Menopause isn’t just a phase—it’s a powerful signal from the body that deserves attention, not avoidance. In this transformative episode, Dr. Anna Cabeca, widely known as the “Girlfriend Doctor,” opens up about her own journey through early menopause and how it sparked a global search for answers that conventional medicine couldn’t provide. From heartbreak to healing, she reveals what truly works when it comes to balancing hormones naturally—and why your symptoms are not the end of the story.

Highlights:

00:04 – Why We Need to Talk About Menopause

Menopause is an essential topic often avoided in conversations, yet it's at the root of many misunderstood health symptoms.

02:18 – The Turning Point: Early Menopause at 38

Dr. Anna Cabeca shares how her early menopause diagnosis at age 38 led her on a worldwide healing journey.

04:23 – Your Body Can Heal Itself

"Your diagnosis is not your destiny." Dr. Anna emphasizes that the body can heal through a holistic mind-body-spirit approach.

14:07 – Menopause Isn’t Just for Women Over 50

Menopause doesn't just affect older women—many experience symptoms in their 30s or 40s without even realizing it.

32:01 – The Role of Stress and Trauma in Hormone Health

Stress and trauma can significantly impact hormone health, and addressing the nervous system is crucial to healing.

40:55 – Natural Support for Hormone Balance

Dr. Anna introduces her Mighty Maca Plus as part of a natural support system for hormone balance and energy.

About the Guest

Dr. Anna Cabeca, DO, FACOG, is a triple board-certified OB-GYN in integrative medicine, anti-aging and regenerative medicine, and a globally recognized authority in women’s hormonal health. Fondly known as The Girlfriend Doctor, Dr. Anna combines her extensive medical training with holistic practices to offer powerful, natural solutions for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.

After experiencing early menopause at 38 and reversing it naturally, she made it her mission to help other women reclaim their vitality, sexuality, and wellbeing. She is the creator of the Keto-Green lifestyle and the bestselling author of The Hormone Fix, Keto-Green 16, and MenuPause. Dr. Anna has been featured on The Today Show, PBS, Forbes, MindBodyGreen, and more. She also hosts The Girlfriend Doctor Podcast, where she shares expert insights and candid conversations to help women thrive in every stage of life.

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/

http://dranna.com/fab

Connect with Dr. Fab Mancini

www.endingchronicdisease.com

https://drfabmancini.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabmancini/ 

https://www.instagram.com/drfabmancini/

https://www.facebook.com/DrFabMancini 

https://www.youtube.com/@DrFabMancini 

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.

Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!

Subscribe to the podcast

If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

Leave us an Apple Podcasts review

Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. 

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Menopause is mandatory, suffering is optional, and I experienced it myself, like the full blown effects with shifting. And I'll give you three of the key principle changes that I made that really evaporated those menopausal symptoms.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, welcome everyone. So excited to be with you today, primarily because, as you know, one of my most valuable things that I can tell you, that drives me every single day is trying to get answers to some of the questions that are really keeping us from having the health that we were meant to have. And today we have a topic that is extremely important, which is menopause, and this is a topic that I have found, and we're gonna have the leading expert in the world in this topic to discuss it. But I have found in my own practice, and in the last 38 years of being a healthcare provider, that a lot of times, people are not comfortable discussing this topic, and I think it's something that needs to be discussed, especially in lieu of all this new information that we're seeing over the last few months in the media, in social media everywhere, regarding the root causes of most of our symptoms, most of our health issues. So today I want you to meet Dr Anna kabeka. She's known nation one as the girlfriend doctor, triple board certified OBGYN integrative medicine, anti aging and regenerative medicine, a best selling author of The Hormone fix menopause, keto green 16. She's a trusted voice on shows like The Today Show people, Forbes, goop and more. So Anna is such a pleasure to see you again, and thank you so much for making time during this day on your busy time.

