Episode 42. It’s Not Just Stress: Why You Don’t Feel Like Yourself Lately
Andrea Martin, a nurse practitioner and founder of Glow Health, a women’s telemedicine practice focused on sexual health, perimenopause, and menopause, and Nichole discuss how women are often brushed off by the medical system and emphasizes the need for preparation and education about perimenopause, which can affect many body systems and feel isolating. She reviews common symptoms (brain fog, sleep disruption, mood and anxiety changes, pain with sex, vaginal dryness, low libido), explains how cyclic patterns can help identify hormonal shifts, and notes that hormone labs are often unhelpful in perimenopause, though other tests like anemia and vitamin levels may matter. They clarify differences between birth control hormones and menopause hormone therapy, including bioidentical hormones, and explore libido myths, responsive desire, mental load, and tools like clitoral suction devices and magic wands.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:22 Instagram Education and Consistency
02:16 Why Women Feel Brushed Off
03:32 Googling Symptoms and Confusion
04:49 Oil Change Analogy for Perimenopause
07:01 Voice Note on Common Symptoms
08:48 Is It Stress or Hormones
12:08 Hormone Therapy Basics Explained
14:43 Not Feeling Like Myself Signals
17:03 Testing and Lifestyle Foundations
19:57 Libido Myths Midlife
21:05 Spontaneous vs Responsive
22:58 Pleasure Needs First
25:22 Orgasm Reality Check
26:54 Mental Load Kills Mood
29:16 Toys and Clit Anatomy
32:36 Aging Body Identity
33:56 Menopause Mindset Shift
36:13 Where to Find Andrea
37:27 Final Wrap and Review
You can reach Andrea here:
https://www.instagram.com/andrea.sexplains.it.all/
Grab her freebie here!: https://glowhealthbyandrea.myflodesk.com/dlx3ti0bt8
You can reach Nichole here:
www.Nicholemchphotography.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholemhoward/
@IamNicholemch on Insta and TikTok! - https://www.instagram.com/iamnicholemch/
Free Resources -
Dream life blueprint/Calculator - total value $497 yours free for listening https://nicholemchcoachingandphoto.myflodesk.com/dreamcalculator