The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

271 - Endometrial cancer, the menopause and HRT

In this week’s episode Dr Louise is joined by one of her patients, Lesley Henry, a nurse who lives in Northern Ireland. Lesley shares her experience of menopause, which started before she received a diagnosis of endometrial cancer.

Her treatment for cancer led to a surgical menopause, which she found debilitating. Lesley explains she feared her brain fog and fatigue would prevent her from returning to work and from caring for her mother.

A firm believer in the importance of quality of life, Lesley decided to resume taking HRT. She hopes to help other women who are going through similar experiences and shares the things that have given her the strength to make decision about her treatment and her life:

1. I have a faith. Not everybody will have the same faith as I have, and that's fine, but I think having a faith helps.
2. Be proactive and find support groups. Through Action Cancer I learnt about scar therapy, which has helped, plus I completed a positive living programme to learn how to re-energise and rebuild my life.
3. Be prepared to say goodbye to the old you. She's not coming back and in a way, she needs to go.
4. Trust in yourself and listen to your heart. You are worthwhile and your life matters.

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270 - Managing menopause at work: how to help yourself and your colleagues

Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the UK workforce, yet a 2022 survey by the Fawcett Society found one in ten women leave work due to their menopause symptoms.

This week, Dr Louise is joined by Oonagh Ferson, who researched the experiences of perimenopausal and menopausal women in the workplace as part of her MSc in HR management at Queens University Belfast.

Oonagh shares her research findings and some of the stories of women she interviewed, and with Dr Louise discusses the impact of perimenopause, menopause and other conditions such as PMS and PMDD in the workplace.

Oonagh offers advice on how women can thrive at work, including the three things she believes would make the biggest difference to women in the workplace:

1. A bottom up approach, where employers sit down with women and ask them: what would help you? What can we do?
2. Even though it may be difficult at times, advocate for yourself: be open with your employer to secure the support or adjustments you need
3.  Having open discussions, using clear language and avoiding terms like ‘the change’, can help dispel the stigma around menopause  

There is a chapter dedicated to menopause and the workplace in Dr Louise’s bestselling book, The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause. Order your copy by clicking here.

Click here for more about Newson Health.

269 - Testosterone supplementation: what can we learn from men’s healthcare?

This week on the podcast, Dr Louise is once again joined by her friend, retired consultant urologist Steve Payne.

Together they look at the similarities and differences in women and men’s experiences of menopause and andropause, and the effect of low testosterone levels, including loss of libido and lust for life, lethargy, mood changes, depression and muscular weakness.

They address the issues surrounding testosterone replacement and Steve questions if medical professionals can learn from the treatment of men with prostate cancer with testosterone supplementations when treating women with breast cancer with hormones.

Steve has written a factsheet about making informed decisions during cancer care. You can also read more about his and his wife Jan’s experience, plus practical advice, here, and listen to the podcast  Making decisions about cancer treatment and the importance of quality of life with Steve Payne.

Click here for more about Newson Health.

268 - Skin, hair and nail changes in menopause: a dermatologist’s guide

This week, Dr Louise is joined by Dr Claudia DeGiovanni, a consultant dermatologist with a keen interest in the menopause. Dr Claudia has published a four-part review on the effect of menopause on skin and hair and has carried out research into the effect of menopausal skin issues on quality of life.

Here she talks about the prevalence of skin issues in menopause and their causes, the significance of oestrogen and what to look out for in products and what to avoid. Finally, she shares three tips for menopausal skin:

1. If you have got significant skin problems, if it's affecting your quality of life, seek help, see your GP, see a dermatologist, get a diagnosis and find some accurate treatments because we will take you seriously.
2. Look at your skincare routine and be aware of how your skin is changing. It’s likely to become more sensitive so avoid harsh exfoliants or anything that strips the skin of moisture, and include a good quality SPF into your regime.
3. When choosing products it’s more important to look at the ingredients list, and choose quality ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid, than buying those labelled for menopause.

