Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: Menopause, Midlife, and More

Many women are highly motivated to manage their hot flashes without hormones, drugs or sketchy herbs and spices.  But before investing in a pricey cooling device or signing up for a year’s worth of unlimited yoga, it helps to know what works—and what doesn’t. This is part two of a three-parter on non-hormonal strategies to treat vasomotor symptoms. Part one, Episode 84, included non-hormonal presc...

It is beyond unfair that when someone with menstrual migraines is finally heading into menopause and no longer must worry about monthly migraines, those same women often experience an uptick in frequency of headaches due to the peri menopausal hormone roller coaster.  In this episode, Dr. Streicher discusses:  The relationship between hormones and migraine headaches Why birth control pills are oft...

The 2023 Menopause Society  (NAMS) position statement regarding the non-hormonal treatment of Vasomotor Symptoms- hot flashes and night sweats- was just released. Position statements are expert analyses of current studies in order to determine recommendations based on science, as opposed to what the latest Tik Tok star or celebrity is promoting. Because new studies are constantly being published,...

An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia and woman are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease as men.    So does hormone therapy increase the risk of Alzheimers, decrease the risk or have no effect? That question has been in the news this last week because of a new study that suggests that hormone therapy increases the risk..a finding that is exactly opposite...

In this episode, I sit down with menopause maven Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor of Ob-Gyn at Yale University, to discuss articles published in the most recent edition of Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society. We discuss the following 5 articles*:  Treating where it hurts—a randomized comparative trial of vestibule estradiol for postmenopausal dyspareunia Goetsc...

It is no longer unusual for a woman to live well into her 80s or 90s, allowing for multiple career chapters.  Today, my guest is 80-year-old former Playboy Bunny, actor, and author Kathryn Leigh Scott.  Kathryn Leigh Scott is best known as the actor who was the leading lady of NBCs Dark Shadow, the gothic vampire drama that is now a cult classic.  In this episode, we discuss what keeps someone you...

Your progesterone questions…Answered!  If estrogen is the good witch, for a lot of women, progesterone is the bad witch that causes bloating, weight gain, and moodiness. Some types of progestogens may also increase the risk of breast cancer.  In this episode, I am going to go through the good, the bad, and all the options when it comes to protecting your uterus when using systemic estrogen therapy...

As a sexual medicine expert, I interact with people every day who are confused, mystified, and often put off by the very idea that someone does not define themselves by the sex they were assigned at birth. My guest is Rae McDaniel - a non-binary therapist, certified sex therapist, transgender diversity and inclusion educator, and the author of Gender Magic- Live Shamelessly, Reclaim Your Joy and s...

This episode was prompted by the following question: “Will hormone therapy help with emotional lability, dysthymia, and crying jags? “   In this episode, I discuss:  How common it is to have depressive symptoms during perimenopause The difference between depressive symptoms and depression The difference between cognitive symptoms and mood symptoms  The psychosocial impact of perimenopause on mood...

This week the FDA approved FEZOLINETANT, a new NON-HORMONAL drug to get rid of HOT FLASHES . In this episode I am going to start by reviewing the science behind a hot flash, then move on to how this new drug works, how well it works and the side effects. And then, the big question:  “Is fezolinetant the way to go, or is hormone therapy the way to go?” In this episode Dr. Streicher reviews:  The SC...

Imagine an art installation composed of 400 casts of vulvas -a sea of white plaster labia that stretches across an entire wall. An installation that is provocative, and beautiful, but also celebrates genital diversity and is a powerful antidote to genital anxiety. Meet Jamie McCartney, the artist behind The Great Wall of Vulva!  We discuss: How Jaimie came to start casting vulvas The insecurity bo...

New York Times health writer, Jancee Dunn, is a connoisseur when it comes to writing about cutting-edge research and scientific information. Her articles and books are based on exhaustive interviews with multiple experts, yet she manages to make them read like edgy sitcoms. Her new book, Hot and Bothered: What No One Tells You About Menopause and How to Feel Like Yourself Again is anything but dry...

