Dr. Molly McBride

00:00:02:14 – 00:00:31:02
Molly
I would say stay ahead of it. Listen to yourself. Don’t dismiss your feelings. Find someone who’s going to validate them for you. And sometimes there’s not even something perfectly to be done at that stage. But just being listened to and being validated is really important. Talk to your friends. I’m really seeing a lot of great networking women talking to other women, educating other women.

00:00:31:02 – 00:00:41:19
Molly
Unfortunately, that’s what it’s come down to.

00:00:41:21 – 00:01:13:23
Claudia
Hello and welcome back to Shift Happens. It’s the final episode of season five, Tadaa. I am excited for what’s next. I’m already scheduling recordings and curating guests for season six, kicking off in the end of January 2026, so stay tuned. In today’s conversation with luminary and renowned New York based gynecologist Doctor Molly McBride, we speak about menopause and how amazing it is to keep pivoting, especially later in life.

00:01:14:01 – 00:01:52:03
Claudia
Doctor McBride is a passionate advocate for women’s health, and openly says that she is disappointed in many of her colleagues, who simply avoid to gain knowledge about menopause and its possible health consequences, if not treat it. She has seen so many women suffering through perimenopause, menopause and post menopause and knows that and how this can be prevented. Doctor McBride offers cutting edge services, always valuing the importance of listening to her patients and validating their often still dismissed symptoms.

00:01:52:04 – 00:02:24:16
Claudia
She explains how feeling, not myself is a real thing. Molly just relocated with her practice plan NYC to the Flat Iron District in Manhattan. You can find her address in my show notes. Being usually a step ahead. Doctor McBride now offers also individual health plans for men. Enjoy this lively and informative episode. Listen in, feel heard and I’ll be back in the beginning of the new year.

00:02:24:18 – 00:02:46:16
Claudia
On another note. I’m so proud and excited to announce that shift happens. Season five is supported by London based jewelry brand Tilly Swears.

00:02:46:18 – 00:02:54:19
Claudia
So hello, doctor Molly McBride. I’m so happy we are here. And to finally made time.

00:02:54:21 – 00:02:55:17
Molly
I’m thrilled to.

00:02:55:17 – 00:03:20:06
Claudia
Have this conversation on shift happens. So Molly and I, we’ve known each other for a little while. Molly has been on a panel that I’d organize and a salon on women’s health, which was a big hit. And people still ask me that we need to do a follow up on this. And then we also collaborated on smaller salons in your practice in New York City.

00:03:20:08 – 00:03:29:06
Claudia
And, now you’re here to share your knowledge with a broader audience, which is fantastic. So thank you so much for being here.

00:03:29:08 – 00:03:30:18
Molly
So happy to be here.

00:03:30:20 – 00:03:44:10
Claudia
Before we start and talk about your pivot and a meaningful moment that really had a huge impact on your life, I want to ask you a few questions. What is your current state of mind?

00:03:44:12 – 00:04:05:04
Molly
I am probably at 60 years old in the best state of mind I’ve been. I feel like I am settled happy. My children are fairly settled. My marriage is good and I love my job. I feel at peace.

00:04:05:06 – 00:04:10:16
Claudia
That’s fantastic. Was there something this week that made you smile?

00:04:10:18 – 00:04:23:17
Molly
My child, my 25 year old has been living on my couch for a while as he has a new life and a job. And we signed the lease on an apartment yesterday that made me smile.

00:04:23:19 – 00:04:25:21
Claudia
Oh, yes. Congratulations.

00:04:25:22 – 00:04:26:19
Molly
Time to launch him.

00:04:27:00 – 00:04:32:09
Claudia
Great. Yes. What would you say is your superpower?

00:04:32:10 – 00:04:40:13
Molly
Empathy. Empathy. Passion. Good communication.

00:04:40:15 – 00:04:55:20
Claudia
So, passion. Empathy is probably also something that propelled you into making the decision to completely change your life. Yes. And it would be great if you could share this time when you pivoted.

00:04:56:00 – 00:05:24:06
Molly
Okay. I’ve had a number of pivots through my life. I’m a tech. I’m big on pivoting and I love that word because that’s exactly what it is. You’re just taking a different direction. So I had a 20 year practice in Wilmington, Delaware, ObGyn practice, and I was a popular doctor there, well liked, well respected, had a very big practice.

