We would have called this episode “What Fresh Hell is This?” but the title was already taken.

But this title also works, because when we mention perimenopause to people, we often get that confused German Shepherd head tilt and “periwhatnow?” Given that this podcast is focused around perimenopause, we wanted to make sure listeners were clear on what perimenopause actually is.

So what is it? If your periods are changing, if your moods are wonky, if every day something new happens, leaving you wondering “what fresh hell is this?” then it’s perimenopause.

Truth is, there’s no blood test or hormone level that determines perimenopause. It’s a diagnosis based on clinical judgment. And frankly, we’re less interested in the diagnosis and far more interested in helping you get through it healthfully and happily.

All that said, we do want you to understand what’s happening in your body and how what’s happening can affect mood, sleep, energy, and so much more.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

[0:00] Understanding perimenopause and its phases

[1:05] Pre-, peri-, and full menopause

• Definitions
• Diagnoses
• Blood tests

[8:04] Surgical menopause

[9:35] What your hormones are up to

[17:25] Symptoms and challenges of Peri

[20:04] My perimenopause is not your perimenopause

[30:30] Treatment approaches

[31:49] Peri’s potential impact on your quality of life

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

Why are women’s bodies and their health so poorly understood and so often ignored, especially after their best baby-making years?

Great question. The good news is, information and truth are out there. The bad news is, so is a lot of nonsense, myth, and fear-mongering. The best news is, OvaryActive exists to get you answers about your body and what it’s up to.

Drs. Amy Voedisch and Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su know a lot about women’s bodies.

Both doctors are practicing ob/gyns with years of experience and knowledge. Both are champions of and advocates for women and their health, and both are really, REALLY tired of how women of all types have traditionally been treated by the healthcare industry.

In this first episode, the docs introduce themselves, give you their credentials so you know you’re getting accurate, up-to-date information, and explain why they’ve decided to take on perimenopause in their podcast.

If you have questions, if there are women in your life you care about (including yourself), if you want to enter perimenopause and menopause armed to protect your present and future health, listen, subscribe, rate, review, and share.

What you’ll hear:

[0:25] Meet Dr. Amy Voedisch – you can call her Amy

[1:08] Meet Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su

[2:10] Why focus on menopause and perimenopause?

[8:06] What you’ll hear in the Ovary-Active podcast

[10:50] Two core values in the Docs’ patient care

[12:42] The Docs are IN this with you

Follow the show @OvaryActive Instagram | YouTube

Meet the Docs:

More information about Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su:

Gennev: www.gennev.com/clinician/dr-rebecca-dunsmoor-su

LinkedIn @rebecca-dunsmoor-su

More information about Dr. Amy Voedisch:

Stanford Medical Clinic: stanfordhealthcare.org/doctors/v/amy-voedisch.html

Two gynecologists walk into a recording studio.

Sounds like the start of a joke, and frankly, perimenopause can feel like the start of a joke too. Only this joke is on you. And it’s not that funny. But back to those two OB/GYNS….

Dr Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su and Dr. Amy Voedisch have been caring for the reproductive health of those born with uteruses for a while now. And the doctors are frankly pretty tired of how those body bits — and the people they belong to — get ignored by medical science when they are no longer ideal baby-makers.

Half of a woman’s life comes after her Build a Baby shop shuts down; however, the medical community does little to educate her about or treat her for issues related to her peri- and post-menopausal body.

In this smart, funny, incredibly informed, wonderfully irreverent podcast, Doctors Rebecca and Amy give us the down low on our… down lows. What is perimenopause? What can I expect? How can I feel better? And for crying out loud, WHEN IS IT OVER?

Tune in on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month to get the real information without the hype, the sales, the myths, superstitions, and nonsense. Are your ovaries starting to overreact? Grab a partner, a buddy, a random woman who looks on the verge of tears, and listen up. You’re not in this alone.

And as the docs say, “You’re not crazy. This is actually happening.”