I think I’ve listened to every interview you’ve participated in on the various podcasts in the past two years. Because of my sister passing on your name I started HRT at age 58. Menopause hit me three years ago with a variety of symptoms that nobody linked to menopause. I suddenly was sleeping worse than ever, my shoulders which have chronic and irreparable injuries suddenly became intensely painful, I was tossing and turning all night, and I had so many generalized bodyaches that I didn’t used to have. And I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both my wrists. I’ve worked out hard all my life so I thought it was just payback. But after listening to your podcasts and to Dr Vonda Wright and educating myself I believe everything was linked to menopause. The sudden onset and timing was like a switch had happened and I was falling apart. And even though I have a variety of female doctors, not one of them linked the symptoms to menopause. Once I started HRT, my sleep improved and my general bodyaches disappeared. My shoulders are still very painful, but I can cope better with them. I ended up having carpal release surgery on both my wrists but maybe if I had started HRT at perimenopause I could’ve avoided that. Anyhow, I’m happy that I have at least been able to start now and reap some benefits from it. I still work out pretty hard and I wish I could find somebody who could help me figure out what’s best for my body as a woman. Most of the information out there is aimed at men as you said, and it’s hard to know if I’m doing the right things.
Thank you again for your contributions and for being a spokeswoman for all of us !
Carpal tunnel is extremely painful😖 I had it in both hands as well as trigger finger in both hands. My hand surgeon told me that it was a part of aging🤔
While I was reading this, I started feeling excited for not only my future self but also for knowing my 33-year-old daughter will be armed with the right tools as she transitions.
Lord knows I wouldn't want her to experience what I went through.
25 years of hot 🥵flashes, which by the way have finally been relieved since I started HRT in February at the age of 67 🙏🏽,
heart palpitations so bad that I would wake up during the night feeling like I couldn't breathe, but all of the cardiologists would say my heart was perfectly healthy, weight gain and visceral fat that wouldn't budge, vertigo, elevated cholesterol and blood pressure, sarcopenia, osteoporosis (I'm lifting weights now)🏋🏽♀️ insomnia, brain fog, which is also improving thanks to HRT, and the list goes on.
I'm so thankful for hopping on TikTok during covid, which is where I found Dr Mary Claire Haver and subscribed to her channel. I can't even imagine the state that I would be in right now if I hadn't come across her.
I just restarted HRT at 68 after stopping and starting for many years, thinking I needed to get off it because of the old rules about HRT of “lowest possible dose, shortest time “. I too had all those symptoms. I’m so grateful for finding Mary Clair & Kelly Casperson and the other wonderful women who are finally studying and discussing women’s health and longevity ! I’m back on HRT and intend to stay on it, and do all the other things to continue staying strong & healthy! 💪🏽
‘What we need is a new framework; one that recognizes menopause as a critical, system-wide shift. We need a model that includes hormone-informed care, sex-specific research, and personalized strategies to support women not just through midlife, but well beyond it.’
As we wait for new research, do you think the existing work can be used to build tools, awareness, and digital solutions to support women longevity?
YES YES YES. I see my internist on Tuesday and am not optimistic that my complaints will be received well. She is a good doctor, a woman my age, so I always assume she's on top of the latest news. Wrong. When I asked for a referral to a menopause doctor she wanted to know my symptoms. A reasonable question, but I felt my answer would lead to, "well let's do this instead." I'm going to print this post and take it along. Thank you.
I would find a better doctor. If she’s not inclined to be curious, you are not going to change her whole point of view. You deserve someone who cares about learning the latest science. Most MDs are conditioned to rely on what they learned in their training. You have to search for the unusual ones who seek new knowledge.
So grateful to read it today. I am 53. My mission is to be the best version of myself every day and health is the first nonnegotiable part of it. I run, hike, surf, paddleboard, teach, working on starting my speaking business and want to help with research or data analysis (I teach data analytics) to support that MOVEMENT of strengths, cognition, connection and vitality and lifestyle of optimizing based on US, women, to figure out how to thrive beyond giving birth to our beautiful people. Thank you for your voice - I commit to amplify it with my actions of bringing awareness. Let me know how I can be involved. It’s not just one day research, but it is essential to start, continue, and commit to it.
After a most desperately lost fight to save my ovaries (uterus) too ….. to stage 4 endometriosis, I sadly parted with them all in ATL. At the age of 36.
Waking after to racing heart and the dire panic of fight or flight, the nurse put an estrogen patch on and in moments… literally, my intelligent, rational brain returned. Calmness ensued. Now, at 68, my new Dr. in a small city forbids HRT because my mother had (survived) bc. My sleep deprivation is acute. I exercise like a nut, take Gabba Gabba, herb tea.. and May get 2 hours. My heart races, my brain is exhausted. I am determined to get the resources I need and return to sleep and good health. So glad for this Dr.!
Thank you for doing this work tirelessly and leaning on research and best practice. This is a time for revolution and your work is empowering women. 🙌🏻
Thank you so much for the information that you are sharing with our world.
