Many, if not most women and clinicians believe that bioidentical estrogen is always best when it comes to post menopause hormone therapy. This comes from the premise that bio-identical estrogen is completely natural and therefore safer and more effective than other forms of estrogen.  Except that is not necessarily true.
  
In this myth-busting episode, I discuss:

• Why words and terms need to have precise meanings
• The difference between HT, HRT and MHT
• The three general categories of estrogen
•     Synthesized
•      Conjugated
•     Bioidentical
• How the term bioidentical came to be
• Four myths about bioidentical estrogen

             Bioidentical estrogen is completely natural 
             Bioidentical estrogen is safer than other forms of estrogen
             Bioidentical estrogen is more effective than other forms of estrogen
             Bioidentical estrogen is less likely to cause breast cancer than other forms                of estrogen. 

Dr. Streicher is on SUBSTACK
DrStreicher.Substack.com

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive Dr. Streicher’s FREE NEWSLETTER

Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
  
  

Major Medical Centers
It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 
If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is for education and information and is not intended to replace medical advice from your healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Less than 3% of post-menopause women use commercially produced hormone therapy. However, increasing numbers of women dealing with hot flashes, insomnia, painful sex, and loss of libido are using non-FDA-approved hormone pellets. Millions of women have no idea that they are using a form of hormone therapy that is unregulated and associated with side effects such as an enlarged clitoris, and male pattern baldness, as well as an increased risk of hysterectomy.

• How pellets are different than FDA-approved commercial hormone therapy
• Why pellets are so popular
• The problem with pellets
• Side effects from pellets
• Irreversible side effects
• Typical hormone levels when using pellets
• Why women are more likely to bleed when using pellets
• Why women are more likely to need a hysterectomy when using pellets

 
                                           Menopause Retreat
            with Dr. Streicher, Dr. Kelly Casperson, and Dr. Ellen Gendler!
                                      Miraval Resort and Spa- Tucson, Arizona
                                                 May 16-19

        A unique opportunity to get one-on-one access to nationally recognized            menopause experts while having an exceptional travel experience. 
                                          For more information


Dr. Streicher is on SUBSTACK

·  Free articles
·  Free monthly newsletter
·  Free podcasts
·  Inside Information-Midlife Menopause and More Podcast Transcripts
·  Monthly News Flash Reports on recent research 
·  Monthly Zoom Q and A Webinar- (May submit questions in advance) 
·  Ability to COMMENT on posts and podcasts
·  ARCHIVES of Inside Info Posts 
·  ARCHIVES of Inside Information-Midlife Menopause and More Podcasts



Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 
 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
  
  

Major Medical Centers

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 

The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 
 
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is for education and information and is not intended to replace medical advice from your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Most women don’t even think about their urethras, but an estrogen-starved urinary tract can be the culprit when it comes to recurrent urinary tract infections and that persistent “gotta go” feeling. 

In this episode I sit down with Dr. Kelly Casperson, a board-certified urologist, a certified Menopause Practitioner of the North American Menopause Society, and the host of the hit podcast You Are Not Broken to discuss the role of estrogen in urinary health including: 

·      How to get rid of URINARY URGENCY
·      How to use a local vaginal estrogen to alleviate many BLADDER SYMPTOMS
·      Why some women are more prone than others to RECURRENT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS.
·      Simple ACTION STEPS to decrease recurrent urinary tract infections
·      A NEW VACCINE that is on the horizon for women for women who have recurrent infections

           Join Dr. Casperson, Dr. Gendler, and I in Arizona on May 16-19
                             Miraval Resort and Spa, Tucson Arizona

This is a unique opportunity to get one-on-one access to nationally recognized menopause experts while having an exceptional travel experience. 
For more information


Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 
 

Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
   
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
   
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
   

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 
 

The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
  
  

Major Medical Centers
It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 

If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is for education and information and is not intended to replace medical advice from your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

30% of women over the age of 50 are single. 50% of women over age 65 are single.  Too often the whole dating process is overwhelming, frustrating, and unsuccessful. Enter Bela Gandhi- the nationally known dating coach who regularly appears on Good Morning America and hosts a hit podcast, “The Smart Dating Academy.” So whether you need to fix your picker, find the whole idea of dating daunting or are not finding success when it comes to companionship and love, Bela’s got your back. And if you are not on the hunt, you know someone who is! 
After you listen to this episode, head on over to Substack.com/@DrStreicher for my post on avoiding a sexually transmitted infection! 

 On this episode: 

·      Is it ever too late to find love?

·      What’s BETTER about dating over 50?

·      WHAT is the biggest MISTAKE midlife women make when it comes to dating?

