Quick Hits: Decoding Fibroids: Unmasking Causes & Effective Solutions
The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health
Release Date: 07/14/2026
The Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health
Karen Martel grew up with a front row seat to diet culture most of us only felt secondhand. Her mom didn't just live it, she ran a weight loss center. Butter was called Vaseline. Popcorn was the enemy. And by her teenage years, Karen was deep in an eating disorder that would shape her relationship with food for decades. In this conversation, Karen gets honest about that history, and about something she still checks herself on today. Because here's the twist. We told ourselves we moved past the thin obsession. Body positivity was supposed to be the turning point. But somewhere in the last two...
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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. Have you ever thought about what you truly want in your sexual experiences? Are you curious about the often misunderstood aspects of female anatomy and how they play a critical role in pleasure? This episode with Susan Bratton, who is the “Intimacy Expert to Millions,” promises to unravel these mysteries and more. Can long-term relationships...
info_outlineThe Hormone Solution | Menopause, Perimenopause, & Women's Midlife Health
In part one, Dr. Liz Bartman and I broke down why PMDD happens: the histamine surges, the GABA receptor glitch, the progesterone metabolite that either calms you down or completely wrecks you depending on your unique biology. If you haven't listened to that one yet, start there, because this episode builds directly on it. Now we get into the part everyone actually wants to know: what do you do about it? We talk about why popular fixes like DAO supplements and strict low histamine diets usually fall short, and what to focus on instead, starting with your gut, your liver, and your nervous...
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You've been told menopause is a hormonal transition. It's also a vascular one, and almost nobody is talking about it. In this episode, Karen sits back down with Cathy Eason, Chief Science Officer at Berkeley Life, for round two on a molecule most women have never heard of but should know by heart: nitric oxide. It is tiny, it is a gas, and it touches nearly every system in your body. When estrogen drops in perimenopause and menopause, nitric oxide production drops right along with it, and that decline may be quietly connected to your fatigue, your brain fog, your blood pressure, your blood...
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If you've been on social media lately, you've probably seen it: women swearing that a combo of Pepcid and Claritin, ordinary histamine blockers, gave them their life back during the worst days of their cycle. It sounds too simple to be real, and honestly, it kind of is. But the reason it's working for some women and doing absolutely nothing for others is the whole story, and it's a story almost nobody is explaining correctly. In this episode, I sit down with one of my all time favorite guests, Dr. Liz Bartman, to go deep into progesterone sensitivity, PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and...
info_outlineThe 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. This weeks quick hit we are jumping right into a very important topic: uterine fibroids. Maybe you have experience with fibroids, or maybe you do not even really know what they are yet. Either way, this is a conversation every woman should understand. Fibroids are incredibly common. It is estimated that up to 75 to 80 percent of women may...
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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...
info_outlineThe 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...
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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...
info_outlineThe 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...
info_outlineWelcome 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.
This weeks quick hit we are jumping right into a very important topic: uterine fibroids.
Maybe you have experience with fibroids, or maybe you do not even really know what they are yet. Either way, this is a conversation every woman should understand.
Fibroids are incredibly common. It is estimated that up to 75 to 80 percent of women may develop fibroids during their lifetime, and many women have them without even knowing they are there.
They are also highly prevalent in perimenopause, which is when many women start noticing heavier periods, more pelvic pressure, more bloating, more pain, worsening PMS, and new urinary symptoms.
In this episode, we go deep into what fibroids are, how they may impact your body and hormones, what symptoms to watch for, and what you can do to better understand, prevent, or reduce the growth of uterine fibroids.
This is especially important because fibroids are not just a “period problem.” They can affect bleeding, iron levels, fertility, pelvic pain, bladder symptoms, sex, and quality of life.
And no, you should not have to just suffer through it because “that’s normal for women.”
In This Episode, We Cover:
- What uterine fibroids are and why they are so common
- Which age group is most likely to be diagnosed with fibroids
- Why fibroids are especially common in perimenopause
- The hormones that influence fibroid growth
- Common signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids
- Where women may feel pain or pressure from fibroids
- How fibroids can affect periods, bleeding, fertility, and quality of life
- What to do if you think you may have fibroids
- Common urinary symptoms associated with fibroids
- Why painful intercourse may be a sign of fibroids
- Important contributing factors behind fibroid development and growth
- Which hormone fibroids are most sensitive to
- Why xenoestrogens may matter and how to reduce exposure
- Which vitamin may be important for fibroid prevention
- Why certain peptides may not be appropriate for women with a history of fibroids
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Your host:
Karen Martel
Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert