Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

BONUS: Practical Solutions to Manage Perimenopause and Menopause Symptoms with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

15 snips

Oct 6, 2025

Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OB/GYN and founder of Mary Claire Wellness, shares her expertise in managing perimenopause and menopause. She discusses chaos from hormone fluctuations and the factors hastening ovarian aging. Dr. Haver explains the critical distinctions between hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, alongside the role of vaginal estrogen. She highlights the need for better research funding on women's health and introduces practical wellness tips, including the 30-plant challenge for nutrition.

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ADVICE

HRT Versus Oral Contraceptives

Don't substitute combined oral contraceptives for menopausal hormone therapy; they differ mainly in dose and formulation and treat different goals.
Start simple with an estradiol patch plus micronized progesterone as an affordable, effective first-line HRT approach.

ADVICE

Vaginal Estrogen For Genitourinary Health

Use vaginal estrogen for genitourinary symptoms to restore local tissue, reduce UTIs, and improve sexual function with minimal systemic exposure.
You can safely combine systemic HRT and vaginal estrogen when needed for local symptoms.

INSIGHT

Menopause Receives Minimal Research Funding

Federal women's health research favors reproduction and cancer; menopause receives a tiny fraction of NIH funding and academic focus.
PubMed shows ~1.1M pregnancy articles versus ~97k menopause articles and only ~6.7k on perimenopause.

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Today, I am thrilled to reconnect with a previous guest, Dr. Mary Claire Haver.

Dr. Haver is a board-certified OBGYN, a certified menopause provider, and the founder of Mary Claire Wellness, a private medical practice focusing on women in midlife. Her best-selling book, the Galveston Diet, and her latest New York Times best-seller, The New Menopause, are fabulous resources for middle-aged women.

In our discussion today, we dive into various aspects of perimenopause, looking at the associated challenges. We discuss factors accelerating ovarian aging, the role of contraception, mental health shifts, and the often delayed diagnosis of premature ovarian insufficiency. We examine the differences between hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives, discussing the importance of advocacy for women's health and the benefits of vaginal estrogen. We explore the disparity in federal funding for women's health research, the impact of the Women's Health Initiative, body composition changes, the estrabolome, the 30 Plant Challenge, and the advantages of HRT. Dr. Haver also talks about her preferred supplements.

I'm sure you will find this conversation a valuable resource that you will likely revisit several times.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Why perimenopause is so fraught with chaos
Some of the factors that hasten ovarian aging
How perimenopause causes significant changes in neurotransmitters, leading to cognitive changes
The differences between HRT and oral contraceptives
How estrogen loss during menopause affects vaginal tissue
The benefits of vaginal estrogen for symptoms of menopause
How women's health research funding prioritizes reproduction over menopause and perimenopause
How HRT can help with fat loss and muscle mass in postmenopausal women
The emergence of eating-disordered behaviors in menopausal women
Some of the lesser-known symptoms of menopause and ways to overcome them
How HRT could impact the longevity and cognitive health of women

Bio: Dr Mary Claire Haver

Dr. Mary Claire Haver is a board-certified OB-GYN who has devoted her adult life to women's health. When she began to experience the changes of menopause and mid-life weight gain, she created her online program, The Galveston Diet, which currently has over 80,000 students. The Galveston Diet is the first and only nutrition program in the world created by a female OB-GYN, designed for women in menopause.

As part of her ongoing research, she became certified in Culinary Medicine in 2019, specializing in medical nutrition. In 2021, Dr. Haver opened Mary Claire Wellness; the clinic was born out of repeated requests from the Galveston Diet students and Dr. Haver's social media followers for personal guidance.

Dr. Haver lives with her husband and two daughters in Galveston, Texas. She is the author of The Galveston Diet (Rodale; January 10th, 2023).

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠LinkedIn⁠
Check out Cynthia’s ⁠website⁠
Submit your questions to ⁠support@cynthiathurlow.com⁠

Connect with Dr. Mary Claire Haver

Books Mentioned

Dr. Haver’s books, ⁠The Galveston Diet⁠ and ⁠The New Menopause ⁠

⁠The Menopause Brain⁠ and the⁠ XX Brain⁠ by Lisa Mosconi

Previous Episode Mentioned

⁠Ep. 308 Dr. Mary Claire Haver: Weight Gain in Middle Age, Perimenopause and Inflammation