00:05:24:08 – 00:05:41:03
Molly
Well-established. Things were going great. I have a daughter who, was pursuing a career in ballet, and she received the opportunity to dance at the school of the American Ballet Theater when she was 12.

00:05:41:05 – 00:05:42:14
Claudia
Wow. Wow.

00:05:42:16 – 00:06:04:15
Molly
And that meant a move to New York in a very short time. We got the letter. They said you have to move to New York in a week. My husband and I both have full time jobs. My husband’s urologist with a big practice, and we went and discussed it with the ballet instructors, and they said, if you say no, she’s never going to get the chance again.

00:06:04:16 – 00:06:29:14
Molly
So my husband and I lie in bed at night, discussed it, and thought, life is short. You need to follow her passion. So I’ll pick up and move to New York with her. I did not. I hadn’t had a resume for 20 years. I knew not very much about New York at all. I did not even know East and West.

00:06:29:15 – 00:06:51:03
Molly
When I first got there, I would go to the wrong address all the time. I put my résumé on a deed and took a job with a place called Walk in Gyn, which is kind of urgent care for gynecology, which I thought was a great concept. And you never know with the ballet, if it’s going to last, you could be cut in the next year.

00:06:51:03 – 00:07:12:16
Molly
So I thought, okay, it’s an easy and easy out. No investment. It was located in Astoria. Oh, wow. I did not know Astoria was Queens. I did not even know where I was. I would take the subway and get off and people would say, oh, you’re working in Queens. I’m like, no, no, no, I’m not in Queens. I’m in Astoria.

00:07:12:18 – 00:07:40:05
Molly
That’s how brave and new this whole was. Oh, I really was not in New Yorker, and now I really am. So I did the job at Walk in June for a while, which was a great concept, but I had a boss, and I’ve never had a boss before in my life. I’ve always had my own practice, and I just always feel like I can do things a little better.

00:07:40:06 – 00:08:10:11
Molly
I like my style. I like to be in control. Good. Yeah. So once again, I put my resume on. Indeed. And there was a urologist looking for to add a gynecologist to a practice. So I jumped in and had to start the good practice from baseline there. They had never done gyn. I had one employee. We got it up and running, and within two weeks we were packed and busy.

00:08:10:13 – 00:08:39:00
Molly
And I did that job for a long time, probably seven years. And then in that practice, so many people started asking about perimenopause and menopause. All the changes happening. And with the current medical system, you get about 10 to 15 minutes with someone, which is not enough time to discuss those issues. I feel like people really needed time.

00:08:39:00 – 00:09:11:02
Molly
They needed me to listen to them pay attention. So then I took my next pivot and started a side hustle doing telehealth with salon NYC, which is Irish for health and wellness. So I was doing that evenings weekends, Fridays by telehealth only. And it was so rewarding. I spent 45 minutes with women. Really changed their lives. We laughed, we cried.

00:09:11:04 – 00:09:16:12
Molly
We really addressed their issues, listened. Validated. Did you?

00:09:16:13 – 00:09:22:18
Claudia
If I may ask, in between, did you do this during Covid or did you already start before Covid with this telehealth?

00:09:22:19 – 00:09:24:09
Molly
It was post Covid.

00:09:24:10 – 00:09:25:00
Claudia
Oh, okay.

00:09:25:02 – 00:09:28:04
Molly
Post Covid. So telehealth was available at that point?

00:09:28:05 – 00:09:29:17
Claudia
Yeah, yeah.

00:09:29:19 – 00:10:02:22
Molly
So then I got a call from another physician who said, I’d like your side hustle to be your main hustle. So will you come join me? So again, that was that 58 made another change and going full time and doing menopause management, perimenopause, hormonal management, weight loss, medical weight loss for my menopausal women. Full time. So I’ve had a lot of pivots later in life.

00:10:03:00 – 00:10:03:18
Molly
Post 50.

00:10:03:18 – 00:10:05:23
Claudia
You surely. Yes. That’s incorrect.

00:10:06:00 – 00:10:06:16
Molly
It’s never too.

