The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Can fertility treatments really push you into early menopause? And what if the biggest clues about your fertility are being overlooked until it's too late?  After five egg retrievals and a deeply personal journey through surrogacy, fertility specialist Dr. Dorette Noorhasan knows firsthand the heartbreak, uncertainty, and hope that can come with the road to motherhood. She joins Dr. Anna for an eye-opening conversation about the fertility questions every woman deserves answers to. Together, they explore whether fertility medications can trigger early menopause, which ovarian reserve tests to ask for in your 30s, and what AMH, FSH, and antral follicle count can reveal about reproductive health. Dr. Noorhasan explains the role of PGT-A embryo testing, why male factor contributes to half of infertility cases when a cause is identified, and the lifestyle habits and nutrients she discusses with her patients. They also look ahead at emerging fertility treatments, including PRP and stem cell research. Whether you're planning a family, have completed yours, or want to support your hormonal health for the long run, this episode offers practical insights, reassurance, and a powerful reminder that ovarian longevity is part of whole-body longevity.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Fertility medications recruit eggs your body already set aside for that cycle, so according to Dr. Noorhasan they don't move menopause earlier. When a cause of infertility is found, it's roughly 50 percent female and 50 percent male factor, so both partners should be tested. Freezing eggs in your 20s or early 30s preserves both egg quantity and quality. Core ovarian reserve labs include cycle day 2 to 4 FSH, LH, and estradiol, plus AMH and an antral follicle count. Fertility test results are a snapshot of today, not a prediction of your future. Lifestyle can't change age or genetics, but it supports the health of every cell, including eggs and sperm. Ovarian longevity is a marker of overall longevity, whether or not you plan to have children. CHAPTERS  01:48   Your diagnosis is not your destiny. Meet Dr. Dorette Noorhasan 03:13   Career first, and "I forgot to have children" 04:53   Single mother by choice and the first two transfers 05:35   What is PGT-A testing? 06:49   The Halloween party that changed everything 07:26   Is infertility 50 percent male factor? 09:47   Egg retrievals three and four 12:37   "Do one more." The fifth retrieval 13:36   Do fertility drugs cause early menopause? 16:52   How IVF has changed since 1978 19:40   Why ovarian longevity matters for overall longevity 20:41   When should you freeze your eggs? 23:10   How lifestyle and smoking affect ovarian age 23:56   Growth hormone and PRP for fertility 27:49   4 labs to ask for in your 30s 28:45   The AMH, FSH, and follicle numbers to know 29:56   Why fertility tests are a Polaroid   NOTABLE QUOTES "Your diagnosis is not your destiny."  Dr. Anna Cabeca "My only regret is I didn't do another five egg retrievals to give my son a sibling."  Dr. Dorette Noorhasan "The healthier you are, the healthier all your cells in your body are going to be, including your egg and sperm cells."  Dr. Dorette Noorhasan   RESOURCES MENTIONED Miracle Baby: A Fertility Doctor's Fight for Motherhood by Dr. Dorette Noorhasan The Fertility Manual: Reproductive Options For Your Family by Dr. Dorette Noorhasan Modern Parenthood podcast  https://pionairepodcasting.com/modernparenthood/  Mighty Maca® Plus  https://drannacabeca.com/products/mighty-maca  Julva®  https://drannacabeca.com/products/julva  CONNECT WITH DR. DORETTE NOORHASAN Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/dorettemd/  Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/DoretteMD/  YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@dorettemd  TikTok  https://www.tiktok.com/@dorettemd  CONNECT WITH DR. ANNA CABECA Website  https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show  Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/  YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor  TikTok  https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca  Questions for the show  [email protected] 

Shoulders up by your ears. Jaw clenched. Hives that show up out of nowhere. A body that stays braced no matter how clean you eat or how many supplements you take. If your mind is willing but your body is hesitant, Girlfriend, this episode is for you.   ▶ Explore the EQ Flux Pod with IR Wand and use code DRANNA https://eqfluxwave.com/products/eq-flux-pod%e2%84%a2-w-ir-wand  (EQ Flux Wave sponsored my Vitality Experience event. Full disclosure below.) On this episode of The Girlfriend Doctor Show, I sit down with Kiki Cordero-Drake, COO of EQ Flux Wave and founder of PEMFPilates™. Kiki is a Master Instructor in Pilates Sports Therapy who has worked in the field since 2007, and a Manual PEMF Practitioner since 2017. Her work blends frequency and vibration therapies, breathwork, bodywork, fascial stretching, and movement to support nervous system regulation, physical recovery, and performance. Kiki has lived this from the inside. Four shoulder surgeries before she turned 20. Then years of swelling, hives, and histamine reactions that no one could explain. She shares what she learned about feeling safe in her body again, and why healing is not one size fits all.   