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Empowering Women: Beyond the Estrogen Window

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Release Date: 08/01/2025

Empowering Women: Beyond the Estrogen Window

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Hormones can be wild, especially in perimenopause and menopause, and sometimes it feels like no one talks about just how much they mess with your mind, mood, and energy. But there’s a real science behind why things feel off, and it’s not all in your head. I sat down with my friend and hormone expert, Dr. Betty Murray, to talk about the gut-brain-hormone connection and why it’s such a big deal for women in this season of life. She’s not only a Functional Medicine Pioneer with over 20 years of experience, she’s also the Founder of The Menrva Project, a game-changing platform rethinking...

Unlocking the Power of Pelvic Light Therapy

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

You might not think of light as a healing tool, but red and near-infrared light can do some pretty amazing things, especially when it comes to pelvic health. From easing perimenopause struggles to helping your body bounce back after birth, this kind of light therapy is opening up a whole new world for women dealing with pain, discomfort, or intimacy issues. I had such a good conversation with Dr. Genevieve Newton (Fringe’s Scientific Director) and Elizabeth Frey (Pelvic Health Physiotherapist) about how this all works, and why more women need to know about it. If you’ve been dealing with...

Cracking the Code of Hormone Health

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Hormones are wild, especially when you realize they’re not just about how much you have, but how your body uses and processes them behind the scenes. That’s what hormone metabolite testing helps uncover, and honestly, it’s a game-changer. I’m sitting down with Dr. Liz Bartman, an incredible Naturopathic Doctor with a deep background in hormone science, to talk about how we can actually test our hormones in a meaningful way and what those results are really telling us. We chat about the different ways to test—blood, saliva, urine—and why each one tells a slightly different story....

Innovative Treatments for Incontinence and Sexual Health

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Bladder leaks, dryness, and low libido aren’t exactly dinner table topics… but maybe they should be. These issues are way more common than we think, especially during and after menopause, and they have a huge impact on how we feel day to day. That’s why I sit down with Dr. Rena Malik, a Board-Certified Urologist and Sexual Medicine Specialist who’s made it her mission to talk about the things most people won’t. We talk about everything from pelvic floor problems to how hormones like estrogen and testosterone affect our sexual health and bladder function. Dr. Rena shares why stress...

Navigating Autoimmunity: Insights on MCAS

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Hormonal shifts in perimenopause and menopause can do more than throw off your cycle—they can actually stir up inflammation, spark strange symptoms, and even trigger immune responses that leave you wondering, what is going on with my body? If you've ever felt like your symptoms don’t quite “fit in a box,” this conversation is for you. I sit down with Dr. Tania Dempsey—a brilliant MD and expert in complex, multi-system diseases—to talk about Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), why it’s often missed in women, and how hormones can play a huge role in triggering it. This episode...

Breaking the Silence on Mental Health with Karena Dawn

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Growing up with a mom struggling with severe mental illness, Karena Dawn learned early what it meant to carry heavy things in silence. That experience shaped so much of her life—including the dark years she rarely talked about. In this episode, she shares her journey from that painful silence to healing, forgiveness, and ultimately, purpose. We talk about how fitness became her lifeline and how she found her voice by telling the truth in her powerful memoir, The Big Silence. You may know Karena as the co-founder of Tone It Up, a wellness community that’s inspired millions of women—but...

Reclaiming Sacred Sexuality

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

We’re back for part two of an eye-opening, soul-stirring conversation with Seren Bertrand. We’re talking sacred sexuality, feminine energy, and that beautiful, mystical power that lives in your body, especially in your vulva. Seren shares her own story of reclaiming her sensual energy and reminds us why our bodies are not only wise, but sacred. If you’ve ever felt disconnected or just a little curious about what it means to feel truly alive and sensual in your skin again, you’re in the right place. Seren is the brilliant Author of Womb Awakening and a guiding voice in the feminine...

