MORE BLOG POSTS — Hormones
GLP-1 Medications After 40: Why Some Women Thrive… and Others Feel Stuck
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
GLP-1 medications are everywhere right now. Friends are talking about them. Social media is celebrating them. Primary care offices are prescribing them at record rates. And yes, some women are losing a significant amount of weight. But here’s what I’m also seeing. Women over 40 who are losing less than expected. Women who drop weight quickly and then plateau. Women who feel weaker instead of stronger. Women watching the scale fall while their energy falls with it. And they’re confused — because this was supposed to be the solution. If only. It’s true that medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide are powerful appetite-regulating tools....
How to Find a Skilled Practitioner for Bioidentical Hormone Therapy
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
If you’re considering bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), finding the right practitioner matters just as much as the therapy itself. BHRT isn’t just about writing a prescription. It’s about understanding physiology, timing, metabolism, delivery methods, and how your body uniquely processes hormones. The wrong provider can leave you under-dosed, over-dosed, or simply confused. Here’s how to find someone who actually knows what they’re doing. 1. Look for the Right Training (Not Just the Right Letters) A general OB/GYN or primary care doctor can prescribe hormones, but that doesn’t mean they’re deeply trained in nuanced BHRT management. Look for practitioners with additional education...
Which Test is Best: The Proper Way to Get Accurate Female Hormone Test Results
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
One of the most common questions I’m asked is how to properly get baseline levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—and even more importantly, how to monitor those levels once bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) has been started.If you’re confused, you’re not alone. This topic stumps many health care practitioners as well. Hormones don’t behave in neat little boxes. They fluctuate. They bind. They convert. They exit stage left when you least expect it. But here’s the truth: BHRT can be both safe and effective when it’s properly dosed and thoughtfully monitored. The key is using the right test at the right...
A Commonly Overlooked Reason BHRT Sometimes Doesn’t Work
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
Last week, I received a call from a compounding pharmacy with a very apologetic pharmacist on the other end. After taking a closer look, he realized they had been filling one of my patient’s hormone prescriptions incorrectly—for six months. That explained a lot. This patient had been doing everything right. She applied her hormones consistently and correctly. She completed appropriate testing at regular intervals. Yet her symptoms never fully resolved, and her lab results never quite matched what they should have been showing. Even as I adjusted her doses, it felt like we were chasing our tails. As it turned...
Our Sentence is Finally Over
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
Freedom from Menopause Prison After 25 years Menopausal women rejoice! We’ve finally been unshackled. All that unnecessary suffering-- navigating hot flashes, weight gain, brain fog, and that stubborn fatigue that makes you feel like gum on the bottom of a shoe—was completely unnecessary. For more than two decades, women have been denied release from “menopause prison”—told it was safer to stay locked in even while the key dangled inches from our fingers. But now, twenty-five long years later, the cell doors have finally swung open. On November 10, 2025, the FDA announced it will remove the black-box warning—the most severe caution...