Latest / Loud & Lifted / You’re Not Losing Your Edge: Perimenopause, Work and the Pressure to Power Through

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You’re Not Losing Your Edge: Perimenopause, Work and the Pressure to Power Through · Loud & Lifted

0:00
What happens when a highly capable woman suddenly
0:02
can't sleep, can't focus, or can't find the right
0:06
word in an important meeting? At work, those
0:09
moments do not always get interpreted as health
0:11
issues. They can be interpreted as stress, burnout,
0:15
a lack of confidence, or worse, that she is no
0:18
longer as sharp or capable as she used to be.
0:20
That is why perimenopause belongs in a conversation
0:23
about women and leadership. It often arrives
0:26
during the exact years women are leading teams,
0:29
running businesses, competing for promotions,
0:31
and being expected to perform at their highest
0:33
level. And yet, many women do not recognize what
0:37
is happening. I know, because I was one of them.
0:40
Today's guest, Dr. Kase Troutman, is a quadruple
0:43
board certified physician with more than 20 years
0:46
of clinical experience. She specializes in menopause
0:49
care and women's midlife health. And through
0:51
her practice, midlife remedy, she helps women
0:53
better understand and address the changes affecting
0:56
their sleep, energy, concentration, hormones,
0:59
and overall health. Dr. Chapman is not only our
1:02
guest today, she is also my doctor. In this episode,
1:05
we talk about how perimenopause can affect sleep,
1:08
concentration, confidence, and credibility at
1:10
work, why so many women dismiss the symptoms,
1:13
and why there is no metal for simply powering
1:16
through. This is not about women becoming less
1:19
capable. It is about understanding what is happening
1:21
before we or everyone around us mistakes it for
1:25
decline. Let's get into it. Welcome to loud and
1:28
lifted Dr. Kase Troutman. I'm so happy to have
1:31
you here. Well, I am so thrilled to be here in
1:35
your podcast as well, Betsy. So this is, I love
1:38
when things come full circle and this is one
1:40
of these conversations that has come full circle
1:42
to me because our listeners may see the topic
1:45
of this conversation and be like, wait, this
1:46
is a women in leadership podcast. Why are we
1:49
talking about perimenopause? Like how is this
1:51
connected? And the irony is, is how I got introduced
1:54
to you was at a women in leadership networking
1:57
event where there's a bunch of women sitting
1:58
around the table, talking about running their
2:00
own businesses and the struggles and the challenges
2:02
and within. I don't know, like 15 minutes maybe
2:05
of this conversation, suddenly we go down this
2:08
rabbit hole of perimenopause and how it's impacting
2:10
all these women sitting on the table who are
2:12
various ages. And someone named you that you
2:16
were the savior of their day. And so that's how
2:19
we got here, right? And we'll get into a little
2:21
bit about my conversations with you. But it's
2:24
wild. Part of it, I know, is my age, but perimenopause
2:27
is this word that we're hearing a lot nowadays.
2:31
And let's start with really being very clear.
2:33
What does that even mean? Yes. I'd love that
2:36
we start there. But I want to say, though, that,
2:38
of course, even if this is a business podcast,
2:41
it will absolutely affect all women, right? 100%.
2:45
We are our business. how healthy you are, how
2:48
amazing you are, is how you're going to run your
2:50
business. So if we are operating from a non -healthy
2:54
approach, then yes, our businesses will suffer.
2:57
Okay. I just want to say - Don't worry. We have
2:59
a whole big topic on that. We'll get into that.
3:01
You're right. Love that we're starting with definitions,
3:04
right? So before we describe paramenopause, I
3:07
think it's easier for people to know what menopause
3:10
is. So menopause is literally one day, which
3:15
is 12 months after our last menstrual period.
