What Women Should Be Testing in Midlife with Dr. Wendy Ellis, ND (ep – 86)

Midlife health can feel confusing, especially when symptoms are dismissed, testing is overwhelming, or you are told everything looks “normal.”

In this episode, Dr. Ginger Hultin once again sits down with Dr. Wendy Ellis, a naturopathic physician and educator specializing in women’s health, to explore how women can better understand, test, and advocate for their health through the menopause transition and beyond. Together, they unpack how to determine which lab markers matter for you in midlife, why more testing is not always better, and how to think about testing thyroid health, cholesterol, blood sugar, vitamin D, ferritin, and more. Dr. Ellis also shares practical insight on bone density, cardiovascular risk, and how women can more confidently advocate for the care they deserve.

So hit play if you want a clearer understanding of testing and personalized care during menopause.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

[00:00:04] Why personalized testing matters in women’s health

[00:02:34] How testing can empower patients, but also create overwhelm

[00:05:39] The key lab tests to consider in midlife

[00:06:48] Nutritional testing, vitamin D, ferritin, omega-3s, and homocysteine

[00:14:07] What a DEXA scan measures and why bone health testing matters

[00:16:40] Why cardiovascular risk rises after menopause

[00:19:04] How to advocate for better testing, referrals, and follow-up

[00:23:35] What to do when symptoms are dismissed as aging or stress