Hello Hormones with Dr. Carrie Jones

Perimenopause has a way of making you wonder where you are in the process and how much longer this hormonal roller coaster plans to keep going. Your period disappears for two months, comes back like nothing happened, your joints suddenly hurt, your brain feels foggy, and now you are waking up sweaty at 3 a.m. wondering if you have officially entered a new stage.
Here's where things get interesting. Late-stage perimenopause actually has a research definition, and one of the biggest clues is going 60 days or more without a period. But your cycle is only part of the picture. As estrogen and progesterone start spending more time on the lower end, symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, dryness, recurrent UTIs, brain fog, and changes in body composition can become more noticeable. And while we love a good lab test, there is no single blood test that can neatly tell you, "Congratulations, you are now in late-stage perimenopause."
In this solo episode of Hello Hormones, I am breaking down the seven signs I commonly see as women move further into the perimenopause transition, plus what FSH, estradiol, and progesterone can actually tell us along the way. We are talking skipped periods, the estrogen connection to frozen shoulder and joint pain, why dryness can suddenly show up everywhere, what may be behind new UTIs or vaginal changes, how late-stage brain fog can feel different, and why your body composition may shift even when your habits have not dramatically changed. If you have been wondering, "Is this still perimenopause, and what on earth is my body doing?" This episode will give you a much clearer map.
Head to drcarriejones.com/stages to grab What Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Because the confusion is honestly worse than the symptoms sometimes.
What's Discussed:
(00:00) How to tell when you may be moving from early to late-stage perimenopause.
(01:54) Why there is no single lab test that can definitively tell you whether you are in perimenopause.
(03:48) The seven symptoms that tend to become more noticeable as women move into late-stage perimenopause.
(05:18) Why hot flashes and night sweats can ramp up as periods become less frequent and estrogen stays lower for longer.
(06:43) How declining estrogen can contribute to joint pain, frozen shoulder, hip pain, and the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause.
(08:12) Why perimenopause can cause dryness throughout the body, including the eyes, skin, nose, hair, joints, and vaginal tissue.
(09:51) How changing estrogen levels can contribute to recurrent UTIs, vaginal discomfort, and shifts in the vulvovaginal microbiome.
(11:49) Why brain fog can become more noticeable later in perimenopause and feel like your brain is moving through "honey."
(14:44) How later-stage hormone changes can affect weight, fat distribution, cravings, and body composition even when your habits have not dramatically changed.
(18:09) The 60-day cycle change that research uses to classify late-stage perimenopause and what that transition can actually look like.
 
✍️ FREE GUIDES:
Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths

Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101  

The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs

The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie  

Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages


Find more from Dr. Carrie Jones:
Website: drcarriejones.com

Newsletter: drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter

Instagram: @dr.carriejones

Facebook: @drcarriejones

TikTok: @drcarriejones

YouTube: @drcarriejones

Pinterest: @drcarriejones
 
Disclaimer: Information provided on this channel is for informational purposes only. This information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided on this channel for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. Information provided on this channel and the use of any products or services related to this podcast by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Carrie Jones. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent ANY disease.

One thing I hear all the time from women is, "I tried the patch," or "I tried the cream," followed by some version of: It didn't work for me. Maybe they did not feel better. Maybe they had side effects. Maybe their symptoms improved at first and then came right back.
But does one delivery method not working mean hormone therapy itself is off the table?
That is what made this conversation with Lexi Yoo so important. She has spent years treating women with hormone therapy using pellets, injections, creams, gels, and oral options, and she sees firsthand how differently women can respond depending on the hormone, the dose, the delivery method, and what their labs are actually showing. We also get into testosterone beyond libido, why "normal" total testosterone can hide low free testosterone, and why hair loss during perimenopause may have you looking at iron, thyroid, stress, rapid weight loss, or GLP-1 use before automatically blaming your hormones.
Lexi Yoo is a nurse practitioner who treats women and men through two clinical practices and has been prescribing hormone therapy, including pellets, for nearly a decade. She also trains practitioners through her virtual education academy and focuses heavily on individualized dosing, lab monitoring, and helping patients find the hormone delivery method that works best for them.
What's Discussed: 
(01:52) Why testosterone in women affects much more than libido, including brain fog and memory.
(03:23) How creams, injections, and pellets can differ in absorption, consistency, and symptom improvement.
(08:23) Why testosterone injections for women require precise dosing and how smaller subcutaneous doses may create a smoother response.
(14:18) How estradiol injections work and why they may be an option for women who struggle with patches.
(16:49) Why oral progesterone may support GABA and help promote a calmer brain during perimenopause.
(19:55) Why hormone pellets are controversial and why practitioners experience, dosing, and monitoring matter.
(35:05) Why hair loss in perimenopause may be connected to heavy bleeding, low iron, thyroid changes, stress, rapid weight loss, or GLP-1 use.
(42:58) How SHBG can make total testosterone look normal while leaving very little free testosterone available to the body.
(46:28) How DHT can contribute to testosterone-related side effects such as acne, oily skin, and hair loss.
(51:51) Why a bad experience with a hormone patch or gel does not automatically mean pellets or injections will not work for you.
Free Resources:
Masterclass Replay: Join the Masterclass Replay: Head to drcarriejones.com/masterclass to access the free Estrogen and Progesterone Masterclass replay.  
Head to drcarriejones.com/stages to grab What Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Because the confusion is honestly worse than the symptoms sometimes.
✍️ FREE GUIDES:
Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths

Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101  

The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs

The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie  

Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages


 
Find more from Dr. Carrie Jones: 
Website: drcarriejones.com

Newsletter: drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter

Instagram: @dr.carriejones

Facebook: @drcarriejones

TikTok: @drcarriejones

YouTube: @drcarriejones

Pinterest: @drcarriejones
 
Find more from Lexi Yoo:
Website: lexiyoonp.com
Instagram: @lexiyoonp
YouTube: @LexiYooNP_WomensHealthExpert
 
Disclaimer: Information provided on this channel is for informational purposes only. This information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided on this channel for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. Information provided on this channel and the use of any products or services related to this podcast by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Carrie Jones. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent ANY disease.

One thing I hear all the time from women in perimenopause is how confusing weight loss can suddenly become. They try the diet everyone online is swearing by. The scale does not move. They tighten things up. Still nothing. And somehow the advice keeps coming back to the same thing: eat less.
But how long can "eat less" be the answer before we start asking a better question?
That is what made this conversation with Dr. Bill Campbell so interesting to me. He is studying women who already exercise and pay attention to nutrition to figure out whether weight loss resistance during the menopause transition is actually real, or whether something else is getting blamed on hormones. In his preliminary survey, roughly 75 to 80% of peri- and postmenopausal women reported experiencing weight loss resistance. The number is huge, but the WHY behind it is what he is trying to uncover.
Dr. Bill Campbell is a professor and director of the Performance and Physique Enhancement Laboratory at the University of South Florida. He has spent his career studying fat loss, resistance training, and body composition, but his own wife's experience through menopause made him realize there were questions his research still could not answer.
22:17 Whether weight loss resistance in perimenopause is actually real, and what the 75–80% number really tells us.
26:39 What happens when cutting calories even lower still does not get the scale moving.
32:09 How much protein women may actually need to protect muscle while working on body composition.
41:07 Why years of dieting and repeated weight-loss cycles may matter more once midlife hits.
51:46 How heavy women really need to lift in their 40s and 50s, especially when strength training is new.
1:02:16 Where hormone therapy fits into the weight conversation, and why the research is not as simple as "estrogen makes you lose weight."
If the scale feels a whole lot more stubborn in midlife, this episode gets into the research behind why "just eat less" may be way too simple of an answer.
 
Free Resources:
Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: Head to drcarriejones.com/hormones101 to grab your free copy. Because understanding your hormones shouldn't require a medical degree—just 7 pages and maybe a cup of coffee. 
Masterclass Replay: Join the Masterclass Replay: Head to drcarriejones.com/masterclass to access the free Estrogen and Progesterone Masterclass replay.  
 
✍️ FREE GUIDES:
Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths
Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101  
The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs
The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie  
Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages



Find more from Dr. Carrie Jones:
Website: drcarriejones.com

Newsletter: drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter

Instagram: @dr.carriejones

Facebook: @drcarriejones

TikTok: @drcarriejones

YouTube: @drcarriejones

Pinterest: @drcarriejones
 
Find more from Bill Campbell: 
Website: billcampbellphd.com 
Instagram: @billcampbellphd 
Disclaimer
Information provided on this channel is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended as a substitute for advice provided by your physician or another qualified healthcare professional, or for information contained in any product.
Do not use the information provided on this channel to diagnose or treat a health condition, prescribe medication, change the dosage of medication, or stop treatment. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before taking medication, supplements, or beginning another treatment.
Information provided on this channel and the use of any related products or services do not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Carrie Jones.