3:19
And basically that is the outward symptom when
3:21
we don't have periods for a year, but the cellular
3:24
level and the biological level, what it simply
3:26
means is the ovaries are not producing estrogen
3:28
anymore. And then the days and years after that
3:33
one day is postmenopause. And the years before
3:37
that one day, is perimenopause. So literally
3:41
perimenopause is a transition. It encompasses
3:45
years of a woman's life. And it is... The reason
3:51
why it's so talked about and why it's very confusing
3:54
for a lot of women, even a lot of doctors, is
3:56
because there is no one set definition. There
4:00
are definitions of how we use it, of how we would
4:02
describe it, which is irregular periods. That's
4:04
usually the first sign. But the reality is the
4:08
lived experience of women in paramanopause is
4:10
they have symptoms other than irregular periods
4:13
and heavy periods. And those symptoms happen
4:16
way before period irregularity happens. I know
4:18
that was a mouthful. No, that's good. No, that's
4:21
super helpful. Well, and it's funny, again, I'm
4:23
47, right? So this is like hot topic around every
4:26
table and it's wild. And I think back to like
4:28
when my mom was my age, like I remember her talking
4:31
about menopause and it was just hot flashes and
4:33
it was moodiness, right? Like that's all I knew
4:35
growing up, you know, as a woman of like, this
4:37
is this menopause thing when I don't get my period
4:39
anymore, I have hot flashes and I'm going to
4:40
be a little bit of a bee apparently. At least
4:42
that was my experience as a daughter. But there's
4:45
so much more to it. And if I go back into that
4:50
conversation that I mentioned in the beginning
4:51
of where these women were sitting around, it
4:54
impacts how we show up. So if someone's sitting
4:57
here in their 40s, even late 30s, chances are
5:00
they're probably in perimenopause, correct? What
5:02
do those signs or symptoms look like? Yes. So
5:05
first of all, average age of US adults of perimenopause
5:08
is 47, but it can start as early as 35. And for
5:13
10 % of US women, it actually starts before 35.
5:17
Okay, so there is early, earlier perimenopause.
5:21
So I always like to start with that because honestly,
5:24
before I got into what I do now in women's health,
5:26
I thought menopause was like an old person thing,
5:29
you know, like the 60s, like golden girls, like
5:31
not me, right? Not 35 year old me, but 35 year
5:35
old me was happy symptoms, right? So anyway,
5:38
so symptoms, I love that question. So I... The
5:41
way I would kind of answer that would be to refer
5:44
people to a paper that came out in Menopause
5:47
2024, a journal article came out. And the authors
5:50
interviewed 1 ,300 women, aged 35 to 55. They
5:55
asked them one question. In the last three months,
5:58
how often did you not feel like yourself? Oh,
6:01
that was your question. And almost like 300 women
6:05
answered 50 % of the time they did not feel like
6:09
themselves. And almost like 100 plus women said
6:14
every day for the last three months, I did not
6:18
feel like myself. That's so sad. That is, right?
6:22
That is what I call the lived experience of women
6:25
in perimenopause. So the authors went even deeper
6:29
and asked them, what do you mean by you don't
6:31
feel like yourself? What are the symptoms you're
6:33
having? Just to answer your question. You know
6:35
the number one symptom? It was fatigue. I was
6:38
going to say tired. Yes. Oh, that's so weird.
6:40
I wonder why I know that. And then it goes on.
6:44
It's fatigue, anxiety, concentration, rage, kind
6:49
of overwhelmed. So it's all those mood and energy
6:55
and brain symptoms. Hot Flashes was on the list,
6:58
but it was at the bottom of the list. Interesting.
7:02
So again, perimenopause, it's not just about
7:05
period irregularity. All of that is how we officially
7:08
define it. Well, I think as we get to know more
7:11
about studying women in general, because again,
7:14
women haven't really been studied. Which is wild.
7:17
Because it's not like perimenopause is new. It
7:20
didn't just pop out. Right. Yeah. So fatigue,
7:26
that's the number one symptom. But again, it
7:29
could be head to toe. If I go from head to toe,
7:32
I'm just gonna ramble it here. Hair changes,
7:35
hair loss, skin dryness, skin itchiness, dry
7:39
mouth, you have palpitations, and mood, anxiety,
7:43
trouble sleeping, concentration, brain fog, let's
7:46
see, joint pain, liver is affected, cholesterol
7:50
goes up, blood pressure goes up, sugar goes up,
7:54
I mean... And so, of course, we can't forget
7:56
about libido changes, decreased desire, even
8:00
if you still love your partner, like your partner,
8:03
just the desire is gone, painful sex, frequent
8:07
bladder infections, and so on and so forth. I
8:10
think they have 150 symptoms or something like
8:12
that. Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's so depressing.
8:17
Again, we'll also show how it is a clinical diagnosis
8:21
because if you've heard one menopause story or
8:24
paramanopause story, you've only heard one paramanopause
8:26
story. My story is different than other people's
8:29
story because we all have different symptoms
8:31
in genetics. Sure. So, you know, it's funny,
8:35
we talk about hormones and again, I have teenagers,
8:38
so I feel like we talk about hormones when it's
8:39
like, oh, teenagers or, you know, raging hormones
8:42
or whatever. But what's happening to our hormones
8:44
during perimenopause? Like, why does this happen?
