone, that is something I tell patients, you know, compare it to like a young teenage boy going through um puberty, right? So you're gonna see a little bit more acne, oily skin, agitation. You know, you can start to have excessive hair growth and parts of the body that wasn't there before. Whiskers on the chin. Whiskers on the chin can pop up because it's that androgen um, you know, outcome that can happen with replacing testosterone. Um, and then also too with estrogen, it can kind of mimic sometimes too much progesterone, but you want to be mindful of tender breasts, tender nipples, um, feeling kind of a little bit more bloating, maybe feeling a little bit more crampy. And again, it's based off of symptoms and when you're feeling those symptoms, but kind of like a across the board statement that's really signs of too much. Now, you could be a quick metabolizer, and so the way you're ingesting or applying these hormones may need to be updated, but there's really nothing drastically concerning about having those. It's just adjusting it based off of that feedback. Peptides, um, different ones have different side effects, but it is a peptide that you're just kind of turning on in the system, and so it's a it's a byproduct of a protein. So there's really not a lot of common side effects of those, but the combination of them or even taken separately, there are some side effects, and your provider for that specific peptide or hormone can, you know, really elaborate given the dose and and kind of how you're getting prescribed, what those exactly are. But I can't say it's anything compared to something synthetic uh that could be used when it comes to like the detrimental issues of side effects.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Okay. Well, I've heard um people who have taken Ozempic, they say extreme vomiting. Is that common or is that because they're taking too much of it? Why would that happen?

SPEAKER_00 27:04

It's a good point. So anytime you start on Ozimpic, whether your BMI, it doesn't matter. Everyone starts on the same dose, which is interesting, but that's because when you're introducing a peptide like a GLP one of Ozimpic, your body has to get used to getting that exposure. So there's like a titration dosing. And I share with all my patients, these are the side effects. 90% of the time it doesn't happen. So that is why I'm gonna kind of punt you over to my nutrition coach to kind of pep things and get things ready so you don't have these side effects. But extreme vomiting usually happens if a patient is possibly eating the same amount of food and they're they're not listening to kind of that that hunger signal kind of be a little bit louder of a voice there where they're just maybe eating a little bit too much, or they find that they're eating heavier, fattier foods and it's just not agreeing with the stomach because this peptide is slowing down your gastric emptying, keeping you fuller longer. So if things are slowing down and you're having heavier, fattier foods, you're gonna have possibly nausea and then vomiting. But if you are not doing any of that and you're having extreme vomiting, I would have to say let your provider know, stop the medication immediately. But it's usually something when it comes to the lifestyle piece that can cause that, but it's not very, very common.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Oh, okay. I didn't know that. Um, and I I want to talk a little bit about dosing because I got a lot of questions about this. How do you know? And I we'll go back to the hormone piece because I didn't even know that when you take a GLP one, it is an on-ramp. I've always heard just from other people, they're like, oh, I'm on the maximum dose right away, which I don't know much about that. Um, but I do want to, and I don't know where they're getting them from. I don't know anything about their doctors or anything. Um, but when it comes to hormone dosing, people ask a lot about how much do you take? Do you take the same amount throughout your cycle? Is it different for for each person? I know one thing for me, how what I have loved working with from my lab is because it's so convenient and I can text you whenever I need you. And I remember there was one point where I increased my dosage for something and I woke up with like four zits the next day and I'm like, what's going on? And I got, you know, a same-day response of what to do, which was so nice. Um, but can you talk a little bit about how do you know how much to give someone and how much should they be taking? And should it be that way indefinitely, or is there a time limit that you want to work on weaning people off of hormones?

