December, 2024
Hello producers,
Thanks for reaching out.
My name is Jodi Ritsch, MD and I started to experience perimenopause at a time when I was very burned out being a wife, mother, and family physician. I became a physician when HRT was talked about more consistently and then within 5 years of practice, with the WHI study in 2002, it became only for those women that demanded it due to horrible symptoms and the courage to ask for HRT. It was a stark and abrupt change in practice, in healthcare things rarely change that quickly. But at the time, I was focused on delivering babies and having babies of my own. I apologize to all the perimenopausal women I ignorantly told that it was a natural part of growing older.
Fast forward 15 years, the perimenopausal hormone shifts led to much suffering while I was quitting my big box clinic job to start my own clinic and my own hot flashes and night sweats became my constant potential companions. My mood swings helped to propel me forward in trying something new but also in second guessing myself all the time. Relationship struggles were worsened by financial stressors. I was second guessing everything in life except what could help me feel better. I never considered hormones an option due to a family history of breast cancer.
My final period coincided with deciding to close my practice and go to work at a similar direct primary care clinic job. That same week I had an emergency removal of my gallbladder. Like most busy women, I ignored my symptoms as much as possible. “Grin in bear it” is the way my women ancestors got through life’s challenges. I was having awful palpitations with any sip of wine, feeling more apathetic with life, my brain was in a fog. I have always been an helper and a healer but found myself simply not having the energy to want to do things outside of the required day to day activities. My life was on autopilot. The upside was I learned to say “no” and focus on what was really important to me.
Thankfully, I decided to take my functional medicine training and do a deep dive on hormone testing and therapy for myself. Through this testing, I discovered I have a DNA propensity to more easily develop dementia. Talk about motivating! This lead me to the book “ The Menopause Brain” and after a few months in the cupboard, the estradiol patch and micronized progesterone. I’m happy to say that I feel much more energy and brain power in just a few short months.
It is wonderful to see so much fresh attention on menopause. I am inspired to start teaching what I have learned to as many women as possible because many do not have the time to read all the books and just need some practical guidance to making the second half of life their best life. Thanks for taking the time to read this and for helping midlife women.
Sincerely,
Jodi
