The New Science of Perimenopause: HRT, Brain Changes & What Actually Works | Dr. Mary Claire Haver | #178

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (0:00)

From all of the metabolic chaos that happens during the menopause transition, we see an expansion from 7% to 10% of our visceral fat, which is a healthy level, and it goes up well above 20%. Just from going to menopause, no changes in diet and exercise.

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:11)

World expert on perimenopause, menopause, and all things midlife, Dr. Mary Claire Haver with us today.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (0:18)

We got 1.2 million articles for pregnancy, about 100,000 for menopause. So for perimenopause, we're sitting right now at about 9,000. There's not a single large-scale randomized controlled study for the treatment of perimenopause.

Dr. Vonda Wright (0:30)

There is no definition of perimenopause. It can start as early as mid-30s when women just don't feel like themselves.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (0:37)

The first symptoms in perimenopause are the brain having to respond, react, cope with this complete remodeling. Because to make us better on the other end, during this process is where we see the brain fog, the sleep disruption, the mental health challenges, or the, I just don't feel like myself and I can't put my finger on it. All women who go through menopause who have low estradiol levels, they will lose bone. This is non-negotiable.

Dr. Vonda Wright (1:01)

We don't think about it largely until we're approaching it like 70, 80 But really, what you and I both say is the time to approach it is now.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (1:09)

Whatever that is for you, it's now.

Dr. Vonda Wright (1:10)

Now, not yesterday, now, today.

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People, I could not be more thrilled about right now because I have one of the world's most generous, the most knowledgeable, one of my best friends, world expert on perimenopause, menopause, and all things midlife, Dr. Mary Claire Haver with us today. And I just love having you. You probably won't remember this, but it was so meaningful to me. When I started into this lane, you were already making big headways on TikTok and really educating the world. And it was five years ago or something. And you were doing a live on Instagram and I popped in. And this is just your kindness and generosity. You're like, oh my God, people, Vonda Wright is here. We're gonna talk about bones or something. And that is just so, I'm just giving you a shout out. People, we have all learned from Mary Claire Haver that there is no room for mean girls or scarcity mindset when it comes to anything particularly doing with women in midlife who are suffering. And we have all just got to band together. And you, in so many ways, you are the leader in this space, but you are the leader in generosity of sharing and have been that way. So we're all riding your coattails. And I'm thrilled to have you today. If people don't know you, which I can't imagine, you are a board certified OB-GYN, menopause certified, you're faculty at University of Texas Medical Branch. You have your own clinics and a global brand having to do with The Pause Life. How do we navigate this part of life? And people will remember your prolific writing first with The Galveston Diet, then in the continuing bestselling book, The New Menopause, which you don't know this Mary Claire, but every time a woman walks into my office, I write notes for them. It slows the visit down so that they have time to digest what I'm saying. And I will write, okay, and if you need the information, you go pick up Mary Claire Haver's The New Menopause. I'm writing it.

Everybody.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (3:44)

I have your book on the desk.

Dr. Vonda Wright (3:46)

Everybody.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (3:48)

And I hold it up for the time, like screenshot this right now.

Dr. Vonda Wright (3:51)

And take it.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver (3:52)

Take a picture so that you know what the book is to get. Because in our clinic, we put out the fire of menopause, right? They come in usually heavily symptomatic. They've lost control of their day-to-day life. They're like, they've lost their resilience, their suffering. And we very quickly, for the vast majority of patients, can give that back to them, right? But then we start plotting out the next 30 years, right? So then we're like, how did the women in your family age?

Did they suffer from dementia? Did they suffer from diabetes? Did they, you know, what did the last 10 years of the older women in your generation look like? And we start saying how, you know, what are the steps we need to take? What can you implement now to decrease that risk as you move forward? I mean, genetics are genetics, but we have a bigger lever than we ever realized we can control. And that's where I just pick up Unbreakable.