In this episode, you'll learn • Why pain and stress feed each other, and how a nervous system stuck on high alert shows up in your body • What histamine is, and why reactions can flare in midlife • Why fascia, the "Cinderella organ," tightens with age • The link between your jaw, your breath, and your pelvic floor, and why an old C-section still matters • What PEMF is, in plain English, with a live demo on YouTube • Why "if you have a body, you're an athlete"   Chapters 00:00 The mind is willing, the body is hesitant 03:10 Meet Kiki Cordero-Drake 03:40 Four shoulder surgeries before 20 08:05 When the histamine reactions started 09:05 Eating "clean" and still inflamed 13:50 Hives, swelling, and a body on high alert 18:15 Hydration, minerals, and running on empty 23:35 How PEMF came into Kiki's life 27:55 Pain creates stress, stress creates pain 31:15 Fascia, the Cinderella organ 38:45 If you have a body, you're an athlete 48:20 Your jaw, your breath, and your pelvic floor 51:55 Why old C-section scars still matter   Memorable Quotes "The mind is willing, but the body is hesitant." Dr. Anna Cabeca "The one thing they don't talk about is the trauma that you hold within that injury that stays with you forever." Kiki Cordero-Drake "Pain creates stress and stress creates pain." Kiki Cordero-Drake "The fascia is our Cinderella organ." Dr. Anna Cabeca "If you have a body, you're an athlete." Kiki Cordero-Drake "Healing is not one size fits all." Kiki Cordero-Drake "The best years of your life are not behind you. They are waiting for you." Dr. Anna Cabeca   Connect with Kiki EQ Flux Wave ▸ https://eqfluxwave.com/products/eq-flux-pod%e2%84%a2-w-ir-wand  (code DRANNA) Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/eqfluxwave  TikTok ▸ https://www.tiktok.com/@eqfluxwave    Connect with Dr. Anna Website ▸ https://dranna.com  Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/  YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor  TikTok ▸ https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca  Facebook ▸ https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor    Know a girlfriend who's been told her aches are just part of getting older? Send her this episode, and leave a review so she can find the show too.   Disclosure This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new therapy or device. Kiki Cordero-Drake is the COO of EQ Flux Wave. EQ Flux Wave sponsored Dr. Anna's Vitality Experience event, and Dr. Anna may earn a commission on purchases made with code DRANNA. Individual experiences vary.

You finally get the appointment. You tell your doctor you're not sleeping, the weight is climbing, and your moods feel like someone else's. You walk out with a prescription for an antidepressant, or with nothing at all. Dr. Deborah Kwolek, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Harvard's Women's Health and Menopause course, joins me to talk about why so many doctors were never taught menopause care and what she's doing to change it. We cover the exact questions to bring to your next appointment, your estrogen by the numbers, the labs to know, who may need to think harder about hormone therapy, and what to do when your doctor says, "I don't believe in hormones." Key Timestamps: 00:00 - Meet Dr. Deborah Kwolek 02:48 - Why Harvard had no menopause course 07:00 - Why most doctors were never trained in menopause 08:10 - Is the fear of hormone therapy out of proportion? 11:23 - 3 questions to ask your doctor 17:35 - Your estrogen levels, by the numbers 25:15 - Can you stay on hormones after 65? 33:46 - Who should think twice about hormone therapy? 50:08 - What to do when your doctor says no Memorable Quotes: "The fear among the providers and the fear among the patients. That's really out of proportion to the data." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek "You don't say that about anything else. I don't believe in statin drugs." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek "Almost every cell has estrogen receptors." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek "We don't stop someone's insulin at sixty-five. We don't stop their thyroid hormone at sixty-five. Where did that come from?" – Dr. Anna Cabeca "It's not hard. It's just unfamiliar." – Dr. Anna Cabeca "Your body is always speaking to you. Listen with curiosity, not criticism." – Dr. Anna Cabeca Connect With Guest: LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dkwolekmd   Harvard Women's Health and Menopause course (for clinicians): https://learn.hms.harvard.edu/programs/primary-care-medicine Mass General Brigham: https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/doctors/k/deborah-kwolek-3001790    Connect With Dr. Anna: Website: Dranna.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor  This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your medications, supplements, or hormone therapy. Guest views are her own.

