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Pellets, Periods, and Not Giving a Damn: A Midlife Hormone Roundtable with Dr. Amie Hornaman & Elle Russ

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

Release Date: 07/11/2026

Pellets, Periods, and Not Giving a Damn: A Midlife Hormone Roundtable with Dr. Amie Hornaman & Elle Russ

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

This is not just a conversation about hormones. It is a conversation about what it means to age as a woman in a culture that is obsessed with youth, terrified of wrinkles, and wildly uncomfortable with female power after 40. In this roundtable episode, I sit down with Dr. Amy Horniman and Elle Russ to talk about the very real physical, emotional, and identity shifts that happen as women move through perimenopause and menopause. We get into everything from early perimenopause symptoms, thyroid issues, SHBG, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, libido, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, pelvic floor...

Quick Hits: The Testosterone Replacement for Women Conundrum: Libido Highs and Hair Loss Lows with James O'Hara

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes. Today’s clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations. If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below. James O'Hara is a family nurse practitioner who utilizes a utilizes an integrative approach to health which combines lifestyle interventions, appropriate supplementation, and medications when indicated to empower patients to feel better and live longer, healthier lives. Today we're speaking with James about testosterone replacement for women plus...

The Truth About Female Desire, Orgasms, and Sex That We Were Never Taught with Dr. Sally Greenwald

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

If you've ever wondered why you don't want your husband to walk through the door and rip your clothes off anymore, this episode is for you. If you've ever quietly believed something was wrong with you because you don't orgasm easily, or at all, this episode is for you too. I sat down with Dr. Sally Greenwald, a board-certified OB/GYN with specialized training in menopause medicine, and what she shared genuinely stopped me in my tracks. We were taught to protect ourselves from pregnancy and disease. We were never taught how our bodies actually work. No one explained the difference between the...

Quick Hits: The Hidden Influence of Sunlight and Circadian Rhythm on Blood Sugar & Metabolism

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes. Today’s clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations. If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below. With Dani's guidance, we're exploring how simple changes in light exposure and grounding can revolutionize metabolic health, particularly for those grappling with conditions like PCOS, hypoglycemia, acne, or weight loss resistance. Dani shares her personal journey and expert insights on how morning sunlight can reset circadian rhythms, enhance...

Part 3 The Midlife Stress Crash: What Your Midlife Breakdown Is Actually Trying to Tell You

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

You've made it to part three, and this is the one that ties everything together. If parts one and two left you with a clearer picture of your stress system and your sleep, this episode takes you somewhere deeper: into your thyroid, your brain chemistry, and a layer of midlife that almost nobody talks about on a podcast about hormones. I'm breaking down why your thyroid and your adrenal system are locked in a relationship that most doctors never explain, and why a normal TSH does not mean your thyroid is actually working. Then we go into your neurotransmitters. Serotonin, dopamine, GABA, the...

Why You Struggle to Build Muscle in Midlife (Even If You're Doing Everything Right) with Liz Plosser

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

You're eating "pretty well." You're moving your body. So why does it feel like your muscle is disappearing and your effort isn't paying off the way it used to? In this episode, I sit down with Liz Plosser, former editor-in-chief of Women's Health and a woman who has spent her entire career reporting on health and fitness, to talk about what changes in midlife and why the old rules stop working. Then we go deep on amino acids, what they actually are, why your body becomes less efficient at using them as estrogen declines, and why an essential amino acid supplement might be one of the smartest,...

Part 2 The Midlife Stress Crash: Why Midlife Women Wake Up at 3 AM and Can’t Fall Back Asleep

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

If you are exhausted all day, wired at night, and waking up between 2:00 and 4:00 AM with your heart pounding and your brain suddenly wide awake, this episode is for you. Because midlife sleep issues are rarely just about needing more progesterone or taking a melatonin gummy. They are usually a sign that a whole system is asking to be recalibrated. In this episode, I go deeper into the sleep side of the midlife stress puzzle and break down what may actually be happening beneath the surface. In this episode: Why so many women in midlife feel exhausted all day but wide awake at night Why...

