Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+ BONUS: Breaking Down Perimenopause, Menopause and Women's Health with Marcelle Pick
Mar 2, 2026
Marcelle Pick, an integrative women’s health nurse practitioner and functional medicine educator who has treated thousands of women, joins to unpack perimenopause and menopause. She covers limitations of conventional hormone care, lesser-known labs she uses, gut and microbiome links to symptoms, fibroids and endometriosis approaches, childhood trauma’s impact on adrenal health, environmental toxins, and pragmatic hormone replacement and libido strategies.
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Timing Explains Misinterpreted WHI Results
- The Women's Health Initiative results were misapplied because many study participants were a decade postmenopause, so restarting hormones has different risks than continuing them earlier.
- Ongoing research now differentiates timing and formulation, showing earlier or individualized hormone use can be safer and more beneficial.
Test Adrenals Thyroid Gut Before Jumping To Hormones
- Always evaluate adrenals first with a multi-point cortisol profile and a comprehensive thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4, total T3, reverse T3, antibodies).
- Use timing-specific hormone testing (e.g., day 7 estradiol, day 22 progesterone) and add gut evaluation because serotonin and symptoms are gut-linked.
Uterine And Vaginal Microbiomes Affect Period Symptoms
- The uterine and vaginal microbiomes influence menstrual bleeding, cramps, and even skin changes, and shifting those microbiomes can alter symptoms.
- Emerging studies can predict cramps or skin findings from uterine/vaginal microbiome profiles, offering new diagnostic avenues.
