Show Notes

Dr. Trina, Dr. Keisha, and guest Dr. Megan Thomas dig into how menopause and perimenopause actually show up for Black women — and why so many symptoms go unrecognized until they've been disrupting daily life for months.

Topics covered:

The symptom list nobody gives you — beyond hot flashes: brain fog, insomnia, itchy/dry skin, midsection weight gain, urinary changes, hair thinning, and tinnitus. Dr. Megan shares her own experience of brain fog for 3–6 months before getting a diagnosis.

Getting dismissed in primary care — why so many women are sent home with a pregnancy test instead of real answers, and what comprehensive labs (hormones, vitamin D, inflammation markers, lipids) should actually look like.

Treatment, demystified — systemic hormone replacement (pellets vs. pills), testosterone, vaginal estrogen cream, and how providers use labs and symptom surveys to fine-tune a regimen over time.

The mental health connection — how menopause can unmask or worsen anxiety and depression, and why psychiatric and hormonal care need to be coordinated, not siloed.

Lifestyle and self-advocacy — symptom journaling, building a trusted support network, supplements (vitamin D, fish oil, ashwagandha, black cohosh), and adjusting exercise for bone and metabolic health.

The generational silence — why so many Black women were never taught to talk about menstruation or menopause, and what it takes to break that cycle.

Key Takeaways

1. Symptoms vary widely and can start earlier than expected — don't wait for hot flashes

to start asking questions.

2. Diagnosis takes real labs and, often, a specialist — primary care alone may not catch it.

3. Self-advocacy and community are treatment tools too — track your symptoms, find your people, and don't settle for a provider who won't dig deeper.

Dr. Megan's Recommendations

Keep a daily symptom journal (sleep, mood, hot flashes, cognition)

Talk to other women — build a trusted network for shared experience and referrals Find a clinician experienced in HRT, and be willing to repeat labs and surveys Prioritize sleep, rest, and joy alongside any medical treatment.

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Our Production Team: Dr. Keisha Butler, Dr. Catrina Johnson, @gaspargomez, @parallelplaypopup

Links 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confessions-of-melanated-docs/id1574563160