Shawn Tassone, MD, PhD - America's Holistic Gynecologist

Shawn Tassone, MD, PhD - America's Holistic Gynecologist 2X Board Cert OBGYN + Integrative Medicine | Author of The Hormone Balance Bible - AVAILABLE NOW!
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04/30/2026

Menopause as a “spiritual awakening” — I understand why that resonates with so many women, but a more complete conversation starts when we understand what’s happening hormonally while still honoring the emotional and spiritual shift mentions.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) don’t “activate” the pituitary gland — they’re actually produced by the pituitary gland.

During menopause, these hormones often rise because the brain is essentially screaming at the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone. For some women, those levels don’t stay elevated forever, especially if hormone therapy is part of the picture.

The experience many women have is where I think both perspectives can coexist.

Women often reach a point of deeper self-awareness, clearer boundaries, and a different connection to themselves. That’s not something we should dismiss. If anything, it’s something we should better understand — both hormonally and personally.

At one point in history, women who would now be considered menopausal were seen as the most grounded, experienced, and insightful members of their communities because they had lived life, had experiences, and evolved — the “Wise Woman” as I like to call it.

The spiritual side of this phase might not be about hormones “awakening” something, but about finally having the space and perspective to step into something new.

💬 Have you felt a shift in how you think or see things in this phase?

Share this with someone you know navigating menopause, save this for your own clarity later, and be sure to follow me for more honest conversations about women’s health and hormones 💌

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04/29/2026

Perimenopause doesn’t just cause new symptoms, it can also intensify what’s already there.

Especially if you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, or even had prior estrogen-related (E2) issues, as mentioned by — then hormone fluctuations can hit harder because estrogen directly impacts neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which means when it starts fluctuating, you may notice:
🚩 Worse focus or ADHD symptoms
🚩 Increased anxiety or mood swings
🚩 Sleep disruption that makes symptoms feel amplified + more

This is where a lot of women get missed because the focus stays on the original diagnosis instead of what’s driving the change even though they’re feeling —

More distracted.
More anxious.
More overwhelmed.

While there isn’t a universal “too late” for most women to start hormone replacement therapy, there is a right way to evaluate it and when and how you start should still be a personalized medical decision. Not guesswork.

If your symptoms have changed, intensified, or stopped responding to what used to work then it’s time to look deeper — save this so you don’t ignore the pattern, share it with someone who’s been searching for answers, and follow me for more honest conversations about women’s health and hormones 💌

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If you’ve ever thought “I feel off, but I can’t explain why…” this is for you 🫶Hormonal changes don’t always show up in ...
04/28/2026

If you’ve ever thought “I feel off, but I can’t explain why…” this is for you 🫶

Hormonal changes don’t always show up in obvious ways. They can affect:
✨ How you think
✨ How you feel
✨ How your body responds to stress
✨ How your metabolism functions

Which is why symptoms like brain fog, anxiety, or unexplained weight changes are often overlooked.

And when it comes to testosterone in women, the gap becomes even more clear — despite its role in energy, cognition, and overall function.

So many women are left navigating symptoms without clear answers or support.

You deserve more clarity than that — that’s what I’m here for!

Save this for later, share it to help someone else feel less alone in this + tap the follow button for more honest conversations on hormones, perimenopause, menopause and women’s health 💌

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04/27/2026

If you’ve been told testosterone is “just for libido” you’ve been given about 10% of the story, because in women, testosterone supports:
⚡️ Energy
💪 Strength
🧠 Focus
✨ Mood
💅🏼 Confidence + more

Not just s*x drive, as mentioned by dermatologist

In a recent reel, I discussed how men have several FDA-approved options for testosterone therapy, but women? NONE!

Not because women don’t need it, because the system hasn’t prioritized it. So instead, women are left with:
❌ Inconsistent dosing
❌ Limited guidance
❌ And a lot of trial and error

That’s not how this should work.

