Tongue Tie, Trauma, Menopause & More: Your EDS Questions Answered with Dr. Dacre Knight (Ep 209)

Tongue tie and POTS? EDS without obvious hypermobility? Perimenopause making symptoms worse? And tongue numbness after a nerve block? In this listener Q&A, Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, and recurring co-host Dr. Dacre Knight, medical director of the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center, tackle some of the complicated questions patients are asking—and where the evidence is still evolving.

Can tongue tie contribute to dysautonomia? Can men have a connective tissue disorder even without obvious joint hypermobility? How should people with hEDS, POTS, and MCAS think about pregnancy? And could being born prematurely influence autonomic function later in life?

Dr. Bluestein and Dr. Knight also explore emerging research examining trauma histories in people with EDS and HSD, including how repeated medical dismissal and gaslighting may contribute to trauma over time.

The conversation turns to perimenopause and menopause, including why perimenopause can be particularly challenging and the sometimes-competing considerations of estrogen and progesterone therapy for people managing both menopausal symptoms and connective tissue laxity.

Finally, they break down Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST): what it is, symptoms to recognize, potential risk factors, and how it is managed—prompted by a listener’s experience with recurrent tongue numbness following nerve blocks.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What we know—and don’t know—about tongue tie and dysautonomia

Why connective tissue disorders may look different in men

Important considerations when planning pregnancy with hEDS, POTS, and MCAS

Whether prematurity may influence autonomic function later in life

What emerging research suggests about trauma, EDS/HSD, and medical gaslighting

Why perimenopause may be particularly difficult for some hypermobile patients