Perimenopause hormones can make you feel like your body changed overnight—even when your labs look “normal,” and in this AMA Dr. Jolene Brighten answers your biggest questions about estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, HRT, birth control, Mirena, ovulation, POI, and postmenopause.
View the complete show notes, references, and resources at
https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/perimenopause-hormones/
📖 PREORDER ADHD AND WOMEN: https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
🧪 Why “normal” hormone labs don’t necessarily explain how you feel during perimenopause
😤 What symptoms like rage, anxiety, poor sleep, and irritability may tell you about progesterone
🥚 How to tell whether you’re still ovulating in perimenopause using cycle patterns, cervical mucus, temperature, LH, and progesterone
🩸 Why a shortening luteal phase may be an early clue that progesterone production is changing
🔬 Which hormone tests Dr. Brighten finds useful—and why testosterone, thyroid, insulin, and other markers deserve attention too
🧠 What we know—and still don’t know—about progestins, progesterone, GABA, BDNF, and women’s brain health
🌀 Where the Mirena IUD may fit during perimenopause, heavy bleeding, adenomyosis, and hormone therapy
🌙 When cyclic versus continuous progesterone may make sense
🧴 Dr. Brighten’s approach to estradiol, estriol, Biest, testosterone, and compounded hormone therapy
🏋️ How declining estrogen can affect muscle, connective tissue, mitochondria, exercise tolerance, and recovery
❤️ Why menopause doesn’t have to be a story of decline—including the part nobody talks about enough: sex can get better
🩺 When symptoms like varicose veins deserve further evaluation rather than being dismissed as “just hormones”
Resources
📖 ADHD and Women — Preorder + Bonuses: https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen
🌐 Dr. Brighten Website: https://drbrighten.com
🎙️ The Dr. Brighten Show: https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/
🌟 Free Hormone-Friendly Recipes: https://drbrighten.com/hormonekit/
Sponsorship & Resources
🧠 Dr. Brighten Essentials — Radiant Mind: https://drbrightenessentials.com/products/radiant-mind
Podcast listeners can use POD15 for 15% off.
👩🏻⚕️ About Dr. Jolene Brighten
Dr. Jolene Brighten is a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist, nutrition scientist, women’s health educator, and author of ADHD and Women. Her work focuses on translating complex hormone science into practical information women can use to better understand their bodies and have more informed conversations with their healthcare providers.
👩🏻⚕️ Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten
💻 Website: https://drbrighten.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjolenebrighten
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drjolenebrighten
🧵 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@drjolenebrighten
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrJoleneBrighten
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjolenebrighten
👍 If this episode helped you, like the video, subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show, and share it with a woman who has been told her labs are “normal” even though she knows something has changed. And tell me in the comments: what perimenopause or hormone question should we answer in the next AMA?
⚠️ Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or replace individualized medical care. Always discuss symptoms, medications, supplements, testing, and hormone therapy with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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