·      If women need to resign themselves to dating OLDER men

·      TIPS for ON-LINE dating

·      What if someone doesn't want to go online? 

·      RED-FLAGS you need to know

·      What about women seeking women? Do you advise the same things?

·      When it comes to dating WIDOWERS, what's your advice? 

·      How about the DIVORCED guys? 

·      How long someone should wait before GETTING NAKED?

·      How much PAST HISTORY should be shared? 


Bela Gandhi

 Website:    www.smartdatingacademy.com

Podcast:  Podcast - Smart Dating Academy

Instagram:  Instagram 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/smartdatingacademy

Watch: TED Talk - The Secret to Lasting Love!



Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• Substack/cm/@DrStreicher 
• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 
 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
  
  

Major Medical Centers

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 

The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 
 
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

As 2024 ends, I decided to revisit the top episodes from last year. If I were to go by my favorites, choosing would be impossible. According to the number of downloads,  the two top contenders are Top Tips for Skin and Hair with Dr. Ellen Gendler and Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause with Dr. Vonda Wright.  I am going to update Dr. Gendler's episode in a few weeks. 

In this episode I am going to revisit Musculoskeletal Syndrome of Menopause with Dr. Vonda Wright. Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon has made it her mission to raise awareness about the musculoskeletal changes that occur because of menopause, and how a lack of estrogen sabotages the ability to be active. And that lack of activity not only impacts bone health and cardiovascular health but also cognitive function.  

At the end, is an update on what has happened since I recorded that episode. 

In this episode: 
·      The six symptoms of musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause

·      The relationship between GSM and dementia

·      Why frozen shoulder is the number one complaint

·      The relationship of menopause to osteoarthritis

·      The impact of mobility on cognitive function

·      The impact of menopause on frailty

·      The impact of testosterone on musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause

·      Exercise and cancer risk reduction

·      How heavy your weights should be to increase muscle power

 Dr. Wright’s publication
Wright VJ, et al.  The musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause. Climacteric. 2024 Oct;27(5):466-472.

Dr. Vonda Wright
Podcast: Hot for Your Health 
Instagram: @DrVondaWright
For more information on this topic: 
Substack.com/@DrStreicher

Episode 59 - Boning Up on Bones: Part 1 with Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri (Risk Factors for Osteoporosis, and Screening)

Episode 61 Boning Up on Bones: Part 2 with Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri (Prevention and Treatment) 

Episode 67- How Long Can you Safely Take Hormone Therapy?

Episode 85 Estrogen and Alzheimer’s Disease

Episode  111 Bone Up with Hormone Therapy with Dr. DeSapri

Episode 123 Hormone Therapy After Age 60 with Dr. James Simon



Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat

Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause. She is a certified menopause practitioner of the North American Menopause Society. 

Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 


Subscribe and Follow Dr. Streicher on 

DrStreicher.com

Instagram       @DrStreich

Facebook         @DrStreicher

YouTube          DrStreicherTV


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD


 Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain

Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy

If you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, I've got you covered.  In this episode, I have great gift ideas that also happen to be healthy.
There were two criteria to make it to this list. One, it had to be something I already own or would like to own. Second, there had to be a scientifically proven health benefit to using these items.
And if you have already finished your shopping, these are great gifts to buy for yourself. 

For a transcript of this episode, including video demonstrations, go to Substack.com/@DrStreicher

·      Mocktail Book

·      Silk Sleep Mask

·      Resistance Bands

·      Foldable Bike Helmut

·      Walking Pad

·      Elixer Play Amathyst Vibrator

·      Crave

·      Lube Warmer


Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause, and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 
 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
  
  

Major Medical Centers

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 

The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 
 
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is for education and information and is not intended to replace medical advice from your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

An “MD” after the name is no assurance that the person to whom you are about to bare your soul—and your vagina—is an expert when it comes to menopause. 
In this episode, I am going to walk you through the steps to find someone you can trust to fix your flashes, foggy brain, and failing sex life.

Head over to Substack.com/@DrStreicher for a transcript of the episode, and bonus!  I posted an article with specific questions to ask during a menopause consultation (and answers you might get) that will let you know if you can trust this person to help you manage your menopause. 

• If Your Doctor Doesn’t Have a Vagina
• Specialists that may be menopause expertise
• Advanced practice nurses and physician assistants
• Why most doctors know very little about menopause
• What letters mean after a doctor’s name
• The difference between a license and board certification
• What it takes to maintain board certification
• What it means to be “double boarded” 
• Why Anti-Aging is not a recognized board certification
• What academic titles such as “Professor” indicate
• How I became a menopause expert
• What it means to be a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner
• Checking out publications
• Physician Referral services
• The problem with consumer referral sites
• Red flags to look for on doctor websites
• If you should educate your own doctor
• If concierge doctors are worth it
• Telehealth- and what to look for

Go to substack.com/@drstreicher  for my list of specific questions to ask   (and potential answers you might get ) that are pretty good indications that the person you are seeing is an actual expert. 


