Navigating Menopause: Insights and Strategies with Dr. Anna Cabeca
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In this episode of Midlife Conversations, I sit down with Dr. Anna Cabeca, known as the Girlfriend Doctor, to discuss the often dreaded topic of menopause. Dr. Cabeca shares her insights on how to shift the negative feelings and myths surrounding menopause and emphasizes the importance of celebrating this transition period. We delve into distinguishing between perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, and discuss the physiological changes that occur, particularly the decline in ovarian function and hormonal fluctuations. Dr. Cabeca highlights the role of hormone replenishment and addresses common concerns, including the risks associated with synthetic hormones. We also touch on the importance of lifestyle changes, such as regular movement, positive mindset, and nutrition, to support a healthy transition. Additionally, Dr. Cabecca shares her personal journey of undertaking a challenging pilgrimage, illustrating that age should not be a barrier to achieving personal goals. Join us for a deeper understanding of how to thrive through menopause and empower yourself with the right knowledge and mindset.
We are told EVERYWHERE that menopause SUCKS – like it’s a total doomsday. But…what if it doesn’t have to be that way?! What can we actually DO to make it NOT SUCK…as bad? How can we shift our experience?! We are diving deep with my dear friend Dr. Anna Cabeca aka The Girlfriend Doctor to talk ALL things menopause – from what to be aware of, what we CAN actually shift, and how we can sail through menopause while having a much more enjoyable experience. The truth is – we have another half of our life yet to live! It should be a celebration, NOT a doomsday.
What is Perimenopause, Menopause, and Postmenopause?
Perimenopause: The decade leading up to menopause. It’s the years leading up to menopause where your hormones start changing and you start noticing allllll of the changes that come with menopause.
Menopause: The term used to encompass perimenopause and menopause. But to be menopausal means you have been 12 months without a period and are designated menopausal. This is just ONE day long. Then you enter postmenopause.
Postmenopause: Everything that comes AFTER the one day you are declared to be menopausal.
What Actually Happens Physically in Menopause?
In your mid 30’s, you have less than 15% of the eggs you were born with. You have less functional hormonal cycles. You will have a decline in progesterone levels, decline in menstrual cycles, difficulty sleeping, etc. Then by the time you enter menopause, physically, the eggs you are born with as a woman, have run out.
As we are aging, not only are these hormonal changes affecting us, but we are also becoming more insulin resistant, our cortisol is being affected, and other metabolic hormones (thyroid, too!) These are the reasons we start to feel all of the things we feel.
Does Adding Hormones in Menopause Cause Cancer?
Research consistently has shown that estrogen in and of itself does not cause breast cancer. Estrogen is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Oral estrogen can increase your risk of stroke and your inflammatory markers – so you want to try to avoid oral estrogen.
What HAS shown consistently to cause breast cancers are synthetic progestins. It’s NOT the bioidentical progesterone – it’s the synthetic progestins – like in birth control pills and prescription hormones (like Provera). Synthetic progestins in any form are synthetic and not good and were shown to cause cancer. You need bioidentical progesterone, which has been shown to be safe and to NOT cause cancer.
Are BIrth Control Pills Safe in Menopause? Why Are They Prescribed?
No. They are not safe for those in puberty and they are not safe for those in menopause. They come with a high amount of risks.
It is standard for (lazy) doctors to prescribe birth control pills in menopause. Women will get put on birth control pills as the first response for their doctors. Then a few months later they will be back with new symptoms – like moodiness, depression, etc. So you go back in and get put on an SSRI for your symptoms. A few months go by, and you’ll have breakthrough bleeding, at which point they will attempt to take out your uterus and ovaries and get put on estrogen. This is a problem that will cause endless more issues. This is sad, but NOT unusual. But in any light, it is NOT the right answer for most. In fact, Dr. Anna Cabeca went from needing to do 2-3 surgeries per WEEK to doing 2-3 surgeries per YEAR in her career.
Instead, she works to reverse the need of surgery – and often has success in doing so in over 90% of her patients – by using progesterone, adrenal support, Mighty Maca, and detoxification.
It is important to note that you should NOT test your hormones if you are on birth control pills. There is no way to get an accurate hormone numbers if you are on them because you are consuming synthetics. You would want to be off of birth control for 2-3 cycles before testing for accurate numbers.
If you are currently ON birth control pills, and want to stop, you can just stop taking them. The ingredients of them are depleting other important nutrients and minerals in your body. You want to make sure to supplement these as you come off of birth control pills.
- Magnesium
- B Vitamins
- Iodine
If you need a birth control for actual birth control, you can switch to a copper IUD!
What Else Can You Do Besides HRT in Midlife to Help Slow Aging Symptoms?
While hormones are SUPER important, they actually only contribute to 10% of your overall success. The MOST important component is lifestyle:
- Are you moving your body?
- Are you getting outside?
- Are you thinking positively?
- Do you see sunrises and sunsets?
- Are you avoiding hormone disruptors?
- Are you eating clean?
- Are you detoxing?
The catch is…without the help of those hormones…although it might only be 10%…that 10% makes it A LOT harder to successfully do those other most important things! Consider them as patching holes in your buckets.
This and soooo much more information on this episode!
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