Unpacking Women's Health, from Yeast Infections to Menopause | Dr. Jen Gunter | The Proof EP
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- Äas pĹidĂĄn 1. 07. 2024
- The field of women's health, historically understudied and often misunderstood, has finally begun to occupy a crucial place in mainstream health conversations. This shift, while empowering and supporting many women on their health journeys, has also unleashed a flood of misinformation and disinformation. These can be misleading marketing tactics at best, and at worst, they may prevent women from seeking the care they need or even cause direct harm. That's why we need reliable, authoritative voices like Dr Jen Gunter to guide us through the complexities and bust the myths in this critical field.
đ Visit The Proof website for the full show notes and supporting studies. đ theproof.com/podcast/
Dr Jen Gunter is an internationally celebrated obstetrician and gynaecologist. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto, pioneering a path in reproductive health literature. Fondly known as Twitterâs resident gynaecologist and the internetâs OB/GYN, she has been a steadfast advocate for women's health, championing for accurate and reliable information to help women make informed decisions about their health. Dr Gunter's work extends beyond her books, with her writings published in the New York Times, Dame, The New Republic, The Guardian, and more. Her mission is to build a better medical internet, because to be empowered about health one must have accurate information.
Specifically, we cover:
- 00:00 - Intro
- 2:56 - Dr. Jen Gunter on Gynecology
- 8:11 - Misinformation vs disinformation
- 15:16 - Western medicine and the truth about supplements
- 20:43 - Tips for discerning online information
- 30:22 - Yeast infection and how to really treat it
- 38:30 - Can diet treat yeast infection?
- 45:19 - Is a vaginal microbiome test necessary?
- 48:26 - Understanding menstruation and contraception
- 54:27 - Challenges for women in their mid-30s after birth control
- 1:02:08 - Menopause, hormone testing, and symptom assessment
- 1:08:10 - The grandmother hypothesis
- 1:11:25 - Hormone therapy
- 1:18:56 - Bioidentical hormones vs. what's recommended
- 1:28:02 - Alternative treatments for hot flashes
- 1:33:35 - What men need to know and how they can help
- 1:40:31 - Outro
Connect with Dr Jen Gunter:
- Instagram: / drjengunter
- Twitter: / drjengunter
- TikTok: / drjengunter
- Book, The Vagina Bible: www.booktopia.com.au/the-vagi...
- Book, The Menopause Manifesto: www.booktopia.com.au/the-meno...
- Blog: vajenda.substack.com/
Looking for more episodes centred around womenâs health? Listen to past episodes on this topic at theproof.com/tag/womens-health/.
If you have any additional questions you would like answered in the future, please let me know in the comments.
Optimise your health with InsideTrackerâs biomarker analysis. Get exclusive access to InsideTrackerâs new ApoB test, and a significant discount at insidetracker.com/simon.
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Enjoy, friends.
Simon
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It really strikes me how many people are complaining that a doctor with decades of experience in gynecology is "too opinionated." I would be worried if she didn't have strong opinions about her own field of expertise.
She's a woman. Of course she gets pushback for being opinionated.
And yes, this is a great episode.
Simon, I thoroughly enjoy your podcasts, I think you're an excellent interviewer and you clearly take the time to thoroughly research and delve into the topic before recording. I also want to thank you as a male for taking on the topic of women's health - it is underrepresented and I can only imagine for a male it might possibly be a daunting topic or even out of your comfort zone so well done to you. I think you navigated this episode very well. I do still feel quite confused though after watching this one, some of her information was consistent with Professor Susan Davis, but some other areas conflicted with information I have found elsewhere - that could perhaps be down to misinformation that I am exposed to. I think the more episodes you can do on women's health the better, we may then see more consistent themes over time so please do consider keeping this topic on repeat. I also liked what she shared at the end about exploring lifestyle alongside pharma interventions. I think for many, menopause transition can occur at challenging life stages - teenage kids, busy/senior careers etc and this can play a large part in what a woman in going through in addition to the biological symptoms of menopause. Doctors should explore this more with the patient and the discussion should be more mainstream - the division of labour in households etc. I know it's not really in theme of your show, but a longer discussion on this topic would be great too.
