What if your hot flashes were actually a red flag for your heart and brain health—not just an annoying symptom to suffer through? In this episode of The BeingBrigid Show, Brigid sits down with double board-certified OB/GYN and integrative physician Dr. Suzanne Gilberg to unpack what you should really know about perimenopause, menopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the Women’s Health Initiative, and how to advocate for yourself when you’re being dismissed.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode:

1. Why menopause is a full-body transition (not just hot flashes)
2. How estrogen receptors in every cell impact bones, brain, heart, gut and more
3. What the Women’s Health Initiative actually showed and how it was misinterpreted
4. When hormone replacement therapy can be helpful—and for whom it’s not appropriate
5. The difference between “bioidentical” and synthetic hormones (and why the wording is confusing)
6. How vaginal estrogen can support UTIs, vaginal dryness and genitourinary symptoms
7. The role of functional medicine, gut health and blood sugar in perimenopause and post-menopause
8. What women in their 30s can do now to support future bone density, heart health and cognition

Timestamps:

1. 00:00–Intro to Dr. Suzanne Gilberg & Menopause Bootcamp
2. 03:05–Menopause as a full-body transition, not just hot flashes
3. 05:10–Conventional OB/GYN meets integrative and Ayurvedic medicine
4. 10:25–Grassroots change: how women forced medicine to pay attention
5. 14:45–Medical training, fear and why doctors “stay in the box”
6. 19:50–Gaslighting, “normal” labs and why women feel dismissed
7. 35:50–Women’s Health Initiative: design flaws, breast cancer risk and fallout
8. 41:30–HRT safety: estrogen, progestins, breast cancer and heart disease
9. 44:50–Estrogen, osteoporosis and fracture risk; brain and sleep benefits
10. 45:30–Rapid-fire Q&A on age to start HRT, bioidentical hormones, testosterone, UTIs and more
11. 51:25–Vaginal estrogen vs systemic estrogen and recurrent UTIs
12. 52:30–Labs, blood sugar, inflammation, functional nutrition and midlife prevention
13. 58:25–What 35-year-old women should do now to support hormone health

Resources & Links:

If you’ve ever been told “you’re fine” while your body says otherwise, this episode will help you feel seen and give you language to advocate for your hormone health, gut health and long-term longevity.

1. Watch the full episode on YouTube
2. Brigid’s Website
3. Brigid’s Instagram
4. Dr. Suzanne’s Website
5. Dr. Suzanne’s Facebook
6. Dr. Suzanne’s X
7. Dr. Suzanne’s LinkedIn
8. Dr. Suzanne’s Instagram
9. Dr. Suzanne’s TikTok
10. Dr. Suzanne’s YouTube
11. Work with Dr. Suzanne