Dr. Vonda Wright

So under careful supervision, you can make your decision very early. What I want people to do is educate themselves. I call it menopausal literacy because we have a very low level of menopausal literacy in this country. I want them to make their hormone replacement decision, meaning, am I going to go on them? Where am I going to get them? Can I find a clinician to help me?

So under careful supervision, you can make your decision very early. What I want people to do is educate themselves. I call it menopausal literacy because we have a very low level of menopausal literacy in this country. I want them to make their hormone replacement decision, meaning, am I going to go on them? Where am I going to get them? Can I find a clinician to help me?

Number three, I would like them to, as we talked about earlier, Build their unbreakable lifestyle. Develop the habits early, not when they're in the throes of menopause and feeling desperate, but early of lifting weights, of cardio that includes base training and sprint intervals, anti-inflammatory nutrition. Early so that it's just the way you live.

Number three, I would like them to, as we talked about earlier, Build their unbreakable lifestyle. Develop the habits early, not when they're in the throes of menopause and feeling desperate, but early of lifting weights, of cardio that includes base training and sprint intervals, anti-inflammatory nutrition. Early so that it's just the way you live.

So that when you're feeling so bad, you're not trying to learn all these things at once.

So that when you're feeling so bad, you're not trying to learn all these things at once.

Like estrogen and testosterone. So estrogen on bones... acts to control the cell that breaks down bones. We talked about in bone health, there's a cell that breaks down bones called the osteoclast with a C and a cell that builds bones called an osteoblast. Estrogen helps control the osteoclast.

Like estrogen and testosterone. So estrogen on bones... acts to control the cell that breaks down bones. We talked about in bone health, there's a cell that breaks down bones called the osteoclast with a C and a cell that builds bones called an osteoblast. Estrogen helps control the osteoclast.

So even in menopause, when there is no estrogen, we're still building bone, but breaking down bone outstrips building bone. So replacing hormones helps rebalance bone breakdown and bone rebuilding. And if we lose our estrogen around the time of this perimenopause, menopause, we can lose 15% of our bone density.

So even in menopause, when there is no estrogen, we're still building bone, but breaking down bone outstrips building bone. So replacing hormones helps rebalance bone breakdown and bone rebuilding. And if we lose our estrogen around the time of this perimenopause, menopause, we can lose 15% of our bone density.

And if we don't catch it, because insurance only pays for DEXA scans when we're 65, which is far too late, in my opinion, we're behind the eight ball. So I encourage everyone, once they start going through perimenopause, to get a DEXA scan, whether they have to pay for it at their gym, save up their coffee money, it's worth knowing your bone status.

And if we don't catch it, because insurance only pays for DEXA scans when we're 65, which is far too late, in my opinion, we're behind the eight ball. So I encourage everyone, once they start going through perimenopause, to get a DEXA scan, whether they have to pay for it at their gym, save up their coffee money, it's worth knowing your bone status.

I'm glad you asked that. In July, my group and I created a nomenclature called the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause because women were showing up in my office. saying things without prompting. Because I'm a doctor who listens. I sit down on a stool. We have a conversation. I do not chart in front of you. So people talk to me.

I'm glad you asked that. In July, my group and I created a nomenclature called the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause because women were showing up in my office. saying things without prompting. Because I'm a doctor who listens. I sit down on a stool. We have a conversation. I do not chart in front of you. So people talk to me.

And out of nowhere, women would say to me, Doc, I feel like I'm falling apart. And I don't know what's going on, but I feel like I'm going crazy because I've been told nothing's wrong with me. And I started noticing that more and more as women started coming in with their shoulders not moving, which is an entity called frozen shoulder. And so as I started...

And out of nowhere, women would say to me, Doc, I feel like I'm falling apart. And I don't know what's going on, but I feel like I'm going crazy because I've been told nothing's wrong with me. And I started noticing that more and more as women started coming in with their shoulders not moving, which is an entity called frozen shoulder. And so as I started...

Looking at this pattern and reading the very few studies that were done, we've known for 30 years that the incidence of arthritis, inflammatory arthritis in women after 50, is much higher than inflammatory arthritis in men. We've known it for 30 years.

Looking at this pattern and reading the very few studies that were done, we've known for 30 years that the incidence of arthritis, inflammatory arthritis in women after 50, is much higher than inflammatory arthritis in men. We've known it for 30 years.

And as I started researching, remember how I said earlier that every musculoskeletal tissue is derived out of the same type of stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell. All of those tissues—muscle, bone, tendon, ligament, fat— Muscle drive stem cells are all sensitive to estrogen, and without it, several things happen.

And as I started researching, remember how I said earlier that every musculoskeletal tissue is derived out of the same type of stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell. All of those tissues—muscle, bone, tendon, ligament, fat— Muscle drive stem cells are all sensitive to estrogen, and without it, several things happen.