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Oh no, I'm excited to be here. This is such an important topic, and it's a great conversation to be had.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, it's interesting because you have a very powerful story, and I know that you've endured losses in your life and the shock of having early menopause at the age of 38 Can you tell us a little bit about how this shaped the path that you took regarding this inspiring world in empowering women, especially regarding this topic of menopause,

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, completely changed the way I practice medicine. So I had trained in gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University, and I always had a heart for Integrative Medicine. I'm first generation American. My mom would say, you know, eat this olive oil and Zaatar will make you smart, and dandelion tea and all that good stuff and food as medicine, I had that background, and so when I went into my private practice, you know, like can, I was practicing very much Western medical practice, but he got very open to integrative and functional medicine practices. But even with that information, then I was diagnosed in with early menopause, able first infertility, and I failed several rounds of fertility treatments, and then diagnosed with early menopause. And, you know, it was like, you know, it was heartbreak, it was heartbreak, and my doctor's back was empty. Conventional medicine said, you know, you deal with it. It's understandable that you're depressed here take this medication. And for me, that wasn't an answer, but travel has always been a meditation, so it literally led me on a journey with the grace of God around the world, looking for answers. And through that experience, like I came to Peru, and they talk about maca and how that helps with fertility and fatigue and so much more. And I was like, okay, and then they say, oh, it's the Peruvian Viagra. So you're like, okay, yeah, I'm drinking this maca, right? But I was like, if this is a powerful medicinal food. What else is there? And so I started exploring and healing as as a result of that, and traveling to many continents around the world over that year, and listening to indigenous healers as well as some of the world's leading scientists. My early menopause was reversed, and I naturally conceived the child I was told I would never be able to have when I was 41 years old, and so that blew my mind, fab, like I came back into my practice on fire to help people and to encourage them.

Your diagnosis is not your destiny. Your prescription is not your description. We get to these underlying root issues. Your body has tremendous power to heal, and it's a mind, body, spirit, soul approach that I really started integrating into my practice. And like you, lifestyle medicine is over 90% of it right the hormones. It takes more than hormones to fix our hormones. Well,

Dr. Fab Mancini: let's talk a little bit about some of the symptoms. People are experiencing. We know studies are talking about how over 50% of postmenopausal women have osteopenia osteoporosis. What are some of those proactive ways that we can begin to exercise on a daily basis to protect our bones during this period?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, and osteopenia osteoporosis is really like a hidden pandemic, because your doctor's not even with modern day knowledge, recommending bone density scans till you're in your 60s, or you know, or you persuade them, as an individual that you really need this most important, you get this test done yourself in your 30s, 40s, 50s. I mean, get, you know, every five to 10 years markers as soon as you can, because I have clients in their 30s and early 40s with osteoporosis that would have been undetected, you know, in conventional medicine, for another, you know, I don't know how long until they had a fracture, possibly. So it's so important because we can reverse these changes, and hormones are a piece of it, definitely. And so we will look at optimizing our hormones, reducing hormone disruptors, reducing, you know, acidic environment, from inflammatory foods, and addressing those issues. And of course, muscle is magic, not just in menopause, but for our entire life.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, I'm so glad that you brought that, because I agree with you, especially being a doctor of chiropractic. You know, I've always felt when I look at X rays. You know how even younger people, you can see that the bone structure is not as strong as it should be. But you know one of your favorite statements, and this is, every time I hear it, I love it. You say, menopause is mandatory, but suffering is optional. I love that. But what would you say if you say it's optional? Think about maybe three things that we can consider doing right the ones that are listening right now. Three things that every women should consider doing on a daily basis to go from surviving into thriving, three things that most of your patients tell you, you know, Dr Anna, when I did this, it made a big difference, things that you have seen in the science I know you are very science based in everything you do, and that's what makes you such a great media expert. But what are those three things that you would recommend right now?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, and I think it's so important because you're absolutely right. Menopause is mandatory, suffering is optional, and I experienced it myself, like the full blown effects with shifting. And I'll give you three of the key principle changes that I made that really evaporated those menopausal symptoms and also extended that, you know, at 48 when I was having so 39 and then 48 full blown perimenopause. Name it the all belly. There's what, 200 symptoms or so associated with menopause, but and then reversing that not, and then extending my menopause journey to not going through menopause until age 56 so right? Ovarian longevity is a marker for longevity, brain health, wellness, all of those good things. So the three things that I discovered that were really key and it incorporated into what I call my Keto green method. The method that I teach is, first of all, check your urine pH, get alkaline when you are acidic, when you have a poor diet, when you are under stress, with the best diet, if you have an acidic urine pH that's eating away your muscle, your bone, your hormones are stressed, and that feels like, you know, feeling stressed, and your hormones are a mess, that's for sure. So checking your pH, it's a very important biomarker that is so overlooked. And I say it's as important fab as your heart rate variability, your weight on the scale, your blood pressure. So urine pH is an important biomarker, and we want that to be on average, waking and going to bed at seven, on average. And so that's the first thing. The second thing that's game changing is intermittent fasting, especially in perimenopause and menopause, because as our reproductive hormones start to decline, insulin starts to increase and we become more insulin resistant, intermittent fasting completely reverses that paradigm. So the second is intermittent fasting, and the third is increase your oxytocin on a daily basis. For me, it's that mindset piece that ties into