Part 1 The Midlife Stress Crash: Why You Feel Wired, Tired, Anxious & Done

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

If you are waking up between 2:00 and 4:00 AM, lying there wide awake with your heart beating a little too fast and your mind solving every problem in your life, this episode is for you. Because this is not just about bad sleep. It is about what happens when the hormonal, adrenal, and nervous system shifts of midlife collide with the stress load most women are already carrying. And for a lot of women, this is the moment they stop feeling like themselves. In this episode, I do a deep dive into what is actually happening beneath the surface when women in perimenopause and menopause start feeling...

Quick Hits: The Great Menopause Myth: The Truth on Mastering Midlife Hormonal Mayhem

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes. Today’s clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations. If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below. If you have been told menopause is just hot flashes, aging, and something you have to “push through,” this episode will challenge that entire narrative. In this episode, I sit down with Maria Claps and Kristin Johnson, the founders of Wise and Well and authors of The Great Menopause Myth. Maria is an FDN practitioner, and Kristin is a...

JJ Virgin: The Untold Story of Aging, Weight Gain, HRT, Peptides, Facelifts, and Muscle

The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health

This conversation is not just about menopause symptoms. It is about what it actually feels like to live inside a changing female body in midlife. The grief, the confusion, the vanity, the softness, the strength, the reinvention. All of it. In this episode, I sit down with fitness hall of famer, JJ Virgin for a real conversation about what happens when your body starts changing in ways you did not expect, the things that stop working, and how to hold onto yourself while also becoming someone new. We talk about the reality of perimenopause and menopause when you are living it, not just teaching...

More Episodes

We get into everything from early perimenopause symptoms, thyroid issues, SHBG, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, libido, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, pelvic floor changes, and how all of these things can affect the way women feel in their bodies. But we also go deeper into the emotional side of all of it. What happens when you are no longer getting the same attention? What happens when your face changes, your body changes, and you realize how much of your worth was tied to being seen as young or desirable?

We also have a very honest conversation about hormone replacement therapy, why individualized care matters so much, why pellets are not always the answer, and why so many women are still being failed by outdated medical thinking. And from there, we talk about Botox, beauty standards, confidence, sex, self-worth, and why this stage of life can also be one of the most freeing. Because yes, aging is real. But so is wisdom. So is power. So is the version of yourself that finally stops asking for permission.

In this episode, we cover:

Early perimenopause signs and how differently they can show up for women
How thyroid issues and elevated SHBG can affect sex hormones
The difference between rhythmic and static hormone dosing
Testosterone for women, including libido, muscle, mood, vaginal health, and pelvic floor support
Why so many women struggle to get proper hormone support from conventional medicine
The pros and cons of pellets versus creams and injections
How aging affects confidence, sex drive, self-image, and identity
Botox, beauty standards, and the pressure women feel to stay young
Why women deserve to age on their own terms without shame
How midlife can become a more authentic, confident, and powerful season of life

Who this episode is for

This episode is for women in perimenopause and menopause who are trying to understand what is happening to their hormones, their bodies, their libido, their confidence, and their sense of self. It is especially for women who are curious about HRT, frustrated by outdated medical advice, or wrestling with how to navigate aging in a way that feels empowering instead of defeating.

Dr. Amie Hornaman “The Thyroid-Fixer”, is host to the top-rated podcast in medicine and alternative health: The Thyroid Fixer™, with listeners around the globe. She is the founder of The Institute for Thyroid and Hormone Optimization, an organization with transformational, proven approaches to address thyroid dysfunction and support people in returning to full health.

Dr. Amie is also the creator of The Fixxr™ Supplement line with revolutionary, proprietary supplements that are changing the lives of many people. Ultimately, she is a woman on a mission to optimize thyroid patients around the world and give them their lives back. Visit Dr. Amie's website here.

Elle is a world-renowned thyroid health expert, master life coach, and a #1 bestselling author with a degree in Philosophy from The University of California at Santa Cruz. She has helped thousands of people worldwide reclaim their health through her book, The Paleo Thyroid Solution, her online courses and find confidence with her book Confidence as Fuck. Elle has been an admired leader in the paleo, primal, ancestral health industry for a decade. Elle coaches people all over the world - helping them achieve goals and dreams and improving their health. She offers online courses and free masterclasses to empower people to become the best version of themselves. Visit Elle's website here.

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