The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by consultant gynaecologist Mr Osama Naji for a reassuring and practical conversation about one of the most common concerns women have when starting HRT, bleeding. Together, they explain why bleeding can happen, when it is a normal response to changing hormones and when it may need further investigation. They also discuss the common causes of unscheduled...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by US-based OB-GYN Dr Jordan Emont to explore why so many women are still being denied hormones, despite clear evidence of their benefits. They discuss the ongoing fear and misinformation surrounding body identical hormones, the confusion with synthetic hormones used in contraception and why this is leaving many women unsupported. Louise and Jordan also...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by physician and author Dr Jeffrey Dach, who is the founder and Medical Director of the TrueMedMD Clinic in Florida and author of numerous books including Bioidentical Hormones 101. Together, Louise and Jeffrey challenge some of the biggest myths surrounding hormone treatments, including the long-standing fear around breast cancer and the lasting damage...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by therapist SaraWitter who shares her deeply personal and shocking experience of being menopausal as a child. Sara describes how she lost most of her ovarian function at just 10 years old following surgery for large dermoid cysts, and the long-lasting impact this had on her physical and mental health. Despite years of symptoms including extreme fatigue,...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by model and author Rosie Viva, who speaks openly about her experience of living with bipolar disorder, something she also explores in her book, Completely Normal and Totally Fine. Rosie shares her journey to diagnosis in her early twenties, the challenges of being misunderstood, and the reality of finding the right treatment. Together, Louise and Rosie...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by mental health nurses Jayne and Diane to discuss the often overlooked role of hormones in women’s mental health. Drawing on their experience working in mental health services, they share how hormonal changes are rarely considered when women present with symptoms such as anxiety, depression or mood changes. As a result, many women are given psychiatric...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by consultant psychiatrist Dr Gareth Jarvis to explore the important, and often overlooked, connection between hormones and mental health.   Louise and Gareth discuss how hormonal changes can often contribute to depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and severe mental illnesses. They also explore why psychiatrists are rarely trained to consider hormones...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by journalist and author Joe Warner to discuss his new book exploring menopause from a partner’s perspective. It’s called “Burning Up, Frozen Out: What Every Man Needs to Know About the Menopause (But No One Told You)” Louise and Joe explore how hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can often affect mood, cognition, sexual function and emot...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by urologist, educator and hormone health advocate Dr Kelly Casperson to challenge some of the most persistent myths surrounding testosterone and women’s health. Drawing on both clinical experience and scientific evidence, they explore why testosterone is not just a “male hormone”, but an important hormone for women too, influencing brain health, energy,...

In this episode for Endometriosis Awareness Month, Dr Louise Newson is joined by author and women’s health advocate Evelyn Scott to share her personal experience of living with endometriosis, a condition affecting one in ten women that remains widely misunderstood, under-recognised and frequently dismissed. Together, Louise and Evelyn explore why endometriosis is not simply a gynaecological condit...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and leading advocate for improving recognition of cardiovascular disease in women. Despite being the number one cause of death globally, heart disease in women remains underdiagnosed, misunderstood and frequently misattributed to anxiety or stress. Together, they explore how differences in symptoms between men and women...

Content advisory: this episode contains themes of metal health and suicidality In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr MarkHorowitz, who is a psychiatrist, researcher and world-leading expert in psychiatric medication withdrawal and deprescribing. Mark is also the lead author of the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and co-founder of Outro Health, the only virtual clinic in the United St...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Professor Mary Ryan, Consultant Endocrinologist, Adjunct Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin and author of It’s Probably Your Hormones.  Together, they explore why hormones are far more than just “reproductive messengers”, and how they influence almost every system in the body, including the brain, immune system, metabolism, bones and cardio...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Professor Robert Lufkin, physician, medical school professor and author, to explore how inflammation and metabolic dysfunction lie at the heart of many of today’s chronic diseases. They discuss why conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia and mental illness are often treated as separate problems, when in reality they share the same...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by urologist and sexual medicine specialist Prof Mohit Khera to talk about testosterone in women and why it remains one of the most misunderstood and underused hormones in medicine. They explore how sexual dysfunction is rarely an individual problem, why treating only one partner can create new difficulties, and why testosterone should be seen as part of...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined once again by journalist, author and friend Kate Muir to reflect on where the menopause conversation really stands.  From the science behind body-identical hormones to the deep frustrations of outdated medical thinking, this is a wide-ranging conversation about what women are still being denied, why fear continues to shape healthcare and what happens whe...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Jain monks and filmmakers Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti to discuss their new docuseries, Balance , which follows their personal experiences of perimenopause and exposes how women’s hormonal health has been overlooked for generations. As the only UK doctor featured in the series, Louise reflects on why these stories matter, the injustices w...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson sits down with GP and lifestyle medicine lead Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi to talk about the everyday habits that shape long-term health. Hussain shares his own story of being diagnosed with fatty liver disease and high blood pressure in his twenties, and how facing that reality pushed him to rethink movement, food, relationships and even how he coped with stress. Togeth...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson speaks with longevity expert and patient advocate Leslie Kenny about health span, inflammation and why prevention matters more than ever. Leslie shares her experience of being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus in her late thirties and being told there was nothing she could do. Rather than accepting this, she explored lifestyle, immune health and inflam...

As 2025 comes to a close, Dr Louise Newson reflects on the progress that’s been made this year, as well as the ongoing frustration of knowing too many women are still not being listened to or supported. Drawing on what she sees in her clinic, through research and in conversations with women and clinicians around the world, she asks whether things are truly progressing or whether we’re going back i...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson and Dr Rebecca Lewis discuss the role of hormone education in modern clinical practice and why so many women are still affected by gaps in training.  Drawing on their years of running a large menopause clinic and developing educational resources for healthcare professionals, they reflect on what clinicians are taught, what’s missing and how that affects diagnosis,...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by her daughter Jessica for a very personal conversation about living with chronic migraine, PMDD and the long journey toward feeling well again. Jessica talks openly about the years of debilitating symptoms, the medications that helped (and those that didn’t), the impact on her studies and music, and the frustration of not being fully heard in medical c...

In this conversation, Dr Louise Newson sits down with Matt Jones, Managing Director of Balance app, for an honest look at how a simple idea grew into a global tool supporting over a million women. They talk about the real stories behind the app, the messages from women who feel unheard, the gaps in medical care regarding hormones and why accessible, trustworthy information can make such a differen...

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by urologist and sexual medicine specialist Dr Rachel Rubin for a clear look at how hormonal changes can often worsen both urinary and vaginal health. The conversation examines why recurrent urinary tract infections are so common in women, how prevention with vaginal hormones is often overlooked and what current evidence shows about the safety and effect...

Every day we hear from women whose symptoms are being misdiagnosed, which makes Penny Lancaster’s story hit close to home. She talks with Dr Louise Newson about the months she spent thinking she was depressed, the antidepressants she was offered in lockdown and the moment she realised her symptoms were linked to menopause. They touch on a bigger cultural shift too. Menopause is being mentioned mor...