Perimenopause has a funny way of making your supplement cabinet grow overnight. Magnesium for sleep. Something for hair. Vitamin D for bones. A multivitamin because you are trying to cover your bases. Maybe another bottle for energy, digestion, or whatever new symptom decided to join the party this month.
And I get it. When your hormones are changing and your body suddenly feels different, supplements can be incredibly helpful. But the bottle marketed to "women 50+" is not automatically the one I would choose, and the nutrient you recognize on the front may not tell you much about what you are actually getting.
In this solo episode of Hello Hormones, I am sharing seven types of supplements I personally do not love and the things I look at before spending money on them. I have spent more than 20 years in women's hormone health and the supplement field, worked with hundreds of companies, and gotten very familiar with production, manufacturing, testing, and quality. So yes, I have opinions. And if your midlife supplement cabinet is getting a little crowded, this episode will help you figure out which bottles deserve their spot and which ones deserve a second look.
What's Discussed
0:37 Why fish oil can oxidize and become pro-inflammatory.
4:05 What to inspect before buying a hard tablet multivitamin.
7:45 The two letters that reveal synthetic vitamin E.
9:22 Why magnesium oxide may move your bowels without providing much magnesium.
11:47 Why vitamin D needs magnesium and vitamin K2.
12:54 How high-dose biotin can interfere with certain lab tests.
15:15 Why herbal companies should provide testing and a certificate of analysis.
Listen to learn which supplement red flags I check first, what the ingredient label may be hiding, and how to make more informed decisions before buying your next bottle.
Join the Masterclass Replay: Head to drcarriejones.com/masterclass to access the free Estrogen and Progesterone Masterclass replay.
✍️ FREE GUIDES:
Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths

Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101  

The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs

The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie  

Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages


Find more from Dr. Carrie Jones:
Website: drcarriejones.com

Newsletter: drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter

Instagram: @dr.carriejones

Facebook: @drcarriejones

TikTok: @drcarriejones

YouTube: @drcarriejones

Pinterest: @drcarriejones
 
Disclaimer: Information provided on this channel is for informational purposes only. This information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided on this channel for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. Information provided on this channel and the use of any products or services related to this podcast by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Carrie Jones. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent ANY disease.

Headaches, brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, poor concentration, sinus problems, and feeling worse in certain buildings can easily be blamed on stress, hormones, or perimenopause. But mold exposure can create many of the same symptoms, which makes it difficult to know what your body is actually reacting to.
In this episode of Hello Hormones, I am talking with Jason Earle about the signs that your home or workplace may have a moisture and air-quality problem, why a musty smell matters even when you cannot see mold, and the four questions to ask before spending thousands of dollars on testing or remediation. We also get into air purifiers, HEPA vacuums, mold inspections, ERMI testing, urine mycotoxin panels, and why Jason believes food may explain more mycotoxin exposure than most people realize.
Jason Earle is the founder of GOT MOLD?® and has spent more than 20 years helping people understand mold, moisture, and indoor air quality. His work began after his own health improved when he left a mold-damaged home. He shares how to reduce exposure without becoming consumed by fear and why healing may require looking at your air, food, and nervous system together.
Jason was kind enough to provide the Hello Hormones community a discount! Use code drjones10 at gotmold.com/drjones/ for 10% off! 
What's Discussed
(01:21) Why mold symptoms can resemble perimenopause, anxiety, allergies, and other health problems.
(07:01) What urine mycotoxin results may reveal about food versus building exposure.
(12:41) Why healthy people still need healthy buildings and how poor air can undermine recovery.
(14:44) Four questions to ask before paying for mold testing or an inspection.
(21:28) How to choose an independent inspector and avoid unnecessary remediation.
(37:35) When an air purifier can help and why HEPA alone may not address odors or VOCs.
(44:41) Hidden mycotoxins in food and Jason's "air, food, and attitude" approach.
Head to drcarriejones.com/hormones101 to grab your free copy. Because understanding your hormones shouldn't require a medical degree—just 7 pages and maybe a cup of coffee.
Join the Masterclass Replay: Head to drcarriejones.com/masterclass to access the free Estrogen and Progesterone Masterclass replay.
✍️ FREE GUIDES:
Top 7 Perimenopause Myths You Need to Stop Believing ASAP: drcarriejones.com/myths
Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: drcarriejones.com/hormones101  
The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: drcarriejones.com/labs
The 101 on Stress, Cortisol And Your Nervous System Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stressfreebie  
Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: drcarriejones.com/stages
 
Find more from Dr. Carrie Jones:
Website: drcarriejones.com

Newsletter: drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter

Instagram: @dr.carriejones

Facebook: @drcarriejones

TikTok: @drcarriejones

YouTube: @drcarriejones

Pinterest: @drcarriejones
 
Find More From Jason Earle & GOT MOLD?®: 
Website: gotmold.com  
GOT MOLD?® Instagram: @gotmold   
Instagram: @jason.a.earle 
 
Disclaimer
Information provided on this channel is for informational purposes only. This information is not intended as a substitute for advice provided by your physician or another qualified healthcare professional, or for information contained in any product.
Do not use the information provided on this channel to diagnose or treat a health condition, prescribe medication, change the dosage of medication, or stop treatment. Always speak with a qualified healthcare professional before taking medication, supplements, or beginning another treatment.
Information provided on this channel and the use of any related products or services do not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Carrie Jones.