our physiology, then producing the most powerful hormone in our body. And it starts like start your day with a practice of gratitude. You know, I ask myself three questions every single morning before I even open my eyes, that resets my physiology and puts me in this oxytocin state of mind, let's call it. And so those are three things that I would encourage everyone to. Do free checking your mini urine page. That's pennies a day, but basically free to improve your journey and improve your physiology.

Dr. Fab Mancini: You know it's interesting because I do intermittent fasting, and of course, the literature, especially during the last few years, has not only helped in this type of cases of menopause, but also in so many other chronic diseases that we're dealing with. Let's talk about some of these symptoms that you constantly hear about, right hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, you know, this for some people, these symptoms come from nowhere, you know, and a lot of times they don't even understand what may be causing them. What are some of the things that we can do to distinguish if this is from normal perimenopause, or at what point do you feel people should actually seek medical attention?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, so this is an area that you know, like, I have a lot to say about fab. I have so much to say about because, as menopause is coming into the media, and they're like, Oh, these 200 symptoms, are your hormones? Are they really? You know, are they really, or is it hormone disruptors? Is it mold toxicity? Is that radiation or EMF exposure? Is it nutrient insufficiency? Is it insulin resistance? Is it hypercortisol or hypocortisol or adrenal dysfunction? What are the reasons you're experiencing the sequelae of symptoms? And that's like the most common again, you can go through menopause with no hot flashes, right? But you can have weight gain without doing anything different, hair loss, you know, the rapid aging, fine lines and wrinkles. I like to think smile lines and laugh lines. I'm quite proud of mine. You know, the aches and frozen shoulder, right? That's a big one, heart palpitations that sometimes take you to the ER. These are symptoms that you know, can be associated with menopause as well. And we always want to look at, okay, you know, what are the root causes of these symptoms? And you know, it's if you're experiencing these symptoms in menopause, there's a root cause. It's not just your hormones. But I always say 10% will give hormones 10% at the bucket.