Today is day 5 of Question-and-Answer week. I am answering questions that have come in through my website, drstreicher.com , my newsletter, or social media.  Today’s question:  “I am 70 years old and would like to start hormone therapy since my understanding is that it will help with cognitive function. But I can’t get anyone to give me a prescription. What do you think? “   In this episode I disc...

Q and A Week!  Today is Day 4 of Question-and-Answer week.  I am answering your questions that have come in through my website, drstreicher.com/podcast , and my newsletter.                                                 Today’s Question  "What's the scoop on the O-Shot? Is it a viable option for women having a difficulty with orgasm?"    In this episode I discuss:  Why women have difficulty with...

Q and A Week!  Today is Day 2 of Question-and-Answer week.  I am answering your questions that have come in through my website, drstreicher.com/podcast , and my newsletter.                                                     Today’s Question  “I have uterine fibroids. My periods finally stopped.  But now I have terrible hot flashes. I am interested in hormone therapy, but I am worried. Will taking...

Q and A Week!  Today is Day 1 of Question-and-Answer week.  I am answering your questions that have come in through my website, drstreicher.com/podcast , and my newsletter.                                                      Today’s Question  “I started taking estrogen when I was 48 after my hysterectomy. I love my estrogen gel and feel great. But I have been on it for 6 years and my gynecologist...

Essentially all women eventually enter menopause, and while most end up not taking hormones to treat their symptoms, they at least have the option to do so. Women with a breast cancer diagnosis, on the other hand, generally don’t have the same choices at their disposal and are told, or assume, they are not candidates for estrogen therapy. Millions of women are expected to just put up with hot flas...

The annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, otherwise known as ISSWSH, is a medical conference where sexual medicine and menopause experts gather to present research and educate other health care professionals. At this year’s meeting, I decided to grab some of those world-renowned EXPERTS on the fly and ask them the following 4 questions:  “Of all of the...

Today I am talking to Dr. Melissa Simon. Dr. Simon served on the US Preventative Services Task Force Recommendation Committee (USPSTF), the government organization that shapes public policy and sets recommendations followed by doctors all over the country. So, when your doctor says you only need a Pap test every 3 years and that you no longer need a Pap test at all after age 65,  it is based on th...

In the United States, there are 10 million women with OSTEOPOROSIS and 43 million women with OSTEOPENIA . Most of these women do not know they are at risk for a potential life-changing or even fatal fracture.  My guest is Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri, an internist with a specialty and expertise in women’s bone health. This topic is in 2 parts. If you haven’t already, please start with Part 1, Episode...

In the United States, there are 10 million women with OSTEOPOROSIS and 43 million women with OSTEOPENIA . Most of these women have no idea that they are at risk for a potentially life-changing or even fatal fracture.  One reason for this lack of concern and lack of awareness is that osteoporosis is usually a “silent disease”. Today, I am going to break that silence. My guest is Dr. Kristi Tough De...

This is a rare opportunity to be a fly on the wall of a medical conference and hear two lectures from nationally acclaimed experts!  Melissa A. Simon, MD MPH is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and is Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is the Founder and Director of the Center for He...

Uterine cancer, also known as endometrial cancer, is the fourth most common cancer in women and the most common gynecologic cancer. 66,000  US women that are expected to be  diagnosed in 2023. Over the last fifteen years, while rates for colon, lung and other cancers have decreased, rates for uterine cancer have increased.   In this episode, Dr. Streicher covers: RISK FACTORS for uterine cancer Wh...

Every day women tell me they were blindsided when they started having perimenopause symptoms in their mid-40’s since they assumed that menopause was years, or even a decade away. And they are pretty much shocked when I tell them that mid-forties is the normal time for estrogen levels to waver, or tank all together. But imagine if you enter menopause when you are in your 20’s or 30’s?  This situati...

Consensual non-monogamy is not only more mainstream than you think but has scientifically proven relationship benefits.  My guest today is Dr. Amy Moors, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Chapman University and a Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. She is an internationally recognized expert on polyamory, swinging, and other forms of consensually non-monogamous rel...