Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 2 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Sarah Witkowski

July 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

When Dr. Mary Claire Haver tells a patient she can prescribe testosterone, the response is often something like, "I would miss it if it was gone." She means the libido, the energy, the sense that a familiar version of yourself has come out of hibernation. For women who have lost their ovaries or gone through early menopause, she says, "If you're not on testosterone, we should talk after this is over." But in the United States, there is still no FDA-approved testosterone product for women. Patients either use a male gel off-label at a fraction of the dose or get a compounded cream from a pharmacy. The UK and Australia approved a women-specific product called Androfem last year—pink tube, about one-eighteenth to one-tenth the active ingredient of the men's version, and slightly more expensive. The message is clear: the science exists, but the regulatory and commercial infrastructure has not caught up.

Hormones: What goes with what, and how

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & Guest Lineup** - Alie Ward introduces Part 2 of Emmenology, recaps the guests from Part 1, and explains the focus: what to do about menopause symptoms.
2 (06:33) **Hormones for Mental Health: HRT vs. SSRIs** - Dr. Haver explains why menopause hormone therapy is often the first-line treatment for new-onset anxiety and depression during perimenopause.
3 (10:38) **Estrogen & Progesterone: The Mandatory Pairing** - Dr. Haver explains why anyone with a uterus taking estrogen must also take progesterone to protect the uterine lining.
4 (16:08) **Testosterone: Libido, Brain, and Bone Health** - The doctors discuss the off-label use of testosterone for women, its benefits, and the frustrating lack of FDA-approved options for females.
5 (20:06) **Hair Loss & Itchy Ears** - The episode covers menopause-related hair thinning (androgenic alopecia) and the bizarre symptom of itchy ears.
6 (23:43) **Bioidentical vs. Synthetic Hormones & Delivery Methods** - Dr. Haver clarifies the terminology and explains the pros and cons of different routes of administration (pill, patch, gel, cream).
7 (28:00) **Estrogen Face Cream & Skin Health** - Dr. Haver discusses the use of estriol cream for facial skin, weighing the promising anecdotal evidence against the limited clinical data.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Monica Christmas Mary Claire Haver

Show Notes

Hormones or no hormones? Itchy ears. Disappearing pussy syndrome. Estrogen by land, by sea, by patch, by pill, or by cream. When is it T time? What's the deal with herbal remedies? Should your moisturizer have hormones in it? Is HRT safe? Four experts weigh in on bioidentical versus synthetic, getting better sleep, what to put in or around your vagina, tips for trans folks, protein research, and why you should go pick up a brick or something. OB/GYNs and menopause experts Dr. Monica Christmas and Dr. Mary Claire Haver – who wrote the book The New Perimenopause – are back for this Part 2 all about science-backed fixes to your menopausal probs. Joining the chat is Smith College exercise physiologist Dr. Sarah Witkowski with a cameo from anthropologist and bone expert Dr. Daniel Wescott.

Again, bonus Part 3 this week will be tips for your loved ones. We’re all in this together, kiddos.

Start with Emmenology (MENOPAUSE) Part 1

Browse Dr. Christmas’s papers on ResearchGate and follow her on Instagram

Visit Dr. Haver’s website and follow her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack

Buy Dr. Haver’s books, The New Menopause, The New Perimenopause, The Galveston Diet

Learn more about Dr. Sarah Witkowski’s work

Donations went to the Center for Food Equity in Medicine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Menopause Society

RosebudWoman.com (owned by my wonderful in-laws!) will give you 15% off with the code OLOGIES

Tortoise Sword from Jarrett Sleeper’s JB Stink brand shirts

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