Ep. 498 Chronic Stress Is Aging Your Ovaries – The Shocking Link Between Trauma, Hormones & Menopause with Dr. Heather Quaile

Today, I am delighted to connect with Dr. Heather Quaile. She is a double board-certified women's health nurse practitioner and advanced forensic nurse with specialty training in female sexual medicine. Her training focused on integrative gynecology. Today, we dive into trauma-informed care, defining big and little T trauma, examining how adverse childhood events impact gynecologic care, and clarifying how chronic stress and trauma affect ovarian aging. We discuss the role of recalibration of the nervous and autonomic nervous systems during perimenopause and menopause, and explore the importance of estrogen in supporting serotonin, dopamine, and adrenal health in middle age. We cover GLP-1s, reframing packaging around vaginal estrogen, FDA approval for testosterone, the new terminology of PET, and holistic management of low libido, and we also tackle the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, new terminology, barriers, self-advocacy, and the significance of pelvic floor Health. This conversation with Dr. Quaile is truly invaluable. She is a most helpful resource on everything related to integrative gynecology, sexual medicine, and self-advocacy. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How big and little T trauma differ What trauma-informed care is, and why it is particularly relevant for women in perimenopause and menopause Symptoms and behaviors that indicate trauma in women How the interrelationship between estradiol and serotonin affects our worldview, self-perception, sleep, and relationships The benefits of addressing any hormonal imbalances before using GLP-1s for weight loss The pros and cons of gaining FDA approval for testosterone and commercializing it Factors that could cause decreased libido in middle-aged women The genitourinary changes that occur in different life phases of women, or with cancer, or when going through gender reassignment How PET (progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone) terminology is evolving to include women outside of perimenopause and menopause The five questions Dr. Quaile has in her DSDS (decreased sexual desire screener) for clinicians, to get to the root cause of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in patients The importance of women being comfortable about advocating for themselves Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Connect with Dr. Heather Quaile On her website Instagram