All About You With Dr Shauna Watts

Menopause isn’t just about hot flushes, sleep disruption or the symptoms you can feel.

Some of the most important changes happening after menopause can be much harder to notice, yet they can shape your health years down the track.

In this episode, Dr. Shauna Watts and Dr. Sandra Rahme look beyond the obvious symptoms of menopause and explore the changes women may not realise are happening, from muscle and bone health to metabolism and sleep.

In this episode, we cover:
➡️ Why muscle loss after menopause can be about more than getting weaker
➡️ The reason bone health can change without giving you any warning
➡️ How menopause can influence metabolism, body composition and sleep
➡️ Why sleep problems after menopause may not always look the way you expect
➡️ The importance of looking beyond symptoms when thinking about long-term health

They discuss why some of these changes can go unnoticed for years, what women should be paying attention to, and why understanding your long-term health matters just as much as managing how you feel today.

Because sometimes, the things you can’t feel are the things worth looking at.

Follow All About You for evidence-based conversations helping women make more informed health decisions.

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Follow Dr. Sandra Rahme https://completehealthatcrossways.com.au/our-team

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Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: ⁠www.allaboutyoupod.com⁠.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts
https://www.instagram.com/drshaunawattsgp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247

Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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Chapters
00:00 - The Menopause Changes You Can’t Feel
01:41 - The Long-Term Effects of Menopause
06:47 - Does Menopause Speed Up Muscle Loss?
11:25 - Why Women Need Strength Training After Menopause
14:52 - Menopause and Bone Density Loss
17:51 - When Is Bone Loss Most Rapid?
21:21 - How to Protect Bone Health After Menopause
24:22 - Can Osteopenia Be Reversed?
25:49 - Osteoporosis vs Osteoarthritis: What’s the Difference?27:03 - Why Sleep Changes After Menopause
30:17 - Sleep, Menopause and Long-Term Health
31:31 - The Signs of Sleep Apnea in Women
35:21 - When Poor Sleep Isn’t Just Menopause
35:35 - What Actually Helps Menopause Sleep Problems?39:31 - It’s Never Too Late to Get Help
40:58 - Three Things Every Woman Should Know After Menopause

Keywords
menopause
menopause symptoms
post menopause
menopause health
menopause after 50
menopause after 60
long term effects of menopause
menopause and aging
menopause muscle loss
menopause bone loss
menopause osteoporosis
menopause osteopenia
menopause sleep problems
menopause sleep apnea
menopause weight gain
menopause belly fat
estrogen and muscle
estrogen and bone health
HRT and bone health
HRT menopause
menopause metabolic health
sarcopenia menopause
strength training menopause
bone density menopause
DEXA scan menopause
sleep apnea in women
menopause and sleep
menopause and metabolism
muscle loss after menopause
bone loss after menopause
osteoporosis after menopause
sleep problems after menopause

Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://shauna-watts-263a.mykajabi.com/what-next

Almost every woman who sits down in Lareena Brown's room believes she has failed. She has done every diet there is, and somewhere along the way she decided the problem was her.

Lareena Brown is a clinical psychologist and ANZAED-credentialed eating disorder clinician who works with women on their relationship with food, weight, movement and their bodies. In this conversation she and Dr Shauna Watts unpick what a broken relationship with food actually looks like day to day, why willpower was never the mechanism that failed, and what a weight-neutral approach means in practice.

They also go where most conversations stop: GLP-1 medications, food noise, and the judgement women face for taking them.

If you have spent decades believing you lack discipline, this episode offers a different explanation and one small, specific place to start.

00:00  "People don't fail diets. Diets fail people."
01:47  What a broken relationship with food looks like day to day
03:10  Guilt, shame and a long history of yo-yo dieting
05:28  Willpower is mental energy, not character
06:41  The tyranny of "should", and perfectionism as a moving goalpost
11:07  The midlife collision: hormones, kids, ageing parents, career
13:17  When health advice becomes another full-time job
14:04  A note from Dr Shauna
14:41  What a non-diet, weight-neutral approach actually looks like
17:01  "I don't like exercise" and why that is like saying you don't like colours
20:01  Moving in a larger body: physical discomfort, self-consciousness, stigma
24:18  Strangers, family, and the judgements people feel entitled to make
26:43  Losing your hunger and fullness cues, and how to rebuild them
29:56  The four hungers: stomach, heart, mouth and head
32:26  Uncoupling health from weight: the markers that actually matter
34:43  Skipping meals, drinking your calories, and the night-time overeat
37:58  GLP-1 medications and a weight-neutral approach: can they coexist?
40:54  Why a prescription is not a treatment plan
43:35  Food noise, and the calm that descends when it stops
46:54  "We're not giving people a shot of willpower"
50:25  What the medication does not fix: emotions, eating patterns, trauma
54:11  Is it ever too late? Neuroplasticity and an 80-year-old client
55:33  Start with the easiest thing, not the hardest
56:13  How to work with Lareena, and how to find the right clinician
59:39  Dr Shauna's three takeaways 

Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: ⁠⁠https://www.allaboutyoupod.com⁠ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts 
https://www.instagram.com/dr.shaunawatts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247

Resources mentioned:

Why Weight Psychology: https://www.whyweightpsychology.com.au

Finding a clinician who works at this intersection connect·ed, the ANZAED directory of credentialed eating disorder clinicians: https://connected.anzaed.org.au

InsideOut Institute Treatment Services Database (search by postcode for psychologists, dietitians, GPs, programs and support groups):  https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/treatment-services

Butterfly Foundation: https://butterfly.org.au

Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Think you’ve missed your chance for HRT because you’re over 60 or more than 10 years past menopause? Dr. Shauna Watts and Dr. Sandra Rahme unpack what the “10-year window” actually means, and why there is no automatic age or five-year cut-off.

In this episode of All About You, Dr Shauna sits down with GP and women’s health clinician Dr. Sandra Rahme to challenge some of the most persistent misconceptions around menopause and hormone replacement therapy.

In this episode, we cover:
➡️ What the 10-year window for HRT actually means
➡️ Whether it is really too late to consider HRT after 60
➡️ Why there is no fixed five-year rule for stopping HRT
➡️ The difference between systemic HRT and vaginal hormones
➡️ Why urinary symptoms, recurrent UTIs, vaginal dryness and painful sex can worsen after menopause
➡️ How doctors assess individual risks before considering HRT
➡️ What options are available for women who cannot or do not want to take hormones
➡️ Why menopause symptoms should not simply be dismissed as “just ageing”

Most importantly, the conversation looks at why the decision around HRT should be individualised, reviewed over time, and based on a woman’s symptoms and changing health risks rather than an arbitrary age or deadline.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too old” for HRT, this is a conversation worth hearing.

Follow Dr. Sandra Rahme
https://completehealthatcrossways.com.au/our-team

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Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: ⁠www.allaboutyoupod.com⁠.
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshaunawattsgp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247

Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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Chapters
00:00 - The HRT 10-Year Window Explained
02:09 - Why Menopause Care Matters
03:16 - How Long Can Menopause Symptoms Last?
05:54 - Menopause Symptoms That Get Worse With Age
09:30 - Is It Too Late for HRT After 60?
11:47 - The HRT Window of Opportunity
14:25 - Can You Start HRT After 60?
16:12 - HRT Risks and Health Factors
20:10 - Vaginal Estrogen vs Systemic HRT
27:17 - HRT Delivery Methods and Blood Clot Risk
29:21 - Is There a Time Limit for HRT?
32:02 - HRT After 60: Myths vs Facts
33:18 - Key Takeaways on HRT and Menopause

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Keywords
HRT after 60
HRT after menopause
hormone replacement therapy
HRT menopause
HRT after 60 years old
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HRT 10 year window
HRT 5 year rule
menopause symptoms
perimenopause
post menopause
vaginal estrogen
vaginal hormones
vaginal estrogen after menopause
recurrent UTIs menopause
menopause and urinary symptoms
menopause and bone health
menopause and heart health
HRT risks
HRT blood clots
systemic HRT
menopause treatment

Get the guide to your doctors appointment:
http://menopause.allaboutyoupod.com/appointment-prep/

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Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://shauna-watts-263a.mykajabi.com/what-next

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Most women get fifteen minutes for a conversation that spans years of their life, every system in their body, and a treatment decision that shapes the next twenty. It was never going to be enough.

In this solo episode, GP and women's health advocate Dr Shauna Watts walks you through exactly how to prepare for a perimenopause or menopause appointment so you leave with a plan instead of "let's see how you go."

She covers the one sentence to use when you book, how to work out where you sit on the menopause map, the four things to carry through the door, and which tests are genuinely high yield versus which ones are circulating online and will cost you money without changing your care.

Plus: what to say if you get dismissed, and why "we don't need to check your hormones" is often good medicine.

In this episode Shauna mentions that most countries have a menopause society keeping a directory of doctors with a special interest in this area. Here they are.