SPEAKER_00 29:06

So I'm not a fan of, you know, one shoe fits all. I when I speak to my patients, the goal is again, I'm asking you a lot of questions because I'm trying to see through the lens of the life and experiences that you're having so I can make sure that this hormone is gonna target what you're sharing with me. So when it comes to, you know, balancing hormones, we have to keep in mind this is based off of a patient's lifestyle, this is a based off a patient's other medications, this has to do with how their nutrition is, this has to do with cortisol levels, the stress. And so as that formulation is happening, I tell patients, you know, you may not know a drastic change within a week, but I want you to give me 90 days. Give me 90 days of us working together, possibly getting some labs done within that time frame to see if you know how you're responding is really the goal. It's more of a guide, not a detrimental this is the range and this is the number we're aiming for. Your lab ranges and response is based off of when you feel your best, I kind of want to see labs to see what those numbers are, if anything. But when it comes to the response of your hormones, they are usually adjusting as not only we get older, but also our stress levels because your reserve is being used up more quickly. And so it is common to kind of have adjustments with your provider and maybe provide feedback. You know, there are there are things that happen in our life that can really cause severe stress and and your need of hormones are gonna be higher because the backup really of your hormones is your adrenals, and your adrenals are kind of picking up the slack. But if we're in high cortisol constantly, the adrenals are not able to fuel your hormones like they usually do, and so having those adjustment periods is common. But I would say too, when it comes to communication, really the goal is that you know patients aren't having to jump through hoops of other providers' offices and they can just, you know, message in like you do, which is great because I say the outcome of treatment is so important when it comes to the relationship of your provider. You want to make sure any side effects, any issues, that that's shared because no news is good news, and if we can get feedback, then we know what to do to help you. And so don't give up, don't feel defeated. It's all based off of how you respond, and everyone responds differently. But the goal is that as time progresses, it does get better, it does improve.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

Okay, and wouldn't you need to be supplementing forever? Or is the goal to get to a good place and then start to wean off of any hormones that you're taking?

SPEAKER_00 31:05

I tell patients think of hormones like a supplement. Okay, if you stop taking it, you'll go back to baseline within three months. I have patients that are in their 80s, believe it or not, that are on hormones. Hormones go way further than just symptoms. We are talking about preventing Alzheimer's and heart disease. Really? Absolutely. Bone density, keeping it. Oh my goodness, keep in mind too, right? Like we were not in our 20s, you know, fracturing hips and getting, you know, the bone density testing because we were worried about the health of our bones. Our bodies, for most, the average, which isn't common these days given environment and toxins and all the things, our bodies were raging with hormones and fueled our energy levels, our stress levels, our sleep. We could sleep for five hours and wake up the next day and be at it again. As we get older, those hormones aren't as what they were then. So as we get older, we're looking at heart disease and Alzheimer's and diabetes and you know, all of these things that can be prevented if we keep our hormones in an optimized range. So I tell patients, given your goals, you can wean off of it. But keep in mind too, those symptoms that you had experienced before, it will revert back to baseline. And if that's something that you're okay with, then that's great. Let's wean off. But I want you to think of the long-term benefits of what these hormones do. Estrogen alone has over 400 functions. We're talking bone, brain, urinary, all the things. And I think something that should be looked into as, you know, a side note of these young, young women that are having these painful periods, they're placed on birth control. Yeah. And that is a synthetic form of a hormone. But their hormones and their bladder health and all of these things are the most optimized when their hormones are getting regulated. And if you're on synthetic birth control and you're not cycling, there's research showing that women who've been on birth control most of their life, they have like this urinary issue where they have the frequency and urgency, and it's usually due to the bladder health because of that synthetic hormone and birth control. And so that is a whole just a sliver of an example of these synthetics causing long-term issues when it comes to the positive outcomes that these hormones can do for your brain and your urinary system. So, as a side note, I would say there is nothing wrong with staying on bioidenticals. I do advocate to get your screenings done of mammograms and a physical exam and all of these things, but I would say the outcomes much more uh are better than just suffering through this and and kind of letting things feel so dysregulated that you can't go day-to-day with your life.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

Yeah. Wow. But you are saying that when I'm 80, if I take care of my hormone health, I can feel like a 20-year-old.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

Yes. Wait, for real? 100%. I'm absolutely. Absolutely. Um it's it's because you're not getting the reserve low enough. And and keep in mind too, there's patients who when I finally see them, they're like enough's enough. Like they feel like I need help right now. And again, they may start on hormones for a week and be like, eh. And it's like, look, let's give it time, let's make some minor tweaks, but let's give it a full three months. In a world where you can go on your phone and get Amazon the next day, we kind of want things quickly, especially when it comes to our symptoms and feeling so bad. But we also have to know it wasn't yesterday that this started. It was months and it was years. And it takes time for your body to get that reserve back. And it's all very, very common. But I do want to say that if you keep your hormones optimized, stress levels, you know, under control, you can feel so great in your 80s. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

I love that. Now I'm really now I don't feel as afraid to age. No, you couldn't. Let's talk about long-term side effects. I know we kind of talked about side effects a little bit already, but specifically, I had a lot of women inquire about increased risks of cancer with hormone replacement therapy. Um, and is it okay to do it if you are a breast cancer survivor? And are there different risks based off of whether or not you're taking a synthetic hormone or a bioidentical hormone? So, what is the research on that?

