If you have ever finished treatment, rung the bell, and thought "wait, why do I feel worse now than I did during chemo," this episode is for you.
Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky is back on the show, and there is a very good reason. She is a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in breast and gynecologic cancers, Director of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology at Valley Health System in New Jersey, host of the Interlude podcast, and her first book, Beyond the Pink: Navigating Life, Health, and Breast Cancer, comes out September 29.
Her core message is one we talk about here constantly: survivorship does not start when treatment ends. It starts the day you are diagnosed.
We go deep into the things most women are never prepared for. Why the "after" is often harder than active treatment. Why a DEXA scan is only half the bone health picture and muscle mass is the piece almost no one measures. What the emerging GLP-1 and breast cancer recurrence research actually shows, and what it does not show yet. Why vaginal estrogen is still being denied to women who have every guideline on their side. Where testosterone and systemic HRT fit in, and the three-bucket framework she uses to help patients decide. And how to tell trustworthy health information from the noise.
Dr. Teplinsky wrote Beyond the Pink with more than 400 citations, and where the evidence does not exist yet, she says so. It is the resource she wished her patients had, and it is written to be brought into the exam room.
In this episode
Why survivorship begins on day one, not after your last treatment
The gap in medical training around menopause, sexual health, and long-term survivorship
Why the post-treatment period is often the hardest, and why the support disappears right when you need it
Fear of recurrence and scanxiety, and what an oncologist actually says to patients living in it
Bone health after an aromatase inhibitor: DEXA scans, calcium, vitamin D, and bone medications
The muscle health conversation almost no one is having, sarcopenia, and how it is linked to aromatase inhibitor side effects and adherence
How little movement it actually takes: resistance bands, dumbbells, and 20 minutes
GLP-1s and breast cancer: the recurrence signal, what is still unknown, and why the source of your prescription matters
Why "humans are not mice" and the caution around unstudied peptides
Sexual health after cancer: body image, intimacy, dryness, bladder issues, and why sexual health is health
Vaginal estrogen: the guidelines, the study that gets misquoted, and the link to reduced UTIs, sepsis, and hospitalizations
Testosterone after breast cancer: the theoretical concerns, the hormone receptor nuance, and what newer data suggests
Systemic HRT and the three-bucket framework: symptoms, recurrence risk, and your personal risk tolerance
A chapter-by-chapter look inside Beyond the Pink
Her three pieces of advice for someone newly diagnosed
Being mindful of what you consume online, and why nothing good happens on social media after 10pm
If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs it, and follow the show so you never miss an episode. Pre-order Beyond the Pink, take care of yourself, and be gentle with yourself.
This episode is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please talk with your own care team about what is right for you.
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