Your brain has its own immune cells, and the way you live each day helps decide whether they protect you or turn on you. Two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer's are women. Living longer doesn't explain that gap, girlfriend. So what does? I'm so happy to welcome back my dear friend Dr. David Perlmutter, board-certified neurologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Defenders. He explains microglia, the immune cells that make up about 10% of your brain. On a good day, they're like firefighters in the firehouse, quietly repairing the blood-brain barrier and helping your brain build new connections. Under pressure from high blood sugar or inflammation, they can flip into what he calls the evil twin. Dr. Perlmutter walks me through what happens in the brain when estradiol drops in perimenopause and menopause, and how estrogen and your mitochondria, the energy makers inside your cells, keep each other going. He makes the case for caring about metabolic health in your 30s and 40s, long before memory changes show up. He shares the labs he wants on your radar, including hemoglobin A1C, homocysteine, fasting insulin, vitamin D and the p-tau217 blood test, plus why normal isn't the same as optimal. You'll hear why carrying the APOE4 gene is a predisposition, not a destiny, and exactly where he stands on hormone therapy for women. My favorite part was how oxytocin, my Queen Mother hormone, and time with the people you love help keep your brain's immune cells in their supportive state. You get to be the architect of your brain's destiny. This conversation shows you where to start. This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Guest views are their own. Talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine or medications. Key Timestamps 00:00 Welcome back Dr. David Perlmutter and Brain Defenders 05:25 How blood sugar and inflammation create the evil twin 10:25 Falling estradiol and the loss of brain connections 12:50 How mitochondria and estrogen support each other 14:50 Blood sugar and brain risk 15:55 Why brain health starts in your 30s and 40s 16:45 Common medications and brain health 18:30 The labs you can ask for 20:05 A1C and why normal isn't optimal 22:55 The p-tau217 blood test 23:40 APOE4 is a predisposition, not a destiny 31:35 Oxytocin, connection and your brain's immune cells 33:20 Where Dr. Perlmutter stands on hormone therapy 38:10 Cortisol, sleep and your daily rhythm 41:35 What FSH may be telling you after menopause Memorable Quotes 1. "It's really all about agency, about each of us being the architect of our brain's destiny." — Dr. David Perlmutter 2. "Hormone imbalances and mood disorders are metabolic until proven otherwise." — Dr. Anna Cabeca 3. "It's time that we re-message what's going on with this genetic predisposition, and not a predetermination." — Dr. David Perlmutter 4. "One of the biggest threats for brain decline is isolation." — Dr. David Perlmutter 5. "Some is good. Too much is bad. The devil is in the dose." — Dr. David Perlmutter Connect With Dr. David Perlmutter Instagram: @davidperlmutter LinkedIn: David Perlmutter, MD YouTube: @DavidPerlmutterMD X: @DavidPerlmutter Facebook: David Perlmutter, MD Podcast: The Empowering Neurologist Brain Defender Link: http://braindefenders.com/  Connect With Dr. Anna Website: Dranna.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor  If you loved this conversation, share it with a girlfriend who's been worried about her memory, and leave us a review on Apple or Spotify. It helps more women find these conversations.

A divorce. A layoff. A season where you held everything together for everyone. Your body flipped into fight or flight to protect you, exactly the way it was built to. But what happens when the stress passes and your nervous system never gets the message? Bioenergetic medicine expert Dr. Sue Morter, author of The Energy Codes and The Anatomy of Awakening, explains the hidden stress your body can keep carrying for years. She shows how that old emergency ripples through your adrenals, your thyroid, and your hormones in midlife. Then she walks me through her first two steps. The wise belly breath, which helps engage the calming side of your nervous system. And pratyahara, an ancient practice for calling your energy back from the people and situations that drain you. Dr. Sue and I also get into what releasing anger means (hint, it's not dumping it on someone), how to work with a feeling without needing the whole story, and why meditation can feel impossible at first. If you've been doing everything right and still feel wired, tired, and on edge, Gorgeous, this one is for you. Key takeaways Your nervous system can stay locked in fight or flight long after a stressful event ends, because it never received the signal that the danger passed. That hidden stress keeps your adrenals pumping out cortisol, and Dr. Sue describes the thyroid stepping in to compensate until your whole hormonal system starts to roller-coaster. Your body works on a priority basis, so survival comes before repair, detox, and renewal. A slow belly breath, low first and then rising into the chest, is Dr. Sue's simplest first step for telling your body the coast is clear. Pratyahara means drawing your senses back onto yourself, so you can stay in a hard conversation without handing over your energy. Releasing anger means feeling and moving the energy in your body, not unloading it on someone else. If meditation feels impossible, build body awareness first so stillness becomes easier. Key Timestamps 01:00 Growing up with a pioneer of energy medicine 03:05 Root cause versus symptom care 05:00 The hidden stress keeping you in fight or flight 06:15 The trap door between the thalamus and hypothalamus 09:25 Step one, the belly breath 13:15 Why your belly is wise 14:15 The doorway exercise 18:20 What if you're the one who triggers someone 26:15 The two systems that run your body 31:30 What releasing anger means 40:00 When meditation feels impossible 42:30 Take it to the body practices   Memorable quotes "It's doing the right thing, but it's doing it at the wrong time." Dr. Sue Morter "Work with the energy instead of the label, work with the energy instead of the story." Dr. Sue Morter "We are the CEO of our body, and the best years of our lives are not behind us. They are waiting for us." Dr. Anna Cabeca Resources mentioned The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter The Anatomy of Awakening by Dr. Sue Morter Dr. Sue's courses and classes at drsuemorter.com The Girlfriend Doctor on YouTube CTA: Listen to the full conversation Connect with Dr. Sue Morter Website: www.drsuemorter.com  Instagram: www.instagram.com/drsuemorter  Facebook: www.facebook.com/drsuemorter  Dr. Sue's Newest Book: https://www.theanatomyofawakeningbook.com/ Free Meditation Gift for listeners: https://drsmorter.com/girlfrienddr     Connect with Dr. Anna  Website: https://drannacabeca.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAnnaCabeca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca Podcast: https://drannacabeca.com/blogs/podcast Loved this one? Send it to the friend who's been running on empty, then tell me in the comments which practice you're trying first. I read every one.