8:47
Yeah. So again, the idea behind this is the ovaries
8:52
start to lose steam. So we're all born with a
8:55
certain number of ovaries, I'm sorry, of follicles.
8:59
And as we get older, the follicle the ovary stops
9:02
producing the follicles and hence estrogen. So
9:06
what happens is we get those it's not producing
9:09
estrogen and then it's like there's a surge of
9:12
like oh my gosh we gotta make make more estrogen
9:14
so we get those highs. And then we get those
9:17
slow. So really, with paramanopause, it's that
9:20
zone of chaos, we call it. Meaning, today, my
9:25
level could be high. And one week from now, it
9:27
could be low. And then two weeks from now, it
9:29
could be high again. So it is the irregularity
9:33
of the hormone swings that defines peri. And
9:37
menopause, we don't have any more of the hormones.
9:41
Estrogen is out the building. OK. Interesting.
9:45
So I have no issue sharing my story around this,
9:48
but I think it's important that we talk about
9:49
it. And, you know, one of the reasons why I called
9:51
you after that conversation at the at the breakfast
9:53
table with a bunch of women is because not knowing
9:56
that those were symptoms, number one, right.
9:58
And I was living in like a stressful time in
10:01
my life. Right. Things were really crazy at my
10:03
past job. You know, I have a I have a sick dad.
10:05
I have all these things going on. Right. Like
10:07
there's a lot of stress and anxiety in my life
10:09
that was just seemed normal. And I would have
10:11
this like constant anxiety. And I had major issues.
10:15
sleeping like I felt like a baby sleeping through
10:17
the night I had that 3 a .m. wake up you know
10:19
just sort of can't go back to sleep your head
10:21
is racing your heart is racing everything is
10:23
just you know sleep just suddenly was out the
10:25
window and I was just like oh it's just because
10:26
I'm it's just because I'm stressful it's just
10:28
because I have a lot going on there's these issues
10:30
and and I would just be very dismissive of it
10:33
and hope that maybe the next month or two would
10:35
be better and you know now we're like a year
10:38
or so into this and this is still happening and
10:40
things are calming down in my life that those
10:42
outside influences and it's still like not sleeping
10:45
and that constant anxiety. And I never connected
10:48
that until sitting at this table that that was
10:50
even an issue. So I remember the first time I
10:53
came in and I was like, sleep, stress, anxiety.
10:56
And you're like, so talk through that how a lot
10:58
of times as women, because, you know, we're in
11:00
our forties, we're under a lot of pressure and
11:02
stress, you know, professionally and personally,
11:04
how that impacts us and how we sort of mistake
11:06
those signs. Yes. And I think this is where awareness
11:10
is key. to knowing what what happens so for example
11:16
puberty right we all know okay puberty i will
11:19
expect my teenage daughter to be a little kind
11:22
of annoying right like we know that but for women
11:25
like for para menopause menopause We don't know
11:29
that or I should say a lot of people don't know
11:30
it because again, we just associate, oh, it's
11:32
hot flashes and not having my period. That's
11:35
what they associate. So in terms of like stress,
11:40
anxiety, and sleep, again, we just talked about
11:42
those are the more common presenting symptoms
11:44
for women. So here's how I kind of look at it,
11:47
right? I'm not saying paramanopause is the problem
11:51
or hormone therapy is a solution to everything,
11:54
but what if It's not just stress. What if it's
11:59
not just aging? Because that is typically what
12:03
providers who are not as well versed with perimenopause
12:07
and menopause would tell patients that are seeking
12:10
help, right? I would say like, we know these
12:13
things, the external circumstances, stress, life
12:17
and being your own boss and having your company
12:20
and et cetera, et cetera. We know that they are
12:23
real stressors. And so the way I was like but
12:28
what if it's not just that right because. The
12:33
the the the way to see and honestly the way to
12:36
see is to try to try treatment that's. Kind of
12:40
like the one way I would know, and that's what
12:42
I tell my patients when they come into my office,
12:44
right? I say, I'm not saying this will fix everything,
12:47
but if your symptoms are because of this menopausal
12:51
transition that, oh, by the way, it's gonna happen
12:53
to 100 % of women who live long enough. This
12:56
is not like a rare thing. This is not something
12:59
that somebody will tell you, I don't believe
13:01
in that because this is not like Santa Claus
13:03
that you have to believe in. This is like science
13:05
and real, right? And again, because it's... but
13:09
it can range from 35 to 50, like 52. That's two
13:14
decades of possibility. So yes, and what do we
13:16
know about that time of our lives? Usually we
13:19
are at the peak of our careers. Usually we are
13:22
handling children and parents or elderly. We
13:26
are at, we call that sandwich generation. So
13:28
absolutely we will have all those stressors.