SPEAKER_00 34:38

This is all stemming from the Y study, and it has been debunked. Exclamation point, underline exclamation point times 10. What happened with the Y study is they were starting to get a trial of patients in their 60s, 70s, comorbidities, heart disease, smokers. And they said, let's give oral estrogen and madroxy progesterone, so synthetic progesterone. And what they found out is, oh my goodness, people are having heart attacks and strokes and hormones are bad, stop no more. And everyone's like, oh my gosh. I mean, I think this was even like on the times. It was a huge thing. Providers were like, we are not doing this anymore. Hormones are horrible, and then women are depressed and and and you know, feeling horrible and they don't have their hormones anymore. That has been debunked. And so what the cause was is when you take oral estrogen, I do not prescribe that, but if you take oral estrogen, that increases your anthrobolytic factors. AKA, a fancy term of saying you increase your risk of blood clots.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

Oh wow. So that's where that happened. The madroxy progesterone was the piece that increased your risk of breast cancer.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:40

And so they redid the study down the road and they used, you know, uh micronized progesterone, which is bioidentical progesterone, compounded progesterone, and they used biased bioidentical estrogen, which is a fancy term of saying you have E3, the nice protective estrogen, and E2, the kind of aggressive estrogen we think of, and they balance each other with an 80-20 ratio. 80% is the protective, 20% is the potent estrogen. And they found that none of that happened. Women were having better bone density, women weren't having the vaginal atrophy, which is another fancy term of saying painful dryness of the vaginal area when it comes to um intimacy and urination and things like that. And so that has been completely debunked. Now, I'm not here to say that there aren't risks with anything. We're in a world where things are always evolving, but I can say that if you are not on synthetic forms of things, the risks are far lower than something synthetic. If we look at synthetic birth controls, and there's a great podcast on our website about it, um, that is way more side effects and issues than a bio-identical thing.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

And is this the synthetic uh hormones that young women are getting in birth control pills? Pretty much, yes. Um that is linked to cancer.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

Yes. Um, there are different synthetic birth controls that are out there on the market, but I want you to keep in mind if you are on a birth control and your prescriber has never shared with you a risk of being on that birth control is blood clots. I would um encourage you to kind of look into that and advocate for yourself. Um, that is a synthetic oral form and it can increase your risk of blood clots. There is a connection there.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

Okay, I had no idea. Wow. I have a lot of fun. We're unpacking it all. I know. I mean, it is just crazy to me that you hear, I mean, especially young women who are getting on birth control at 16, 17 years old, being able to go get it, I mean, without their parents even knowing and having these side effects and not not even knowing, like, hey, long term this can happen. Like, that is mind-blowing to me. And I right.

SPEAKER_00 37:38

And I feel like I there's nothing wrong with putting a band-aid on the issue, right, while you investigate the cause. And there are some women who have severities of fibroids and endometriosis, and they kind of need that birth control to stop this crazy period that's happening. And that's okay. I mean, I think there's different reasons why. I I don't personally prescribe it, um, but there are different clinical reasons as to why. But my thing is, is when you're on synthetic birth controls, there's never a coincidence of why I have these young female patients telling me I'm depressed, I have no libido, my energy is low, I'm gaining weight. Well, let's think about it. You're not cycling every month with menopause, you're not cycling every month. You're almost like in a medication-induced menopause. And there is a huge correlation there. And so, to make it simple, if you're not cycling and you're not regulating, your hormones are kind of locked up and not doing much. And so there's really not, I mean, again, I treat women that are on birth control for different reasons. I'm not here to say like you can't get help, but I do want to say, and this is something Dr. Patel, Nyan Patel, who um is at Central Drugs, explained it to me. And I thought it was a beautiful analogy. But if you're cleaning out your fridge of mold, are you just going to remove what was moldy? Are you going to take everything out and really clean that fridge to make sure all the mold is gone? It's the same with being on a birth control. If you want your hormones to be optimized and you want to feel your best, let's try getting off of the birth control and really seeing the clearer lens. Because if you're not cycling, it's hard to kind of manage and optimize your hormones through that. But again, don't get discouraged if you're on birth control. I just want to plant the seed that if you're feeling those symptoms and you're on it, there may be a connection to look into.

