The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

291 - ‘I’m 76 and thriving on HRT’

In this week's episode of the podcast, Dr Louise Newson talks to Paula, a 76-year-old woman who reached out to share her experience of being on HRT for over 30 years.

Paula explains how she was prescribed HRT after a hysterectomy when she was 44, following a complicated gynaecological history, which included an ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cysts, fibroids and endometriosis.

She had been taking HRT for a decade when the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study was released. Paula explains how she researched the study, then weighed up her personal risk and benefits in discussion with her doctor and made the decision to carry on taking HRT. Paula was happy to stay on HRT and credits it with helping her to feel better in her 70s than she did in her 30s.

Click here to find out more about Newson Health

290 - Exercise: how to stay active and strong in menopause and beyond, with Matt Roberts

Joining Dr Louise on this week’s podcast is Matt Roberts, one of Britain’s foremost fitness experts and personal training pioneer. Matt opened Europe’s first exclusively personal training gym in 1996, is a bestselling author and is responsible for honing some of the most famous physiques in fashion, sport, film, music and politics.

In this episode, Matt and Dr Louise discuss the importance of strength training, cardio and mobility exercise for health span, as well as some of the key barriers to exercise during perimenopause and menopause –  and how to overcome them.

Finally, Matt offers advice on getting into good habits during menopause, whether you are already active or haven’t exercised for a while.

Find out more about Matt at www.mattroberts.co.uk and follow him on Instagram @mattroberts_lifestyle

Click here for more about Newson Health.

289 - Liz Earle: why self-care isn’t selfish

On this week’s podcast Dr Louise Newson is joined by her friend Liz Earle MBE, writer, TV presenter, award-winning entrepreneur and best-selling author of A Better Second Half: Dial Back Your Age to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life.

Liz is synonymous with wellbeing, and as we head into 2025, she talks about why most New Year’s resolutions fail because they are unachievable. Instead, Dr Louise and Liz together offer practical tips on making some small but meaningful changes to improve health and wellbeing in midlife and beyond, including nutrition, exercise, mental health and hormones.

They also talk about the importance of prioritising yourself – and why self-care is anything but selfish.

For more about Liz, visit www.lizearlewellbeing.com

You can follow Liz on Instagram @lizearleme

Click here for more about Newson Health.

288 - I’m an A&E consultant: the changes you can make for a longer, healthier life

Joining Dr Louise Newson on the podcast this week is A&E consultant Professor Rob Galloway, who talks about his career to date and pressures facing the health service.

He also shares the nutrition and exercise changes he’s made in his own life that have improved his physical and mental health, as well as his top tips on living healthier for longer.

You can follow Professor Galloway on X @DrRobgalloway

Click here for more about Newson Health.

287 - ADHD and perimenopause: Sumi's story

On this week’s episode, Dr Sumi Rampling, a GP and Menopause Specialist who works alongside Dr Louise at Newson Health, shares her personal story of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Diagnosed in early adulthood, Dr Sumi talks openly about the challenges of her ADHD diagnosis, as well as the impact that hormone changes, including perimenopause, can have on women with ADHD.

She talks about the determination her condition has given her, and also offers advice for women navigating hormone changes and ADHD.

Download balance’s ADHD and menopause booklet here.

Click here for more about Newson Health.

286 - Looking back on menopause and hormone health in 2024 – and what does the future hold?

In a departure from our usual format, as we reach the end of 2024, Dr Louise looks back on her highlights of this year, including her recent theatre tour, her education work and the work of the Newson Health research team.

She looks at some of the key developments for menopause in 2024, and busts some myths around hormones and hormone replacement therapy. Plus, she’ll be looking forward to 2025, and sharing details of some exciting work for the year ahead.

For more information on Newson Health, click here.

285 - Friendships and menopause: how conversations can be transformational

Joining Dr Louise this week is Louise Mulley, who shares her experience of anxiety and menopause.

Louise shares the importance of speaking openly about menopause and mental health, and how a conversation with a close friend helped her recognise her symptoms and find the right support and treatment.

She also shares her top three tips on helping friends or loved ones who may be struggling with their mental health during perimenopause and menopause:

1. Help your friend unburden: ask them ‘would you like to talk to me about it?’. Make it clear they can talk to you with no judgement and in confidence.
2. Share your own menopause story to encourage your friend to open up about what they may be going through.
3. Keep an open mind: if you’re a woman of menopausal age and experiencing mood changes, consider that it might be your hormones.

For more information on Newson Health, click here.

284 - Migraines and menopause: what’s the connection?

On this week’s podcast, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr Rebecca Walker, a GP who specialises in headache medicine and migraines.

In this episode, Dr Rebecca and Dr Louise (who suffers from migraines herself) get back to basics, looking at what migraines are, why they can occur and management approaches, from lifestyle measures to medication. They also talk about how hormone changes during perimenopause and menopause can impact the frequency and severity of migraines, and bust some myths around taking HRT if you have a history of migraines.

Follow Dr Rebecca on Instagram @dr_rebeccawalker.

For more information on migraines, visit the National Migraine Centre here, and you can find resources about migraine and menopause on the balance website here.

You can also listen to an earlier episode of the Dr Louise Newson Podcast with Dr Katy Munro, author of Managing Your Migraine, by clicking here or searching for episode 115 on your favourite streaming app.

For more information on Newson Health, click here.

283 - Hormonal changes and endometriosis: busting myths and seeking help

Joining Dr Louise Newson on the podcast this week is Jen Moore, a campaigner dedicated to raising awareness of endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Jen started experiencing endometriosis symptoms at the age of 11, but it took her 22 years to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis, adenomyosis and fibroids. By this stage organ failure was a risk and she required multiple surgeries, including a hysterectomy.

She has since become committed to helping other women – from speaking out to creating research projects. Here, she shares three things she believes women with endometriosis can do to make a difference to their future health:

1. Find a specialist – someone you can ask as many questions as you want, because if they are genuinely a specialist, they will not be afraid of answering questions.
2. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone. You have your medical team, but you also need a team outside of the hospital. It doesn’t matter who it is, even if it’s somebody online, just reach out. There are so many of us who are just happy to help even if it’s just to talk.
3. Keep going. When you get your diagnosis, you can think awesome, everything’s going to change. But then you realise, that’s just the start of it – you’ve got this wait list to get treatment and it can be a long slog. It’s exhausting, but it’s important that we do.

You can follow Jen on Instagram at @jen.dometriosis and find out more at www.jenmoore.co.uk

For more information on Newson Health, click here.

282 - Motor neurone disease and perimenopause: Nicola's story

This week, Dr Louise is joined by Nicola McFarlane, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2023.

Nicola shares the story of her MND diagnosis, as well as the barriers she faced in accessing treatment for perimenopause symptoms – including low mood, anxiety and recurrent UTIs – to improve her quality of life.

Nicola talks about how health professionals often put her perimenopause symptoms (which pre-dated her MND diagnosis) down to her MND, and why she is sharing her own experiences to help other women living with MND and facing hormonal changes.

For more information on Newson Health, click here.