00:10:06:16 – 00:10:23:14
Claudia
Late. No, it’s never too late. And you’re just such a perfect, wonderful, inspiring example for it. And I do have a question because you, you are specializing in, you know, perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. How did it, affect you?

00:10:23:16 – 00:10:24:21
Molly
Well, interestingly.

00:10:24:22 – 00:10:27:06
Claudia
How did you get all the energy? And, you know.

00:10:27:09 – 00:10:51:16
Molly
I have research is different now. A lot of research has changed with menopause. We know so much more than we did when I was going through it. I had a blood clotting disorder so I was not. Oh I was not it was not on the table for me. I could not take hormone replacement therapy. So I suffered through it.

00:10:51:18 – 00:11:17:03
Molly
There were times when I could have taken my tank top off, standing on the platform in the subway in August, I was sweating so much. So it was a difficult time. I really understood and sympathized. And now it turns out with later research, that topical estrogen does not cause blood clots. So I probably didn’t need to suffer. But I have to say, it made me very sympathetic and empathetic.

00:11:17:05 – 00:11:39:00
Molly
It’s a tough time. Yeah. I wasn’t sleeping well, I was edgy, I was sweating. It’s hard when you’re talking to people to stay respectable and have sweat dripping down your face and your white blouse, so it was a tough time. Menopause was a tough time for me. I tried to exercise and meditate and do those other things, but there’s really nothing that replaces hormone therapy.

00:11:39:00 – 00:11:52:18
Molly
So thankfully we’ve progressed a lot in our education with what’s safe and effective, and a whole new world is opened up for women. And there’s still needs to be so much education. It’s still the whisper network.

00:11:52:20 – 00:12:11:19
Claudia
What do you think is the reason why it has taken so long to be a topic that is, you know, taken seriously in the medical field and in society, and now, you know, it’s more on the agenda, thankfully, and more research has been done and we have more knowledge, but it’s still kind of it hasn’t.

00:12:11:19 – 00:12:40:03
Molly
And I think I think there are a number of reasons. The biggest is the study by the Women’s Health Initiative about 30 years ago. That was just poorly done and wrong. I’ll never forget the day Matt Lauer came out on the Today show and said hormone therapy causes breast cancer. And my phone was ringing off the hook. Everybody stopped taking it.

00:12:40:05 – 00:13:09:06
Molly
And I think doctors were afraid to prescribe it because of risk. And it was completely not true. The estrogens and also a lot has changed. The estrogen that was, as you said, was higher dose and very synthetic. It was made from the urine of pregnant mares, and the progesterone that was used was also very synthetic. So we’ve come a long way.

00:13:09:06 – 00:13:44:04
Molly
The products are now very natural estradiol products and natural progesterone products. So I think a generation of women really lost out and really had their lives impacted, specifically from a study that was poorly done and has since been walked back and completely debunked. And I think it was it. I’m I’m sort of disappointed in my colleagues who didn’t pursue figuring that out, that the study was bad and finding new answers and finding new ways.

00:13:44:04 – 00:14:09:03
Molly
There’s still so many physicians that are my colleagues that don’t deal with menopause, don’t prescribe hormone therapy, and just don’t even want to talk about it. And I think a lot of women are dismissed when they talk about their symptoms. They they are told, oh, you’ll be fine. Just get over it. Meanwhile, it can destroy your life.

00:14:09:07 – 00:14:37:17
Molly
You know, if you have brain fog, if you’re not sleeping, you’re edgy and depressed. And I think, you know, at that age, it’s often the most complicated time of your life. Whether your kids are sort of teens, your marriage is been there for a while. That’s always difficult to navigate through. Your job. You’re kind of at the peak of your job, and you’re the least capable of handling it.

00:14:37:19 – 00:14:55:12
Molly
And you don’t like to talk about it, because if you’re working with men, they don’t understand. They don’t want to hear it. So you’re feeling very isolated. So I think a lot of it too. There’s there’s a lack of education. The residents don’t learn about menopause. There’s a complete lack of education.

00:14:55:14 – 00:14:58:09
Claudia
How can that be changed.

00:14:58:11 – 00:15:13:22
Molly
I think it’s finally changing because it’s finally getting talked about. But I don’t think in this society there’s not very much medical research done on women. And not a lot of money put into women’s health.

