Perimenopause or Something Else? Bringing Nuance Back to Midlife Symptoms

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.In the final episode of PMOS Awareness Month, I focus on something that does not get talked about enough: the mental health toll of PMOS and the harm caused by waiting years for a diagnosis. We walk through what weight-matched studies show about depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, why so many people carry these burdens long before anyone connects them to PMOS, and what real care should look like.In this episodeWhy people with PMOS are about four times more likely to have depression and more than five times more likely to have anxietyWhy a PMOS diagnosis often comes before a new diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or sleep problemsHow eating disorder risk rises with PMOS, and why it is not limited to larger bodiesHow years of scattered symptoms and "it is just stress" responses make things worseWhy body image distress from visible symptoms is a real pathway to disordered eatingWhat good care includes: screening at diagnosis, CBT as a first step, careful medication choices, treating physical symptoms, and mind-body approachesTimestamps00:00 Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:01 PMOS Series Finale Setup02:04 Mental Health Stats in PMOS03:24 Eating Disorders and PMOS04:00 Why Diagnosis Takes Years05:37 Body Image and Visible Symptoms06:56 What Good Care Looks Like08:50 What This Means for You09:51 Series Wrap Up and Resources11:02 PMOS Mini Course AnnouncementKey numbers from the episodeAbout 4 times more likely to have depression with PMOS, in weight-matched studiesMore than 5 times more likely to have anxiety with PMOSAbout 1 in 3 people with PMOS have moderate to severe depression; more than 4 in 10 have real anxiety symptoms; well under 15 percent without PMOSAbout 1.5 times more likely to have an eating disorder, with the biggest increases in binge eating disorder and bulimiaThe full PMOS Awareness Month seriesEpisode 1: What happens in PMOS after your childbearing yearsEpisode 2: Why PMOS gets missed in people with a normal BMI (lean PMOS)Episode 3: Where GLP-1 medications fit into PMOS treatmentEpisode 4: PMOS and mental health (this episode)A note on supportIf anything in this episode brought up something personal for you, especially around food, body image, or how you have been feeling emotionally, please do not sit with that alone. Talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. If you are in crisis in the US, you can call or text 988 at any time.ConnectInstagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodiaeastsidemm.comThis episode is for education and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia, obesity advocate Michael Donnelly-Boylen, and Dr. Matthea Rentea explain why they withdrew from a planned ADA-hosted webinar in support of a broader boycott, after an ADA Scientific Sessions keynote by a MAHA representative and the removal of peacefully protesting scientists were followed by an organizational response the three of them found unsatisfying.They still share the content they had planned to present: integrating peer and lived experience into obesity care, to address a trust gap driven by weight stigma, shaming language, and oversimplified messaging that can delay or derail care, including preventive screening and procedures. They talk through curiosity, person-first language, motivational interviewing, and acknowledging medical trauma, along with practical solutions such as moderated peer support groups, credible online resources, and comprehensive programs that combine lifestyle foundations, medications, bariatric pathways, and clinic infrastructure shaped by patient input.Timestamps00:00  Why This Episode Changed00:47  ADA Boycott Context02:15  Meet The Panel03:26  Inside The Keynote Fallout06:41  Protest And Conference Mood10:01  Choosing To Withdraw11:18  Webinar Topic And Roadmap13:47  Trust Gap And Weight Stigma18:37  Language That Builds Safety23:23  Peer Support And Community25:09  Social Media And Group Coaching27:19  Why I Started Posting28:43  Building a Comprehensive Program30:32  Three Pathways of Care33:32  Designing for Real Bodies35:54  Practical Clinician Changes37:48  Mountain Dew Lesson41:30  Trauma and Safe Spaces42:25  Peer Support Communities44:20  Insurance and Advocacy46:27  Fighting Wellness Misinformation47:55  How to Build Support Groups50:53  Wrap Up and Where to Find UsConnectDr. Komal Patil-Sisodia: Instagram and TikTok @drpatilsisodia. Podcast: Clearly Hormonal.Dr. Matthea Rentea: Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Podcast: The Obesity Guide with Matthea Rentea, MD, at renteaclinic.com.Michael Donnelly-Boylen: Instagram and TikTok as Mike On A Mission. Podcast: Weight and Measure with Mike and Zach, at weightandmeasurepod.com.