Podcast: Menopause Myths Busted: The Truth About HRT and Women's Health with Ashlie Beiter from Winona

Introduction

Dive into the world of menopause with our latest podcast featuring Ashlie Beiter, co-founder of Winona, a groundbreaking telehealth company revolutionizing menopause care. 

Discover:
• The truth about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
• Innovative approaches to managing menopause symptoms
• Expert insights on weight management, mood changes, and more

Whether you're approaching menopause, in the midst of it, or supporting someone who is, this episode is packed with valuable information and compassionate advice. Learn how to navigate this significant life transition with confidence and clarity.

Don't miss out on this empowering conversation that's breaking the silence around menopause. Listen now and take control of your health journey! 🎧💪

Connect with Ashlie

Winona FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/141206008222366 

Winona Resources: https://bywinona.com/resources 

Transcription of Podcast

Dr Orlena: Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to Fit and Fabulous with me, Dr. Orlena. Super excited today. We have a fabulous guest called Ashley, who is going to come and talk to us all about menopause. Before we dive in, Ashley, welcome. Would you like to introduce yourself?

Ashlie: Hi, my name is Ashley Beiter. I'm proud to be one of the co founders of Winona, and Winona is a telehealth company in the United States, where we offer hormone replacement therapy to women experiencing menopause.

Dr Orlena: fabulous. Now, as I was saying, just before we were recording, you look far too young to know anything about menopause. So before we dive into menopause, do you want to just fill that gap in and explain how you got into this neck of the woods?

Ashlie: Yeah, absolutely. So it was about 2020 and during the height of the pandemic.

Ashlie: Some of the other members of Winona really wanted to come together and create a telehealth company. And we were doing a lot of research of what kind of telehealth company would best serve the public. And we kept finding these huge gaps in women's health care. And there, you know, there were a lot of companies that were popping up to help support women with birth control or maybe UTIs.

Ashlie: But we really didn't see anything for women. post reproductive years. And that's when we began working with our CMO, other doctors, other pharmacists, and we really just started to learn more and more about menopause. I myself, obviously, huge advocate for women's health, just being a woman and like having to experience the everyday struggles of going to the OBGYN or maybe having a hard time finding a Good information online.

Ashlie: I really began to have a lot of empathy for what women were experiencing going through menopause. And so we started working on Winona and, you know, obviously menopause might be a little bit down the line for me, but I called women every day that expressed interest in our company and really dedicated time to learn what their life was like.

Ashlie: in this stage of life and how it was affecting their mental health, their families, their career. And we really created Winona for those women to have support within work, family, exercise, and have a holistic yet scientific approach to dealing with these symptoms. Perfect.

Dr Orlena: I love it. I love holistic and scientific.

Dr Orlena: I think that's fabulous and that really resonates with me. So what did you find, this women, like it's such a big area and what were some of the really big problems that you were seeing?

Ashlie: So, yeah, definitely as we were talking to these women, I feel like the biggest thing I heard about was weight gain and, you know, that's just very hard emotionally and mentally to feel yourself and like, maybe like notice, okay, I don't have the same amount of energy, but to look in the mirror and see yourself changing and maybe the same exercises that you were 10 years just aren't having the same impact that they used to, I feel like that was what was really draining me.

Ashlie: These women and you know, hormone replacement therapy, it can help with bringing back some of the energy to get you to the gym. And that's what we talked about a lot of work, but I would probably say that was one of the biggest criticisms that we heard from an experiencing menopause symptoms.

Dr Orlena: Yeah. And I can resonate with that in that.

Dr Orlena: I've heard lots of people say I was doing exactly the same stuff. I was eating the same and exercising the same, and suddenly my body just changed and. I kind of felt disconnected from myself. Any other big symptoms that you noticed that, you know, a recurring theme for women. Yeah, a lot of mood

Ashlie: and anxiety.

Ashlie: I spoke with one woman who actually like I'll never forget her story I still think about it to this day when I'm doing some of the marketing aspects She had three kids. She was only 45. She was relatively very young and She said she just woke up and slept Stop feeling like herself. And every day I just kept getting like a little bit further from who she remembered.

Ashlie: And she just kept going to the doctor and saying like, I can't sleep. I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm super emotional. And they started prescribing a lot of heavy antidepressants and sedatives to help with sleep. And she said at that point, I just kept getting further from myself. I felt like I kind of had a cloud in my head and she just did a lot of research and then finally came out.

Ashlie: To figure out that like menopause was a big cause of like her anxiety and mood changes. And then she was like, well, I think I might take a little bit of a holistic approach, a natural approach and try to start figuring out my menopause symptoms before I like really start taking a lot of sleeping aids and antidepressants.

Ashlie: And for her that worked, not for everyone, but for her it was very impactful and she said it changed her life when she started looking at the root cause of the problems. So that's a story I really think about quite often.

Dr Orlena: Do you want to just explain a little bit about what's going on in menopause?

