Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — Hot Flashes

By Sherry LaBeck, ND. ZRT Laboratory. It is highly likely that women aged 60 to 90 have vivid memories of the astonishing healthcare news from 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a comprehensive long-term national health study, was abruptly terminated earlier than expected. The initial trial results sent shockwaves through the medical community and had a profound impact on the lives of numerous women. Furthermore, this news fundamentally transformed the perception of routine menopausal hormone replacement prescriptions for years to follow. The WHI was launched in 1991 as a 15-year trial, one of the largest women’s health studies in the...

Perimenopause, also known as the menopausal transition, is a natural and normal part of a woman's life. It refers to the years leading up to menopause, which is defined as the point at which a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. Perimenopause typically begins in a woman's 40s but can start as early as the mid-30s. During perimenopause, the body's production of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones essential to a woman's reproductive system, begins to decline. This decline can cause a range of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness,...

Hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, insomnia and brain fog — menopause can feel overwhelming. But what is actually happening biochemically? In this case study, Dr. Kate Placzek and Dr. Allison Smith walk through the test results of Julia, a newly postmenopausal woman, showing exactly how hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances drive menopausal symptoms — and what can be done about it.

In perimenopause, falling estradiol doesn’t just trigger hot flashes — it disrupts serotonin production, driving mood swings, brain fog and sleepless nights. Discover the hormonal science behind “the change” and how testing can help.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial cast a long shadow over hormone replacement therapy — but it enrolled women well over a decade past menopause. Two newer trials, ELITE and KEEPS, specifically studied HRT started early in the postmenopausal period. Their findings on cardiovascular health, sexual function, sleep, mood and cognition paint a more nuanced and encouraging picture. Here is what the latest research shows.