Women's health physician, podcast host, and media contributor on a mission to make your hormones make sense in your 40s and 50s.
Pre-order my new book The Perimenopause Survival Guide, out in October.
11/22/2025
Perimenopause can feel confusing, isolating, and, honestly, a little wild. But there are real reasons for what you’re feeling.
These are 5 truths about perimenopause that most women are never told.
If this sounds like you, you are not imagining it. You are not “just stressed.” And you absolutely deserve answers.
✨ Click the link in bio to order The Perimenopause Survival Guide to learn what’s happening in your body and how to get real relief.
✨ Share this with a friend in her 40s.
11/22/2025
✨ Vaginal estrogen isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Even though many prescriptions say twice weekly, some women need more frequent dosing. One of my patients got almost no relief until we switched her to four times a week with Vagifem. Total game changer. Your vaginal health deserves customized care.
✨ Check out jointhecollaborative.com to get connected with a clinician who truly understands GSM.
11/21/2025
Clinicians are still telling women they can’t start HRT until menopause… while prescribing birth control pills, which are hormone therapy. The double standard is real, and it keeps women from getting the care they deserve.
If you want individualized, evidence-based guidance from experts who actually understand midlife hormones, check out jointhecollaborative.com to get care at The Collaborative.
11/21/2025
Dr Kelly Casperson was on my podcast and shared this powerful data. Women on testosterone had almost a 50 percent decrease in the need for a cane or a walker at six months!
We all have mothers and loved ones who are at risk for falls. If a doctor said, “I have something safe, inexpensive, and proven to support independent mobility in six months. Do you want to try it?” most people would say yes. And the side effects were the same as placebo.
Comment PODCAST if you want to listen to the full episode.
11/20/2025
Pellets are not a miracle. They are unregulated, overpriced, and often unsafe.
Women deserve evidence-based hormone therapy, not risky guesswork.
Check out jointhecollaborative.com for safe, expert menopause care.
11/20/2025
What is more effective: vaginal estrogen cream or suppositories? We do not have head to head trials, but here is what we do know.
Creams can cover more surface area and many women like that they can rub a little on the external tissues, but they can be a bit messy. Suppositories are less messy and easy to insert, but they do not absorb as well when they sit too far back, so they are usually best for mild dryness.
To be honest, the best option is the one you will actually use.
Check out jointhecollaborative.com to be seen by an expert clinician in menopausal hormone therapy.
11/19/2025
Why are we still acting like HRT off label is controversial when SSRIs are prescribed off label for menopause symptoms every single day?
This double standard is one of the biggest problems in women’s health. We do not gatekeep other medications this way. It is bias. Period.
💖 Send this to a friend who needs to see it.
11/19/2025
Dr. Kelly Casperson told me something shocking on my podcast. Most private insurance plans have sexual health exclusion riders for men and for women. So women end up lying to their doctors to access testosterone.
This is not good care, and women deserve better.
Check out https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/health-by-heather-hirsch/id1423965506 to listen to the full episode and hear the full conversation.
11/18/2025
Recently, I shared on stories that if you’re using vaginal estrogen cream, you can actually buy extra applicators on Amazon. Such a simple thing, but so many women tell me vaginal estrogen feels like a pain to use. The box usually only comes with one applicator, and not everyone wants to use their finger.
💕 Happy Menopausing, ladies!
If you want more tips like this, get my book The Perimenopause Survival Guide. Click the link in bio to grab your copy.
11/18/2025
Menopause care should be as standard as prenatal care. We can make that happen by retraining clinicians.
If you’re ready to prescribe with clarity and confidence, you’re in the right place.
Check out heatherhirschacademy.com to learn more.
Such a meaningful conversation with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary on his podcast. We talked through why the black box warning was removed and what this shift means for women, clinicians, and the future of menopause care.
Comment FREE to download my free Hormone Health Guide.
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I am Board certified in Internal Medicine and completed advanced fellowship training in Women’s Health at the Cleveland Clinic. My specialty practice includes internal medicine and office gynecology with a focus on menopausal hormone therapy, contraception and family planning, breast health, sexual dysfunction, and urinary incontinence. Fellowship training included an emphasis on scholarly activity, development of women’s health curriculum, clinical research and leadership. My clinical work and research centers on inequalities or unanswered questions in the field of women’s health, specifically in menopause and its role in chronic disease development and in evaluating the harms of over-screening for chronic diseases. My Academic work centers on enhancing women’s health curriculum for the fellow, resident, and medical student.
