The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE **The Estrogen Shortage Survival Guide for Women**
Can't get your usual estrogen patch? Don't panic. You have options!
In this free guide, hormone specialist Karen Martel breaks down the different estrogen delivery methods, including patches, creams, gels, oils, and injections. Learn how they compare, understand approximate dosing equivalents, and discover what to ask your doctor before making a switch. Plus, get practical tips for navigating the estrogen shortage so you can stay on track with your hormone therapy and avoid unnecessary disruptions.
 
Imagine finally getting your HRT dialed in, feeling good again, walking into the pharmacy for your refill...
And being told your estrogen patch is out of stock.
That is exactly what happened to me, and I am definitely not the only one.
Women across North America are suddenly finding themselves calling multiple pharmacies, being switched to different patch brands, being offered oral estrogen, or wondering if they are about to be forced to go without the hormone therapy that has been keeping their symptoms under control.
But before you panic, there is something important you need to know:
You have options.
In this episode, I am breaking down what is happening with the estrogen patch shortage, why two patches containing the exact same estradiol dose can feel completely different, and what women need to understand before switching from one form of estrogen to another.
We also get into one of the most confusing parts of HRT: why the numbers on a patch, cream, gel, oil, or other estrogen product can look wildly different even when they are being used for similar purposes.
And then we go into a much bigger conversation about estrogen delivery itself.
Because swallowing estrogen, wearing estrogen, applying estrogen to the skin, and using other delivery methods are not necessarily doing the exact same thing inside your body.
If your pharmacy has already told you your patch is unavailable, or you simply want to understand your backup options before this happens to you, this episode is one you will want to save.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
Why estrogen patches are suddenly becoming harder to find
What the recent increase in HRT demand may mean for women
Why one estrogen patch can feel completely different from another
What actually determines how a patch delivers estradiol
Why the adhesive itself may matter more than you realize
Commercially manufactured versus compounded estrogen
Why compounded does not automatically mean better or worse
What women need to understand before changing estrogen delivery methods
Why comparing the milligrams on two estrogen products can be extremely misleading
The differences between patches, gels, creams, oils, sprays, injections, and oral estrogen
Why some women absorb certain forms of estrogen better than others
Why oral estradiol behaves differently once it reaches the liver
The estrogen metabolite almost nobody talks about
What SHBG and thyroid-binding proteins have to do with estrogen therapy
Why route of administration may matter for cardiovascular and clotting risk
What questions to ask your provider if your usual patch disappears
How to create a backup plan before you are scrambling at the pharmacy
 
 
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Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, and British Columbia Canada with the ability to prescribe Glp1s, bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
Book your FREE Hormone Strategy Call.
Visit the website.
Visit the Midlife Solutions Shop
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
Progesterone
Estrogen Face Cream
Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Is Your HRT Optimized? Find out, download the FREE guide here.
Inside, you'll learn how to look at HRT through the bigger picture of symptoms, labs, and clinical response, with easy-to-understand reference pages for estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone.
Join The Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program TODAY for as low as $150/month!
Join Midlife RESET HRT Program: A complete, supportive approach to peptides and hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
Your host: Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
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Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes.
Today's clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations.
If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below.
Listen to the full episode here.
We talk constantly about eating more protein in midlife.
But here is the question we do not ask nearly enough:
Is your body actually getting what it needs from that protein?
Because there is a big difference between eating protein, digesting protein, getting enough of the right amino acids, and actually giving your body what it needs to maintain muscle as you age.
And this becomes especially important in perimenopause and menopause, when preserving muscle already starts getting harder.
In this clip you will hear from the episode, with Angelo Keely, co-founder and CEO of Kion, where we get into something I realized I did not understand nearly as well as I thought I did: essential amino acids.
We break down what amino acids actually are, why some proteins are considered "complete" while others are not, why collagen does not count the way many women think it does, and why protein quality may matter just as much as the number of grams you are tracking.
Then we get into the part I think is especially important for midlife women: what happens when you are dieting, using a GLP-1, struggling to eat enough protein, or simply noticing that maintaining muscle is getting harder than it used to be.
There are some very surprising pieces of research in this conversation that completely changed the way I think about protein supplementation.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
What amino acids actually are and why your body needs them

The difference between essential and non-essential amino acids

Why not all protein sources are created equal

What actually makes a protein "complete"