13:31
And of course we will have anxiety stress. But
13:33
again, what if... the symptoms you're having,
13:36
the anxiety, the trouble sleeping, the trouble
13:38
concentration, the anger, the, you know, overwhelm.
13:42
What if it's not just a stress? What if it's
13:45
because it is a biological reason? That's it.
13:48
So that's all, that's all I, you know, us menopause
13:51
physicians, really it's just what if it's biology?
13:54
Because if it's biology, I can help you. Right.
13:57
No, that's so true. And because it has an impact
14:00
on us, right? When we said, why are we talking
14:02
about menopause and perimenopause on a Women
14:03
in Leadership podcast? Because it impacts how
14:06
we show up if we're not sleeping at night and
14:08
we have this constant anxiety. And then we didn't
14:09
even mention really the brain fog because, you
14:12
know, we talk about pregnancy, right? I remember
14:13
thinking that when I was pregnant and like, oh
14:15
my God, the words would just literally like leave
14:17
your brain. And that happens. Again, that happens
14:20
here. So if a woman's going through this and
14:22
she's showing up at work and she's blanking in
14:25
a meeting because either A, she's exhausted or
14:27
B, it's just that brain fog, that's impacting
14:30
our credibility at work that people are gonna
14:32
start being like, what is wrong with her? Right.
14:34
Yeah, I call it the silent packs. Because if
14:40
we're not, if number one, if we're not aware
14:42
that those symptoms are because of this biological,
14:45
I keep saying biological because it really is
14:47
biological. It's a tax, right? Because we just
14:51
quote unquote blame ourselves. Oh, I should just
14:54
push more. I should just try this. I should,
14:57
you know, do X, Y, Z. This is also, you know,
15:01
for brain fog concentration. I should just, I
15:03
remember one of my patients like literally has
15:05
like post -its everywhere. is to try and remember
15:08
kind of the things that you know that I don't
15:11
know if that's your experience or just like again
15:13
normally that's their superpower their superpower
15:16
is doing five things at the same time right and
15:20
now barely even able to do that one task So it's
15:26
a big hit on our confidence as leaders and as
15:30
business owners. Absolutely. I mean, if you're
15:32
sitting in a meeting or even if you're presenting,
15:34
even worse, right? And you just have that blank
15:36
moment. And well, yes, we all do that. Men do
15:38
that too. But I've had that fear and that panic.
15:41
And again, I have a dad with dementia. So I have
15:43
a whole other level of paranoia about having
15:46
memory issues. So it's like, oh my gosh, when
15:48
that was happening, it's like that. fear and
15:50
that panic and not looking like an idiot and
15:52
again losing that credibility at work like it
15:54
absolutely can impact you professionally and
15:57
people don't know what's going on whether it's
15:59
men or women that are around there. So why do
16:03
you think or do you see this that we have an
16:05
issue like talking about it, sort of from a professional
16:09
standpoint, because it's a dilemma, right? And
16:12
again, a lot of these women are in leadership
16:14
positions or running their own business or high
16:16
up in a company. So how do we handle that stigma
16:20
at work? How do you suggest handling that professionally?
