Our Womanity Q & A with Dr. Rachel Pope

Dr. Rachel Pope, along with women's healthcare professionals, experts, and inspiring women address commonly asked (and not asked) questions about, health equity, sexual health, menopause, perimenopause, reproductive health care, anatomy, aging and more. Whether you have questions about periods, pregnancy, or menopause, we will do our best to address them here!

Our Womanity Q & A with Dr. Rachel Pope is a health podcast hosted by Dr. Rachel Pope, with 72 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Dr. Rachel Pope hosts Our Womanity Q & A with Dr. Rachel Pope, a health show with 72 episodes published.

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  Episode #14

  14. Finding Real Perimenopause Care with Julia Granacki

  Aug 10, 202626 minS4

  Why is finding a healthcare provider who truly listens during perimenopause so difficult? In this episode of Our Womanity, host Dr. Rachel Pope sits down with NBC-HWC health coach and certified Pilates instructor Julia Granacki to unpack the systemic hurdles women face when seeking midlife care. From her own sudden, mask-and-glove hot flash in a deli line during COVID to being dismissed by her longtime OBGYN because her periods were still regular, Julia shares her personal journey through perimenopause and how it inspired her to build a multidisciplinary coaching practice alongside Dr. Anna Barbieri. Together, Dr. Pope and Julia break down the "period myth" in perimenopause diagnostic criteria, the staggering gap in physician menopause training, how to spot predatory midlife wellness upsells, and how Julia's three-part framework—Validate, Educate, Advocate—helps women reclaim agency over their health. Meet Julia Julia Granacki, NBC-HWC, is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, comprehensive Pilates instructor (Kane School of Core Integration), and founder of The Age Craft Practice. Trained through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Harvard Medical School’s Sustainable Nutrition Program, Julia works alongside Dr. Anna Barbieri as part of a multidisciplinary perimenopause and menopause care team in New York City. She is the host of the Agecraft After Dark podcast and former co-host of Circling the Drain. Key Takeaways Research and clinical criteria often require menstrual changes to diagnose perimenopause, yet symptoms like sleep disruption, anxiety, body composition shifts, and hot flashes frequently appear years while cycles remain a clockwork 28 days. The Medical Education Deficit: 80 percent of US OBGYN residents report little to no formal training in menopause management, while only 1 in 5 practicing OBGYNs report receiving formal training. Discrepancies in insurance reimbursement between female and male anatomy procedures, paired with 15-minute appointment caps, force many specialists into membership or private models to deliver adequate care. As midlife awareness grows, vulnerable women are increasingly targeted with costly, unverified tests (such as Dutch tests), unnecessary compounding setups, and aggressive aesthetic upsells. Julia's coaching framework acts as a "midlife doula" service—validating symptoms as real, providing verified Menopause Society guidelines, and empowering women with the agency needed to advocate for themselves in clinic visits. How quality telehealth platforms are helping close the care gap for women living in midlife medical "deserts" across the country. Resources Connect with Julia Granacki: juliagwellness.com Podcast: Agecraft After Dark: juliagwellness.com/podcast Find a Certified Specialist: Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) directory at menopause.org Connect with Dr. Rachel Pope: @drrachelpope on Instagram | ourwomanity.com Please like, subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share this episode with anyone navigating perimenopause or midlife health transitions!