Why collagen may not count toward your protein goals the way you think

Animal protein versus plant protein

Whey protein versus essential amino acids

Why the amount of protein you needed in your 20s may not be enough anymore

What happens to muscle when you are not getting enough amino acids

Why calorie restriction can make muscle preservation much harder

The GLP-1 and muscle-loss conversation women need to understand

A fascinating piece of NASA research on amino acids and muscle

Why leucine gets so much attention

Why BCAAs are not the same thing as a complete essential amino acid formula

Amino acids, hormones, neurotransmitters, mood, hair, skin, and nails

When to take amino acids for the greatest benefit

Pre-workout versus post-workout versus between meals

Whether amino acids can be combined with protein, collagen, electrolytes, and other supplements

What to look for when choosing an amino acid product

 
Sponsors
Get 20% off your Cozy Earth Bed Sheet with coupon code HORMONES
 
Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
 
Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call
Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.
 
Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com
 
Shop the Midlife Solutions Store 
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen Face Cream
• Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Take the Hormone Quiz
Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms.
Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).
 
Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program
Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.
 
Midlife RESET HRT Program
A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

Most women enter perimenopause thinking about hot flashes, weight gain, sleep, brain fog, and hormones.
Very few are told that this may also be one of the most important cardiovascular windows of their lives.
And that is a problem.
Heart disease remains the number one killer of women, yet women are still being underdiagnosed, dismissed, and evaluated using systems that were largely built around male cardiovascular disease.
In this episode, I sit down with preventative cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum to talk about what women actually need to understand about their hearts in perimenopause and menopause.
We get into the surprising signs that may tell you more about your cardiovascular health than you realize, why looking healthy does not necessarily mean your arteries are healthy, and why the standard cholesterol panel may not be giving you the full picture.
We also have a very important conversation about estrogen, HRT, cholesterol, inflammation, blood sugar, hot flashes, family history, pregnancy history, and why simply putting on an estrogen patch is not the same thing as protecting your heart.
This is one of those episodes I want every woman to hear before she assumes, "I'm healthy. I exercise. My heart is probably fine."
Because there may be things happening beneath the surface long before you ever develop obvious cardiovascular disease.
In This Episode, We Talk About:
Why heart disease in women is still so often missed
Why women can look incredibly healthy and still be at risk
The cardiovascular clues hidden in your pregnancy history
A genetic cholesterol marker many women have never had tested
Why your standard LDL number may not tell the whole story
The additional blood markers Dr. Steinbaum wants women asking for
The surprising connection between hot flashes and cardiovascular risk
What starts changing in the arteries during perimenopause
Why palpitations, shortness of breath, and subtle chest symptoms deserve attention
How declining estrogen may affect cardiovascular health
Why HRT is important but not a free pass
The mistake of assuming estrogen alone protects you from heart disease
Why some commonly used cardiovascular tests may miss disease in women
The type of plaque that can be especially important in female heart disease
Why cardiovascular prevention needs to become far more personalized
The controversy around LDL, ApoB, and statins
Why Dr. Steinbaum does not treat numbers in isolation
The cardiovascular tests she believes women should know about
Why perimenopause may be the moment to start paying much closer attention
 
Visit Dr. Steinbaum's website.
 
 
Sponsors
Timeline is offering up to 30% off your first order of Mitopure. Gummies. Go to timeline.com/HORMONE use coupon HORMONE
Order your LMNT electrolytes today and get a FREE 8 pack of samples! Plus try it risk free, they have a no-questions-asked refund policy – you don't even have to send it back!
Shop Midlife Hormone Creams
 
 
Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
 
Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call
Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.
 
Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com
 
Shop the Midlife Solutions Store
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen Face Cream
• Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Take the Hormone Quiz
Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms.
Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).
 
Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program
Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.
 
