If you know me, you know I have been somewhere, and up to something, cause, well, I don’t slow down easily. However, it has nearly been a full year since I last posted and I promise, I have not been up to nothing during that whole time!
Writing here is personal for me, it is my place to share information and share the process and care at Hearts and Hands. This last year, I fell into a big accidental and wonderful clinical transition, and didn’t have the creative energy to share along the way as I was filled to the brim with learning and adjusting (and also discovered that I do not want to be a full time social media character, I just want to be a clinician). However, I find myself ready for some sharing today, so here goes.
A year ago, as I was prepping for a talk on teen health, I become obsessed with all the interdisciplinary interactions and affects our female hormones have on our physical and emotional health. This began with teen health, but quickly moved on to the other side of the bell curve, menopause. Now, this is where there was a big surprise waiting for me. When I was in nursing school, a huge and well reported study was published on menopause, firmly stating that hormones past the diagnoses of menopause was dangerous for all women…everyone was taken off of everything, and phew, we were saving lives. This story was retold during my training to become a nurse practitioner in 2010. Little did I know, but already by that time, that 2002 WHI study had been debunked, but medical news travels slow. Turns out, most women do benefit from hormones during perimenopause and past menopause, both in symptom support and actual health longevity. While there are populations who have risk factors making hormones less safe, that number is a fraction of the whole. We missed the mark, and lost a whole 20 years’ worth of care and support to so so many women.
Fast forward to last spring in my little world…I accidently found a whole huge world of data, clinical support and standards of care suggesting I could be part of the solution to these lost years. And guess what, the timing was perfect, because if I saw you in early the 2010’s to catch your babies…you may actually be perimenopausal right now😉 and that is exactly what I was seeing in my office ~ my ladies stepping into a perfectly normal transition…but holy moly, can it be confusing and destructive.
I printed out some articles, read some journals, and then of course, decided I needed to be nationally certified in this next phase of life. The variety and scope of care that is needed, and the treatment options available felt too vast for a weekend lunch and learn, plus, Hearts and Hands was ready for a new specialty since I gave up baby catching. After a summer full of obsessive reading, learning and exploring, I sat for, and passed The Menopause Society’s national exam to become a Certified Menopause Provider in Octoer 2024. I also enrolled in The
Heather Hirsch Academy where I took in the courses on HRT pharmacology, sexual health through the years and HRT and breast cancer. Not only do I get to add some more initials after my name, but most importantly, I can truly say that I care for women across all life phases! And that feels great.
Because I am a visual person, I had to have my wall art (and bumper sticker) updated. And lucky for me, Heidi is still local and as creative as ever. So today, I share with you my years growth in words and in vision – care through the life phases, madden, mother and crone.
Stickers will arrive next week, the schedule through June is open, so tell your friends and book if you think this care is right for your phase of life. Same care model, same me, just some new wisdom for this next phase.
