11/28/2025
I remember about 8.5 years ago walking into a doctor’s office absolutely desperate. I needed someone outside of myself to finally tell me what was wrong, why my brain lived in a constant fog and why I was exhausted all the time. I didn’t feel like myself, and the answers I tried to piece together on my own weren’t enough anymore since my brain wasn’working properly
I found a female NP, thinking she would understand. At the time, I didn’t even have a personal doctor because I would ask colleagues quick questions here and there. But this wasn’t a quick question situation. Something deeper was happening inside my body, and I knew it. So with both girls in tow, I went to my appointment first thing that morning, hoping this would be the day I got “ The Answer”.
As I sat in the exam room waiting for her, I remember feeling anxious… but hopeful. Hopeful that she’d listen. Hopeful that she’d connect the dots. Hopeful that I’d walk out with answers.
She finally came in and sat down. I barely knew her, though she knew Mark, and I thought that shared connection would at least give me the chance to feel heard maybe even encouraged.
But the moment I began explaining the brain fog, the constant exhaustion, the sleepless nights with two babies only 18 months apart… her response stunned me.
“You sound depressed.”
WHAT!!!??!!
She knew our blended family dynamic. She knew the stress, the chaos, the challenges. And her solution?
An antidepressant.
WHAT!!!?!?!
I wasn’t depressed (Im gratefull I dont experience that )
I was exhausted.
I was overwhelmed
It was hormonal choas having 2 babies in my 40’s and breastfeeding at length.
I was asking for help, and instead I got a label.
I walked out of her office numb, confused, and devastated. I had gone in searching for answers and walked out feeling dismissed like what I was experiencing wasn’t real.
What I didn’t know then was this:
I was 44 and in perimenopause.
Yes, I had always run hormone tests. But I didn’t yet understand the depth of hormonal change until that day until I felt unheard, unseen, and unanswered.
I reached out to a couple colleagues, telling them I thought this was hormone-related, maybe perimenopause. Their answer because they were men was (and I love my male colleagues)
“I don’t deal with female hormones. They’re too complex.”
And that was my what now moment.
Clarity.
If I, with all my training, connections, and experience, couldn’t get someone to dig deeper… what were women without those resources facing?
That moment became the beginning of everything that came after. It took me awhile to get there dealing with my daughter’s PANDAs and making sure she got Into remision. Priorities, right mom’s!?!?
I realized I was going to spend one-third to one-half of my life in perimenopause and post-menopause just like every woman. And I decided right then that if no one else wanted to understand female hormones, I would.
I wanted to become the expert.
I would learn the depths.
I would be the one women could come to without being dismissed, labeled, or gaslit.
There are only 3,000 physicians certified in perimenopause/post menopause hormone. Only about 5,0000 of us with an advanced functional medicine certification (thats just a rough estimate since there is not enough data due to it’s so new) a reminder of how little physicians are taught about hormones and lifestyle
And that became my calling.
My goal as a practitioner is simple and unwavering:
To make sure every woman feels heard.
Seen.
Validated.
Understood.
No quick labels.
No rushed assumptions.
No gaslighting.
Just real answers, real science, and real compassion because women deserve nothing less.
With Love,
Dr. Amy