Women deserve care that’s designed for THEM.
Women deserve dosing that actually reflects their physiology, not guessing based on a man’s dose.
And women deserve to be part of the conversation — not left out of it.

Your symptoms are real.
Your experience matters.
And your voice carries more weight than you think.

Save it as a reminder that your health deserves attention, share this to help more women understand the truth about testosterone + tap the follow button for more honest conversations on hormones, perimenopause, menopause and women’s health 💌

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04/24/2026

The symptom I hear most often from women, regardless of age, isn’t talked about enough…

“I don’t feel like myself anymore.”

Women also describe it as:
💬 “I just feel flat…”
💬 “I’m…disconnected…”
💬 “I’m more anxious than I’ve ever been.”
💬 “I don’t care.. I’m unmotivated”
💬 “I feel myself pulling away from friends, work, even my family..”
💬 “I’m just going through the motions…”

says it perfectly — like a shell of who they used to be, as I often describe it, “feeling meh…” and it’s one of the most overlooked symptoms of hormone changes because it doesn’t “look” hormonal, so it’s labeled as:
❌ anxiety
❌ depression
❌ burnout
❌ “just stress”
❌ “it’s your relationship/kids/work etc…”
❌ “this is just life right now…”

Because we don’t have enough doctors discussing the critical impact hormones play in how you think, feel, and function, for example:
✨ Estrogen — mood, brain function, emotional stability
✨ Progesterone — calming effect, sleep, anxiety support
✨ Testosterone — motivation, drive, mental clarity
✨ Thyroid Hormones (not just TSH) — energy, metabolism, brain function
✨ Cortisol — stress response and resilience
✨ Neurotransmitters (serotonin + dopamine) — influenced by hormones, impact mood + motivation

So when hormones shift, especially during perimenopause and menopause, it’s discouraging how often mental health symptoms are dismissed.

When a woman says she doesn’t feel like herself anymore she deserves more than “everything looks normal.”

She deserves attention.
She deserves options.
And she deserves for it to be taken seriously.

What made you feel like a different version of yourself and what did your doctor tell you it was? Share your story in the comments, save this post as a reminder that your symptoms are valid + share it with someone who’s been feeling like something isn’t right 💌

If you’re tired of feeling gaslit or told your symptoms are “normal” when it doesn’t feel that way, I’d love to help you connect the dots and understand what’s going on. I’m licens

04/23/2026

Women are commonly dismissed for symptoms that don’t “look” hormonal because they don’t always show up the way medicine expects them to, such as those mentioned by

And if it doesn’t fit the textbook version? It often gets ignored or labeled as:
❌ anxiety
❌ stress
❌ “normal”

That’s where women start questioning themselves, not because nothing is happening, but because no one is connecting the dots.

Hormones don’t just affect your cycle. They influence your nervous system, blood vessels, brain signaling, and even sensory perception, among many other things.

So when they shift, symptoms can absolutely show up as:
😵‍💫 dizziness or vertigo
❤️‍🔥 heart palpitations
🧠 brain fog
👃 phantom smells
👂 changes in skin, ears, or sleep

These aren’t always obvious, but they’re not necessarily random either, because hormones are not one-size-fits-all.

Did you experience one of these, or another symptom, that didn’t make sense at the time, but turned out to be hormone-related? Leave it in the comments to see if other women can relate!

Women can experience hormonal shifts based on age, stress, environment, nutrition, sleep, individual physiology, along with many other factors, so it shouldn’t be such a difficult concept that two women can have completely different symptoms and both still be experiencing hormone-related changes.

That’s why, in my practice, I don’t focus on giving you a label, I focus on patterns and understanding your pattern.

💬 What’s new for you?
💬 What feels off?
💬 What’s changing?
💬 What’s interfering with how you want to live your life?

Your body doesn’t follow a checklist and your doctor shouldn’t either.

If your symptoms are being brushed off instead of explored, it may be time to find a doctor who will actually listen — you deserve answers, not dismissal.