00:15:14:00 – 00:15:19:03
Claudia
Even though it is such a growing market. Right. I mean, in the next five years, it’s it’s.

00:15:19:03 – 00:15:20:13
Molly
$1 billion industry.

00:15:20:13 – 00:15:22:12
Claudia
Billion dollar industry. Yeah.

00:15:22:13 – 00:15:52:01
Molly
Companies should be taking notice, but it’s still it’s getting there. But it’s still not. Everybody still has questions. I would say the 1% I’m seeing is the slightly younger generation. The 40 somethings don’t remember that study. And they’re becoming aware of it and they’re not going to put up with it. They’re independent. They’re about to have jobs and careers.

00:15:52:02 – 00:16:01:10
Molly
They don’t want to slip and they’re staying ahead of it, which I’m really happy about and really proud of if they can find a provider to listen to them.

00:16:01:11 – 00:16:10:14
Claudia
So what are the what is the best to provide and to put in place already before one hits menopause.

00:16:10:16 – 00:16:38:05
Molly
I think you have to start recognizing really recognizing symptoms can start as early as 35. So if you’re starting to feel like you’re not sleeping quite as well, like you’re getting edgier, your patience is thinner. You just a lot of people say, I don’t feel like myself. So not feeling like yourself is really a term. And and it’s vague.

00:16:38:07 – 00:17:04:08
Molly
But you should listen, listen to your body and have signed a provider who will listen. And there’s controversy about the blood work because the numbers can be up and down. But you can get a baseline and you can treat symptoms at that age. I would say stay ahead of that. Listen to yourself. Don’t dismiss your feelings. Find someone who’s going to validate them for you.

00:17:04:14 – 00:17:37:07
Molly
And sometimes there’s not even something perfectly to be done at that stage, but just being listened to and being validated is really important. Talk to your friends. I’m really seeing a lot of great networking women talking to other women, educating other women. Unfortunately, that’s what it’s come down to. Some of the stars are now talking about it, which is helpful, but there’s also a little bit of this menopause gold rush it’s called.

00:17:37:09 – 00:18:10:01
Molly
There’s a lot of products being flooded into the market, and I think flooding people’s Instagram feeds that are not FDA approved. They’re supplements making false promises. So people are now looking to profit from menopause and menopause symptoms. And women are desperate for answers. And they’re already all of these things that really have no effect. And most of the hormone replacement therapy is covered by insurance.

00:18:10:03 – 00:18:23:09
Molly
So you shouldn’t have to spend all of that on supplements that don’t work. So I think you really have to be aware aware of your of what’s out there and do your research because generally most of these supplements are not effective.

00:18:23:11 – 00:18:30:03
Claudia
And hormone replacement therapy is, in your experience really the best to put in.

00:18:30:03 – 00:18:57:14
Molly
Place the gold standard for the right patient. It is not for everyone. Not everyone. All. If you’ve had a history of breast cancer it’s probably a no. But there are still things you can do. There are some newer products out there there that are fantastic. There’s one called the Oza which is Non-hormonal. It works in your brain to regulate your temperature control.

00:18:57:15 – 00:19:19:17
Molly
It also helps with mood and sleep and it’s entirely not hormonal. The problem there is, it’s not well covered of course. So we have to do a prior authorization and work really hard to get it covered, which we’re willing to do because we see the importance of it. But a lot of offices are too overwhelmed to do the prior authorization.

00:19:19:19 – 00:19:43:01
Molly
The other really important thing is that even if you’ve had breast cancer, everyone can have vaginal estrogen. So one of the big things that happens that no one talks about is sex becomes painful. And that is purely due to a lack of estrogen. And it’s not just dryness. Everyone talks about dryness. It’s really atrophy. So the tissue gets thinner.

00:19:43:03 – 00:20:15:04
Molly
So sex starts to feel like your vagina feels like glass or sandpaper. And it also makes you more prone to urinary tract infections. Because your urethra also gets atrophic. There’s been a black box warning on vaginal estrogen that it causes stroke. It causes cancer. So just recently this week, a number of physicians went to the FDA to demand that that black box be warning be removed because there’s no validity to it.

