We welcome back Kate on the podcast for the millionth time! We joke this should be the Kitty and Kate Show.This time we talk about menopause and common questions that come up with it. Kate has a really good way of taking complex subjects and making them easy to understand so I thought this was a good one to dig into together.In this episode, Kate and I chat about:➡️What is menopause?➡️Perimenopause vs menopause➡️What are “normal” but not 'necessary' menopausal symptoms?➡️What are hot flashes?➡️The impact of stress on menopausal symptoms➡️HRT and how it works➡️Estrogen’s impact on other hormones➡️How estrogen affects energy levels➡️What taking progesterone can do➡️How a low metabolism impacts estrogen and progesterone➡️Is estrogen protective for the brain?➡️Why women have an increased rate of heart disease➡️The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) vs hormonal birth control➡️5 foundational things you can do to improve your hot flashes and menopausal symptomsLINKSJoin our 7-Day Eat More, Train Less, Get Results ChallengeLearn more about our 16-week Winatlife Accelerator Program: Book your callFollow:Kitty Blomfield @kittyblomfieldKate Deering @katedeeringfitnessSHOW NOTES01:43 - Brief background of Kate Deering08:00 - What is menopause?10:18 - Are menopausal symptoms necessary?11:11 - What are hot flashes?13:45 - The connection between stress and hot flashes15:45 - What can we do to fix hot flashes17:54 - Why taking large doses of estrogen work to get rid of hot flashes22:02 - Why do women report having more energy when taking estrogen?23:36 - The negative and positive effects of taking progesterone32:34 - How a low metabolism plays a role in estrogen and progesterone levels35:07 - Does estrogen help with blood pressure? How?37:00 - Is estrogen good for the brain?37:57 - Why women experience dementia more than men?38:48 - Could it be beneficial for women after they go through menopause to supplement with progesterone for the rest of their life?41:37 - Why women have an increased rate of heart disease43:09 - Why women have strokes at double the rate in their 20's and later in life46:52 - The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) vs hormonal birth control51:39 - Things you can do to improve your hot flashes and menopausal symptoms