All About You With Dr Shauna Watts

Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://journey.allaboutyoupod.com/what-next/

Heart disease remains one of the biggest health concerns for women, yet many women still don't know what cardiovascular risk can actually look like in the female body.

In this episode of All About You, Dr. Jayne Morgan joins Dr. Shauna Watts for an important conversation about women’s heart health, perimenopause, menopause and cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Morgan explores why women’s heart health has historically been misunderstood, how heart attack symptoms can present differently in women, and why some warning signs may be overlooked or dismissed.

The conversation also looks at what can change during perimenopause and menopause, and why this stage of life can be an important time to start paying closer attention to your cardiovascular health.

Most importantly, Dr. Morgan shares why understanding your own risk and being willing to advocate for yourself can make a difference when navigating the healthcare system.

In this episode:
• Why women’s heart health has historically been overlooked
• How heart attack symptoms can differ in women
• Why some symptoms may be easy to dismiss
• What changes during perimenopause and menopause
• The connection between estrogen and cardiovascular health
• What women should know about their individual heart health risk
• Why self-advocacy matters when speaking with your doctor
• How emerging technology could help improve women’s health research

This episode is a reminder that midlife health is about more than hormones. Understanding your heart health is an important part of taking care of yourself through perimenopause, menopause and beyond.

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Follow Dr. Jayne Morgan
https://www.instagram.com/drjaynemorgan
https://www.youtube.com/c/DrJayneMorgan
https://linktr.ee/DrJayneMorgan

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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 – Why Women’s Heart Health Is Different
04:15 – The Missing Data in Women’s Heart Research
07:39 – Why Heart Disease Is the #1 Killer of Women
11:42 – How Heart Disease Can Look Different in Women
17:05 – The Heart Health Changes of Perimenopause
22:18 – Estrogen, Cholesterol & Cardiovascular Risk
30:12 – LP(a): The Heart Risk Women Need to Know
34:49 – Why LP(a) Can Change During Menopause
40:05 – What Menopause Does to Your Heart
47:04 – The Cardiovascular Impact of Losing Estrogen
49:41 – Why Women May Miss the Signs of a Heart Attack
54:20 – HRT, Estrogen & the Timing of Heart Health
57:41 – How Women Can Advocate for Their Heart Health

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Keywords
women's heart health
heart disease in women
menopause and heart health
heart disease after menopause
perimenopause and heart health
women's cardiovascular health
heart attack symptoms in women
menopause cardiovascular risk
estrogen and heart health
cholesterol and menopause
heart disease symptoms in women
women's heart health after menopause
how menopause affects heart health
does menopause increase heart disease risk
cholesterol changes during menopause
heart attack symptoms women should know
cardiovascular risk during perimenopause
menopause health
women's health
Dr Jayne Morgan
Shauna Watts

https://journey.allaboutyoupod.com/what-next/⁠

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://journey.allaboutyoupod.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.

Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://journey.allaboutyoupod.com/what-next/

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
starting HRT after 60
menopause hormone therapy
hormone replacement therapy after 60
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

Join Dr Shauna Watts’ "Now What?" List - https://journey.allaboutyoupod.com/what-next/

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.