16:23
Yeah, that's a great question. And I think it
16:25
all depends on is the workplace a menopause or
16:31
paramenopause -friendly workplace? it's kind
16:34
of you know so so meaning if in that workplace
16:39
is is talking about symptoms allowable does the
16:43
culture in the in the in the workplace allow
16:46
her to speak number one number two is are there
16:49
systems in place to get help and treatment right
16:53
i think the first step really is Talking about
16:57
it, and again, this is not saying talking about
16:59
it in like a big meeting. You're never, you know,
17:04
you're never, you should never be required to
17:06
give medical information, of course. But I think
17:09
it just, maybe even starting with the impact,
17:12
right? I haven't slept well and this is affected
17:15
blank or something like that, without divulging
17:18
any kind of like medical stuff. Right. Yeah,
17:21
because if you want to see a room full of guys
17:22
get real quiet, I mean, I used to be in meetings
17:24
where if women started talking even about like,
17:26
oh, I like your hair. It looks like, you know,
17:28
you can see the guys rolling back in their chairs
17:31
and like, oh my God, they're talking about hair
17:32
or clothes or shoes. So, I mean, that's tough
17:35
for men. If you're sitting in a conference room
17:38
and there's men in there, I really think it's
17:40
probably not going to be super well received
17:42
if you start talking about perimenopause specifically.
17:45
But to your point, the sleep piece and tying
17:47
it to that, I think, has a little bit of a different
17:49
perspective. So you're right. It's an uncomfortable
17:52
conversation for guys. But it's interesting that
17:55
I think guys absolutely should still be involved
17:57
and be aware of the conversation. So I remember
18:00
when I was giving a talk in Alabama, and after
18:04
the talk, a guy came up to me. me and said, Oh
18:07
my God, it makes so much sense now. After your
18:11
talk, what my wife was going through, right?
18:15
Probably that was the first talk that he sat
18:17
through because he was required to sit there
18:20
and listen as opposed to his wife talking about
18:24
the symptoms. You know what I mean? So I think,
18:27
I think. Because again, even though it affects
18:30
just women, which oh, by the way, 51 % of the
18:32
population, right? Like we all know a guy will
18:35
know a mom, a coworker, a sister, a niece, a
18:39
daughter that will be going through it. Yeah.
18:41
No, that's a great point. And I think I said
18:43
to you the one time I was in your office, I was
18:44
like, you need to start doing content on social
18:46
for men that we can record little two -minute
18:48
videos because they know something is going on,
18:51
right? But they don't know what, and they don't
18:53
really even know what questions to ask. And maybe
18:55
they're going to just attach it to mood or something
18:57
like that. But at the end of the day, they need
18:59
to understand what's going on too. Yeah. Yeah.
19:04
100%. They survived having to go through the
19:06
whole, you know, having babies and everything
19:08
else. This is fine. This isn't bad. If I was
19:11
going to say something about that, my hope is
19:14
that the men don't just say or assume it's aging
19:18
or it's just stress or the same things that we
19:21
get told. Like, what if this is kind of this
19:23
bylaws? So maybe just having them keep that open
19:26
or maybe even just asking their partners. Sure.
19:29
What are you feeling? Yeah. You know, just make
19:31
sure you ask on the right day. On the right day.
19:34
Just kidding. Be careful how you ask that. So
19:39
a lot of my patients say, this feeling of this
19:42
anger, anxiety and rage, they would literally
19:45
say, I know this is not right, but I see myself
19:50
reacting negatively. And again, that's part of
19:55
when it's not under our direct control necessarily
19:58
because of hormonal changes. No, that makes sense.
20:02
We laid a lot out there, but let's talk about,
20:04
and you teed this up, there's solutions. So what
20:07
do some of those solutions look like? And how
20:09
do you even go through this process, right? If
20:11
someone's listening to this and they're like,
20:12
oh, this is definitely me. How do they move forward?
20:16
How do they reach out? What's just kind of that
20:17
process when someone has identified, I need to
20:20
have a conversation with someone about this?
20:22
Yeah. I mean, I think the first, if you're a
20:24
woman. 35 and over. And in some of the symptoms,
20:28
there are the things that we talk about kind
20:29
of resonate. The first step is seeking a provider
20:34
that is familiar with what perimenopause and
20:37
menopause is. And then from there, again, that's
20:43
a loaded question, right? Because there are providers
20:48
that, again, I've heard this from my own patients.
20:51
They don't believe in... paramanopause, or they
20:56
have their understanding of what paramanopause
20:59
is, and it's slightly outdated, because again,
21:03
they're just basing it on periods, irregularity,
21:05
meaning if they're still having their period,
21:07
oh, you don't need treatment, is kind of what
21:10
my patients think. So I think find a caring,
21:14
competent provider that will listen to you and
21:17
help you understand what Are you in perimenopause?
