A Harvard Doctor on the Menopause Education Gap and How to Advocate for Yourself | Dr. Deborah Kwolek

You finally get the appointment. You tell your doctor you're not sleeping, the weight is climbing, and your moods feel like someone else's. You walk out with a prescription for an antidepressant, or with nothing at all.

Dr. Deborah Kwolek, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Harvard's Women's Health and Menopause course, joins me to talk about why so many doctors were never taught menopause care and what she's doing to change it. We cover the exact questions to bring to your next appointment, your estrogen by the numbers, the labs to know, who may need to think harder about hormone therapy, and what to do when your doctor says, "I don't believe in hormones."

Key Timestamps:

00:00 - Meet Dr. Deborah Kwolek

02:48 - Why Harvard had no menopause course

07:00 - Why most doctors were never trained in menopause

08:10 - Is the fear of hormone therapy out of proportion?

11:23 - 3 questions to ask your doctor

17:35 - Your estrogen levels, by the numbers

25:15 - Can you stay on hormones after 65?

33:46 - Who should think twice about hormone therapy?

50:08 - What to do when your doctor says no