SPEAKER_01 39:06

Well, and I know there's so many other things in our environment as well. I mean, a couple of years ago, I read this book. It was really good, but I learned about all the endocrine disruptors in plastics, in fragrance, and shampoos, and lotions. And literally, I was reading this. I'm like, I used this stuff every single day from the time I was like nine years old to in my 30s. And I mean, it's just compounding over time. And so it's not, like you said, it's not just the one thing. There's so many things in our environment, and you really have to look at the big picture of it. Um, but that is good to know. I mean, we went off on a little tangent there. It's good to know that that study has been debunked. Um other thing that I want to ask is can hormone therapy help with specific um conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, things like that?

SPEAKER_00 39:47

A million percent. I have so many PCOS patients. It is something that years and decades ago we would hear um from really providers saying this is something that you're not gonna see a lot of. I would say I have a huge, a huge community of patients. Of PCOS that I treat. Now let's break it down. PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome. And that is a fancy term known as testosterone dominance. And so when you look at that, you have women that are experiencing it's more of a metabolic condition, which is another fancy term of saying insulin resistance. So they have kind of an issue with weight loss, acne, oily skin. They feel like their face is a little bit more puffier, they have more of the black whiskers on their chin, and they feel like they have no energy, they can't lose weight. They're not usually having cycles every month. They'll go months and months and not have periods. Or they find that they can't have any children in the sense that they've been, you know, having a fertility problem. And so usually when it comes to hormones, we need that testosterone level to be balanced out. And there's so many approaches to it. It's probably very, very complex because you're working on the patient's lifestyle modifications in addition to prescriptions. Now, women with PCOS usually are uh lower in progesterone, and that's something that helps us feel good, regulates our cycles, helps us with fertility, but you also want to balance out the gut. Their gut could have some issues going on, their insulin resistance could be a little bit high. So not only are you balancing out more of the metabolic state, you're you're kind of leveling out hormones, and it's a lot more complex, but I would say it's common for those patients to get placed on birth control and just kind of mask things when you can really regulate it through things like GLP1's DIM, that's a supplement to help metabolize excess hormones, um, and also progesterone.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

You mentioned endometriosis too, which that's more of like an estrogen dominance that affects our cycle regulation. Um, that can be very, very painful, cause women to have very heavy long periods, fibroid cysts. Um, it can be treated with bioidentical hormones as well.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Okay. Endometriosis can?

SPEAKER_00 41:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 41:43

That's really interesting. My mom's actually sitting in here listening, and she had a hysterectomy years ago because of her endometriosis. I remember she was struggling for over a year in so much pain. Like, I don't know what's wrong with me, getting dismissed by doctors, having to advocate for herself. And so you're saying that hormone therapy can help with endometriosis and those types of symptoms. And if you are having those symptoms, it is likely related to your hormones. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 42:06

A hundred percent. A hundred percent. I would say if you've had those diagnoses, speak with a provider, get your hormones drawn, get some answers. The one thing, and I I have a podcast on this because I'm very passionate, my sister has gone through that journey as well with endometriosis, is it's always like, let's remove the uterus. I mean, you have this, let's remove the uterus, like you won't have to deal with these painful periods. My response back to that is well, your ovaries are still there, so like instead of these painful periods, like what now? Because that is a huge hormone disruptor. But the one thing that most patients aren't aware of that they aren't counseled on, which to me is is is sad, is when you remove the uterus during a partial hysterectomy, right? So your ovaries are left, which is what you want, because that's some of a hormone reserved. That uterine artery that's clipped, that's affecting the blood flow to the ovaries. Well, your ovaries are your powerhouse for regulating your hormones, but that blood flow after about a year to four years, that time frame, starts to decline, where now the ovaries are like, we're not getting the blood we used to. And it's called surgical induced menopause. So there's women that start to have hot flashes and night sweats after their partial hysterectomy, they're like, something is wrong. I feel worse. Like I don't have the heavy peat like bleeding in the cramping, but I got like something's wrong. And they're pretty much told from my experience is well, that's normal. It's just your hormones adjusting, like you're fine. But it's really a drastic decline in how your hormones were being regulated because of the uterus. So I would say those who have been told you have this diagnosis, just get a hysterectomy, maybe get a second opinion and see if there's anything else that could be done because surgical-induced menopause does happen after a hysterectomy. It's not if, it's when. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 43:31