00:20:15:06 – 00:20:37:19
Molly
Vaginal estrogen is safe. It is local. It is safe for breast cancer patients. It’s safe for all women. I equate it to I. It’s just sort of got to be part of your routine. Not just for maintaining intercourse. That’s not painful, but also national health and reducing the risk of urinary tract infections later in life.

00:20:37:21 – 00:20:39:20
Claudia
So many taboos

00:20:39:22 – 00:20:42:19
Molly
I know. Yeah I know. Yeah I know.

00:20:42:22 – 00:21:05:19
Claudia
Yeah. And it’s also I guess, you know, because it has been such a taboo for ever. Finding the right language and being comfortable with the language and to talk about it. Yeah. As like I mean we would talk about if we had I don’t know, something’s wrong with our arm. That would not be a problem. And immediately when it when it comes to the sexual organs, it’s always,

00:21:05:20 – 00:21:07:17
Molly
Nobody talks about it.

00:21:07:19 – 00:21:10:13
Claudia
Yeah. Taboo and no languages.

00:21:10:13 – 00:21:11:06
Molly
And it’s a shame.

00:21:11:06 – 00:21:13:10
Claudia
Language is there? Yeah. It’s a shame. Yeah.

00:21:13:10 – 00:21:41:10
Molly
No, it’s a shame. Yeah. The other thing that we’ve now discovered about hormone replacement therapy is there’s way more to it than just alleviating symptoms. So now the research is coming out finally about longevity and health. When you go through menopause your insulin resistance goes down. So your blood sugar tends to go up. You can become pre-diabetic.

00:21:41:15 – 00:22:14:12
Molly
Your cholesterol goes up. You start to form visceral fat. You lose muscle. I mean it’s just terrible. And with estrogen we’re now finding there’s a significant decrease in cardiovascular risk for people taking estrogen. It helps bone health so reduces osteoporosis. There are big new findings coming out about its effect on dementia and Alzheimer’s. And I think those are two of every woman’s biggest fear.

00:22:14:14 – 00:22:26:11
Molly
Dementia and Alzheimer’s. And it looks like estrogen is going to be protective against and reduce the risk significantly. So people have to stop thinking of it now as just hot flashes.

00:22:26:12 – 00:22:27:04
Claudia
Yeah exactly.

00:22:27:04 – 00:22:29:15
Molly
It’s so much more. It’s long term health.

00:22:29:18 – 00:22:30:05
Claudia

00:22:30:07 – 00:22:35:19
Molly
And I still I’m still every day educating about that.

00:22:35:20 – 00:22:50:19
Claudia
And with osteoporosis and dementia Alzheimer. Everything you said before cardiovascular disease. How much do you think also is, a part of nutrition? Which part does nutrition play?

00:22:50:19 – 00:23:21:16
Molly
It’s all. I think you have to put it all together. You know, it’s not just hormones. You exercise is really important. So we’re finding the biggest longevity factor for women is building muscle. So strength training is very important. Muscle mass equates to health. It also equates to less risk of fracture. Because you’re stable and you have more muscle.

00:23:21:18 – 00:23:48:19
Molly
So I and exercise also helps with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Nutrition is vital. We know we have to eat more protein than we ever did before. I mean I think as women we did aerobics and we ate carbs and we calorie counts. And now really how I look at it is I want you to be strong not skinny.

00:23:48:21 – 00:23:49:12
Claudia
Yeah.

00:23:49:14 – 00:24:14:04
Molly
So it’s been it’s been a reversal for women. To change how they exercise. You know you really have to lift heavy weights. And that’s going to help you live longer and healthier. And reverse part of what’s happening with menopause which will then help your metabolism. So when you become menopausal you don’t metabolize fat as well or carbohydrates as well.

00:24:14:04 – 00:24:38:12
Molly
So unfortunately it’s not that fun. But you have to focus on increasing your protein and only adding a little bit of fat and carbohydrates. It’s really important to start your day with 30g of protein, because then you’re going to keep your blood sugar stable. Throughout the day and if you’re going to have carbohydrates and fat you should actually have them at night.

