A deep-dive into our hormones & nervous system - with Dr Fatima Khan
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What is Dr Fatima Khan’s background and why is hormone health linked to mental health?
It's wild because as you're talking, I can like literally picture myself every month wondering why I feel certain ways and then certain things will happen, like I'll get a bleed. And I'm like, no, that's why.
One, two, three, four.
Dr. Fatima, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. It's an absolute
pleasure.
We have been sitting here having a chat beforehand, which listeners, you all, I mean, you've just heard Dr. Fatima speak now, but I was just saying, I love your accent so much. I could listen to you talk all day.
Well, it's a bit of a mix, having lived in England and other parts of the world, and there's a bit of an Aussie twang, and some people think I'm from South Africa.
Yeah, I thought
that. That's what everyone thought, you're from South Africa. Well, my mum was born and raised in Nairobi, but no, I don't. It's just a mix
of my
own unique voice. It's amazing. It's very
calming. I feel very calm. I'm very excited for this conversation because you have, speaking of London, so you are
a
women's health doctor and medical expert. You studied medicine at Imperial College in London. You are trained in psychiatry, obstetrics, gynecology and general practice. Wow.
That's amazing.
And then also you have an advanced certificate in menopause care, which is incredible.
And
you most, I mean, everything there is exciting, but most recently have published your first book. It's
my first ever book.
Your first ever book. Congratulations. Amazing. Called Hormone Health is Mental Health, How Perimenopause Hijacks Your Brain and How to Reclaim Yourself. And when we saw, when I saw the book, I was just so excited to speak to you around the impact that hormones have on our mental health because it is profound.
It is
huge. And obviously, I mean, we go on about this all the time on the podcast, but women's health is the most understudied area in medicine.
We are complex human beings.
And hormones, like we don't, men do not have the same hormone changes that we do. Like it's so different and it's so important that we talk about it. So just so excited to pick your brain and chat.
Well, I'm so excited to be here and share everything because you're right. I think the issue has been all the research has been based on a 70 kilo man. And so when it comes to your heart disease, lung disease, everything's been studied on a male body and then said, oh, women are just small versions of the men and we just slightly titrate the dosages and that's
it.
And the woman's health is normally being focused on reproductive health.
So
how do we get you pregnant? How do we keep you pregnant? And that's it. And I think our menstrual cycle obviously resonates with women when it comes to pregnancy, but we're getting more and more research around it is profoundly a brain cycle as well.
So when
you're going through your menstrual cycle through the different phases, your brain is shaping and the way we feel and think is all related to our hormones in different phases. Right. And so I think women have kind of gaslit themselves because we know through our menstrual cycle, our mood, our energy, sleep, motivation, executive function is changing. And we're trying to use willpower to overcome this and get into the mindset and all these mantras. And it's like, well, no, there's a biological change happening. So there's a lot more research on how these reproductive hormones aren't really reproductive hormones. And we know when we're entering different phases of a reproductive lifespan, so it starts at puberty, then you'll go through pregnancy, then there's postnatal.
And then suddenly we would just jump to menopause. And so when you're in your 30s, you've given birth, you're postnatal. Oh, I don't need to think about menopause. That's going to happen, you know. And the image normally is, oh, you get a few hot flushes, grey-haired old woman. Well, number one, that's not really true.
But also
we know the transition when you're starting in your 30s It's a slow transition leading up to that. And there's more and more awareness around perimenopause.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Dr Fatima Khan’s background and why is hormone health linked to mental health?
0:03–6:52
2
How does the menstrual cycle work and what hormonal changes occur in each phase?
6:52–12:35
3
What are the distinct roles of estrogen and progesterone in mood, cognition and energy?
12:35–17:27
4
How does stress affect hormone balance and the brain’s stress response?
17:27–24:14
5
What simple daily habits can support the nervous system and keep hormones in sync?
24:14–28:38
6
How do perimenopause, PMS and PMDD differ and when should you seek professional help?
28:38–35:18
7
Why are ADHD, trauma and hormonal changes interconnected in women’s mental health?
35:18–41:33
8
What practical take‑aways and resources (including the new book) does the episode leave listeners with?
41:33–47:47