Yeah, and I will say, like that is one of the reasons why I chose Thrive Lab. I mean, because of the holistic approach that you take to everything. Also the convenience, because I'm not gonna lie, I have seen hormone doctors in the past, but it's like, okay, we can't get you in for three and a half months, where it's like, oh, if I have a question, I can text you, I can get answers right away. And it's so convenient. And I mean, you know, it's actually kind of funny because we have been, for those listening, we have been working through telehealth for the past year. And I just recently learned that you're also located in Arizona. Pretty pretty close to me. But it has been so convenient. And those of you who want to get your hormones checked, or maybe you want to inquire about peptides or anything like that, Thrive Lab did give me a link where you can get your first month for free. So there is a membership with Thrive Lab. It's a monthly membership that you pay quarterly, but it's kind of like a Costco membership. So with your membership, you're getting pretty much wholesale prices on the, I mean, I'm taking supplements for hormones where I am paying way less than I would be paying somewhere else, which is one of the things I really love. So if you are interested in that, I will link that for you in the description. And maybe Brittany might even be the one that you get to work with.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

Oh no, I I would say too, you know, when it comes to, I just had a patient message me yesterday, was had an accident and was like, I need, can you send me an MRI? Like, I really need to get an MRI done. Um, we sent the order and he was able to go. And he's like, you know, I just think of you as like a provider in my pocket, you just can't not do anything. And I thought, you know, that's so sweet for you to share. Because I think in a world of different specialties and different offices and different things, I feel like all of the providers I can speak for, like, we want to help you just not have the headache of getting the loop around with different offices. And if it comes to primary care or weight loss or anything, the goal is that you can kind of stop there and get it all done. And so I feel like given your experience, you feel that way too. And so it's awesome to 100% team working in the background of your assigned care advocate and our nutrition coaches and all the thing that that's really working to like help make cortisol uh better for our patients because there's nothing like the stress of going office to office, provider to provider. It's a lot of time and energy for sure.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

And so we have covered so much today. I mean, we did talk about peptides, we talked about hormones, I know you mentioned um adrenal health, all of that. Could you just really quickly let us know? I mean, you are with you work with Thrive Lab, what just what is that? What can people get? What does it cover? Can I get supplements for my adrenal health there with my peptide that I might be taking for muscle gain?

SPEAKER_00 45:45

Yes, no. So let's just break it down and make it pretty simple. Um, as a reference point, if you feel like you're curious what Thrive even does, you could go on your smartphone or on your computer and Google ThriveLab.com, okay? And you'll have this link and it will say take a self-assessment. And that is a fancy way of saying, answer these questions and let's see if this is even something that could help you. And that quiz is gonna provide feedback on oh, yeah, you might want to get this evaluated, maybe look and see a provider. And after seeing your provider and having a console, there are layers to the platform. And I tell patients that if we want to kind of stick to the basics or really dive into it, we'll do that. But I want you to know, even on the website, you are able to get supplements on your own. Peptides are going live where you can get those on your own. I mean, the goal is that the platform supports you in what you're looking to do. And so when it comes to your adrenals and your hormones and your thyroid, everything can be evaluated there. Now, with labs, say you say, I only want I just want to get my labs done and see and then go from there. You can do that as well, too. The goal is just to help you have answers and a reference point on what you're experiencing. So you're not feeling like you're going through the motions of not feeling yourself and nobody's there to help you. It's just more of a guide in a way to have a platform that can at least guide you and maybe options to look into.

SPEAKER_01 46:53

Awesome. All right. Well, before we get into our last segment, we're gonna do a couple rapid fire questions because, like I said, I was flooded with questions about this yesterday. Um, but if you are interested in Thrive Lab, again, that link will be for you down in the description and you can get your first month for free. So, you know, a lot of myself included, I recently this year I actually started going to therapy because I had so much anxiety. Um, and I know so many women who take medications for anxiety and depression. And well, yes, like 100% those things are needed sometimes. But is there any type of correlation between anxiety and depression and hormone health or anything else?