Dr Orlena: It's almost like we go through this second puberty, like Puberty is obviously normal, but there's a lot of, you know, hormonal swings and going on, and it's the same when you get to menopause. Do you think you can talk a little bit about that, like, what's going on inside our bodies to make all of these giant changes?

Ashlie: Yeah, so menopause, when it starts occurring you really just see a lot of rapid hormone changes. So it's not even just like a straight decline all the time. If you were to look at it on a graph, it would be like, it's spiking, it's dropping, it's spiking and dropping, and it's just It's all suddenly starts kind of going down, but over time, it's just rapid changes.

Ashlie: And so that's really what causes these anxiety, the mood changes, the weight gain. It's cause your body's just trying to keep up and create some sort of stability within your hormones and it struggles to do that. So that's why a lot of remedies that you see often speak about hormone balancing because that typically is the biggest issue in menopause.

Dr Orlena: And how do you diagnose if somebody needs to have HRT or not?

Ashlie: Yeah, so obviously we're a telehealth company and so we have an intake form similar to what you would take at a doctor's office. The best way to prescribe hormone replacement therapy is to really look at the symptoms the woman is experiencing.

Ashlie: Unfortunately, you know, blood tests are often given and that will give you an idea, but it's really just a snapshot of where you are at that moment and who you are at 9am with your hormone levels can be drastically different from who you are, even at like 1230 or 6pm. And so we really want to take a step back and see where is this person having the biggest struggles?

Ashlie: Luckily, we work with a compounding pharmacy, so we're really able to customize treatment. So that would be one of the recommendations I would recommend to any of your listeners, is if you do go forward with testing, make sure to do multiple tests and really dive heavily in to the symptoms. Don't base all of the information that you're given off of one blood test or one urine test.

Dr Orlena: Yeah, because, and partly because they can vary so much that it can be, they can be inaccurate. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. And so if somebody comes to you and they've got all of these symptoms, so perhaps going back to that lady that you were talking about who just felt like she wasn't herself, and she goes through and she has an intake form, what's her next step with you?

Ashlie: Yeah, so the next step after the intake form, she would be connected with a physician in her state, and they would work with her to find the appropriate treatment method. If it is HRT, then she would continue working with us. And if not, they would Find her a solution that better fits. We also have partners that are in the States as well that offer non hormonal treatments.

Ashlie: So we really focus ourselves as a company of, you know, finding the best treatment, even if it isn't with us. And, you know, just your listeners are in the States, we often work with Kendra, which is a great non hormonal company as well.

Dr Orlena: Okay, perfect. Yeah, we have people listening from all over, so not everybody is in the States.

Dr Orlena: But some people are. So what about, what would you say to people who are sitting there thinking, okay, I, like I've heard about HRT, but I'm a little bit worried about HRT because I've heard that it can have negative effects. Okay, perfect. And, but it can have some positive effects. And, you know, for me, I always want to present, you know, what, there are some negative effects and here are some positive effects as opposed to.

Dr Orlena: Let's all just brush over and pretend that the negative effects aren't there. Let's have a look at the whole picture. So could you talk about the negatives and the positives and how you help people make a decision as to whether they should go forwards with HRT or not? Yes. So I think when you bring up HRT, a lot of doctors, maybe women, do have some scare because, you know, it is a medication that should be taken seriously.

Ashlie: And also the WHI, the Women's Health Initiative, that was It's done in the early nineties, created a lot of fear around it.

Ashlie: When the initiative came out, it really casted a bad light on HRT because they did this study with women ranging from the age of like 30 to 90. And they didn't take out women that maybe had previous history of breast cancer, stroke, or heart attacks. It was really, really just a very large group.

Ashlie: And the findings weren't as accurate as what we know today, but because the information was out there, it drastically delayed menopause care due to all the fear behind hormones. They also use Primarin in the study, which it's derived from horse urine which is where we now hear so much about bioidentical hormones.

Ashlie: So Going to the negatives. Sorry, I'm trying to loop it all back around. You have a lot of fear when talking about HRT. And doctors often, you know, want to err on the side of caution. And they want to do the best for you. And so I feel like that is one negative. Another could be, you know, You really want to find someone that's going to work with you to find the best customization because if you don't do well with the first set of hormones that you get and the dosage doesn't work for you, you want to be able to have the communication with your doctor to continue adjusting and working to find the right treatment.

Ashlie: Some cons I've also heard from women that are just working through it, maybe in the initial weeks, they had a little more water retention. And so I always tell women too, that like, are talking to me about it, like, maybe don't start it right before you go on a summer vacation, start it the week after you get back.

Ashlie: still feel skinny on the beach. But vastly, the pros outweigh the cons. We've seen now with correct studies that combat the WHI, women not take hormones during menopause have a lower chance of osteoporosis, lower chance of heart disease, actually reduced the risk of some cancers. A lot of our patients within the first four weeks of treatment actually say that their hot flashes just stopped.