Links

• To verify that a physician is licensed

Federation of State Medical Boards website 

fsmb.org

• To verify that a physician is board certified

ABMS.org is the site where you can check out whether a physician is board-certified and find out what he or she is certified in. 

• To find a certified menopause practitioner

www.menopause.org.

• To see if your physician has published any scientific articles

NIH National Library of Science- Pubmed

• Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 

• Major Medical Centers

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 

• The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
   

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• Substack/cm/@DrStreicher 
• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

If you would like to read a transcript of this episode along with some additional information, head on over to my substack- substack.com/@DrStreicher

Chances are you have heard at least one expert say that systemic hormone therapy will prevent heart disease. But you also may have heard other experts say, No- if you don’t have hot flashes or low bone mass, it is not recommended to take hormone therapy to prevent heart disease down the road. So, who is right? Why is this controversial?  Isn’t the data, the data?  In this episode, I explain why experts are not all on the same page when it comes to the long-term cardiovascular benefits of hormone therapy. 


·      The Difference between a Randomized Controlled Trial and an Observational Trial

·      Why the WHI was an excellent study- and why it was problematic

·      What we learned From the WHI about Hormones and Cardiovascular Health

·      The Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN) 

·      What we learned From the SWAN about Hormones and Cardiovascular Health

·      What we learned From the SWAN about Hormone therapy and Cardiovascular Risk

·      What we learned From the SWAN about Hormone therapy and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

·      If hormone therapy should be prescribed for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease-  the view of the two opposing sides 

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• Substack/cm/@DrStreicher 
• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 

Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
   
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com

Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 
 
 

The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   
   

Major Medical Centers

It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 
 
 

If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 

The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 
 
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

The only thing predictable about perimenopause is that it is …unpredictable. My guest today is Dr. Steven Goldstein, a tenured professor at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine, the past President of the International Menopause Society, Past President of The Menopause Society, and one of the WORLD’S  top experts on the science of perimenopause.  

• The problem with the standard definition of menopause. 
• Why bleeding and having a period is not the same thing
• Why perimenopausal women bleed erratically
• Why anxiety and other symptoms occur during 
• How to interrupt FSH and estradiol blood levels
• The best treatment for perimenopause
• Why birth control pills work so well during perimenopause
• Myths about birth control pills 
• The concept of “suppression and substitution”
• How long perimenopause lasts
• What triggers perimenopause
• Why fibroids often grow during perimenopause
• How to know if symptoms are perimenopause hormonal fluctuations or something else
• How long someone can stay on a birth control pill
• When the 12-month rule doesn’t hold
• When perimenopause and menopause hit before the age of 40. 
• When perimenopause hits before 40 why it needs to be treated
• Options if someone can’t take birth control pills 
• When you can ignore irregular bleeding and when it needs to be evaluated
• What Black women need to know about perimenopause bleeding
• The likelihood of cancer if there is a uterine polyp and you are not bleeding

Link to John Rock’s Error Article

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• Substack.com/@DrStreicherDrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

                  Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 


Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
  
  
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com
Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   

Major Medical Centers
It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 


 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Men have always had the clear advantage of being able to inspect their genitals with very little effort on their part. Women’s genitals are not quite as accessible, resulting in a lot more uncertainty about what’s normal and what’s not. No wonder women are frequently blindsided by not only the physical changes that occur with the onset of menopause but also symptoms like dryness, painful sex, itching, recurrent urinary tract infections, and that constant “gotta go” feeling! 

• Why the term VAGINAL ATROPHY is problematic
• GENITOURINARY SYNDROME OF MENOPAUSE- What it is and what it means
• The PHYSICAL CHANGES that result from a lack of estrogen
• The genital and urinary SYMPTOMS that women experience because of LACK of ESTROGEN
• Options to Treat GSM
  • Lubricants 
  • Long-Lasting Moisturizers 
  • Local Vaginal Estrogen 
  • DHEA 
  • Ospemifen

                                        Dr. Streicher is now on Substack!
                A transcript of this episode with related videos, podcasts, and graphics can                                     be found on  Dr. Streicher’s FREE Substack
                                   https://substack.com/@DrStreicher

                                                   Replens™ Brand
                 Thank you to Replens™ Brand for Sponsoring This Episode
                                         Follow Replens on Instagram
                             For more information on Replens Products


Related Episodes:
Episode 4: Is Your Lubricant Helping or Hurting Your Vagina?
Episode 5: Vaginal Estrogen- Rings, Creams, and Other Things 
Episode 27:  Using Vaginal Estrogen but Sex Still Hurts Like Hell 
Episode 44 A Deep Dive into RECURRENT UTI
Episode 63 DHEA-An Estrogen Alternative for Vaginal Dryness 
Episode 74 Ospemifene- A Pill a Day to Keep Dryness Away 


                 Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER
 

Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
  
  
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com
Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. 
• While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   

Major Medical Centers
It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 


 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your personal healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.