SPEAKER_00 47:27

There's like A4 and they'll say, like, you're on birth control, get off that right now. Like that's your issue. But I don't practice like that. I'm kind of like, let me meet you where you are, let's chisel away at this in the future, but just know it's on my radar as a goal. Even things like antidepressants, right? Like, there's patients that are on different ones, and I get that they're helpful for patients and situational issues, but I do share like you're not on, you don't have a lexicro deficiency. So no, and so I would say you obviously want to consult with your provider if the goal is getting off of it. And I have weaned patients off. I just saw a patient a week ago and she's like, Yeah, I'm not sleeping the best, and I adjusted her hormones a bit. She goes, and I stop my anxiety medication, and that I'm like, okay, let's kind of backtrack here. Okay, so that's a big piece of this that you were on for 20 years, you know. So it's kind of like, again, the communication and the relationship with your provider is huge, but again, uh, medications are a piece of this too. I mean, like antidepressants are great for patients who need them. This this world and this life is is can be hard. And I I get you're helping with your serotonin. Side note, 90% of your serotonin is made in the gut. So how is your gut? Are you on a probiotic? Do you eat a bunch of processed foods and sugars? 90% of the serotonin, the happy good hormone, is in your gut, which is why when I meet with patients, I'm like, let's get with Angela or Valerie, one of our nutrition coaches. I want a macroanalysis done. Let's look at your gut health because that's gonna optimize my treatment plan more. But a side note, I would say when it comes to anti-anxiety medications, they're helpful, they do great for patients, they have powerful roles, but you don't have a Xanax deficiency or you don't have a lexapro deficiency. It is a good treatment approach. But like, let's look a little bit like in other layers, right? What does the cascade of your thyroid look like? Do you have a vitamin D deficiency? That is a hormone, okay? It is a vitamin category, but vitamin D affects our mood and our energy, and that is something that could be deficient. Um, what about your B12 levels? That affects your brain and your neuropathways, right? So there's so many layers to it. But I would say um if any of that is being used by patients, great. Let's kind of see what the other way the body's communicating with your thyroid and your adrenals and your hormones to see. Maybe there's a little bit of a mismatch here with that that's causing those symptoms to begin with.

SPEAKER_01 49:21

Yeah, well, it's interesting. I mean, when I was losing weight, I realized I had a lot of stuff going on with my gut. And it was something that I independently did so much research on. And I realized, you know, people always say your gut is your second brain, and there is such a connection between your gut health and your mental health. And when I started to, you know, eliminate inflammatory foods and cut out refined sugar, it wasn't just weight loss that I was experiencing, but I I noticed like I felt happier, not because I was losing weight, but like just generally everything in my life, it made such a huge difference. All right, we're gonna do a couple rapid fire questions because, like I said, I was flooded with questions about this yesterday. But our rapid fire questions: what is the best delivery for hormones? I know we said that there's different forms, pellets, creams, shots. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 50:02

Through the skin cream. Why our skin is our largest organ, what you apply is what you absorb. The liver is not breaking down anything where you're not getting the full potency.

SPEAKER_01 50:10

Awesome. What is the cost, the average cost of hormone replacement therapy?

SPEAKER_00 50:14

Um, hormones can range anywhere between $30 to $150. It again depends on your goals, your your provider's treatment approach. Um, but it also depends too if you want to do quarterly shipments, that's more cost-effective. Patients fine, because it's almost like a Costco where you get a bulk supply and you're not going month to month. But I would say anywhere between 40 to 100 and 150 dollars.

SPEAKER_01 50:35

And is that that's the cost through Thrive Lab? Would you say that it's more expensive if you go a different route through like a traditional doctor?

SPEAKER_00 50:40

It depends. Traditional doctors usually usually practice synthetically. If you want to get the most through your insurance benefits, let your provider know and they can work with your insurance to help get that completed.