00:24:38:14 – 00:24:59:22
Molly
So for dinner you can have chicken salmon. You have vegetables and you can add in a sweet potato or something else at that point because overnight then you’ll process that better. But nutrition it all matters. Nutrition, exercise, hormones it’s all part of it. I’m not a huge I mean.

00:25:00:00 – 00:25:04:20
Claudia
I’m sorry, but it’s almost like a complete science program.

00:25:04:22 – 00:25:30:14
Molly
It really is science. I mean, my my feeling about I’m science based. This is science. It’s a matter of all of this is physiology. So it really is the whole picture. And I think women are really feeling so much better when they make these changes. Your energy’s better. I think the hardest thing one of the biggest complaints in menopause is sleep.

00:25:30:17 – 00:25:31:00
Molly

00:25:31:06 – 00:25:31:11
Claudia
Yeah.

00:25:31:11 – 00:25:59:03
Molly
Sleep is tough for everyone. But I do think when you’re exercising I recommend a little magnesium at night. If you’re taking hormones the progesterone is calming and helps you sleep. So those are some big things you know. Sure. Put your screen away. All those things you know we all know what we’re supposed to do. But yeah, but it doesn’t always work.

00:25:59:06 – 00:26:28:20
Molly
So I think I think exercise helps to sleep better. And I think taking a little magnesium a night and taking progesterone is big. There are a million supplements out there. I think that’s a full time job. I would much rather people get their, vitamins from food. I do think it’s vitamin D is really important. Vitamin D affects your metabolism and it affects your bones.

00:26:28:22 – 00:26:47:12
Molly
It affects your brain. It affects your cholesterol. So everyone should have their vitamin D checked and make sure they’re taking enough of that. I think that’s important. I think fish oil is important. I think magnesium is important, but otherwise I’m not a big supplement person. Eat well. Get your nutrition through your food.

00:26:47:14 – 00:26:56:11
Claudia
So you believe that the food that we consume today and have access to provides enough vitamins. If it’s like good health, if.

00:26:56:11 – 00:26:59:19
Molly
You’re doing it the right way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

00:26:59:21 – 00:27:11:05
Claudia
Well that’s good to know. You know, because there are so many, so many thoughts, schools and opinions out there. And it can get very confusing and overwhelming.

00:27:11:07 – 00:27:23:13
Molly
I agree. I agree. I think there’s a lot of people saying a lot of different things. So I think you have to sort of do your own research too and then maybe get 1 or 2 opinions.

00:27:23:15 – 00:27:37:10
Claudia
Yeah. Well probably like the common read threat has not been established yet. And everybody’s kind of searching, you know, working with their doctor. But also the doctors as you said earlier, have different standards in their own knowledge about.

00:27:37:11 – 00:27:54:22
Molly
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly which which yeah. It’s tough. It’s tough to find even in New York City. Patients tell me it’s hard to find someone who’s doing this, you know, sort of all over women’s health. And that’s a shame.

00:27:55:04 – 00:27:55:19
Claudia

00:27:55:21 – 00:27:56:14
Molly
We deserve it.

00:27:56:19 – 00:28:11:03
Claudia
Yeah we do. And what do you think. Could your profession like all the gynecologist do to propel that far more that just more research money is going into women’s health.

00:28:11:05 – 00:28:14:17
Molly
Well we don’t know what’s going to happen to research money right now.

00:28:14:17 – 00:28:15:08
Claudia
That’s true.

00:28:15:08 – 00:28:42:20
Molly
Yeah. There are people in the private sector. Melinda Gates, for one, is giving all of her money to women’s health research. Research for women. So thankfully. Yeah. There is a woman, a doctor named Lisa mosconi, who is at Cornell. She received a large grant to prove that estrogen does reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. So we’re getting there.

00:28:42:20 – 00:29:15:21
Molly
But people need to care about women and women’s health. Testosterone is a very important, hormone for women. We make as much testosterone as estrogen in our lifetime. And that drops with menopause. And that’s not just libido. It’s also energy muscle tone. There are about 30 preparations on the market for men and zero for women. Zero. So we have to use a compounding pharmacy that’s not covered by insurance.

00:29:15:23 – 00:29:33:10
Molly
Or you have to use a little bit of a men’s gel, which is really hard dosing wise because it’s not dosed for women. So you could end up with side effects with that. At least with the compounded you can sort of customize it. But then you got to pay cash for that. Wow. It’s not covered.