Although I donât agree with all statements made by Dr Jen I love the perspective you offer. And I take off my hat for tackling womenâs health as a man. Thatâs just phenomenal. One analogy I really donât agree with is the Toyota/Mercedes one. Different to ânaturalâ hormones that are marketed thereâs a real qualitative different between the cars. The Mercedes isnât just marketed as âbetterâ. I might be biased as a German anyway đ¤Łđ¤Ł
Thank you for bringing different perspectives, and providing focus on womenâs health. I found it interesting that Dr. Jen sees HRT only for treatment of menopause symptoms, when there are other experts talking about the âtiming hypothesisâ for HRT as a preventative for heart disease. She seemed kind of dismissive about HRT and heart health. Hard to know who to believe nowadays.
I think it's very unlikely that the primary way to prevent heart disease in women would be about hormones. Diet and exercise are more likely routes for prevention. Tougher to do, obviously. People prefer a daily pill, but definitely more evidence based.
I'm 1 month postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. I had an emergency c section and my sweet baby boy suffers with reflux and really bad gas. I've been looking into research on how delivery method impacts the baby's microbiome. I also found research showing connections between the newborn microbiome and risk of allergies, asthma, type 1 diabetes, and obesity. I would love to see you talk with some of those doing this research. The presentation I watched on CZcams was by University of California San Diego regarding the infant microbiome.
Simon, I love your interview style and how you attempt to stay as neutral as possible. I agree with a lot of the comments here⌠I could walk away from this episode feeling like there is no other possible thing that I could do if I had any issues with my reproductive health other than take pharmaceuticals. I agree there is a lot of misinformation out there but I donât feel completely disregarding alternative options is the answer even if itâs just improving diet plus using pharmaceuticals.
Would love to hear an episode with Jen and Dr Nitu Bajeka or Dr Neal Barnard.
I think it would have been far more interesting for a doctor like this that is so very steeped in allopathic medicine to have been interviewed by or debate with an integrative gynecologist. Her opinions are not new, novel and frankly not controversial at all. She is a dinosaur in my opinion. Statements like a return to fertility one month after being on birth control for 15 years is not responsible nor accurate and are potentially harmful as she is suggesting that women "have this evaluated". This thereby increasing their changes of unnecessary testing, unnecessary assisted fertility treatments. It makes absolutely no sense first of all 15 years have elapsed and fertility rates and ovulation rates do decline as the eggs have aged and the entire symphony of hormones has been suppressed. As for birth control being the end all be all for PCOS this is ridiculous and only treats symptoms while causing women to further delay addressing root causes, healing their bodies and also delays many from conceiving, a goal for many women in the first place. She should be outraged that a treatment she has offered for years only treats symptoms when there is ample evidence that PCOS is a cluster of conditions that have multiple causes such as insulin resistance, eating disorders, endocrine disruptors, obesogens, just to list a few. I had to stop listening also. Maybe I'll listen to more later, not sure...
You make some great, great, points... Among many others that could be made and brought up.. I watched it all the way through and yes, dinosaur ( and an especially arrogant one at that... ) is a great way to describe her...
@@panes840 Yes, she said a few good things, but honestly, they were a few, littered amongst a littany or misinformation and arrogance...
I totally agreee. Honestly, I know a lot of women stopping oral contraceptives after several year and none (!) of them had a normal cycle the next month.
That's not what she said at all. Saying hormones return to normal after a month is different from saying someone should be getting pregnant in a month--which some people do. Some people even get pregnant after skipping doses. The question was about someone who is having trouble getting pregnant, but neither of them specified how long the patient would have tried to get pregnant. Every ob/gyn knows that most people take more than a month to get pregnant even when they weren't on birth control. She also called birth control AN evidence-based treatment for PCOS that works for many people, not the only treatment, or one that works for everyone. I'd consider watching again with an open mind.
@@yoyopron Thank you for comments. I have watched the video again. I did have an open mind which is why I listened to her in the first place. The hormones do not return to "normal" after being on ocps for 15 years in most cases. There is also a phenomena of post-pill PCOS. I know this from over 30 years of medical practice and clinical research in PCOS prior to medical school. There are nearly 7500 cited articles on PubMed on PCOS, and I would hope my esteemed colleague would have discussed less invasive and studied treatments such as diet and herbal/natural treatments. Younger and younger adolescents are being placed on birth control for menstrual control or for acne and yes this may have evidence of efficacy in medical literature but but that shouldn't make it our go to for these conditions either.