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia continues the PMOS Awareness Month series by walking through where GLP-1 medications, like semaglutide and tirzepatide, fit into PMOS treatment. She explains what GLP-1s actually do in the body, who is likely to benefit, who they are not built for, and why they are never a stand-alone treatment plan for PMOS.In This EpisodeWhat a GLP-1 is and the three main effects these medications have on the bodyWhy insulin resistance sits at the center of PMOS for so many patients, and how that connects to androgen levels and symptoms like acne and excess hair growthWho is the clearest fit for a GLP-1: patients with insulin resistance or higher body weight, and those who haven't seen enough improvement from metformin or lifestyle changes aloneWho GLP-1s are not built for: lean PMOS patients without insulin resistance, and anyone trying to conceive soonWhy GLP-1s only work well alongside lifestyle change, and the real risks of low protein and fiber intake while on these medicationsWhat a GLP-1 does not replace: ongoing metabolic monitoring, fertility treatment, and androgen-targeted treatments like birth control pills or spironolactoneThe four questions Dr. Patil-Sisodia asks herself before recommending a GLP-1 for a PMOS patientTimestamps00:00 Podcast Intro01:01 Series Setup02:13 GLP-1 Basics02:45 Why It Matters03:28 Who Benefits04:32 Who Should Avoid05:27 Lifestyle and Safety06:15 What GLP-1s Don't Replace07:40 How I Decide08:29 Wrap Up and Next Week09:36 Mini Course PromoLinks MentionedNewsletter sign-up: eastsidemm.com/newsletterFollow Dr. Patil-Sisodia: @drpatilsisodia on Instagram and TikTokThanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Many people picture PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, formerly known as PCOS) as a condition tied to weight gain. But the diagnostic criteria never mention body size at all, and a significant number of people with PMOS have a completely normal BMI. In part two of our PMOS Awareness series, Dr. Patil-Sisodia breaks down “lean PMOS”: what it looks like, why it is so often missed, and why the metabolic risk is just as real even when the outside doesn't show it.In This EpisodeWhy PMOS became associated with a specific body type, and why that picture was never the diagnosis itselfThe three actual diagnostic criteria: irregular or anovulatory cycles, elevated androgens (DHEAS, testosterone), and polycystic ovarian morphology on ultrasoundWhat lean PMOS symptoms look like: irregular periods, acne, facial and body hair growth, scalp thinning“Normal weight obesity”: how insulin resistance and visceral fat can hide behind a normal-looking exteriorThe three-part pattern that causes lean PMOS to slip through the cracks in clinical practiceWhy an undiagnosed lean PMOS patient loses out on cardiometabolic monitoring, not just a menstrual explanationWhat needs to change: for clinicians, dropping body size as a screening filter; for patients, presenting symptoms as a pattern instead of one at a timeTimestamps00:00 | Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:01 | Series Setup: Lean PMOS02:09 | Why PMOS Has a Body Type02:42 | Diagnosis Criteria, Not Weight03:39 | Lean PMOS Symptoms04:05 | Hidden Insulin Resistance05:01 | Why Lean PMOS Gets Missed06:51 | Why Diagnosis Matters08:05 | What Should Change09:24 | Wrap Up and Next Week10:03 | Mini Course AnnouncementComing up next week: Episode three of the series looks at treatment, including where GLP-1 medications and other weight management tools fit into PMOS care, and who they actually make sense for.Sign up for the newsletter at eastsidemm.com/newsletter, and follow along on Instagram or TikTok @drpatilsisodia.This podcast is for education, not personalized medical advice. Please discuss anything you hear here with your own healthcare team.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.PMOS Awareness Month kicks off with a reframe: PMOS is not a condition that resolves once your cycles regulate or once you're done having kids. It is a lifelong cardiometabolic condition that happens to announce itself first through reproductive symptoms. Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia walks through the three diagnostic criteria (irregular periods, high androgens, and polycystic ovarian morphology) and explains why the biology underneath, insulin resistance, visceral fat, and unfavorable cholesterol, persists even when periods look normal. She unpacks what worsens in perimenopause, the clinical blind spot that causes PMOS histories to get dropped from the chart, and what she actually changes in her own practice: earlier and trend-based lab monitoring, a shift in treatment goals from fertility to long-term metabolic and heart protection, and more individualized hormone therapy decisions.In This EpisodeWhy the three PMOS diagnostic criteria are not the whole diseaseThe underlying biology: insulin resistance, visceral fat, and cholesterol changes that often start in the teenage yearsWhat worsens at perimenopause: insulin resistance, LDL and triglycerides, and belly fatThe missed clinical question that keeps PMOS histories from shaping midlife careWhy 20+ years of a less favorable metabolic starting point matters for heart disease riskWhat changes in practice: trend-based monitoring, shifting treatment goals, and individualized hormone therapyA preview of the rest of the PMOS Awareness Month seriesTimestamps00:00 — Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:03 — PMOS Beyond Fertility02:14 — PMOS Is Lifelong04:05 — Perimenopause Metabolic Shifts06:17 — The Missed Clinical Question07:52 — Heart Risk Over Decades09:38 — What To Do In Practice11:34 — Key Takeaways & Next Episodes12:46 — Mini Course InvitationComing Up in This SeriesEpisode 2 — Lean PMOS (sometimes called "skinny PMOS") and why it gets missedEpisode 3 — Where GLP-1s and other weight management tools fit into PMOS careEpisode 4 — The long road to diagnosis and its toll on mental healthLinksJoin the email list for the PMOS mini-course: eastsidemm.com/newsletterThanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.On Women's Equality Day, host Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia revisits an idea from an early episode of Clearly Hormonal: the menopause penalty, the disproportionate income loss, leadership attrition, and career disruption that midlife women face. This episode goes past the data to ask what it actually feels like to lead through sleep disruption, cognitive overload, and hormonal change while carrying the weight of an executive role.Guest Dr. Brooke Buckley traces her path from a punishing early surgical practice through hospital operations, an MBA negotiated into her first CMO contract, and a system-level leadership role she stepped into during the pandemic. She speaks candidly about infertility and loss, being the only woman in her surgical residency class, and the coaching and community that carried her through. The conversation moves into trauma-informed leadership, why physiology cannot be negotiated away, and the hard pivot Buckley made in walking away from the operating room to protect her own health.Audio Stamps00:00  Why Equality Still Lags01:48  The Menopause Penalty02:34  Meet Dr. Brooke Buckley04:04  From Surgeon to Executive07:32  Lessons From Organized Medicine11:44  Midlife Friction and Storytelling15:13  Boundaries as Superpower18:07  Leading Through the Pandemic21:29  Community, Coaching, and Accountability27:20  Trauma-Informed Leadership32:07  AI, Physiology, and the Future of Work35:05  Hard Pivots and Closing TakeawaysGuest BioDr. Brooke Buckley is a board-certified general surgeon and physician executive, board-certified in lifestyle medicine, and currently serves as System Vice President of Medical Affairs for Henry Ford Health. She previously served as chief medical officer and holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins. She has held national leadership roles with the American Hospital Association and The Joint Commission and is a widely followed voice on physician wellness, trauma-informed leadership, and healthcare system transformation.Instagram: play_your_storyThanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Two women get the same diagnosis, PMOS (formerly known as PCOS), and end up with completely different symptoms. One has irregular periods, acne, and high androgens. The other has none of that, just an ultrasound finding. How can that be the same condition?In this episode, Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia breaks down the Rotterdam criteria, the three features used to diagnose