You can follow Dr Claudia on Instagram @dr.degiovanni_dermatology and read her paper on menopause and skin disorders here.

There is a chapter dedicated to skin and hair in menopause in Dr Louise’s bestselling book, The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause. Order your copy by clicking here.

Click here for more about Newson Health.

267 - Easy when you know how: menopause care in Australia

This week on the podcast, Dr Louise is joined by Dr Ceri Cashell, a GP in Australia who specialises in female hormonal health.

After completing Newson Health’s Confidence in Menopause course, Dr Ceri became passionate about educating both patients and fellow healthcare professionals about the importance of hormones, and busting myths around HRT.

Here she talks about the advantages of longer consultations with patients and shares the things she thinks it’s important for healthcare professionals to know so they can improve their care of perimenopausal and menopausal women:

1.  Understand that menopause can affect women of a wide range of ages, and to consider perimenopause when you are presented with multiple-system symptom clusters.
2. Simplify your HRT regime. Use body identical hormones, oestradiol patches, gels or sprays, micronised progesterone and consider testosterone. Understand that women don't all absorb medication through the skin the same so you may need to tweak the doses.
3. Know that not all oestrogens and progestogens are the same. The oestrogen in body identical HRT on its own has been shown to reduce the lifetime risk of breast cancer, while the body identical progesterone is not associated with any increased risk of breast cancer in the best data.
4. Testosterone is licensed for loss of libido, but in clinical practice does seem to really help other symptoms of perimenopause and menopause and can really be a gamechanger.
5. If you do prescribe more HRT, you'll see the most transformational medicine that you've probably ever encountered.

You can follow Dr Ceri on Instagram @drcericashell

Find out more about the Confidence in Menopause course here and the balance app symptom checker mentioned on the podcast here

Click here to find out more about Newson Health

266 - Team GB’s Desirèe Henry: the Olympics, hormones and body positivity

This week Dr Louise is joined by sprinter Desirèe Henry who is representing Team GB at the Paris Olympics this year.

Desirèe is no stranger to the Olympics – she was one of seven young athletes who lit the Olympic caldron at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Games, plus she took home a bronze medal in the 4 X 100m relay at the 2016 Rio Games.

And she’ll be heading to Paris on a high after being part of Team GB’s gold medal-winning women’s 4x100m relay team at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in June.

Desirèe talks about the challenges of competing throughout the menstrual cycle and coping with heavy periods, plus the importance of talking openly about these issues, maintaining a healthy weight and body positivity.

Finally, Desirèe shares three tips to help you lead a happier and healthier life:

1. Set one goal every day. It doesn’t have to be anything big, it could be drinking water or having a piece of fruit every day, but it's something that will add up over the week and benefit your lifestyle in a positive way.
2. Try to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle. It could be watching a YouTube yoga video or anything that just allows your body to move, that increases blood flow around the body and helps you get in some extra stretching.
3. Check in on other people more often. Just find out how they are and show them that somebody cares – you’ll be appreciated.

You can follow Desirèe on Instagram @desiree_lh

Click here to find out more about Newson Health

 

265 - Nutrition, mindset and maintaining a healthy weight in menopause

This week on the podcast, Dr Louise is joined by Manisha Morgan, whose own experience of menopause led her to train as a nutritionist.

Manisha offers support to women who are fed up with yo-yo dieting to build a positive relationship with food, lose weight, and lead a healthy lifestyle. She helps women learn mindset techniques to help improve self-confidence and implement habits that can lead to long-term success.

Manisha talks about the importance of acknowledging cultural attitudes and approaches to food, and how genetic doesn’t necessarily dictate your future health.

Finally, Manisha shares three achievable goals:

1. Manage your expectations, start small and then gradually build up. So for example, if you don't go for a walk, start going for a 20-minute walk and then maybe gradually increase that over a period of time.
2. Start to include protein in every single meal that you're having, breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you're having three different meals, there are lots of different things that you can have.
3. If you have a 'bad' day, don't let that throw you off. Just pick yourself up the next day and continue with whatever new habits you’re establishing.