Start here, wherever you live
International Menopause Society, Council of Affiliated Menopause Societies
https://www.imsociety.org/membership/cams/cams-steering-committee-and-cams-members/
National menopause societies across Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Find your country, follow the link, then look for their find-a-doctor page.

Australia and New Zealand
Australasian Menopause Society, Find a Member
https://www.menopause.org.au/find-a-member/

United Kingdom
British Menopause Society, Find a Menopause Specialist
https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/

United States and Canada
The Menopause Society, Find a Menopause Practitioner
https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx

A listing in a directory is not a recommendation from us and it is not a guarantee of a good fit. It is a starting point for finding someone who has chosen to work in this area.

00:00 – Intro
02:21 – The phone call that buys you time
04:14 – Where are you on the menopause map
05:21 – When your bleeding pattern lies to you
06:04 – Contraception: do you still need it?
07:27 – What to bring to your appointment
14:32 – The tests worth asking for
16:07 – Why your hormones may not need testing
17:55 – If you get dismissed, say this
19:17 – Summary

Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: ⁠www.allaboutyoupod.com⁠
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts 
https://www.instagram.com/dr.shaunawatts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247

Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://shauna-watts-263a.mykajabi.com/what-next
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Menopause doesn't come with an instruction manual, but it should.

After a year of conversations with some of the world's leading menopause experts, Dr. Shauna Watts has brought together the questions women keep asking and the practical advice that can actually help.

How much protein do you really need in midlife? Why does muscle become so important? What role does testosterone play in women's health? Does vaginal estrogen really matter? And why can sleep suddenly become so difficult during perimenopause and menopause?

In this special All About You menopause mashup, Dr. Shauna Watts brings together insights from Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Rachel Rubin and Dr. Kelly Casperson, alongside her own clinical experience, to create a practical menopause cheat sheet you can come back to again and again.

In this episode, we cover:
➡️ Why protein and resistance training become increasingly important during midlife
➡️ What happens to muscle mass, visceral fat and bone health during the menopause transition
➡️ How much protein women may need to support muscle and reduce frailty
➡️ Why creatine is becoming an important conversation in women's health
➡️ Why vaginal symptoms can involve much more than dryness, including urinary symptoms and painful sex
➡️ What genital urinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) actually means
➡️ Why testosterone may take longer to have an effect than estrogen
➡️ Practical strategies for improving sleep during perimenopause and menopause
➡️ How nutrition, movement, sleep and hormones can work together
➡️ Why women should approach menopause proactively rather than simply waiting for symptoms to appear.

This episode encourages women to go into midlife informed, build muscle, support their nutrition and health, understand their treatment options and surround themselves with the right professional and personal support.F

ollow the doctors in this episode:
Dr. Mary Claire Haver - https://www.instagram.com/drmaryclaire/
Dr. Rachel Rubin - https://www.instagram.com/drrachelrubin/
Dr. Kelly Casperson - https://www.instagram.com/kellycaspersonmd/

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Follow Dr Shauna and the podcast on social:
Podcast Website: ⁠www.allaboutyoupod.com⁠.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/allaboutyou_withdrshaunawatts
https://www.instagram.com/drshaunawattsgp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shauna-watts-a903a5247

Disclaimer: This podcast and any information, advice, opinions or statements within it do not constitute medical, health care or other professional advice. Information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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Chapters
00:00 - Menopause Cheat Sheet: What Every Woman Needs to Know
00:34 - Menopause, Muscle Loss & Strength Training
01:09 - Menopause Weight Gain & Visceral Fat
03:09 - Does HRT Help With Weight Loss?04:11 - Why Protein Matters During Menopause
05:13 - How Much Protein Do Women Need?
07:47 - Menopause Supplements: What Actually Matters?
09:58 - Creatine for Women & Menopause
11:28 - Menopause, Osteoporosis & Strong Bones
12:40 - Vaginal Hormones: Estrogen vs DHEA
20:51 - Testosterone for Women: Why It Matters
28:41 - Vaginal Dryness & Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
34:13 - Menopause, Sex, Pain & Low Libido
48:06 - How to Sleep Better During Menopause

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Keywords
menopause
menopause symptoms
menopause treatment
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menopause advice
perimenopause
perimenopause symptoms
HRT
hormone replacement therapy
menopause weight gain
menopause protein
protein for women over 40
menopause muscle loss
menopause testosterone
testosterone for women
vaginal estrogen
vaginal hormones
vaginal dryness menopause
menopause sleep
menopause brain fog
menopause libido
menopause sex
menopause osteoporosis
menopause bone health
menopause nutrition
menopause exercise
resistance training menopause