In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Pany Robinson, a board-certified family practitioner with 22 years of experience and one of the most refreshingly no-nonsense voices I've encountered on women's hormonal health to talk about everything you weren't told about perimenopause and menopause.

I met Dr. Pany at a training on maternal rage (yes, there's a connection), and I was immediately like: I need her on this podcast.

This one is for anyone who has ever felt like something was off but couldn't name it — and for your partner too, honestly.

We talk about:

• The symptoms nobody mentions: itchy ears, frozen shoulder, cystic acne, vertigo, palpitations, recurrent UTIs, and more
• Why hot flashes are actually a later symptom...and what's already happening in your body long before that
• How to advocate for yourself in a system that isn't quite caught up yet (including what to ask for and how to say it)
• The long-term case for hormone therapy: dementia, cancer risk, muscle loss, and more
• The relational toll: libido, intimacy, and why 45 is both the hardest year for women on average and the peak age for divorce
• Why this is a whole-body, multidisciplinary issue, not just a "get on a patch and call it a day" situation

To connect with Dr. Pany or book a free 20-minute phone consult, visit nextphaseclinic.com.

To learn more about my therapy practice or book a free consult you can visit drcassidymft.com.

You can learn more about Dr. Cassidy's book Mom Needs a Moment here or you can buy it wherever books are sold!