Because of you and your information you have freely shared I have put myself on HRT and I have started to identify women in my practice who are not “WWS” but are suffering peri menopausal and menopausal symptoms, and I am endeavoring to be not only a better doctor, but a better leader in my clinic, teaching my Malagasy Team (I set up a “Robin Hood” community clinic in Madagascar in 2012) about peri menopause and menopause.
I looked for HRT in Madagascar a few weeks ago and none of the pharmacies stock it! (so I bought it from South Africa)
Thank you again.
If you and your family would ever like to travel to Madagascar please come and visit and stay with us.
Kind regards,
Jane (Wife, Mum, Generalist “Bush Medicine” Doctor trained in South Africa, Clinic Owner, CEO, Medical Director)
For those of us with fibroids, is there a way to use HRT without risking them getting larger or causing more problems? I would really love your thoughts on fibroids in general when it comes to menopause! Thank you for all you do!
Ahh yes, the longevity bros. I remember a simpler time in my life, the teenage years, when I thought what an advantage it must be to be able to pee standing up and basically anywhere. Fast forward 30+ years and I think wow, what must it be like to have basically had the same physiology since puberty, no periods, no pregnancies, no growing humans and bringing lives into the world, no complete reset of the entire ecosystem at mid-life and to be complimented and revered for their graying hair as it is so distinguished, so mature. I’ll just stop there but y’all know what I’m getting at. 🤣🤣
What are those of us that can't do HRT supposed to do? I had a massive blood clotting issue at 44 that thry never fully figured out why it happened or why I can't get off blood thinners and have been told that I can't do any kind of hormone therapy. I had a radical hysterectomy and oopherectomy along with a mass removed in March and have been reay struggling with the hormone shift since. The doctor gave me effects to help with the hot flashes but I was told that is all that can be done. Is there more I can be doing?
Do you talk about nutrient timing somewhere? I’ve been seeing a LOT about eating late for our peri -meno bodies. And melatonin and insulin correlation. Curious of your thoughts.
This piece is powerful—and so necessary. The way you name the gaps in the longevity conversation, especially around menopause and hormone health, is spot on. Female aging is not a footnote to male biology—it’s its own complex, layered experience that deserves focused research and care. Thank you for bringing clarity, science, and advocacy to a space that so often overlooks us.
I think I’ve listened to every interview you’ve participated in on the various podcasts in the past two years. Because of my sister passing on your name I started HRT at age 58. Menopause hit me three years ago with a variety of symptoms that nobody linked to menopause. I suddenly was sleeping worse than ever, my shoulders which have chronic and irreparable injuries suddenly became intensely painful, I was tossing and turning all night, and I had so many generalized bodyaches that I didn’t used to have. And I developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both my wrists. I’ve worked out hard all my life so I thought it was just payback. But after listening to your podcasts and to Dr Vonda Wright and educating myself I believe everything was linked to menopause. The sudden onset and timing was like a switch had happened and I was falling apart. And even though I have a variety of female doctors, not one of them linked the symptoms to menopause. Once I started HRT, my sleep improved and my general bodyaches disappeared. My shoulders are still very painful, but I can cope better with them. I ended up having carpal release surgery on both my wrists but maybe if I had started HRT at perimenopause I could’ve avoided that. Anyhow, I’m happy that I have at least been able to start now and reap some benefits from it. I still work out pretty hard and I wish I could find somebody who could help me figure out what’s best for my body as a woman. Most of the information out there is aimed at men as you said, and it’s hard to know if I’m doing the right things.
Thank you again for your contributions and for being a spokeswoman for all of us !
Carpal tunnel is extremely painful😖 I had it in both hands as well as trigger finger in both hands. My hand surgeon told me that it was a part of aging🤔
I still have trigger finger… there is a chart at my physiotherapist that says menopause is one of the predictors for carpal tunnel syndrome…… duh.
While I was reading this, I started feeling excited for not only my future self but also for knowing my 33-year-old daughter will be armed with the right tools as she transitions.
Lord knows I wouldn't want her to experience what I went through.
25 years of hot 🥵flashes, which by the way have finally been relieved since I started HRT in February at the age of 67 🙏🏽,
heart palpitations so bad that I would wake up during the night feeling like I couldn't breathe, but all of the cardiologists would say my heart was perfectly healthy, weight gain and visceral fat that wouldn't budge, vertigo, elevated cholesterol and blood pressure, sarcopenia, osteoporosis (I'm lifting weights now)🏋🏽♀️ insomnia, brain fog, which is also improving thanks to HRT, and the list goes on.
I'm so thankful for hopping on TikTok during covid, which is where I found Dr Mary Claire Haver and subscribed to her channel. I can't even imagine the state that I would be in right now if I hadn't come across her.
I just restarted HRT at 68 after stopping and starting for many years, thinking I needed to get off it because of the old rules about HRT of “lowest possible dose, shortest time “. I too had all those symptoms. I’m so grateful for finding Mary Clair & Kelly Casperson and the other wonderful women who are finally studying and discussing women’s health and longevity ! I’m back on HRT and intend to stay on it, and do all the other things to continue staying strong & healthy! 💪🏽
Love this! We are looking not just to survive maturity but to thrive with “strength, cognition, connection, and vitality.” Thank you, Dr Mary Claire!
