Testosterone's role in women's cognition

If you're a woman in your 30s, 40s, or 50s feeling like your body is betraying you, this episode reveals the hormonal, gut, and environmental triggers behind perimenopause that most doctors never address, and exactly what you can do about it. 

-Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR 

Host Dave Asprey sits down with Cynthia Thurlow, a nurse practitioner, CEO and founder of the Everyday Wellness Project, and a globally recognized expert in intermittent fasting and women's hormonal health. Her TEDx talk on intermittent fasting has surpassed 10 million views, and she brings over 20 years of functional medicine clinical experience to one of the most underserved conversations in longevity and human performance. 

Together, they tear apart the outdated medical narrative around perimenopause and menopause, exposing how a lack of knowledge, not biology, is destroying relationships, careers, and quality of life for millions of women. Dave and Cynthia dig into the gut microbiome's role in every symptom women experience in midlife, the mold toxin that is 10,000 times more potent than human estrogen and directly linked to hormonal chaos, and why biohacking your hormones as early as 35 could be the most important longevity move a woman makes. They also cover why statins are wrecking women's metabolism, how trauma accelerates ovarian aging and mitochondrial decline, the surprising connection between histamine reactions and hot flashes, and why GLP-1 micro-dosing alongside hormone replacement therapy is a game-changer for body composition and anti-aging. 

This episode is essential for listening for anyone serious about biohacking, sleep optimization, functional medicine, longevity, brain optimization, supplements, metabolism, human performance, and smarter not harder approaches to women's health. 

You'll Learn: 

• Why perimenopause actually begins around age 35 and what to do about it before symptoms hit 
• How a mold-derived xenoestrogen found in conventional beef disrupts hormones at 10,000 times the potency of human estrogen 
• The gut microbiome changes that drive hot flashes, brain fog, weight gain, and mood disorders in perimenopause 
• Why oral micronized progesterone beats topical for sleep optimization and hormonal stability 
• How testosterone drives executive function, motivation, and brain optimization in women 
• The lab tests every woman in perimenopause should run, including fasting insulin, ApoB, ferritin, and a full thyroid panel 
• Why adverse childhood events and unresolved trauma age the ovaries and tank mitochondria 
• How mold toxicity and Lyme disease create a hormonal perfect storm that no amount of supplements will fix 
• The real reason 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women, and what hormones have to do with it 

Thank you to our sponsors!      

- Neuronic | Go to www.neuronic.online Code DAVE for $100 off 

- Superstratum Labs | Get Dave's exact home mold detox kit and save 10% at superstratumlabs.com/products/dave 

- Joymode | Go to tryjoymode.com/DAVE Or enter DAVE at checkout for 20% off. 

- Viome | Check it out at viome.com and use code 10DAVE for 10% off. It’s time to stop guessing and start knowing your body. 

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights inhealth, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. 

Keywords: Cynthia Thurlow, The Menopause Gut, perimenopause, menopause, hormones, hormone replacement therapy, HRT, bioidentical hormones, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, thyroid health, gut microbiome, women's health, functional medicine, biohacking, longevity, anti-aging, human performance, mitochondria, sleep optimization, metabolism, supplements, mold toxicity, zearalenone, xenoestrogen, hot flashes, brain fog, body composition, GLP-1, intermittent fasting, trauma, cortisol, adrenal health, leaky gut, histamine intolerance, mast cell activation, insulin resistance, fasting insulin, ApoB, ferritin, statins, ovarian aging, Dave Asprey, smarter not harder 

Resources:   

• Learn More From Cynthia And Get Her New Book The Menopause Gut at: https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/ 

• Get My 2026 Clean Nicotine Roadmap | Enroll for free at https://daveasprey.com/2026-clean-nicotine-roadmap/ 

• Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today.  

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15   

• My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off)   

• Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off)   

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com   

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated  

• Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/ 

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com   

Timestamps: 

00:00 – Intro 

04:35 – Root Causes of Perimenopause 

07:50 – When Perimenopause Starts 

09:47 – Progesterone: When & How 

12:16 – Testosterone for Women 

14:14 – Thyroid & Energy 

18:41 – FDA's HRT Policy Change 

20:15 – Hormones & Divorce

21:53 – GLP-1s & Body Composition 

27:17 – Key Lab Tests 

31:13 – AI & Budget Labs 

39:44 – Gut Microbiome & Menopause 

42:57 – Histamine, Mast Cells & Hot Flashes 

47:55 – Toxic Mold & Xenoestrogens 

50:31 – Dairy, Raw Milk & Leaky Gut 

59:27 – Healing Trauma 

1:03:00 – Book Recommendations 

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