
Show Notes
Most of what you've heard about hormone balance, perimenopause symptoms, and hormone therapy online is wrong. That misunderstanding is costing women years of unnecessary suffering through puberty, pregnancy, and menopause stages when effective solutions like testosterone for women already exist and can make a real difference.
Endocrinologist Dr. Gillian Goddard is joining Tamsen Fadal on The Tamsen Show to cut through the noise and explain how your hormonal system actually works and what to do when it feels like it isn't.
She breaks down the feedback loop mechanism that keeps your hormones self-regulating, why that process is far more dynamic than any "hormone optimization" trend on social media, and what happens when those loops are disrupted at key life transitions.
In this episode, Tamsen and Dr. Goddard cover:
- What a hormone actually is, and why the feedback loop model changes everything
- The thyroid-immune system connection and why puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause are your highest-risk windows for thyroid disease
- The late reproductive stage: the perimenopause phase most doctors miss, and why it matters
- HRT vs. birth control for perimenopausal symptoms, and why the right answer depends on where you are in your reproductive stage
- Testosterone for women: what the science actually shows (and what it doesn't yet)
- How to talk to your doctor about perimenopause, hormone therapy, and getting your symptoms taken seriously
If you've ever left a doctor's office dismissed because your periods were still regular but you knew something was off, this episode is for you. The late reproductive stage affects roughly 50% of women between ages 37 and 45, and most women have never heard of it.
Dr. Goddard's message is clear: you don't need to suffer. Whether you're navigating your first period or your last, your symptoms are valid and they can be addressed.
If you liked this conversation, check out the rest of the How To Menopause series:
Estrogen Down There 101: Here's Everything You Need to Know
Testosterone 101: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Minutes
Relationships 101: Is It Him or Is It Menopause? Here's How to Tell
Perimenopause 101: The Symptoms, Tests & Fixes No One Tells You About
Stay connected with Tamsen:
Get Tamsen's newsletter filled with free tools to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone
Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, How To Menopause
Free Resources from Tamsen
Watch all the episodes on YouTube
Follow Tamsen on Instagram
The Tamsen Show on Instagram
Follow Tamsen on TikTok
Medical Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from The Tamsen Show
Most of us have been taught that when something is not working, the answer is more discipline, more willpower, and more effort. Angela Duckworth, the University of Pennsylvania psychologist and bestselling author of Grit, built her career studying that idea. Her new book, Situated, asks us to look at everything surrounding that effort.
Is walking enough? Is Pilates enough? How heavy should you actually be lifting? If you’ve ever wondered which exercise really protects your brain as you age, especially through perimenopause and menopause, this conversation gives you the exact weekly plan.
Menopause and perimenopause can leave you with questions about belly fat, brain fog, sleep problems and whether hormone therapy could help. Your jeans fit differently. You’re losing your train of thought. You’re exhausted, but you can’t sleep. Where do you start when so much feels unfamiliar?
Why do we keep choosing emotionally unavailable partners? And why is it so hard to break unhealthy relationship patterns, even when we know better? In this episode of The Tamsen Show, dating and relationship expert Sabrina Zohar joins Tamsen Fadal to explain anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, relationship anxiety, and how childhood experiences shape the way we love, date, and connect with others.
Women learn early which parts of themselves make other people comfortable. After enough years, that performance can begin to feel like our identity, and the intuition underneath it goes quiet.