Topic Guide
What Is Hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy is a subject covered in depth across 2 podcast episodes in our database. Below you'll find key concepts, expert insights, and the top episodes to listen to — all distilled from hours of conversation by leading experts.
Key Concepts in Hormone replacement therapy
Perimenopause as a flaming hot fire
Glennon Doyle uses this metaphor, represented by a Venn diagram of menopause, fascism, and herself, to describe the intense and overwhelming experience of her symptoms, feeling like her mind, heart, body, and life are "on fire" (00:00, 02:02).
Shriveled apple doll
This is a self-portrait Glennon uses to convey the profound loss of moisture and vitality she feels, both physically and spiritually, during menopause. It represents a shrunken, dried version of her former self, a loss that extends to her soul (11:15).
Menopause as a culling
Spiritually, Glennon views menopause as a process where the "things that never should have had to tolerate are now officially intolerable." It empowers her to shed situations, people, and cultural engagements that are no longer right for her soul (34:49).
The do not care club
Founded by the 'Madame President,' this club offers a collective space for women to consciously decide what they will no longer care about. It's presented as a liberating response to the burdens placed on women, allowing them to reject societal expectations like wearing "stilts" or "hard pants" (51:13).
Amh (anti-müllerian hormone) test
A simple blood test that estimates a woman's ovarian reserve, indicating the number of eggs remaining in the ovary. Dr. Crawford emphasizes its importance for understanding reproductive timelines, identifying potential underlying conditions (like autoimmune disease or endometriosis contributing to low AMH), and empowering women to make informed decisions about family planning or fertility preservation, regardless of whether they currently have diagnosed infertility [46:58, 52:04].
Egg quality vs. ovarian reserve
Ovarian reserve refers to the *quantity* or number of eggs a woman has remaining, which can be approximated by an AMH test. Egg quality, on the other hand, describes the *competency* of those eggs, encompassing their genetic normalcy, mitochondrial health, and proper chromosome arrangement, which is primarily influenced by chronological age and metabolic health [44:55, 46:58]. Understanding this distinction is crucial because while AMH reveals egg count, age is the primary predictor of egg quality.
What Experts Say About Hormone replacement therapy
- 1.Perimenopause and menopause symptoms are often extreme and debilitating, going beyond common understanding, as Glennon describes her mind as a "beehive" and skin as a "colony of fire ants with tiny daggers" at night (03:07).
- 2.The medical system is failing women in midlife, with "75% of women never get any treatment at all" for their symptoms (17:26).
- 3.Many doctors are uneducated about menopause, as "only one-third of residency programs in OBGYN" have standardized menopause training despite it affecting half the population for a third of their lives (37:51).
- 4.Societal values play a role, as culture values pregnant women but disregards menopausal women, viewing them as "becoming useless" (26:39).
- 5.The "Do Not Care Club" offers a spiritual culling, helping women refuse to tolerate things that are no longer right for their souls, like wearing "stilts" or "hard pants" (53:13).
- 6.Women often get menopause information from each other, not doctors, because 75% receive no treatment, leading to a conflation of "normal with acceptable" suffering (38:53).