Good video.
Hello Friends,
I'm curious to know which part of the conversation you found the most insightful and engaging. Also, if you have any other questions related to this subject, please post them below this comment. I'll make sure to include them in our next discussion.
thankyou for asking complex questions, definitely an area that each woman needs to get professional advice. I just listened to Dr Karl on podcast Shirtload of Science on hormones. Agree on men not doing house chores and pick the fun stuff, eg cooking meals for kid adults and himself. that is his list. Perhaps it is a stereotypical situation for women in their 50s. Stress, cortisol, too much to do I believe will upset women`s mood.
Wouldnât want this woman as my MD. Many approved drugs on the market have been proven dangerous and caused immense harm. She also lost me when she diminished the roll of nutrition in vaginal health, when in fact nutrition affects every part of our bodies.
Yeast infections are her specialty. She makes it very clear that this was studied and diet does not directly influence yeast infections. She also acknowledges that diabetes is an issue, and yes, diet is a factor for type 2 diabetes.
Can the pill help regulate hormones?
Iâve been trying to make my way through this podcast and came here to see if other people had the same concerns I am having listening to this guest. Usually I devour your episodes in one or two stints, but I am less than halfway through this one still. So far am surprised that you (Simon) havenât given more pushback on some of the statements made - perhaps you do so more later in the episode. The arrogant and dogmatic attitude Iâve heard makes it difficult to take Dr Gunter seriously or listen to at all.
When's the Fuhrman interview happening?
Is birth control a good way to help Perimenapause symptoms?
Absolutely! What the birth control pill does is it masks symptoms of Perimenopause and Menopause. I am 54 yrs old and I have no idea when I actually went through Perimenopause because the BC pill covered up all the horrible symptoms that I would have had like possibly hot flashes, night sweats, depression etc etcâŚ..
Why can't we have free legal euthanasia instead of having to go through it and deal with this unnecessary disease of aging??
It sounds like so much work so much drama just to continue staying alive when we're already old
I think it's unfair I really hope that one day assistant medical euthanasia will be legal for those who choose to take it and not deal with any of this nonsense drama punishment of life
How incapable are they that they would need "assistance" in killing themselves? They are constantly dodging death but close to the end they should be helped to kill themselves? What nonsense is this?
@@cassiem2528 it's okay to have an imagination , like the cartoon shows you grew up watching children didn't make those adults did, because adults have more imagination than children
But like I said you're just coping
But if it's working for you than keep coping
@@cassiem2528 just remember when your sick and when you have emergency situation Jesus is not going to come over give you a ride to the hospital or whatever you're going to have to depend on people that exist for that, with all these kids being m0olested everyday it's too bad Jesus doesn't knock on those people's doors to stop it, but how can he he doesn't exist
@@cassiem2528 you say that because you're scared I must have triggered something in you
Yeah that's why most people are into religion it's a comfort blanket for grown-ups who still want to hold their imagination,, you believe your imaginary friends are real
Well tell Jesus to lower the cost of living then, oh wait he can't he doesn't exist
@@cassiem2528 and you need cheeses
at least cheeses is a real thing
I REALLY hope sheâs talking about the misinformation or disinformation regarding how DANGEROUS the âvaccinesâ can be. Iâd like to know what she meant by this. If sheâs saying people who were warning about the vaccines are spreading misinformation, sheâs lost all credibility in my eyes right there.đ˘
I usually really enjoy your show, but this lady is so opinionated she's obnoxious. I stopped watching half way through. This is EXACTLY the kind of doctor who drives people to go look for alternatives. Does she not have studies to share to support her assertions? (In all fairness maybe there were some after I dropped off.)
People don't believe alternatives are better because of some old school religious programming--which seems culturally dismissive and historically indefensible. People believe in it because there's a long tradition of herbalism in many cultures and much of it does actually work pretty well, even if there's no study to support it. I don't respond well to over the counter anti-histamines, but a cup or two of nettle tea works great for me. Chamomile tea helps me sleep better. Peppermint tea can settle an upset stomach. What's the problem with that?
