In Episode #256, I sit down with Professor Susan Davis, AO to answer your questions in the wake of our first menopause masterclass.
“We have to be very careful… we want to make sure we treat women properly for the root cause of their problem.”
After my last conversation with Professor Davis, I’ve received hundreds of messages of support and thanks from The Proof community. I’ve also received many additional questions, with the community wanting to dig deeper into more specific circumstances. In this conversation, Professor Davis answers your questions to create an even more detailed picture of menopause.
Professor Susan R Davis AO is Director of Monash University’s Women’s Health Research Program; an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow; Consultant Endocrinologist and Head of the Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne; and consultant at Cabrini Medical Centre. Her research has been pivotal in the understanding of sex hormones in women across the lifespan in multiple non-reproductive target tissues, including the brain (cognition, mood, and sexual function), cardiovascular system (lipids, vascular function, and coagulation), and other tissues (fat, muscle, joint cartilage, and bone).
“Take ownership of your health. Be thoughtful about who you believe – be a discerning consumer of health information, because navigating health information today is harder than it’s ever been.”
In this episode, you’ll discover the answers to The Proof community’s most asked questions. We cover menopause misinformation and pseudo-experts, helping you navigate who to believe. We also discuss hormone replacement therapy (HRT), including how long to use it and how its use has changed over the years. Professor Davis provides insight into many menopause-related topics, including mental health and menopause, weight gain, endocrine disruptors, and much more.
Specifically, we cover:
- Feedback from the Proof community (02:13)
- Concerns about misleading health information about menopause (05:57)
- Oral contraception and fertility (11:23)
- Summary of part 1: Navigating Menopause: Expert Insights and Solutions (14:26)
- Hormone therapy (HRT) for women over 50 and 60 (20:31)
- HRT and cognitive function (24:11)
- Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) and early menopause (32:10)
- Amenorrhea, exercise, chronic stress and menstrual health (41:34)
- Health risks of early menopause (46:14)
- Muscle and bone health (51:21)
- Treatments for women with breast cancer and vasomotor symptoms (52:35)
- Exercises that benefit bone health (1:10:33)
- Could shorter menstrual cycles indicate earlier menopause and worse symptoms? (1:12:33)
- Night sweats and hot flashes (1:13:37)
- Thyroid and menopause (1:19:19)
- Adrenal fatigue and menopause (1:20:18)
- Factors affecting women’s mental health in menopause (1:21:53)
- Menopause and weight gain (1:27:01)
- Hormones, painful sex, hair loss, and adult acne (1:38:05)
- Bioidentical hormones and compounded hormones (1:40:30)
- Dietary patterns and menopausal symptoms (1:45:29)
- Endocrine disruptors in everyday life (1:48:13)
- Outro (1:49:24)
I’m glad that so many people resonated with my first conversation with Professor Davis, finding Episode #245 helpful and validating. I hope this episode does the same, and I look forward to hearing your feedback.
To stay up to date with Professor Susan Davis’ research, you can head to the Monash University Women’s Health Research Program. There you’ll find new papers, research trials, and more. You can also connect on the Monash University Instagram and Facebook pages, ad Professor Davis’ Twitter. Make sure to check out the additional resources on menopause below.
The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends.
Enjoy, friends.
Simon
More about Professor Susan Davis, AO
Professor Susan R Davis AO, is Director, Monash University Women’s Health Research Program and an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Consultant Endocrinologist and Head, Women’s Endocrine Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne and consultant at Cabrini Medical Centre.
Her research spans basic science to clinical trials and has been pivotal in the understanding of sex hormones in women across the life span in multiple non-reproductive target tissues including the brain (cognition, mood, sexual function), cardiovascular system (lipids, vascular function and coagulation) and other tissues (fat, muscle, joint cartilage and bone).
Professor Davis was one of five founders of Jean Hailes for Women, one of Australia’s leading women’s health organization. She is a past President of the International Menopause Society and a past President of the Australasian Menopause Society and. She has received numerous national and international prestigious research awards including International Research Excellence Award US Endocrine Society (2015) and Distinguished service and Life Membership awards of the International Menopause Society (2020 and the Endocrine Society of Australia (2020) She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine, to women’s health as a clinical endocrinologist and researcher, and to medical education. In 2022 she was awarded the Medal of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for her outstanding contribution and leadership in endocrinology and women’s health.
She is an advisor to the NHS Menopause Improvement Programme Steering Committee and was an advisor for the Australian National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030. She advocates for best clinical care via co-authorship of international Best Practice Guidelines (>20) and working with industry to ensure the health needs of women are understood. She has spoken before national (TGA) and international regulatory bodies, FDA (US) and EMA (Europe) as an advocate and advisor.
Additional resources
- Learn about and join Monash University’s women’s health research studies
- Watch this series of short videos about menopause in English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Mandarin
- Read these fact sheets about menopause from the Australasian Menopause Society
- Explore Professor Davis’ published work
- Learn more from the International Menopause Society
Supporting studies
- Endogenous testosterone concentrations and muscle mass, strength and performance in women, a systematic review of observational studies • PMID: 36585396
- Global Consensus Position Statement on the Use of Testosterone Therapy for Women • PMID: 31498871
- Metabolically Healthy Obesity Redefined • PMID: 33961041
- Metabolically healthy obesity: facts and fantasies • PMID: 31524630
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity • PMID: 33567185
- Treatment of Symptoms of the Menopause: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline • PMID: 26444994