Dr. Fab Mancini: But you know, it's important because, and I love the fact that we are finally living in a time that root causes have become such a discussion for a lot of people. And even though we've been promoting that for so many years, it just seems that this may be the first time that people hear it. Let's talk about a sensitive topic that I hear about, especially from a lot of my patients in the past, and that is hair thinning. You know, for most women, it feels like you're losing a part of your identity. How do you help women reconnect with their sense of self when they're losing more than their hair? Because I noticed that they bring it up as a concern, because hair loss is something that we have seen, but usually we associate with conditions like cancer and others. So people get very worried. So is there any tips that you have in and why do you feel that that may be part of for some women living in post process?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, I think there's so much I have to say about this, because as a physician, or as a young physician, when early in my medical practice, clients would come in and bring a bag of their hair and say, Okay, Dr Anna, like I am losing more than a normal amount of hair. What's going on? And typically at that time, by the time they come their gynecologist, they've seen one other doctor regarding their hair issue, and I would check their thyroid and say, Okay, well, maybe we need some iron and biotin, and let's help these things. And I didn't realize the issue. Can I show you a picture? Can I share my screen? Yes, go ahead, yeah. So I know this and I share, you know, a picture says 1000 words, right? Like a picture is greater than 1000 words. And then this is me at 39 years old, and you can see the hair loss, male pattern baldness, tremendous amount of hair loss. I have reversed that. And you can see completely at 59 years old, 20 years later, if I didn't address this condition, what would I look like 20 years from, you know, at this point after 20 years. So hair loss is such a big issue, and I'm very sensitive to it. Now, after I had experienced that, I am very aggressive about what we do for hair loss. And thyroid was normal, but was cortisol increasing, testosterone conversion to dihydrotestosterone via the enzyme action of five alpha reductase, and so that conversion creates that androgenic baldness. So it's stress related hair loss, but also toxin nutrient insufficiency, thyroid hair loss. It's reversible, like you shouldn't have, thinning hair. You should be able to have a thick ponytail. And I've been there where I had tiny, tiny, like tiny ponytail. And women listening, if you've experienced this, I've been there, and I'm very aggressive about this, and I believe in hair supplements. I created a hair formula, a hair mask with C buckthorn oil in it, and amino acids that keep your hair healthy and strong. And it's a really a

passionate topic, because it is our crown of glory too. And yeah, so it is. There are underlying issues you want to rule out by thyroid, iodine and iron issues, biotin and vitamin A, D, E and K. You want to detox, reduce any like eliminate mold, mold toxins, but cortisol, that Biggie, and we can actually, you know, there's so much we can do to interrupt that pathway between testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. So good news there guys

Dr. Fab Mancini: well, and I love the fact that you're bringing up this functional testing, because there may be some people that are listening right now that have really only been exposed to the traditional medicine care, which you were trained traditionally with, but this functional space in which we have been a part of for many years, we have testing today that can actually be able to measure some of these markers. We call it markers in science, but these specific things that we're looking for that give us a lot of the story as to why are you experiencing that? And more importantly, it tells us how to help you correct it, so that way those symptoms go away. We have another topic that I knew that people want me to bring up, and it's a topic regarding the fact that over 70% of women experience what we call vaginal dryness and painful intercourse. Now, as a man, I can tell you that a lot of times these topics don't become part of our conversations, and many times I feel especially when patients have mentioned it to me, they may say, well, Doc, I'm a little embarrassed telling my husband that, and I don't want him to think that I'm getting too old and all of that. And so there's a lot of issues there in which a lot of times people may interpret these symptoms and maybe impact their self esteem, or perhaps the way that they want to exercise their relationship with their beautiful partners, but what is the conversations that we should be having? Number one, about this topic, to break the silence and also, what are some of the tips that you will give us that can help us perhaps be able to solve that?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, no, I am, as a gynecologist, I'm passionate about this, and again, having struggled with early menopause, delivering four big babies, I say vaginal health is essential for life. I mean, we talk about oral health lots of good attention. Vaginal health should have as much of the conversation it really should. And I want to ask you, too as a man, because I have interviewed many men regarding sexual health and these issues. So if your wife says, Hey, I'm using this to make sure that my vagina is healthy, I have better orgasms. And, you know, I get asked turned on during play as ever. What would you say?

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, to me, it will be natural to just support whatever is going to make her experience. You know, I have a lot of dialog with men. A lot of men open up to me about many of these issues, and the most important thing that I recommend a man is to make sure that a woman is completely fulfilled and relaxed and supported through this process, because men tend to be looked at as you're only interested in your satisfaction in this process, but in reality, I have found when you pay attention to the satisfaction of your partner, equals 100 times more towards you, because now you have a person that is truly there, very grateful, especially that you've taken the time. Sometimes it takes time, or you've taken at least the sensitivity to be able to listen to what's important to them.