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  Episode #12

  13. Sleep & Menopause with Dr. Andrea Matsumura

  Aug 3, 202627 minS4

  Five years without a full night’s sleep isn't "just aging"—it’s a health crisis. In this episode of Our Womanity, host Dr. Rachel Pope sits down with double board-certified sleep physician Dr. Andrea Matsumura to break down the biological drivers of midlife sleep loss, why Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT) doesn't always stop insomnia, the hidden risk of female sleep apnea, and practical tools you can use tonight. Meet The Guest Dr. Andrea Matsumura , MD is a double board-certified sleep medicine physician, Chief of Sleep Services for Monarch MD, and creator of the Dream Sleep Method. Featured in The New York Times, CNN, and Shape, Dr. Matsumura specializes in hormone-informed and behavior-driven approaches to women's sleep. Key Takeaways Progesterone vs. Estrogen : Progesterone helps with sleep onset; estrogen supports sleep maintenance and REM. Crashes in perimenopause lead to both falling-asleep and staying-asleep issues. Why MHT Isn't Always Enough : While MHT mitigates hot flashes, it cannot replace every lost estrogen receptor signal in the brain's sleep centers. The 3:00 AM Cortisol Spike : Women can lose up to 50% of natural melatonin by age 50. Without melatonin to buffer cortisol’s natural middle-of-the-night rise, the body triggers a sympathetic "fight-or-flight" response at 3:00 AM. Midlife Sleep Apnea Risks : Falling hormones reduce airway elasticity and respiratory drive, raising midlife women’s Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) risk to 40%-60%. Undiagnosed Symptoms : 9 out of 10 women with sleep apnea go undiagnosed because female symptoms present as insomnia, fatigue, morning headaches, and mood shifts rather than classic snoring. Actionable Tools 20-Minute Rule: If awake for over 20 minutes at 3:00 AM, get out of bed. Do something quiet in low light until sleepy to break the anxiety-bed association. Sleep Compression: Set a strict wake-up time to build "sleep pressure," adjusting bedtime in 15-minute increments. "Sleep is the OG longevity tool. If you don't have the core foundation of sleep, pain is worse, emotional regulation is off, and medications don't work as well." - Dr. Andrea Matsumura Resources & Links Dr. Andrea Matsumura: Monarch MD/Newsletter: monarchmd.com Upcoming Book: When Women Stop Sleeping by Dr. Andrea Matsumura (releasing next year) Find a Specialist: Locate a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) at menopause.org Connect with Dr. Pope: @drrachelpope on Instagram Support The Podcast Please like, subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share this link with anyone struggling with midlife sleep!

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  Episode #12

  12. She's Just Under Construction: A Partner's Complete Guide to Perimenopause

  Jul 14, 202635 minS4

  "Your partner is not broken. Your relationship is not unsalvageable. She is simply going through one of the most profound biological transitions of a human life—and she shouldn't have to navigate it alone." — Dr. Rachel Pope Why This Guide Exists Why is it that the most common question women in menopause support groups ask is: "How do I explain this to my partner?" How do you explain that the irritability, the sleep loss, the brain fog, and the sudden physical changes are not personal attacks or signs of a relationship unraveling, but rather the result of a massive, systemic neurological and hormonal transition? To bridge this gap, board-certified OBGYN and sexual medicine specialist Dr. Rachel Pope created this comprehensive audio guide. Written with equal measures of clinical precision and direct, honest language, this guide is designed specifically for the partner who loves a woman in transition. It is not designed to help you "fix" or "manage" her; it is designed to help you understand the profound science of what she is experiencing so you can show up as a true, informed partner. What You Will Learn in This Guide: Perimenopause: The actual timeline (it can last 4 to 10 years), ovarian decline, the pituitary "shout" (FSH), and why standard blood tests frequently miss it. Physical Body Transition: The real thermoregulatory science of hot flashes, night sweats, sleep architecture changes, metabolic shifts (visceral fat distribution), and cardiovascular safety. Psychological Landscape: Why her brain is not betraying her. The neurochemical connection between fluctuating estrogen, serotonin, GABA, sudden anxiety, panic, and "brain fog." Sex, Desire, Intimacy: Demystifying Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), painful intercourse, the drop in testosterone, and the crucial shift from spontaneous to responsive desire. Practical Protocols for Partners: How to own the cognitive labor of the household, optimize the bedroom temperature (65°F to 68°F), utilize better intimacy tools (like UberLube), and support her medical treatment decisions (including Menopause Hormone Therapy). The Partner’s Quick Communication Cheat Sheet: Instead of saying the wrong thing, try shifting your language to show partnership: Instead of: "You're being so emotional about this." Try: "I can see this is hard. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." Instead of: "Is it your hormones again?" Try: "What does support look like for you right now?" Resources Locate a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) near you at menopause.org Follow @drrachelpope on Instagram Love, Sex, and Menopause If you found this guide helpful, please leave us a 5-star review and share this episode with a friend or partner who needs to hear it!