00:29:33:12 – 00:29:44:13
Claudia
Really. Wow. Do you know. I mean are there any plans from any pharmaceutical companies to go in that direction? I mean, it would be such a huge market.

00:29:44:13 – 00:30:15:12
Molly
You would think. You would think, but it’s just it’s not been a priority at all. Women’s libido is not a priority. There’s one medication on the market called addyi. That’s for hyperactive sexual disorder for women. It’s the one drug on the market and it’s fantastic. It’s great. And a lot of doctors don’t. They’ll still don’t know about it and don’t prescribe it.

00:30:15:14 – 00:30:17:12
Molly
But there’s one.

00:30:17:14 – 00:30:21:17
Claudia
Just one. Yeah.

00:30:21:19 – 00:30:24:12
Claudia
Well we can only hope we got a.

00:30:24:12 – 00:30:25:09
Molly
Long way to go.

00:30:25:09 – 00:30:46:18
Claudia
A long way to go. And thanks to you know such strong and forceful voices and people like you. Hopefully there will be change. But otherwise as you said earlier women really depend on other women and an open more open exchange and a more open educational way of being with each other.

00:30:46:20 – 00:30:47:09
Molly
For network.

00:30:47:09 – 00:30:55:21
Claudia
Sharing. Yeah. Sharing experiences. The whisper network. Correct. And, yeah, that’s really the key for that.

00:30:55:23 – 00:31:22:19
Molly
It really is key. And I think my colleagues need to educate themselves. There are plenty of conferences. There’s menopause society, there’s conferences all the time. I think it’s hard. The state of medicine is hard right now. You know, most doctors have to see sometimes 30 patients a day to just keep the lights on. So I think there’s a lot of burnout happening.

00:31:22:19 – 00:31:46:10
Molly
The system is not great anymore. So it’s really hard in a standard visit to I mean, these conversations take me a half an hour or 45 minutes of really delving, and you just can’t do that in your standard gynecology practice anymore. So and I think people who are who are delivering babies, I, you know, I’m not doing obstetrics anymore.

00:31:46:12 – 00:32:09:07
Molly
That is really busy and hectic and they’re exhausted. They don’t have time. They’re no time to go to a conference or read more. You know, I’m sure they would love to, but, it’s tough. It’s it’s medicine. It’s getting tougher. And and I’m seeing much more burnout now than ever before. It’s changed.

00:32:09:09 – 00:32:12:21
Claudia
It’s it’s it’s it’s essential. Yeah.

00:32:12:23 – 00:32:40:09
Molly
Essential. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, my model is, you know, I don’t take insurance for my consultation. I use insurance for lab work and pap smears and any studies, but, I can’t because I, I need 45 minutes for someone, and they get everything done. What? They have a 45 minute discussion. We do a body scan. We do labs.

00:32:40:11 – 00:33:05:11
Molly
It’s really extensive. And I think people now are feeling like they want to invest in their health. It’s so important. And I think talking about pivoting and shifting. Why shouldn’t you be able to sometimes are having our best ideas at 60. At 50. You know we’re having our best ideas. And finally we have time in our lives to think about what we really want to do.

00:33:05:13 – 00:33:17:10
Molly
Worth. And we’re not running home to cook dinner for everybody and do as much laundry like this is a prime time for women to pivot and find their passion, but they have to feel good to do it.

00:33:17:12 – 00:33:25:23
Claudia
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That’s why I was asking you, because you said you had so many pivots, especially after 50. What’s the secret there?

00:33:26:04 – 00:33:44:23
Molly
I’m lifting heavy weights. I’m heating protein. Yeah. And doing my best. But I think also prioritizing your health. And saying no to things. No. It’s a complete sentence. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

00:33:45:01 – 00:33:46:05
Claudia
Yeah. Absolutely right.

00:33:46:06 – 00:33:48:04
Molly
You know, stop pleasing others.

00:33:48:06 – 00:33:58:10
Claudia
So in your daily life or in your work week, what do you do to center yourself to calm down? And what do you do to energize yourself? If you need that?