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Absolutely, I want everyone to really hear that and absorb that, because women don't believe that most of the time, like, awake, you know, like, I have to power through even though sex is uncomfortable and dry, just to please my partner. But you just shared the number one secret in getting a woman you know, in increasing a woman's sexual desire over and over again. Or the number one reason why men enjoy intimacy, it's her pleasure, her turn on. And that is so important, her turn on. Her pleasure is your pleasure. So hey, I support you, and everything you need to do to achieve that and to maintain that. And like I said, you know, vaginal health is essential for life. I'm going to share this other slide. So for those of you that are viewing this, this is a good. Good visualization. You know, we know when we age, we're going to get our laugh lines and wrinkle lines and, you know, and lose the elasticity to our skin. It's happening in our pelvic floor region as well. And the vulva vaginal issue. A lot of you know, more attentions on the vagina, but the vulva clitoris to anus, the most important anatomy of our body, is affected by these changes as well, and what that causes. It causes a decrease in ability, decreased sensation, decreased orgasm, decrease in pleasure, but also functionally, an increase in urinary tract infections, a increase in urinary incontinence, an increasing in vaginal bacterial or yeast infections, an increase in cervical dysplasia or vaginal dysplasia, and increased risk of vaginal or cervical cancers, because the microbiome changes with These changes. In this picture, you can see a healthy vagina with good mucus lining, right like the inside of the mouth, good mucus lining, good blood vessels, good nerve supply and but as we age, that thins out, and it's so noticeable within the vagina, but also externally. Cannot forget the external vulva, vaginal and perianal regions, because hemorrhoids and fissures, we never

want to deal with those. Maybe we had them postpartum. We definitely don't want to deal with them post menopause. So keeping that tissue healthy with pelvic floor exercises and nutrients. And here, I use hormones to really help revitalize and revive this tissue, and you reverse the hands of time. So I have a client who's been on one of my products, jova, for guests since it was almost like eight years now. And she likes to bow. She's 67 now, and she like likes to boast that she has the vagina of a 25 year old. And she also states it was game changing because she met her husband four years ago, and if she didn't have that intimacy was so important, if she didn't have that ability to, you know, really focus on her pleasure, her intimacy and versus having pain, discomfort and dryness, she says that, you know, the relationship is so much better because they Continue, they continue to have an intimate relationship, sexual intimacy, and I think that's so important. And this is really where we need to support vaginal health and vaginal microbiome health. And there's so much limited information on the vaginal microbiome, but it's definitely an area I've been studying for the last 10 years, and there's we're making some headway, finally. But hormones are key and topical vaginal and the difference is, like we hear a lot of vaginal estrogen. Okay, if you're sexually active, you're using vaginal estrogen, some will transmit to the guy. Just be aware of that. May not need more estrogen. Just be aware. But DHEA, which can be used vaginally, can be used it is, you know, guys can use 10 times as much DHEA. It's very safe. But plus, where estrogen only works on the mucosa the top layer DHEA, it works all the way down to the muscularis layer. And that's been shown in many research studies looking at vaginal DHEA. So and I use it topically. I use it topically, and I've been using it for over 15 years topically, and see with combined with plant stem cells. And it's just

it is rejuvenating, like I am traveling here. I've been in a dark retreat for four days, and I'm out in this rural area in the mountains. But I brought my job and my balance. I brought my mighty mock I brought like, these are some essentials, even though I have a small backpack, they come with me. I mean, I practice what I preach. I just am really, you know, I really want to emphasize this issue, because, again, vulvar vaginal health is critical. And as a gynecologist, dealing with women in menopause, well beyond menopause, suffering with these issues, it is, it is not something we have to do. Prevention is possible.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, and I'm glad that you opened the conversation as to being very honest with your healthcare provider. You know it's obvious that, I'm sure your patients will tell you Well, Dr Anna, I just feel so comfortable telling you all these things. You're welcoming it. So if you find a provider that may not be as open, then try to identify or find a functional provider, somebody like Dr Anna, that can actually help you answer some of these questions and really have the deep conversation, because ignoring it is not going to be the solution. I can tell you that. Let's talk about another one of your topics of fashion, and that is nutrition. That is at the core of your keto, green approach. So I loved it because, to me eating with a purpose. I love that concept, you know. So tell me a little bit about how diet and some of these ingredients. That you have discovered play a key role, not only when it comes to balancing your hormones, your energy, but also another topic, which is your weight during menopause.

