Perimenopause Was Ruining My Life (Until I Started HRT)

Menopause and Making Friends After 50

Is it just us… or is making new friends in your 40s, 50s, and 60s hard? In this episode of dismissed., we’re talking about something no one really prepares you for: how to build community in midlife — especially when the built‑in structures (school, kids’ activities, carpools) start to fall away. But first? We address the real crisis: Perimenopause and menopause sweating. Sweating Sisters unite! From workout classes to “leaky club” napkin situations, we kick things off with some very honest midlife humor — because you have to laugh.  Then we dig into the deeper question: Why does building community get harder as we get older? When kids leave for college, when routines shift, when long-time friend groups change — it can leave a real social hole.  If you’re navigating friendship after 40, feeling lonely in midlife, or wondering how to make new friends as an adult — this conversation is for you. And we want to hear from you. How are you building community in this season of life? Let’s talk about it or visit us on socials. Write to us at: thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com [thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com]

Perimenopause Was Ruining My Life (Until I Started HRT)

For years, Jeni and Amy did not know they were in perimenopause. They thought my bodies were falling apart, that they were just aging. Stiff hands. Rage. Hip pain. Shoulder pain. Rage. Dry skin. Itchy ears. Weird periods. Rage.  Bloating. Inflammation. Rage. Insomnia. No one told us these were perimenopause symptoms. In this episode, Jeni and Amy share what actually happened when they finally started hormone replacement therapy (HRT), including using the estrogen patch, combo patches, progesterone pills at night, and even vaginal estrogen. Jeni and Amy talk about: • The early perimenopause symptoms  • How doctors dismissed us  • How the Women’s Health Initiative scared a generation of women  • The difference between a combo patch (estradiol + progestin) vs estrogen patch + bioidentical progesterone  • Why HRT treatment is symptom‑based, not blood‑test based  • How progesterone helped my sleep (and when it didn’t)  • What happened when my progesterone dose was wrong  • The online menopause care experience that finally helped me feel like myself again Dr. Burki from GynoInfo! joins us to break down how hormone replacement therapy actually works, why some doctors still avoid prescribing it, and what women need to know about HRT safety today. If you’re in your 40s/50s/60s and thinking: “Why am I so angry?”  “Why can’t I sleep?”  “Why do my joints hurt?”  “Why does my skin feel different?” This episode is for you. Perimenopause doesn’t have to mean suffering in silence. Welcome to midlife. Don’t worry we are here for you.

Down There and All Things Vaginal.

Okay. We’re going Down There. In this episode, Jeni and Amy talk vaginas and what happens to our pelvic floors in midlife.   We kick things off with our shared post‑pandemic impatience — why do manicures feel like a hostage situation now? Why are jeans staging a full invasion into “vagina lane”? Jeni’s grandma, Venus, calls it down there.  Amy’s mom calls the entire area her bottom. Let’s talk about VAGINAS: Vaginal dryness.  Painful sex.  Hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Vaginal estrogen cream and now needing lube.  Leakage - like peeing when we don’t mean to. UTIs, urinary frequency, bladder prolapse. Pelvic floor therapy after childbirth — years of exercises that did absolutely nothing for leakage — before but there is an answer! Just ask Jeni. Women are dismissed when we bring this stuff up to doctors. This episode is honest. It’s funny. It’s uncomfortable. It’s liberating. If you’ve ever wondered, “Is this normal?” — you are not alone. Let’s talk about it. On socials at: @thedismissedpodcast Write to us at: thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com [thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com]

Perimenopause: The Bloat, The Pain, The Rage

Let us just say this upfront: perimenopause is REAL. In this episode, Jeni and Amy are talking about what really started happening to our bodies before anyone officially called it perimenopause — the bloating, the sudden bloat, the hip pain (who knew estrogen receptors lived there?!), the sore boobs that felt like my milk was coming in again, and the mood swings that went from “meh” to full-blown rage in 0.4 seconds. Fun times. In this episode we get into the real symptoms of perimenopause and menopause — the stuff women whisper about but don’t always say out loud: * Breast swelling and tenderness * Feeling puffy and inflamed for no reason * Hip and joint pain linked to dropping estrogen * Random flushing and night sweats * Brain fog and losing words mid-sentence * The sudden disappearance of your emotional filter And can we talk about the rage? Because no one prepared us for the raaaaage. Or the clarity that comes with it. It’s like midlife rips the filter off your brain. Things you tolerated for years? Suddenly unacceptable. Conversations you avoided? Now happening. Perimenopause doesn’t just shift your hormones — it shifts your tolerance. We also talk about HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and how confusing and frustrating it can be to get real answers. For us? Game changer. We share exactly what worked for us. We also discuss: * HRT patches * Why did my doctor give me birth control * How wildly inconsistent doctor’s guidance can be * Why advocating for yourself matters If you’ve been told “this is just aging” or “your labs are normal” but you feel off — this conversation is for you. Perimenopause is real. The symptoms are real. And the solutions are real too. And if you’re in the thick of sore boobs, hip pain, brain fog, hot flashes, or increased irritability — you’re not crazy. You’re hormonal. Come sit with us. Write to us at:  thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com [thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com] Or visit us on the socials  @thedismissedpodcast

Empty Nest, Perimenopause and the Midlife Shift: Why We Started dismissed.

Welcome to the very first episode of dismissed. The Empty Nest Era. — a podcast for women navigating midlife transitions, empty nest life, perimenopause/menopause and everything in between. We’re Jeni and Amy, friends who realized that our four‑hour-long lunches — part therapy session, part humor-laced reality check — were actually the conversations we wished more women were having out loud. So we decided to start a podcast. We bonded over parallel lives: stay‑at‑home moms who gave up our careers to raise our only children (daughters). And when the empty nest hit, it shocked and surprised us in many ways! This podcast exists because we believe this time of life deserves more visibility, more honesty, and more humor. No one is talking about the reality of how our homes, bodies, minds and lives are so different now. We want this podcast to be a two-way street, so let us know what you want to talk about too.  We’re also introducing an unserious recurring segment: PMO (Piss Me Off) — where we vent about the little things driving us crazy. In this episode? Speakerphone in public. Enough said. If you’re craving real talk from women who are IN IT NOW, we want to hear from you.  If you are navigating or prepping for the empty nest or experiencing peri/menopause symptoms — you’re in the right place. Subscribe, follow along, and send us your PMOs. We’re just getting started. Write to us at:  thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com [thedismissedpodcast@gmail.com] Or visit us on the socials  @thedismissedpodcast