Great insights Dr Haver.
‘What we need is a new framework; one that recognizes menopause as a critical, system-wide shift. We need a model that includes hormone-informed care, sex-specific research, and personalized strategies to support women not just through midlife, but well beyond it.’
As we wait for new research, do you think the existing work can be used to build tools, awareness, and digital solutions to support women longevity?
YES YES YES. I see my internist on Tuesday and am not optimistic that my complaints will be received well. She is a good doctor, a woman my age, so I always assume she's on top of the latest news. Wrong. When I asked for a referral to a menopause doctor she wanted to know my symptoms. A reasonable question, but I felt my answer would lead to, "well let's do this instead." I'm going to print this post and take it along. Thank you.
I would find a better doctor. If she’s not inclined to be curious, you are not going to change her whole point of view. You deserve someone who cares about learning the latest science. Most MDs are conditioned to rely on what they learned in their training. You have to search for the unusual ones who seek new knowledge.
So grateful to read it today. I am 53. My mission is to be the best version of myself every day and health is the first nonnegotiable part of it. I run, hike, surf, paddleboard, teach, working on starting my speaking business and want to help with research or data analysis (I teach data analytics) to support that MOVEMENT of strengths, cognition, connection and vitality and lifestyle of optimizing based on US, women, to figure out how to thrive beyond giving birth to our beautiful people. Thank you for your voice - I commit to amplify it with my actions of bringing awareness. Let me know how I can be involved. It’s not just one day research, but it is essential to start, continue, and commit to it.
After a most desperately lost fight to save my ovaries (uterus) too ….. to stage 4 endometriosis, I sadly parted with them all in ATL. At the age of 36.
Waking after to racing heart and the dire panic of fight or flight, the nurse put an estrogen patch on and in moments… literally, my intelligent, rational brain returned. Calmness ensued. Now, at 68, my new Dr. in a small city forbids HRT because my mother had (survived) bc. My sleep deprivation is acute. I exercise like a nut, take Gabba Gabba, herb tea.. and May get 2 hours. My heart races, my brain is exhausted. I am determined to get the resources I need and return to sleep and good health. So glad for this Dr.!
Thank you for doing this work tirelessly and leaning on research and best practice. This is a time for revolution and your work is empowering women. 🙌🏻
There is a serendipitous article published in the WSJ today about this same subject. Women’s health research is SO important!
Hi Bethany, can you recall the date of WSJ article. ? I get it daily. Ty!
I was told it’s in the print version out today. My sister is a research scientist and is featured in the article. Here’s a link: https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/step-aside-longevity-bros-its-time-for-the-longevity-ladies-4b53049d?st=YxSGTx&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Dear Dr Mary Clair,
I hope you are well.
Thank you so much for the information that you are sharing with our world.
Because of you and your information you have freely shared I have put myself on HRT and I have started to identify women in my practice who are not “WWS” but are suffering peri menopausal and menopausal symptoms, and I am endeavoring to be not only a better doctor, but a better leader in my clinic, teaching my Malagasy Team (I set up a “Robin Hood” community clinic in Madagascar in 2012) about peri menopause and menopause.
I looked for HRT in Madagascar a few weeks ago and none of the pharmacies stock it! (so I bought it from South Africa)
Thank you again.
If you and your family would ever like to travel to Madagascar please come and visit and stay with us.
Kind regards,
Jane (Wife, Mum, Generalist “Bush Medicine” Doctor trained in South Africa, Clinic Owner, CEO, Medical Director)
xxx
For those of us with fibroids, is there a way to use HRT without risking them getting larger or causing more problems? I would really love your thoughts on fibroids in general when it comes to menopause! Thank you for all you do!
Ahh yes, the longevity bros. I remember a simpler time in my life, the teenage years, when I thought what an advantage it must be to be able to pee standing up and basically anywhere. Fast forward 30+ years and I think wow, what must it be like to have basically had the same physiology since puberty, no periods, no pregnancies, no growing humans and bringing lives into the world, no complete reset of the entire ecosystem at mid-life and to be complimented and revered for their graying hair as it is so distinguished, so mature. I’ll just stop there but y’all know what I’m getting at. 🤣🤣
What are those of us that can't do HRT supposed to do? I had a massive blood clotting issue at 44 that thry never fully figured out why it happened or why I can't get off blood thinners and have been told that I can't do any kind of hormone therapy. I had a radical hysterectomy and oopherectomy along with a mass removed in March and have been reay struggling with the hormone shift since. The doctor gave me effects to help with the hot flashes but I was told that is all that can be done. Is there more I can be doing?
Do you talk about nutrient timing somewhere? I’ve been seeing a LOT about eating late for our peri -meno bodies. And melatonin and insulin correlation. Curious of your thoughts.
This piece is powerful—and so necessary. The way you name the gaps in the longevity conversation, especially around menopause and hormone health, is spot on. Female aging is not a footnote to male biology—it’s its own complex, layered experience that deserves focused research and care. Thank you for bringing clarity, science, and advocacy to a space that so often overlooks us.
I wonder how much the current administration’s restrictions on “DEI” will prevent the advancement of any research on women’s longevity.