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, this is so important. And by the way, I love your new book. I mean, like you go into these areas in such great detail and with this passion and compassion that is just, I mean, it's just so you, Bab, thank you. It's really excellent. Everyone needs to make sure they get a copy of your book. Well done. Well done. I meant to tell you that earlier. So in with my like keto green method, like in my books, the hormone fix, keto green 16 and menu pause, I created medicinal menus that I want to use food as medicine to really create and help support our bodies, detoxification, digestion, elimination, anti inflammatory, adaptogenic, adrenal support, hormonal support, all these processes. And so I took my approach to this, to the menu plans, with that mindset in key factor, supporting the gut microbiome. So really a very low inflammatory for me, Keter green means lots of like sprouts and some fermented vegetables, high quality protein and healthy high quality fats as an incorporation with no snacking and intermittent fasting. So that we manage insulin, we become more insulin sensitive. We manage cortisol, decrease inflammation, less inflammation, less cortisol, less fat, less insulin, less cortisol, fat reduction. And again, say, you know waste reduction, because you're eliminating that bloated belly too. And so these things are really key to helping us balance hormones and key ingredients, you know, in our meals, from taking more of an in depth into micronutrient comp, you know, components versus macronutrient components, but really looking at a healthy, balanced, and I can't emphasize organic as much as possible, free range while caught as much as possible, type of healthy diet with these concepts of intermittent fasting, so that we become more insulin sensitive, critically important as we age. And then using like for me, supplementation is part of my regimen, because I know that we have minerally deployed depleted soil, and I drink, you

know, I'm in the longevity space, and have been for since 1999 and really studying nutrients. You don't want to overdo and you don't want to underdo. There's that Goldilocks formula. And you also want to cycle. There are seasons for Region reason. There are certain things you may want to cycle and and I could bring those concepts together to really help, to help our clients with balancing their hormones through food, as medicine. And, yeah, and then the the adaptogens. I'm big on those. You know, maca, turmeric, quercetin, it's all in my mighty mockup formula. That's so it has been game changing, and it's one of the reasons that that I made

Dr. Fab Mancini: it so well, and I and you make it so simple, because you've already done a lot of the research. That's why I believe your products are so loved by everybody that takes them. Is because you see the results, but you've already done the due diligence, the hard work, and people hopefully understand that food is medicine. And I'm praying and hoping that in the next 10 years we will see a complete shift from pharmaceuticals to to food sources, especially organic food sources. And yes, we have to fix the soil, and that's one of the agenda items. But at the same time, we have to be very selective as to what we put in our mouth, because whatever we put into this body can either feed your menopause to be something very pleasant, or it can actually make it extremely uncomfortable for you. So one of the question that I had that I have to ask you is about bioidentical hormones. There seems to be questions around that, are they safe? Are they healthy? What would you say are the biggest myths around it, and is this something that women should consider at this stage of menopause?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: I think we have enough research now to say yes, and I say like without a doubt, estrogen is not a villain, right? Progesterone is necessary for brain health, bone health, and it's declines from age 35 to 65 or 35 to 55 by 65 to 75% that's before we really start to see declines and declining estrogen. But any anti estrogen talk is really misogynistic fab. I really have found that to be true, and the difference between bioidentical, if we're using hormones, they must be bioidentical, and we must be very conscious when. Are using hormones and gentle, not like overdosing, because then you're suppressing your body's own glandular function. I've been in this space now 30 years, and I've seen the pendulum swing in so many ways, so I think this is where hormonal balance really helps. And I am a proponent, and I say that in this environment where we're treating patients and taking care of them, it's often with, you know, perimenopause, menopause, supporting detox, supporting adrenals, supporting hormones and then that order, literally, we need to recognize with humility that our Blue Zone centenarians, those over 100 are not on handfuls of supplements. They are not on handfuls of hormones, right? They they aren't so we again, comes back to the 90 really, 99% that lifestyle mindset, Soul care, work that we have to do, good sleep, we have to move well, you know, build that muscle. We have to have clean air, clean water, a spiritual practice, good relationships, all of those things come into play to have help. And I want to show you one more slide. Can I show you one more slide?