PMOS, and explains why you only need two of the three to qualify. That single fact is the reason PMOS shows up as four distinct phenotypes (A, B, C, and D), each with its own symptom pattern and metabolic risk profile.You'll learn:What hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphology actually mean (without the jargon)The four PMOS phenotypes and which one carries the highest, and lowest, metabolic riskWhy insulin resistance, not BMI, may be the real driver of your riskWhy phenotype D ("the mild one") still deserves your attentionThree questions to bring to your next appointment to get more personalized careWhether you were diagnosed years ago or are newly navigating a PMOS diagnosis, this episode gives you language to better understand your own body, and better questions to ask the people caring for it.Audio Stamps:00:00 Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:03 Why PMOS Looks Different02:43 Rotterdam Criteria Explained05:15 Phenotype A: Full House06:03 Phenotypes B Through D08:27 Why Phenotype Matters11:00 Phenotype D Still Counts12:44 Three Takeaways and Next Steps14:39 Recap and Final MessageThis podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Please discuss your own care with your healthcare team.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Perimenopause is having a cultural moment, and endocrinologist Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia is glad it is, but in this launch episode of Clearly Hormonal, she pushes back on social media's habit of attributing nearly any midlife symptom to hormones. She defines perimenopause as the years leading up to menopause (recognized after 12 months without a period, average age ~51) and explains that it's marked by hormonal variability, not simply “low estrogen,” with menstrual-cycle changes serving as an important clinical clue.She walks through why most women don't need single-point hormone testing, since levels fluctuate day to day, per current ACOG guidance. Using a composite patient example (“Jen”), she shows how fatigue, sleep issues, hair loss, and weight gain may reflect iron deficiency, thyroid disease, sleep apnea, nutrition, stress, medications, or life changes, not hormones by default.She closes with a four-question framework for sorting it out: where you are in the reproductive transition, whether a symptom is plausibly related to it, what else could explain it, and whether treating perimenopause would actually help. Taking symptoms seriously, she argues, requires evidence and continued curiosity, not a single convenient explanation.Timestamps00:00  Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:03  Perimenopause Everywhere01:32  Why Nuance Matters03:24  How Social Media Shaped It05:22  Defining Perimenopause07:51  Hormone Testing Reality09:29  Patient Example: Jen11:51  Fatigue and Weight Gain13:58  Brain Fog and Mood15:35  Hair, Sleep, Libido, Joints18:54  When “It's Just Perimenopause” Becomes a Problem21:38  The Four-Question Framework23:33  Key Takeaways and Invite25:26  Quick Question: 3 AM WakeupsKey TakeawaysPerimenopause is hormonal variability, not simply low estrogen: levels fluctuate rather than steadily decline in the early transition.Menopause is recognized after 12 consecutive months without a period; average age in the U.S. is around 51.Most women don't need a single hormone test to identify perimenopause: age, symptoms, and menstrual changes usually tell us more (ACOG).Common midlife symptoms (fatigue, weight change, hair loss, brain fog, mood shifts, low libido, joint pain) can have multiple causes beyond hormones.The four-question framework: (1) Where am I in the reproductive transition? (2) Is this symptom plausibly related to perimenopause? (3) Is there another explanation to consider? (4) Would treating perimenopause actually improve it?Taking a symptom seriously and attributing it to hormones by default are not the same thing.Resources & LinksACOG: Do I need to have testing of my hormone levels during perimenopause? (acog.org)Follow along: Instagram & TikTok @drpatilsisodiaGot a question for “Is This Actually Hormonal?”: DM @drpatilsisodia or send a note through the show's fan mail link.Thanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Endocrinologist Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia defines peptides as short amino-acid chains (with examples like insulin) and notes that any package or claim stating “contains peptides” is meaningless without knowing which peptide, how it