21:21
And the other thing too, by the way, is look
21:23
for other reasons on why you could be having
21:25
tiredness, right? So that's one of the things
21:27
I usually do in my own practice is, okay, yes,
21:30
you are in the age range of perimenopause. So
21:32
yeah, this could be it, but let's do some basic
21:34
labs just to make sure, hey, you're not iron
21:37
deficient, your thyroid's normal. So those are
21:41
again, low -lying fruit and mimickers of symptoms
21:44
of perimenopause. And again, that's the... I
21:46
would like to say fun part of, or I should say
21:49
the, that's the art of medicine. Where it is
21:53
definitely, there's that layer of possibly biological,
21:56
but yeah, we need to look for other things as
21:58
well. So yeah, to your point, it's finding a
22:01
provider. Finding a provider that will listen,
22:03
that knows what they're doing and is competent
22:07
in prescribing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
22:10
based on what your symptoms and what your goals
22:14
are in your life. And I just want to reinforce
22:16
the point you made about finding somebody who
22:18
listens to you because, and I shared this with
22:20
you, the first time I brought up some of these
22:21
symptoms to a female doctor, which is surprising
22:24
that she was female, a year prior to meeting
22:27
you, and she was very dismissive. Like she didn't,
22:30
she was just like, oh, okay, yeah, well, you
22:32
know, that's normal. That's, it is normal, right?
22:34
But there was no further conversation and she
22:37
just... I don't know, she was dismissive and
22:38
I was like, oh, okay, well, maybe I don't bring,
22:40
I don't know, because I very rarely go to a doctor.
22:43
So what I did and bring this up and was dismissed,
22:45
I was like, oh, okay. And a female, like, I think
22:48
I was just surprised. So, you know, again, somebody
22:51
then had talked about you, but it is important
22:53
if you go to the first person and you feel like
22:55
you are being dismissed for whatever reason,
22:57
then find somebody else to talk to. I think that's
23:00
definitely an important point. The sad statistic
23:02
I've heard is it takes a woman six to seven providers
23:06
for finding someone that will help them with
23:09
their perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Nobody
23:12
has time for that. No, no, no. But your point,
23:16
like if you ask one time and you get gaslighted,
23:20
right? You ask the second time and you get, I
23:22
don't know, gaslighted and dismissed. Like the
23:25
desire to ask for help, I think, gets lower and
23:28
lower. Sure. Yeah, you're like, oh, OK. You feel
23:31
like you're just crazy and must be all in your
23:33
head. you should just suffer through it. And
23:36
that's the thing. Yes, it is, perimenopause is
23:39
absolutely 100 % a natural transition, but there
23:42
is no medal for suffering. There's no medal.
23:46
What do we know? It will average last for four
23:49
years, but for some women it could last 10 years.
23:52
Oh my gosh. 10 years. This is not like, oh, deal
23:56
with it for 10 years. Who would say that? Nobody
24:00
would want to deal with. symptoms that affect
24:03
your quality of life, your quality of life personally,
24:06
your quality of life at work, right? I mean,
24:09
and we know, you know, statistics -wise, just
24:11
because we're talking, this is a business. There
24:14
is data that women with untreated symptoms of
24:20
paramanopause, menopause, they, one in three
24:22
women have considered cutting hours or stepping
24:25
back from leadership because of untreated symptoms.
24:31
Let's see here. There is two out of five women
24:35
considered finding a new job due to their untreated
24:39
symptoms. Oh, wow. One in four did not pursue
24:44
a leadership opportunity because of their untreated
24:47
symptoms. And the reality is there's like 1 .3
24:51
million women going to menopause each year and
24:54
perimenopause. There's a lot of us. There's a
24:57
lot of us. That's why if you think of that kind
24:59
of statistic and then think about the, you know,
25:03
the lost productivity, the lost revenue, really,
25:08
for untreated paramanopause and menopause. That
25:11
is the impact. So I think the key there is treatment,
25:15
right? Get treatment, get help, because you don't
25:19
have to suffer. No, I love that. And I will attest
25:22
that it has definitely helped. And, you know,
25:24
I think HRT through the years, I think people
25:26
are starting to understand that a little bit
25:28
more. And again, my age, my Facebook ads are
25:30
always. Facebook is listening. Facebook is listening.