Ashlie: And within the first three days, they were actually able to get it. Good night's sleep. So I would say for any person listening, if they're considering HRT, just look into what would work for them. Find a doctor that's actually prescribed it and has a very good history of working with their patients.

Ashlie: And I definitely think that the pros will always outweigh the cons. There is 136 symptoms associated with menopause and anything you can do to help. Bring down some of the severity of what you might be feeling is always worth it.

Dr Orlena: Perfect. Perfect. And what about weight loss? Does it help weight loss?

Ashlie: Yes, it is very helpful with weight loss. It balances your hormones. You're able to lose weight. But I think the biggest part about it is it balances your hormones. So you actually have the energy to go to the gym and actually tackle weight loss in the best way possible.

Ashlie: HRT will help you lose weight, but it's a gradual process. That's why we tell all of our patients, give it three months. Let your body adjust to the treatment, go to the gym, let it help you with energy.

Ashlie: And then you'll see yourself being able to gain the muscle that you used to be able to gain to help with that loss. So, but so is the. Is that being able to lose weight, is that because it gives you energy and makes you feel better and then you can lead a healthy lifestyle or does it have a direct effect on people who have got stubborn weight loss and they're doing all the right things?

Dr Orlena: Will those people then get a benefit from using HRT as well? Absolutely. We often recommend DHEA for women that are just having, doing the right things and having a hard time experiencing weight loss. DHEA is a more gentle effect. To raise estrogen testosterone levels. And when you see the testosterone levels rise, you're able to gain muscle faster and help with weight loss.

Dr Orlena: Okay, perfect. And what happens, how long do people tend to stay on HRT for?

Ashlie: So very much depends on the person. We have some people that, you know, maybe start it in the later half of their menopause transition. So maybe in like 55 and they do it for one or two years and they're like, I'm feeling great. I'm gonna slowly wean off the medication and just live my life again.

Ashlie: And some people decide to stay on it indefinitely. There really isn't a cutoff. The governing body in the US says don't prescribe to women over 60 But that doesn't mean if you as a patient start HRT as 55 That you have to stop at 60. You can continue going for as long as it's making you feel good.

Dr Orlena: Okay, perfect Anything else that you think is important for women to know at this period of their life where life just feels a little bit overwhelming and You know, often I feel that women at this stage, they are looking after children.

Dr Orlena: They may be looking after elderly parents. And on top of that, they've got all these hormonal changes going on, which just makes everything feel just totally impossible. What are some of your big take home messages to these people?

Ashlie: I always very much preach on community. There's a big stigma around menopause and we talk, we've seen that like a lot of your girlfriends don't even talk about it with each other, even though they're going through the same stage of life and talking about it with your friends and finding a community of women that are experiencing the same thing as you is going to help your mental health and just help you through this transition period.

Ashlie: You might not always need a medication to feel better, but just getting it off your chest will make you feel better. So that's something I very much believe in and would recommend it. Anyone listening, just find your person to help you get through this stage.

Dr Orlena: Sorry, I absolutely resonate with that. And I think a big part of that is just knowing that it's normal because to you, it feels totally abnormal.

Dr Orlena: And it's the same with any experience that we have. I've got a 16 year old son at the moment and I think, Oh my goodness, like what is going on with him? But then when I talk to people who've got children who are a little bit older, they're like, Oh yeah, that's totally normal. And then you can just relax into it and go.

Dr Orlena: It's just another stage he's going through. It will be totally fine. And I think understanding that this is something that happens to everybody. And you're totally right. We don't, we don't talk about these things enough.

Ashlie: Absolutely. And also You know, if any of your listeners are looking for resources to help start the conversation, maybe with their partner or friends of what they're experiencing, we have resources on our website of how to start the conversation and how to navigate it with a partner.

Ashlie: Totally free, can help send the links for anyone that they're curious about it. Perfect. And would you like to tell people a little bit more about, We're Nona and like, I understand it does the HRT, but it has other services as well. Is that correct? So our primary service is the telehealth service where we offer HRT to women, but we do have communities.

Ashlie: It's also free through Facebook where it's 17, 000 women talking about what they're experiencing on a day to day level. We also have blogs on our website written by doctors that specialize in menopause. We cover everything on mood and anxiety, weight loss, vaginal dryness, sex, any topic that you might feel confused about because of course we're an education forward company.

Ashlie: We don't want to gatekeep any knowledge that has helped us create this company, create this brand. So those are the other services that we offer, but they're totally free and we would love to invite anyone to our community that just might need someone to speak to, even if they're not in the United States where we serve women.

Dr Orlena: Perfect. Fabulous. And I will make sure I leave those links in the show notes. Any last words of wisdom for us?

Ashlie: No, but thank you so much for having me. I really appreciated meeting you and coming to your podcast today. Thank you so much Thank you so much for spending some time with us. Of course