00:33:58:12 – 00:34:23:13
Molly
So the weight lifting to me has been really great. I did not enjoy it at first. I forced myself to go and then, as I saw the progress of getting stronger and feeling powerful, I really began to enjoy it and look forward to going. So that’s something that I really like, and I think it’s also important to walk.

00:34:23:15 – 00:34:38:10
Molly
I love to walk or in the city. I don’t have a car here. So sometimes it’s nice to just put a podcast on your AirPods and take a big, long walk. That’s very peaceful to me. And grounding.

00:34:38:12 – 00:34:43:19
Claudia
Nice. And if I may ask where’s your daughter dancing now.

00:34:43:21 – 00:34:45:14
Molly
She is retired.

00:34:45:16 – 00:34:46:15
Claudia
Okay.

00:34:46:17 – 00:35:10:13
Molly
And she is now finishing graduate school. Oh. But she danced professionally for a long time. It’s her life. Wow. So she’s still dancing. In her free time, she still takes classes. But she’s moved on from that and is pursuing a career in national security. Oh, cool. Yeah. She pivoted. Yes.

00:35:10:19 – 00:35:12:00
Claudia
She clearly pivoted.

00:35:12:00 – 00:35:15:12
Molly
22. Yeah.

00:35:15:14 – 00:35:38:12
Claudia
Oh, Molly, thank you so much. A lot of good advice. And also, I think it’s always important to hear doctors talk about hormone replacement therapy to take off the stigma and really emphasize the advantages and how much better women can feel with it. Right.

00:35:38:14 – 00:36:01:17
Molly
It’s it’s kind of a miracle. You know, it really does. Within weeks, you feel just like yourself again. You’re sleeping. You have an energy. Your mood is good. You know, keep an open mind and do it for yourself and do it for a long healthy life. That’s the other big thing now to stress is it’s not just symptomatic.

00:36:01:17 – 00:36:32:18
Molly
It’s going to help you live longer and healthier. And you really have to find people who have the science and the data to show you, because people are scared. They’ve been scared for so long. So I spend sometimes half the first half of the conversation demystifying the study and showing people the new studies and reinforcing. And they still often have to think about it, but it’s an uphill battle.

00:36:32:20 – 00:36:35:16
Claudia
Well thank you for your wisdom.

00:36:35:21 – 00:36:36:17
Molly
My pleasure.

00:36:36:18 – 00:36:40:11
Claudia
And it was so lovely to see you. Thank you so much Molly.

00:36:40:11 – 00:36:43:14
Molly
And I want to encourage everybody take a risk.

00:36:43:15 – 00:36:44:04
Claudia
Yes.

00:36:44:08 – 00:36:45:10
Molly
Yes. Take a rest.

00:36:45:11 – 00:36:46:02
Claudia
Take a risk.

00:36:46:02 – 00:36:47:11
Molly
What do you got to lose?

00:36:47:13 – 00:36:52:00
Claudia
Exactly. Exactly. I’m with you. I’m on it.

00:36:52:02 – 00:36:54:19
Molly
Great. Okay. So good to talk to you.

00:36:54:21 – 00:36:56:09
Claudia
Good to talk to you. Bye bye.

00:36:56:12 – 00:37:09:17
Molly
Bye bye.

00:37:09:19 – 00:37:35:23
Claudia
It’s still fascinating to me how one study in the past caused such a scare for millions of women. And made them avoid a treatment that potentially could have helped them manage the symptoms during menopause. In my opinion, we can never shine enough light onto women’s health concerns and on how much research is still needed to meet them. I hope you enjoyed this conversation with doctor McBride.

00:37:36:04 – 00:37:52:13
Claudia
And for that matter, all episodes of season five. Let me know what you think. Leave a review and subscribe to shift happens. Happy holidays and until January.

00:37:52:15 – 00:38:22:19
Claudia
Thank you for listening to Shift Happens. Please follow and subscribe to this podcast. It’s an easy hit for you with a huge impact for me. It helps me grow even further and bring you more conversations with women from around the globe. Shift happens has been created and is hosted by me. Claudia Mahler editing andy boroson, social media. Magda Reckendrees

00:38:22:21 – 00:38:28:09
Claudia
I hope you felt connected and heard by listening to shift happens.