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  Episode #11

  11. Explaining the Inequity of Women's Healthcare with Dr. Jocelyn J. Fitzgerald

  Jul 6, 202627 minS4

  Did you know doctors are paid systematically less for procedures on female anatomy? (For example, 45% more to biopsy a penis than a vagina). This shocking reality, highlighted by creator René Jay @bornwithadarktan and Dr. Kemi Doll’s book A Terrible Strength , is a baked-in structural issue. In this episode of Our Womanity , host Dr. Rachel Pope sits down with urogynecologist Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald—the lead researcher behind the landmark study " Price and Prejudice " —to dismantle the financial architecture failing female patients and their specialists. Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald, MD is a board-certified urogynecologist and reconstructive pelvic surgeon at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, and an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Her clinical work and research span chronic pelvic pain, female sexual dysfunction, pelvic floor disorders, and genitourinary syndrome of menopause. She is a prominent advocate for equity in women’s healthcare, famously publishing research detailing the surgical reimbursement inequities embedded within female anatomy billing. Key Conversation Highlights: The RVU Trap: How the Relative Value Unit (RVU) billing system systematically devalues the female body, gynecologic surgery, and non-surgical menopause visits. "Moms of Medicine" Dilemma: Why society expects OBGYNs to constantly absorb uncompensated emotional labor and primary care duties, diluting their specialized surgical value. The Workforce Crisis: Why post-op "ghost towns" and devalued billing are driving a massive OBGYN shortage, with only six states projected to have adequate care by 2040. Beyond "Lady Stuff": Why menopause is a systemic transition overlapping with cardiology, rheumatology, and neurology, demanding interdisciplinary research. The Allderdice Connection: A fun look back at Rachel and Jocelyn's shared feminist upbringing at Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. "In medicine, if we don't study it and we don't name it, it's not there. It's just treated as 'lady stuff.'" — Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald Connect & Listen: Subscribe to Our Womanity on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow Dr. Rachel Pope on Instagram: @DrRachelPope for daily midlife wellness tips! The Study: Price and Prejudice: Reimbursement of Surgical Care on Male Versus Female Anatomies by Madeline Penn, Donessa Colley, Pratistha Koirala, Dr. Louise King, and Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald.

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  Episode #10

  10. Why Testosterone Matters for Women with Dr. Mohit Khera

  Jun 26, 202624 minS4

  There is an undeniable buzz around testosterone for women right now. While many patients report feeling more energized, happier, and clearer of mind after adding it to their hormone therapy regimen, clinical questions and nuances still remain. In this episode, Dr. Rachel Pope sits down with world-renowned urologist Dr. Mohit Khera , Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Andrology Research at the Baylor College of Medicine, to demystify testosterone's role in midlife optimization, the safety data behind it, and why sexual health is the ultimate check-engine light for your overall well-being. Key Takeaways: The Hormonal Triangle (Triple Therapy) : Modern midlife medicine must evolve past dual hormone therapy (estrogen and progesterone). True optimization requires Triple Therapy—adding systemic testosterone to balance the triangle—alongside localized vaginal estrogen therapy for complete quality of life restoration. Women naturally produce nearly five times more testosterone than estradiol . When testosterone declines, replacing it can significantly augment bone mineral density, lean muscle mass, cognitive focus (brain fog), mood stability, and all four domains of sexual function (desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain mitigation). The Clinical Safety Reality : Historical fears that testosterone causes breast cancer or cardiovascular events are not backed by data. Large-scale charts and transgender health studies (using ten times the standard female dose) demonstrate excellent safety profiles. In fact, emerging data suggests testosterone may even help decrease breast cancer risk. The "Sex Factor" & Overall Health : Sexual health is a bidirectional barometer for physical and mental health. Rather than just a recreational activity, sexual function acts as a "check engine light." Dysfunction is often an early clinical indicator of undiagnosed depression, diabetes, or future cardiovascular events. The 50/50 Rule : Hormones are not a standalone holy grail; they are synergistic with lifestyle modification. Clinical optimization requires medical therapy (50%) to meet lifestyle modifications (50%) halfway through intentional diet, exercise, sleep, and chronic stress reduction. Upcoming Frontiers in Healthcare: The landscape of hormone therapy regulation is rapidly shifting. Dr. Khera shares recent monumental policy wins, including the FDA's removal of major historical warnings on local estrogens and male testosterone labels. For women, clinical discussions are currently underway with the FDA to bring regulatory approval for female-specific testosterone gels and oral formats to the US market within the next two to three years.

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