Dr. Fab Mancini: Yes, and I coined actually, by what you just said. I'm going to call it the DR Anna's Trifecta to woman's cell. Thank you. Hold on. Let's see here. I love the way you framed that. Keep it real simple. There's three things in this order. Yes,

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Oops. Let me go back. Okay. So this, you know, typically, we see like, and this is one that I've formulated to show like order of importance. We really think, okay, progesterone and estrogen, they are so important, and then DHA and testosterone, but when we look in volume in our body based on the same picogram per ml, I printed out this graph so we can see the like progesterone, we have, you know, 1000 times more progesterone available in our body than estrogen. Estrogen looks like it's at zero, but remember, from zero to 2000 we've got this scale here. So you may be at 40 to 60 here, at age 50, your testosterone is still 10 times higher, typically, well, at least a couple times higher, typically 60 to 100 in menopause and then, but progesterone, look at this decline of progesterone that we get from age 35 to 55 by 65 to 75% and progesterone is our mother hormone. Progesterone and pregnenolone are our mother hormones and those together. I don't have pregnenolone on this graph, but I look at them always together, and then DHEA is this green line. And so we see that that gradual decline, but it peaks in our 20s and starts to decline. So I want to share that, because, you know, if we look at in age reversal or longevity medicine we want to support, not necessarily to the age of our 20 year old reproductive please don't give me my hormones at that level again, like me. Let me just stay healthy. 59 year old. And you know, let's let me, let me just, you know, thrive in this environment with balance between all of these factors, and so I routinely write bioidentical hormone prescriptions, and I don't like to start them too early, and I, you know, and I don't feel like there's an age limit. And in my clients that I'm working with, we're dealing with these lifestyle factors, and we want to do things safely, so in those cases, there's no age limit.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, you know, another important topic that I think maybe some of the people that may be listening to right now, let's say that you're going through a menopause stage right now and you have a daughter, what are some of the best ways that we can prepare our youth in the early stages of life. So that way, when they get to that menopause age, they can actually be extremely healthy to manage this natural process, much better than any of us have done in the history of humanity.

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Well, I have to tell you, I have a lot of experience with this. I have four daughters. I have four daughters, and they now age 17 to 3037 pretty soon. So they age 17 to 37 and I, you know, I had to become a home run expert. And I'll tell you this because of the same things that I am recommending can be used, like the Keeter green menus, this lifestyle mindset can absolutely be used in our family's menus and plans and nutrients. Mighty maca, my granddaughter has been drinking it since she was two years old. Healthy adaptogens part of a lifestyle. And I'll tell you what my daughter told me last year, my youngest so she's sick, she was 16 at the time, and she goes, Mom, I'm the. Only one of my girlfriends that doesn't have period problems, like they're all having these symptoms. And I'm like, and I said, I don't have any and I'm like, I know when you're getting a little bit off balance, and I'm making you an extra keto green smoothie, adding a couple extra shots of mighty maca in there. But she was just baffled. She's like, I don't have any problems. I got bleed, nothing. I was like, yeah, thank your older sisters too

Dr. Fab Mancini: And I love it, because we do need to spend time. I mean, as you know, the statistics on our children's health has just gotten so overwhelmingly concerning to many of us that have been in healthcare for a long time, especially in the wellness movement. One last question. I know that during this period of menopause, we also have symptoms like brain fog, memory lapses, and that can be a little scary for people as they get older. We know that the statistics on dementia and Alzheimer's continue to rise extremely high and also getting younger, but from a menopausal perspective, you know, what is it that maybe you suggest, or even you do yourself, that can help you keep your mind sharp, keep your spirit high, and, more importantly, keep that confidence, that as you get older, hey, you still got it together.