25:34
They're always promoting, you know, different
25:36
services and hormone replacement therapy. So
25:38
hopefully people are catching on like this is
25:40
inside because it sounds when you say hormone
25:42
replacement therapy, it sounds so. dramatic,
25:45
right? Like, I don't know, it just, because replay,
25:47
I don't know. So it's just, it's the education
25:48
behind like, hey, it's not a big deal. It's,
25:50
it's taking some pills, you know, or having a
25:52
patch or whatever it is. And I do love that I
25:54
keep seeing more people talk about the patch,
25:56
which I think it makes it feel a little less
25:58
daunting or scary. So and of course, everyone's
26:01
plan is customized and individualized for what
26:03
they need. But besides HRT, are there other things
26:06
that we should be doing that help us get through
26:08
this time? Yeah, and I think it depends. There's
26:11
so many things that that we can do. So again,
26:14
in my practice, I talk about what we call the
26:16
four M's. So meals, movement, mind, and meds.
26:20
So hormone therapy falls under the med component,
26:23
right? And how you would tailor that really depends
26:25
on what the symptom is. So for example, what's
26:29
bothering the patient and what are their goals?
26:31
So for example, if the issue, let's just say
26:33
brain fog or, you know, brain fog. Are there
26:36
ways that we can eat, fuel our body with the
26:38
right ingredients that will help with concentration,
26:42
brain fog? Yeah, omega -3. So making sure we
26:45
have omega -3 sources in our diet. So usually
26:48
two to three servings of like salmon, tuna, sardines
26:52
per week, you'll get your recommended omega -3.
26:55
That's from diet alone. Now some people don't
26:57
like fish so you know consider taking an omega
26:59
-3 supplement, it's fine. Movement. movement
27:03
is so important, right? Whether it's cardiovascular
27:06
exercise, whether it's strength training, and
27:09
both of those types of exercise has been shown
27:12
to actually improve brain function. There's something
27:15
called VDNF, brain -derived neurotrophic factor,
27:18
where basically it's like growth in a way like
27:21
helps the brain cells kind of become healthy.
27:24
Those are activated by exercise. So mind is how
27:29
do we handle stress? Part of a big, big part
27:32
of what I do is, you know, is what are you thinking
27:36
evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy? What
27:38
are you thinking? Like, is that true? Right?
27:40
Like kind of using the power of coaching to understand
27:43
our thoughts and is that helpful? And is it serving
27:47
you? Is it even true? Um, so yeah, there's so
27:50
many things, right? So for sleep that, so just
27:53
so you know, I'm going to just go ahead and I'm
27:55
very open about my own peri -menopausal story.
27:57
My crib tonight was sleep. Like for me in my
28:02
late thirties, I just had trouble falling asleep.
28:05
I would wake up at 3 a .m. and again, at that
28:09
time I was the head of my career. Okay, so I'm
28:12
like, oh, I must just be stressed. That's why
28:14
I'm waking up in the middle of the night. So
28:16
I went down as a physician, I have access to
28:19
kind of. regular treatment. So I did counseling,
28:23
I did medication for anxiety because I just thought
28:26
I was anxious. I also deep go into something
28:29
called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.
28:32
I'm a clinic, I'm trained in that. Again, that's
28:35
where using the power of your mind and recognizing
28:37
how to change behavior when it comes to sleep.
28:40
I did the whole alternative medicine route like
28:43
ashwagandha, rhodiola, lavender. So again, so
28:49
I did all of that. So again, there's, I'm not
28:52
saying all of, they, to a certain extent, all
28:55
help, right? They're all, counseling is good.
28:58
I think everybody should have counseling, you
28:59
know? But for me, particularly in my case, hormone
29:05
therapy really helped. me because it was the
29:07
biology. And I think the other parts, coaching,
29:12
CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia,
29:15
they all helped me, you know, kind of like the
29:17
puzzle pieces. Makes sense. And I love the conversations
29:21
and the recommendations around like eating. And
29:23
it's funny so much, again, I see about lifting
29:25
weights and how important it is for strength
29:27
training, how, you know, cardio is great, but
29:29
you need to lift weights as you get older for
29:31
more than just your memory, for bone and everything
29:33
else. It's like doing that stuff's not going
29:35
to... be bad right like that's not going to come
29:37
out 10 years or 100 years from now that oh you
29:39
guys should have not been eating so well or you
29:41
should not have been lifting weights right like
29:43
that's that's stuff that's going to stick that
29:45
has just an overarching impact on your health
29:48
and and just how you feel right and we've talked
29:50
about this on this podcast before if you don't
29:52
feel good you don't feel your best you're not
29:54
going to show up and be your best whether it's
29:56
professionally or you know with your family or
29:59
friends or whoever it is so it's it's eliminate
30:01
controlling the things that we can control and
30:03
eliminating the things that we can eliminate
30:05
that impact all that, that are going to have
30:07
that effect on us. Right. But I did want to say,
30:10
just because we do always say that, we always
30:12
say to patients, eat better, exercise, right?