Midlife RESET HRT Program
A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes.
Today's clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations.
If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below.
Listen to the full episode here.
Listen to the full episode on iTunes here.
This week we're exploring the intricacies of hormonal health and nutrition for women over 40, including the delicate balance between diet, exercise, and hormones. Joining us is nutrition expert Philip Pape, and together we debunk diet myths and provide personalized strategies to maintain energy, muscle mass, and metabolic health. We also discuss the transformative power of body recomposition and provide actionable advice for fine-tuning workout routines to thrive post-40.
In this episode:
The importance of midlife as a pivotal time for women's health due to the interaction of hormones and nutrition.
What strategies for carbs, proteins, and fats can optimize women's health post-40.
Why the "eat less, move more" mantra is flawed.
Strategies for managing calorie intake amid hormonal changes to conserve muscle mass and energy.
How strength training for insulin resistance provides benefits from focusing on carbohydrates and muscle maintenance.
How body recomposition transforms health in midlife.
The role of nutrient timing in fitness, such as the importance of salt, carbs, and protein for workouts.
What metrics can be used to track progress rather than just the scale.
Why efficient workout routines are more impactful than spending long hours in the gym.
Success stories that reveal the harmony between nutrition and weightlifting leading to health transformations.
Why protein gradually becomes more important as women age.
The use of 3D body scanning apps for tracking fitness progress as technology aids in monitoring changes.
Why electrolyte balance is crucial, and the role of salt in health and performance.
How aggressive calorie deficits with refeed days can preserve muscle.
 
Visit Philip's website here.
 
 
Sponsors
Get 30% off your COZY EARTH order Oct 5th-11th with coupon code HORMONES
 
 
Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
 
Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call
Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.
 
Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com
 
Shop the Midlife Solutions Store
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen Face Cream
• Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Take the Hormone Quiz
Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms.
Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).
 
Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program
Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.
 
Midlife RESET HRT Program
A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE GUIDE "IS YOUR HRT OPTIMIZED!" https://karenmartel.com/blogs/health/is-your-hrt-actually-optimized
Yesterday morning, I sat up in bed and somehow threw my neck out.
That was it.
I did not fall. I did not lift anything heavy. I did not have some dramatic injury.
I literally sat up.
And if you are somewhere in your 40s or 50s, there is a very good chance you have your own version of this story.
Your shoulder suddenly stops moving properly. Your back goes out doing something completely ordinary. Your knees start aching. Your Achilles is angry. Your elbow hurts for no apparent reason. Workouts you used to recover from easily suddenly leave you sore for days.
And you start wondering...
What is happening to my body?
There is actually a name now being used for what many women experience through this transition, and once you understand what is happening underneath the surface, a lot of these seemingly random aches, injuries, and changes start to make a whole lot more sense.
In this episode, I am breaking down the overlooked connection between perimenopause, menopause, hormones, inflammation, muscle, connective tissue, recovery, and pain.
We are also getting into frozen shoulder, why the same workout can suddenly affect you differently than it did five years ago, what HRT may or may not have to do with it, and the other major midlife factors that could be quietly making everything worse.
Because no, you are not imagining it.
But the answer is also not as simple as, "Well, you are getting older."
In This Episode, We Talk About:
The surprising reason joint and muscle pain becomes so common in midlife
A newly recognized menopause syndrome most women have never heard of
Why frozen shoulder seems to show up at exactly this stage of life
What changing hormones may be doing to your joints, tendons, and connective tissue
Why your body may suddenly stop tolerating the same physical stress
The overlooked role of muscle loss in aches, injuries, and recovery
Where testosterone fits into the conversation
Whether HRT can actually change joint and muscle pain
Why some women are still hurting even though they are already on HRT
The sleep connection that most women completely underestimate
A gut and inflammation connection you may not expect
Why what you are eating could be showing up as pain in your body
The type of exercise that becomes increasingly important after 40
Recovery tools I personally use when my body is angry
Where peptides may fit into the conversation
The signs that your pain may have nothing to do with menopause at all
 
Products discussed:
Kion Aminos
Kino Red Light Band
 
 
Sponsors
Get 15% off She Sleeps and/or Progest Sleep Oil with coupon code SLEEPS15.
Try Vitali Skin Care vitaliskincare.com/?ref=KM20
use coupon KM20 to get 20% off your order!
BEAM: Use coupon code HORMONE for 20% off your order.
 
 
Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve?
At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.
 
Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call
Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.
 
Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com
 
Shop the Midlife Solutions Store
Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed.
Including:
• Progesterone
• Estrogen Face Cream
• Vaginal Moisturizer
and more!
 
Take the Hormone Quiz
Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms.
Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).
 
Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program
Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.
 
Midlife RESET HRT Program
A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.
 
Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert
 
Karen's Facebook
Karen's Instagram