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah, yeah. And it really does come into this entire one of the reasons I created my program is because when I was in my 40s, going through that second perimenopause or menopause journey, I had brain fog, mood swings, irritability, and, I mean, I basically couldn't write an email. And to go from that to writing three best selling books. And you know, online, I love to teach and educate. This makes a huge difference. So following the Keto green method, focusing on alkalinity, focusing on intermittent fasting, getting into ketosis, which is like jet fuel compared to glucose, which is like gasoline to the brain. Like get into that periodically and be there all the time. We want that flexibility. We need those feast days. Y'all, I'm a chef, and my mom was a baker, so I have very much biased. But, you know, we need that flexibility. So get into ketosis. It is brain, you know, it is jet fuel for the brain. And this is where hormones, the research looking at women's brains and MRI imaging done by Dr Lisa Moscone out in New York. She looked at, you know, using estrogen, they haven't had progesterone as part of these studies. It's funded by, you know, a to look at estrogen. And we know that estrogen improves brain function, nitric oxide production and estrogen, and I believe progesterone is necessary for gluconeogenesis. So when it decreases, declines as we age. Our brain is basically suffocating. So by switching from glucose to ketones, game changing, by adding progesterone and pregnenolone and the estrogen game changing, and that is protective, that is neuroprotective. And you know, in looking at brain function studies and bioidentical progesterone out of Emory, my alma mater, I mean, there was sufficient evidence using bioidentical progesterone to even heal from traumatic brain injury significantly faster.

Dr. Fab Mancini: Well, this has been so amazing. Thank you so much for being always so genuine and candid with your answers and your knowledge. I know that many of you that are listening to me right now, if you go to the chat right now, you will see a link right there where you can access Dr Anna directly and also even get a special discount that she was gracious enough to send to us, that if you just type the word fab on checkout, you can actually get a discount. The products are amazing. I can tell you from experience, and I take them myself, because when we had you speak at our mentorship, I mean, everybody just fell in love with everything you talked about. And this is one of the things that I can tell you, you will too. These are things that are extremely made with not only a lot of knowledge and science, but a lot of love, a lot of love. And that, I believe, shows every time you speak, you always show that you really care. And this is a topic that, as you know, is an important topic. Women's Health is such an important topic. Menopause is one that, as I mentioned earlier, doesn't get discussed often enough, especially in conversations, but it needs to. It needs to have its rightful place, and it needs to be something that we don't need to fear, especially today, with a new science coming in all of this functional medicine testing that is available to us right now, and more importantly, using the source of food as our new medicine to be able to diminish or get rid of most of the symptoms that are being associated right now, negatively to menopause. So any last minute words you would like to leave us with?

Dr. Anna Cabeca: Yeah. You know, and you know, menopause is not a time to shut down. It's a time to open up. I care, I like am more adventurous and more creative, and I want all of you to feel that more at home in your body and in love with yourself in a not conceited way, but a completely compassionate kind way. I mean, that is our potential, and that is the gift and the magic in menopause. So that's so true. I want to tell your audience too. So it's Dr anna.com forward slash fab, and use the discount code that should populate your discount code fab, because you're fabulous anyway. So fab should add that discount code to anything in our store. But we also gave you guys a second link to our special Summer of Love, extended it for your audience, and they get a free like for getting a tuba jova. They get my free all things be 190 something page eBook on all those important areas they dive deep into because, again, vaginal health is essential for life, you guys, and sexual health not just about sex, right? This is so important for longevity, and we know that so and they'll get the if you get the tuba jova for just buying the tuba jova, you'll also get free my new intimate moisturizer, which is an aloe vera hyaluronan blend. So sending that to you guys free, so at that link, so definitely take advantage of that while it's a limited offer. So yeah, and I just really do want to encourage everyone again, the power is within each of us to take charge of our health and focus on those good relationships. Thank you fab for having me on I appreciate

Dr. Fab Mancini: Oh, thank you. Thank you, Dr Anna, and thank you everybody for showing and being part of this. I hope that you got tremendous value. And please share this with as many people as you can, because that way we can all help each other. It's a lot of questions, a lot of misconceptions, a lot of things that people need to understand so that way they can look at this one thing called menopause and not be intimidated or even afraid of it. In fact, they should embrace it and even look forward to it, because it could be potentially a great experience for everyone that may go through it. So God bless you, and thank you so much. And thanks, Dr Anna, see you soon.