Studies reveal that 70% of women experience a sense of being overlooked socially and professionally once they hit 50. The term for this phenomenon is Invisible Woman Syndrome. In this episode, I am joined by Christine Morrison, who writes about the social constructs in the fashion, beauty and wellness industry that inform the way society views women, and the way women often feel about themselves as they get older. Christine Morrison’s writing has appeared in print and online vehicles such as The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Quality Edit and Margot Magazine, among others, and in advertising campaigns for Alastin Skincare, French Connection, Juicy Couture and more. Prior to focusing on writing full-time, Morrison held leadership positions in the fashion and beauty industries, including serving as Global Vice President of Beauty and Apparel Marketing for Calvin Klein. 

Her forthcoming book, “Clothes Minded: Fashionable Essays About Finding Yourself,” – in which she reflects on the meaning behind, and the humor in, the relationship between her sartorial self and formation of identity – is slated to publish Spring, 2026.

This episode will change the way you think about aging  

For information about my upcoming retreat with Dr. Ellen Gendler:
Information About the Mastering Menopause Retreat


                                               Christine Morrison
                                         Writing In Black and White
                          https://www.writinginblackandwhite.com/
                         https://writinginblackandwhite.substack.com/
            Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writinginblackandwhite/


                                                          SUBSTACK

Lauren Streicher MD: Inside Information
https://substack.com/@DrStreicher

Christine Morrison -Writing in Black and White
https://writinginblackandwhite.substack.com/

Lorraine Devon Wilk: Musings of a Creative Loudmouth
https://substack.com/@lorrainedevonwilke

                 Sign up to receive DR. STREICHER’S FREE NEWSLETTER

Lauren Streicher, MD is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the founding medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause, and a Senior Research Fellow of The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. She is a certified menopause practitioner of The Menopause Society. She is the Medical Director of Community Education and Outreach for Midi Health. 

Dr. Streicher is the medical correspondent for Chicago’s top-rated news program, the WGN Morning News, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, NPR, Dr. Radio, Nightline, Fox and Friends, The Steve Harvey Show, CBS This Morning, ABC News Now, NBCNightlyNews,20/20, and World News Tonight. She is an expert source for many magazines and serves on the medical advisory board of The Kinsey Institute, Self Magazine, and Prevention Magazine. She writes a regular column for The Ethel by AARP and Prevention Magazine. 

• DrStreicher.com
• Instagram @DrStreich
• Facebook @DrStreicher
• YouTube @DrStreicherTV
• LinkedIn @DrStreicher

         
Books by Lauren Streicher, MD

•  Slip Sliding Away: Turning Back the Clock on Your Vagina-A gynecologist’s guide to eliminating post-menopause dryness and pain
  
  
• Hot Flash Hell: A Gynecologist's Guide to Turning Down the Heat
  
  
• Sex Rx- Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever
  
  
• The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy
  
  

                                     To Find a Menopause Clinician

Midi Health   www.Joinmidi.com
Midi Health is a telehealth company that provides high-level menopause care and takes insurance in all 50 states. Dr. Streicher is Midi’s Medical Director of Education and Community Outreach and is familiar with their medical protocols, which are all regularly updated and set by the top academic menopause experts in the country. 


The Menopause Society- Certified Menopause Practitioner List Menopause.org

• To find a menopause practitioner: https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
• Put in your zip code and designate NCMP or CMSP to get a certified menopause practitioner. While all people on this list have passed a competency examination, Dr. Streicher does not vouch for every one of these clinicians. Most are excellent.
   

Major Medical Centers
It also may be helpful to check with major medical centers in your area. Many have menopause clinics or lists of doctors who have an interest and expertise in menopause. 


If you are in the Chicago area, the center founded by Dr. Streicher: 
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause Sexmedmenopause.nm.org
 

 Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information podcast is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement, not replace, care by your healthcare clinician. Dr. Streicher disclaims liability for any medical outcomes that may occur because of applying methods suggested or discussed in this podcast.