“Think left and think right, think low and think high. Oh, the THINKS you can think up if only you try.” – Dr. Seuss
One week, I was navigating crowds and roller coasters with my family at Disney and Universal Studios in Orlando. The next, I had the privilege of speaking to over 500 clinicians at the Harvard Women’s Health and Menopause Conference—professionals dedicated to expanding their knowledge and improving care for menopausal women.
As women we are often need to “think low and think high” in different settings with a mindset of staying curious, adaptable, and engaged.
Practice updates:
We are still collecting surveys to share feedback about our practice. We value your participation, there are copies at the front desk. Let us know if you want us to email you a survey.
Please join us for our practice’s virtual event on Wednesday May 20th, 8 PM- 9 PM CT
Mental health is always a timely topic. Our interactive webinar “Understanding your brain on perimenopause and menopause: how to navigate the zone of chaos” will feature local professionals: Lauren Ratcliff, LCSW, PMH-C, founder and owner of Matrescence Therapy
and Melisa Frick, specialized psychiatric nurse practitioner and owner of Psychiatric Wellness Suite.
We will discuss the neuroscience, clinical and practical approaches to navigating the zone of hormonal chaos (perimenopause) and menopause with special attention to common clinical questions about ADHD, depression and anxiety. We will send out an invitation and Teams meeting link to join our community.
Dr. Mary Claire Haver who is a bestselling author , Ob/GYN and founder of Pause Wellness will be speaking this week about her new book, The New Perimenopause locally in Wilmette.
Click here to learn more.
Dr. DeSapri in the news:
Lots of outreach and press about menopause! So proud to represent our practice and the voice of women.
NBC Chicago highlights menopause
NBC Chicago menopause series part 2
Outside magazine – 5-minute longevity workout
Bone health tapes podcast
Speaking of Women’s Health podcast
People magazine
Midlife must know
What we know:
Confusion still exists about who is a candidate for HT. Particularly women with breast cancer are caught in a dilemma. Many are told to avoid estrogen at all costs, and subsequently their quality of life is impacted by hot flashes, poor sleep and the impact on the vulva/vagina, bone/muscle and other body systems.
What’s good to know?
A recent publication in the peer reviewed Journal of Clinical Oncology, called for re-evaluation of the current imperfect data we have to guide our recommendations that women with a history of breast cancer avoid menopausal hormone therapy. Citing “ the data associating MHT and breast cancer recurrence are not definitive and that addressing treatment-related menopause symptoms is as important as optimizing adjuvant therapy to improve health.”
What does this mean for me?
No 2 breast cancers are alike. For this reason, the risk of recurrence can vary widely especially for women after receiving aromatase inhibitors ( AI) or chemotherapy.
Vaginal hormones for prevention and treatment of vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and chronic urinary tract infections have always been safe for women with a history of breast cancer. The FDA labeling has started to reflect our science.
More non hormonal options exist for treatment of hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbance. A second medication that targets the KNDY neurons was FDA approved in October 2025. This medication called elinzanetant (Lynkquet) inhibits the NK1 and NK3 receptors in the hypothalamus thus eliminating the hot flash response and improving sleep quality.
Even better this medication was studied in women with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen or AI’s and shown to be safe and effective.
For midlife women, ‘thinking low and thinking high’ invites us to rethink how and why we prescribe hormone therapy—so we can better support every stage from perimenopause to beyond.
Oh, the thinks you can think if only you try!
We always appreciate a 5-star review to help more women who are seeking the best perimenopause and menopause care find us.
Click here to make it happen!