You can follow Manisha on Instagram @manisha_your_nutritionist

Click here to find out more about Newson Health.

 

264 - What happens to fibroids during the menopause?

This week on the podcast, Dr Louise is joined by Osama Naji, a Consultant Gynaecologist who is an expert in advanced gynaecological scanning at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

In this episode Osama shares his vast knowledge on fibroids – common, benign growths that usually develop during a woman’s reproductive years when oestrogen levels are at their highest. He explains the impact menopause can have on fibroids, treatment options and the possibility of HRT.

Finally, Osama advises on things to consider if you’ve recently been diagnosed with fibroids:

1. Find out all the facts about your fibroid - number, location and size – as knowledge is power. You can usually get this from an ultrasound scan. Use that knowledge to get professional guidance about managing your fibroids.
2. HRT is safe. The benefits of it usually outweigh the risks. The only thing to consider is if the fibroid is causing problems before starting HRT but even in this scenario, HRT may worth trying.
3. If you experience rapid growth in the fibroids or accelerated symptoms seek help to determine the right treatment.

Find out more about Osama here and read his feature on balance on fibroids and the menopause here.

Click here to find out more about Newson Health.

263 - Dr Corinne Menn: I’m a doctor who’s had breast cancer – here’s what I want you to know

This week on the podcast, Dr Louise is joined by Dr Corinne Menn, a New York-based, board-certified OB-GYN and North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner, with more than 20 years of experience caring for women.

When she was 28, Corinne was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following her BRCA2+ diagnosis, she underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy then navigated pregnancy and menopause plus longer term survivorship issues.

Corinne received support from the Young Survival Coalition, an organisation that advocates for women under 40 with breast cancer, and worked with her oncologists to manage her pregnancy, menopause and treatment options.

She feels passionately that women who have or have had breast cancer receive individualised care and treatment for their cancer and menopause symptoms, and shares three tips to help with quality of life:   

1. Do not minimise your menopausal symptoms, your hot flushes, your night sweats, sleep etc. So whether you use hormonal therapy or non-hormonal medications, make sure you get help and can sleep so you function better and breaking the vicious cycle of spiralling menopausal symptoms.
2. Please do not neglect vaginal sexual health. Again, if you can preserve a little bit of that, it can stop a negative cycle of suffering, of urinary tract infections and relationship and intimacy issues.
3. Scheduling time to have a separate appointment with your oncologist and your GYN. Come prepared. Listen to Louise's podcast. Listen to Menopause in Cancer podcast and Instagram page. Be empowered because you and your quality of life are worth it.

You can follow Corinne on Instagram at @drmennobgyn

Click here to find out more about Newson Health.

 

262 - Acne: from teen years to menopause and beyond

This week on the podcast with Dr Louise, Consultant Dermatologist Dr Sajjad Rajpar returns to talk about acne and its effect on women during the perimenopause and menopause, including on their self-confidence and mental health.

Dr Saj explains the causes of acne and the different treatments available, including an encouraging new treatment that could make a big difference to acne sufferers in the long term.

Finally, Dr Saj shares his three tips for anyone who might have acne:

1. Keep skincare simple and targeted. Pick one of three active ingredients – retinoids, benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid – and give it three to six months to work. Only supplement it with a very simple supporting skincare regime.
2. Assess the impact of the acne – if it is leaving persistent blemishes, pigmentation or scars, then escalate the treatment. If the first line treatment hasn’t worked, give it three months and see a medical professional to try to get it under control because prevention of scars is so much easier than trying to reverse and cure them.
3. Be mindful about all the different risk factors and triggers, and do not underestimate the impact of diet and stress. Where we can treat acne holistically, we should.

You can follow Dr Saj on Instagram @dr.rajpar_dermatologist

There is a chapter dedicated to skin and hair in menopause in Dr Louise’s bestselling book, The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause, which includes expert contributions by Dr Saj. Order your copy by clicking here.

Click here to find out more about Newson Health