30:16
But if you are struggling with perimenopause
30:19
and you are literally like exhausted, like making
30:23
yourself, like, you know what I mean? Like making
30:25
yourself exercise feels such a struggle. Oh,
30:29
true. For a lot of my patients. So when we give
30:31
back, hormone therapy, when we give back hormones
30:34
that your body naturally produces, that's when
30:38
my patients start to feel, okay, I have energy
30:40
now. Oh my gosh. Oh, I can sleep now. So when
30:42
I sleep, I feel more energetic in the morning.
30:45
So, right? So I guess what I wanted to also say,
30:48
sometimes it is not just about powering through.
30:50
If there's a biological reason why XYZ is hard,
30:55
yeah, maybe because you're in peri. That is such
30:58
a great closer. And the powering through thing,
31:00
I think, is so important to reinforce because
31:02
we just think we can power through. We think
31:04
we are too busy to make an appointment because
31:07
we have to take everybody else's priorities over
31:09
our own. And it's not powering through. And it's
31:12
prioritizing yourself because if you don't feel
31:14
good, you're not going to be able to take care
31:16
of your family, your kids, do a great job at
31:18
work, all those pieces. So hence how this all
31:20
ties together so beautifully when, again, like
31:23
women in leadership, yeah, we're all impacted.
31:24
And those numbers that you shared are staggering.
31:27
staggering. So let's take the time to prioritize
31:29
ourselves first and feel better. Feel better.
31:32
Amen. Thank you, Dr. Trotman, to just be able
31:36
to function in your life. So I appreciate everything
31:38
you have done for me. And definitely, I'm sure
31:40
all your patients feel the same. So thank you
31:42
for sharing. It's the best job in the world.
31:44
I know. I was thinking that. I'm like, you have
31:45
a cool job. You help people sleep. You help people
31:49
feel better. That's so awesome. Where can our
31:52
listeners connect with you and find out more
31:54
information? Yes. So my medical practice is in
31:58
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. It's called Midlife
32:00
Remedy, R -E -M -D -Y. And I'm on Facebook, Instagram.
32:06
My website is full of information and resources
32:09
that your listeners can kind of check it out.
32:13
And yeah, I'm seeing patients. And for those
32:15
that are very busy, right, I have openings. next
32:18
week. Oh, perfect. And you start off virtually,
32:22
right? So it's even easier. You don't even have
32:23
to drive anywhere. As long as you're in the state
32:25
of Pennsylvania. Okay. Had to be in Pennsylvania.
32:28
Good to know. Good to know. No, that's awesome.
32:30
Well, thank you for sharing that and we'll connect
32:32
all that in the show notes. And thank you so
32:34
much for being here and thank you for helping
32:35
women. Thank you for having me. It is the best
32:38
job in the world and I'm, you know, this is why
32:40
I'm here. Love it. Thank you. Thanks. Here's
32:44
what I hope you take away from this conversation.
32:46
You may have real stress in your life. You may
32:48
be carrying a demanding job, a family, aging
32:51
parents, a business, or all of it at once. But
32:54
that does not mean stress is the entire explanation
32:57
of why you suddenly feel exhausted, anxious,
33:00
unable to sleep, or just unlike yourself. And
33:03
it certainly does not mean you're losing your
33:05
edge. Perimenopause is a normal biological transition,
33:09
but as Dr. Troutman said, there is no medal for
33:11
suffering. You do not have to keep powering through,
33:14
blaming yourself or accepting that this is just
33:17
simply how you feel. Start by paying attention
33:20
to what has changed. Find a provider who understands
33:23
perimenopause and is willing to listen. Ask questions.
33:26
Explore the options that are right for you. Prioritizing
33:29
yourself is not selfish, and it is not separate
33:32
from being a strong leader. When you feel better,
33:35
you are better able to show up for your work,
33:37
your family, and your life. You can learn more
33:40
about Dr. Troutman and midlife remedy through
33:42
the links in the show note. And remember, this
33:45
is common. This is worth talking about, and you
33:47
do not have to figure it out alone. Until next
33:51
time, stay loud and stay lifted.