SPEAKER_01 50:49

Okay. Testosterone, is it safe or risky? Uh, people have heard that it causes anxiety and nervousness.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

It's interesting. Testosterone deficiency causes anxiety and nervousness. Now, if you are injecting testosterone, that is synthetic, and if those levels are getting too high, you can get anxiety and nervousness. Given your symptoms, also you want to kind of spot check labs for a response of your treatment. It helps you know decline anxiety and nervousness. Um, there's a great uh research study that was out there when it came to depression, and um they they had a military group when it came to that, and the results are phenomenal, um, especially with mental health and and you boosting up testosterone levels. Exceptional, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 51:27

Um, when do you recommend women start getting help? Is there an age that's too early or an age that's too late?

SPEAKER_00 51:33

Uh I say you get help when you feel like you need the help. Clinically, I treat patients between 18 and up. Um, you want to also be sure that when you get labs done, you get them around a certain time of your cycle because you will get answers differently outside of certain time frames. But I would say if you even have that thought, follow that voice and get the help you need. What is the most effective way to lower cortisol levels naturally? Groundwork. Um, so when it comes to lowering cortisol, you want to do mindfulness. What is that? That's getting outside of nature, that's limiting your screen time or getting off of social platforms if it's causing you to feel stressed. Um, that's meditation. Go to thrivelab.com. It is, there are free meditations. My favorite for patients is the box breathing. All of that is allowing your body to know there is not a war right now. Everything is calm and you will feel more grounded in doing that.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

Um, muscle recovery and parametopause. Someone asked, they're lifting more and they are so sore and it's taking forever to recover. Is that a thing? And is there anything that she can do?

SPEAKER_00 52:29

Look at your hormones. Um, if you are working out and you cannot recover, that is usually related to something like an estrogen deficiency or testosterone deficiency.

SPEAKER_01 52:36

What is the best test for hormones? Um, the Dutch test or a blood test or a urine test? I don't even know what a Dutch test is. So maybe also answer that one.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

So when it comes to hormones, every provider practices differently. I want you to think of it as 50% science and 50% an art. I specialize in the blood work of looking at your hormones. There are some patients that will use urine testing. Dutch testing does that. A little, that's a little bit more of a byproduct. Every test that you look at, your provider is specialized in that test. There is no gold standard. It's just dependent on how your provider practices. At Thrive Lab, we use serum.

SPEAKER_01 53:09

You know, a lot of women that follow me are trying to lose weight. How do hormones affect your ability to lose weight?

SPEAKER_00 53:14

Hormones have a huge role in losing weight. Again, let's break down our hormone disruptors. We have things like polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is a big metabolic or testosterone issue that can affect weight loss. I would say that if you're having issues at all, losing weight and you're in your 30s, 40s, and on, get your hormones looked at and your thyroid looked at. Because again, as we get older, our hormones and our thyroid is not working as effectively as it was when we were younger. Again, too, um, I think we want to look at autoimmune issues like your thyroid being inflamed, and that's something that can affect your weight. Not a lot of patients get that looked at. I have diagnosed that way more than I would like to, and that is a huge issue uh with weight loss. So there's there's a lot of layers to it, but I would say it's all connected.

SPEAKER_01 53:56

Someone who has heart disease do hormone replacement therapy.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

Yes. It is so good for your heart to replace your hormones, and you will actually notice your cholesterol levels and things like that improving, replacing your hormones. So keep in mind, hormones are also decreasing inflammation throughout the body. So if you're decreasing inflammation, you're lowering your risk of heart disease, and you know, insulin resistance and things like that. It is all connected.

SPEAKER_01 54:17

Brittany, you have blown my mind today. I have learned so much, and I hope everyone listening feels a little bit more empowered. And I, yeah, I mean, I know if I were listening, I would want to immediately go get my hormones checked. So make sure to check that link out in the description. Um, yeah, so if you love the episode, please share it with someone. Text it to a friend. I mean, text it to all of your mom friends. You can tag me, tag Thrive Lab. This is information that I wish I had a decade ago, and I'm so grateful you took the time to do this with me today. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Thank you for listening, and I look forward to your feedback. Thrive Lab has been amazing for telehealth. It's so convenient and you get really amazing prices. If you want to go get anything checked, you can go to go.thrivelab.com slash gift113. Again, that's go.thrivelab.com slash gift113. And with that link, you'll get your first month for free. And you made it to the end, which means you're officially one of the real ones. Don't forget to follow, leave a five star review, and text this episode to your bestie. And if you want the unfiltered behind the scenes, make sure to get on the email list. The link is in the show notes.