Published: January, 2023
Published: January, 2023
Featured Physician
Michael GreenHost
Dr. Michael Green, Winona's Chief Medical Officer and board-certified OB-GYN, joined Adrienne Garland on She Leads Podcast for Episode 64, "Women Entrepreneurs - It May Be Time To Check Your Hormones."
In this conversation, Dr. Green discusses how hormonal changes can affect women during high-stress, career-building years, the wide range of symptoms tied to declining hormones, and how telehealth is helping women access hormone replacement therapy when their own doctors aren't equipped to help.
Podcast: She Leads Podcast
Episode: 64
Episode Title: Women Entrepreneurs - It May Be Time To Check Your Hormones with Dr. Michael Green
Host: Adrienne Garland
Guest: Dr. Michael Green
Published Date: January 20, 2023
Episode Duration: 28 minutes
Format: Audio and Video Interview
Main Topics: Hormone replacement therapy, menopause symptoms, telehealth care
She Leads Podcast is where women entrepreneurs and business leaders get the real strategies behind scaling a business to one million dollars and beyond. Hosted by Adrienne Garland, CEO of She Leads Media and a professor at NYU and Rice University, the show speaks with founders and executives who've broken past revenue ceilings and are rethinking how women build wealth and lead teams.
In this episode, Garland speaks with Dr. Green about how hormonal changes can affect women during the high-stress years of building a business, and why so many women don't realize their symptoms may be hormone-related.
In this episode of She Leads Podcast, Dr. Green explains why menopause management has historically been under-researched, tracing much of that gap to the fallout from the early-2000s Women's Health Initiative study, which caused both doctors and patients to abandon hormone therapy nearly overnight. He notes that many younger physicians were never properly trained to prescribe it as a result.
The conversation also covers the wide range of symptoms tied to declining hormones, including hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, sleep disturbances, joint pain, and weight redistribution, and how these symptoms often appear years before a woman's final period. Dr. Green explains how Winona's telehealth model gives women a path forward when their own doctors are unwilling or unequipped to help.
Dr. Green's path from family practice to OB-GYN and hormone therapy
The lasting impact of the Women's Health Initiative study
Why many doctors were never trained to prescribe HRT
Common symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, and brain fog
Sleep disturbances, joint pain, and skin and hair changes
Weight redistribution and visceral fat during menopause
Why symptoms often start years before menopause is complete
How to self-advocate when a doctor dismisses your symptoms
Bioidentical hormones and Winona's treatment formats
Telehealth convenience compared to in-person care
Shared decision-making between doctor and patient
Safety data on HRT and long-term health outcomes
Dr. Green explains that while the average age of completing menopause in the U.S. is 51, symptoms can begin up to 10 years earlier. He notes that at least 10% of women complete menopause by age 45, meaning symptoms can start as early as their mid-30s, often while periods are still regular.
Fewer than half of women present with hot flashes when seeking hormone therapy. Dr. Green describes a broader cluster of symptoms, including brain fog, sleep disturbances, joint pain, skin and hair changes, vaginal dryness, and changes in weight distribution, that often go unrecognized as hormone-related.
Dr. Green explains that after the Women's Health Initiative study caused widespread fear around hormone therapy, an entire generation of doctors went without proper training in prescribing it, causing many women to be told flatly that their doctor "doesn't do" hormone replacement therapy.
Dr. Green describes how Winona serves women whose own doctors dismiss their symptoms or won't prescribe hormone therapy, using bioidentical hormones in pill, patch, or cream form, with the convenience of care from home instead of waiting weeks for an in-person appointment.
Dr. Green explains that women who start hormone therapy under age 60, after appropriate screening, tend to have longer life expectancy than those who never use it, due to decreased cardiovascular risk. He notes that a slight increase in breast cancer risk is offset by decreased risk of colon and uterine cancer.
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Dr. Michael Green is a menopause specialist and Chief Medical Officer at Winona. He brings more than 25 years of clinical experience as a full-scope OB/GYN. From having delivered over 5,000 babies and now specializes in menopause, perimenopause, hormone changes, symptom care, and treatment options during midlife.
At Winona, Dr. Green helps women better understand symptoms, health history, hormone changes, and when physician-reviewed care may be appropriate.
Watch the full conversation with Dr. Michael Green on
She Leads Podcast with Adrienne Garland.
Winona helps women access menopause and perimenopause care from home. Start with a short health questionnaire, and a board-certified physician will review your symptoms, health history, and treatment options.
Dr. Michael Green, Winona's Chief Medical Officer and board-certified OB-GYN, was featured in this episode of She Leads Podcast.
Dr. Green discussed hormone replacement therapy, common menopause symptoms, why many doctors weren't trained to prescribe HRT, and how telehealth is helping women access care.
She Leads Podcast is hosted by Adrienne Garland, CEO of She Leads Media.
The episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube, and the show's Podpage episode page.
Dr. Green explains that while the average age of completing menopause is 51, symptoms can begin up to 10 years earlier, and at least 10% of women complete menopause by age 45.