Awakening the Enchantress Within - Part 1

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Menopause can feel like everything’s shifting—your body, your emotions, even your sense of who you are. It’s not just a phase to get through, it’s an invitation to slow down, listen in, and reconnect with the deeper wisdom within. In this conversation with Seren Bertrand, the award-winning Author of Womb Awakening, we talk about what it really means to step into this next chapter as a woman. Seren has walked with thousands of women through their feminine awakening and brings such grounded, mystical wisdom to the table. We talk about the “Dark Goddess” showing up at age 28, the...

Navigating Menopause: The Pelvic Floor Connection

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Most women don’t realize just how much menopause messes with their pelvic floor—until they’re leaking when they laugh or feeling like their body just isn’t working the way it used to. These changes can feel confusing, isolating, and even a little embarrassing—but they’re more common (and more fixable) than you think. This week, I sat down with my friend Kim Vopni—aka The Vagina Coach—to talk about what’s really going on with your body during this phase of life. Kim’s a certified personal trainer, menopause support practitioner, CEO of a Global Pelvic Health company, and...

Is Pelvic Floor Health Essential for Life?

The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Most of us don’t think much about our pelvic floor—until we start leaking when we laugh or feel pain we can’t explain. That’s why I had such a powerful conversation with my friend Jana Danielson, who knows this topic inside and out. She shared how her own journey through chronic pelvic pain led her to discover the healing power of breath, movement, and mindset. Jana’s not just a wellness expert—she’s a woman who turned her pain into purpose. From teaching Pilates to creating the world’s first pelvic floor fitness tool (yes, the Cooch Ball is a thing—and it works), she’s...

More Episodes

We talk about the stuff most doctors skip, why testing your hormones (not just guessing!) matters, how your gut health plays into your symptoms, and how stress totally hijacks your body. Dr. Betty shares what she’s seeing work in real time with her clients and why truly personalized care makes all the difference. If you’ve ever been told “it’s just aging” or felt brushed off, this one’s for you.

She also gives some real-life tips like what to eat, what to watch out for, and simple things that can actually help you feel like yourself again. It’s not about fixing you (because you’re not broken) but about understanding what your body needs in this new chapter. Whether you're just starting to notice changes or you're deep in the hormone rollercoaster, there's something here for you.

And if you're looking for something fun (and seriously good for you), I’ve been loving the new Mighty Maca Mango! It’s everything I love about Mighty Maca Plus, but with a zesty mango twist that’s perfect for summer. Try it with sparkling water, pour it over ice, or even make popsicles with the kids. It’s delicious and loaded with the good stuff your body will thank you for. You can check it out at dranna.com.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:04:04] Exploring the journey to functional medicine.

[00:09:44] Hormonal health and individualized care.

[00:12:20] Hormones and women's health.

[00:15:38] Testing hormone levels effectively.

[00:18:25] Estrogen dominance and microbiome health.

[00:20:11] Hormones and gut microbiome connection.

[00:24:26] Post-tubal syndrome and hormone disruption.

[00:27:01] Estrogen's role in fat loss.

[00:31:01] Insulin resistance and dietary changes.

[00:34:06] Airway health and sleep quality.

[00:36:09] Hormone replacement therapy considerations.

[00:39:24] Hormone metabolism and cancer risk.

[00:44:33] Progesterone's protective properties.

[00:48:14] Gut-brain connection in women.

[00:49:17] Hormones and mood disorders.

[00:53:00] Hormone management and detoxification.

Memorable Quotes:

"Our hormones are so much more powerful than the neurotransmitters that we associate with mood." [00:49:17] – Dr. Betty Murray

"In order for us to really, I think, fix the women's health care crisis, we need to have women have that control of their own body as an N of one, right? Because we're all different." [01:01:47] – Dr. Betty Murray

Links Mentioned:

Mighty Maca Mango: https://drannacabeca.com/products/mighty-maca

Menrva Project: https://www.getmenrva.com/home

Connect with Dr. Betty Murray:

Website: https://www.bettymurray.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbettymurray

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettymurray/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drbettymurray

Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca:

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/