And sometimes people seek alternatives because evidence based medicine hasn't helped them. What then?
Sometimes people look for alternatives because they have read about people who were seriously harmed by pharmaceuticals. Those are legitimate concerns that deserve thoughtful and kind consideration from doctors. She's just abrasive.
As to HRT, my Medical Doctor prescribes compounded bio identical hormones for me and they have literally saved my life because without them I think I really might have shot myself in the head. And my cardiologist supports me taking them. So she doesn't speak for all doctors.
I'm not saying there isn't a ton of misinformation or even disinformation out there. I'm happy to take the medications that I do need. And I love science. But I think there should also be a distinction between old wives tales and superstition and legitimate herbalists who are often really well educated and offer people solutions that work for them.
Treating people like they are stupid will never get them to listen to you.
There is room for herbalism in evidence-based medicine. If an herb works, it can go through clinical trials and become an evidence-based treatment. One problem with herbal supplements in the US, though (I can't speak for other countries), is that products don't get tested. There are a lot of cases of supplements containing the wrong ingredients (sometimes even actual medications), or not containing the ingredients they claim to have. If you go to the FDA website, they have a ton of reports about contaminated supplements. There is also a chance of harm if that particular herb or supplement hasn't been studied. For example, doctors thought vitamin E would prevent lung cancer, but when they prescribed really high doses, they actually saw more cancer. I think those are the issues she's referencing when she talks about herbs and supplements.
This interview was painful. I am all for evidence-based medicine--haven't been lured by woo in 20 years---but she definitely has a political agenda. There are alternative medicine devotees all over the political spectrum but she had to label all dissent as "extreme right wing." And she appears incapable of questioning the efficacy and safety of the pill because it goes against her political beliefs to do so. She is knowledgeable for sure, but she sounds like a lifestyle disease doctor (cardiolgy, diabetes doc etc,) who doesn't think food has anything to do with it. And how the hell did we devolve into a discussion of gender roles?
UGH. I usually enjoy all your pods but Jen Gunter is a terrible human. Canât watch this one. Iâll wait for the next.
This is so funny... I literally wanted to write, literally,... "ugh, this woman is awful"... đ "we're not looking for wellness when prescribing estrogen"!!! That just says it all.... Just clueless... sad really... and really ironic how they are both talking about misinformation and disinformation....
@@XeniaAidonopoulouYes, I cringed at that too! So many experts would disagree with her.
â@@annefitzgerald1744âyes , there was a lot that was cringeworhy and also just plain wrong.... actually too much to go through...
Terrible fear mongerer. How sad she only steers down one very flawed path
@@panes840 yes, you are making perfect sense... She seems pretty clueless about HRT in general to be fair... She seemed to think that estrogen from pregnant horses ( !!!! ) is better than "bio-identical" hormones made from plants and identical to those made by our own body... She also seems to think that progestins, which have been shown in studies to be problematic, and are also just a patented ( by big pharma ) MEDICATION, which are actually NOT like the progesterone our own bodies makes at all, are better than actual bio-identical progesterone!!
It seems like she uses hrt, perhaps, and to help with hot flushes etc but then prescribes meds for osteoporosis and depression and and and... Which is ridiculous when the right form of Hrt can deal with all of this and more... Acted like it's nothing to take meds for the rest of you life ( with all the symptoms which accompany them... )... Oooh... But bio-identical hormones... No... They are made in a dirty "compounding pharmacy" and it could be dirt from her back-yard... And it's just a placebo effect...
She doesn't actually say much of anything at all, takes a middle of the road approach which clearly - if one judges by the amount of medication she is dishing out apparently - doesn't actually work to do much at all... She did give some lifestyle tips but they are just really middle of the road too... Walking for menopause... Yes, of course, but c'mon... Talk about a low bar...
I would say to anyone at this time in your life -- DO YOUR RESEARCH... and don't give up and don't settle for meds unless that is ok with you... Because there are real solutions, and they are bio-identical... Dr Uzzi Reiss, TS Wiley, the late Dr John R.Lee... These are just a few authors to start with...