was tested, and what it's proven to do.She outlines the FDA approval pathway from preclinical work through Phase 1–3 trials and FDA review, then lists the FDA-approved peptides she prescribes for metabolic health (insulin analogs, GLP-1/GIP agents, glucagon, pramlintide), osteoporosis and calcium disorders (teriparatide, abaloparatide, palopegteriparatide, calcitonin), and reproductive/pituitary conditions (GnRH agonists, somatostatin analogs, vasopressin/desmopressin, cosyntropin, setmelanotide, bremelanotide).She contrasts these with trending “gray market” peptides (e.g., BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu), noting most lack published peer-reviewed randomized human trials and are often sold as “research chemicals” without purity oversight. Her key filter: ask what high-quality human evidence supports a claim — emphasizing informed choices, doctor-guided decisions, and evidence over hype.In This EpisodeWhat a peptide actually is — and why the word alone doesn't mean anythingThe FDA's Phase 1–3 approval pathway, explained in plain languageThe full list of FDA-approved peptides Dr. Patil-Sisodia prescribes, organized by conditionWhy trending “gray market” peptides like BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu haven't cleared that same evidence barThe backlash from a recent social post — and what it revealed about asking for sourcesThe one question to ask before trying any new treatmentTimestamps00:00 | Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:03 | Peptides Everywhere Now01:51 | Peptides Explained Simply02:47 | How FDA Approval Works05:13 | Peptides I Prescribe08:42 | Social Media Peptide Hype10:43 | My Viral Post Backlash12:53 | Spotting Real Evidence13:46 | Final Takeaways and WrapConnectPractice: eastsidemm.comInstagram & TikTok: @drpatilsisodiaThanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.

📱 Send Us a Text Message! We’d love to hear from you! Please include your name and email address so we can reply. Don’t worry — this won’t sign you up for our email list. We’ll only use your info to respond to your question.Dr. Komal Patil-Sisodia explains that headlines claiming “FDA approves peptides” are misleading: an FDA advisory committee narrowly voted to recommend adding six peptides (BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c, Epitalon, Semax) to a compounding list, a step that is not FDA approval and still faces a formal FDA process. She notes FDA scientists opposed adding all six and that some voting members sell these peptides.Reviewing the evidence, she explains that BPC-157 has only three small, weak human studies; TB-500 has zero human trials for the injury uses it's marketed for (while full thymosin beta-4 has some real human data); KPV has no human studies at all; MOTS-c has an unpublished Phase 1b trial and only observational, exercise-related human data; Epitalon lacks Western peer-reviewed human trials; and Semax is approved in Russia but with limited-quality stroke data.She emphasizes that all six are synthetic despite being marketed as "natural," that marketing to midlife women is running well ahead of the evidence, that contamination and mislabeled dosing have been documented in online peptide products, that compounded drugs bypass typical FDA review, and that proven options already exist for symptoms like hot flashes, bone loss, and metabolic changes.Time Stamps:00:00  Welcome to Clearly Hormonal01:03  The FDA Vote Explained03:09  BPC-157 Evidence Check04:31  TB-500 vs. Thymosin Beta-406:01  KPV and Animal Data Limits07:25  MOTS-c, Epitalon, Semax11:32  Midlife Marketing Reality13:37  What the List Means14:23  Safety and Contamination Risks16:06  Bottom Line and Next Steps17:31  Wrap Up and Where to FollowResources & MentionsFollow Dr. Patil-Sisodia on Instagram and TikTok: @drpatilsisodiaJAMA: “Under FDA, Unapproved Peptides Likely to Become More Widely Available” (Rita Rubin, MA, 2026)ABC News: “FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next?” (July 24, 2026)Talanta (2018): impurity analysis of falsified peptide drugs seized from online pharmaciesExpert Opinion on Drug Safety (2026): FAERS pharmacovigilance study on compounded GLP-1 receptor agonistsJournal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2021): Phase I dose-escalation trial of recombinant human thymosin beta-4Zhurnal Nevrologii I Psikhiatrii (2018): Semax post-stroke rehabilitation studyThanks for listening. Find more info about Clearly Hormonal on the website or Instagram.