Save this as a reminder to advocate for yourself and share it with someone you know who could also use the reminder 💌

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04/22/2026

One of the most misleading things women are told is that hormone changes suddenly start at a certain age, but they never have. Think about puberty.

That was also a time of massive hormonal shifts, and what came with it? Mood swings, anxiety, acne, irregular cycles, feeling completely off in your own body, etc.

No one questioned it then. We understood it was hormonal. Now fast forward… Women start experiencing:
✅ anxiety
✅ sleep issues
✅ brain fog
✅ weight changes
✅ low libido
✅ irregular cycles + more

And suddenly… it’s dismissed as:
🚩 “normal”
🚩 “just stress”
🚩 “just getting older”
🚩 “you’re too young”
🚩 “you’ll get used to it”

That’s where women get stuck.

Reality is “perimenopause” isn’t even a formal diagnosis — it’s a descriptive phase of hormonal change. Just like puberty. And just like puberty — it doesn’t follow a perfect timeline.

Some women notice shifts in their 30s. Some earlier. Some later.

It’s not about your age.
It’s about your hormones.

If no one is connecting those dots for you, you’re going to feel like something’s wrong with you, when really, your body is just changing.

The problem isn’t you, or that this is happening to you. The problem is how often it’s ignored.

Because your doctor validated hormone shifts at 13, but questions them at 33…. 🤯

Save this post if you’ve been dismissed because of your age, share it with someone you know trying to make sense of their symptoms, and follow me for more honest conversations about women’s health + hormones 💌

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04/21/2026

Yes, really, a woman in menopause can have lower estrogen levels than a man…

Yet we’ve normalized women feeling, exhausted, anxious, foggy, inflamed, disconnected from their own body, etc….as if it’s just part of aging.

Meanwhile, if men experienced a sudden, drastic hormone crash the way women do? Just as mentions, it would be a national emergency.

We wouldn’t call it “normal.”

Estrogen isn’t just about reproduction. It plays a role in:
✅ brain function
✅ mood regulation
✅ metabolism
✅ bone health
✅ cardiovascular health + more!

So when a woman’s levels drop significantly, and stay low, it’s not surprising they feel like something is off.

The issue isn’t menopause.
The issue is how casually we dismiss what happens during it.

And no, this isn’t about saying every woman needs hormone replacement therapy, it’s about understanding what’s actually happening so women can make informed, individualized decisions about their health.

Share this with someone struggling with symptoms who’s been told it’s “normal” and save this post for whenever you need it 💌

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The amount of BS hormone advice online right now is unreal.Everyone’s a “hormone expert” until you realize they’ve never...
04/20/2026

The amount of BS hormone advice online right now is unreal.

Everyone’s a “hormone expert” until you realize they’ve never looked at a lab, treated a patient, or managed a complex case.

Meanwhile, women are being told BS like:
❌ You don’t need testing
❌ Birth control “balances” hormones
❌ Women don’t need testosterone
❌ Just take this supplement
❌ Your labs are normal, so you’re fine

…and still feeling exhausted, anxious, gaining weight, not sleeping, and just… completely off.

Your hormones are just a piece to the bigger puzzle — so no, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix, and a trending post isn’t a treatment plan.

If this sounds like you, it might be time to actually look at your hormones the right way — save this post so you don’t fall for the BS and follow me for more honest conversations about women’s health + hormones 💌

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04/17/2026

If you’re noticing more hair in your brush, your drain, or your part getting wider… it’s not just “stress” or “aging.”

It’s information.

Hair loss in women is often one of the earliest signs that your hormones are shifting and most people completely miss this clue.

Here’s what I look at clinically if I have a woman dealing with hair loss and/or thinning:

✅ Thyroid hormones (TSH, Free T3, Free T4, TPO antibodies) — even “normal” thyroid labs can still mean suboptimal for YOU.

✅ Estrogen + Progesterone balance
Low estrogen = weaker hair growth phase
Low progesterone = increased sensitivity to stress hormones

✅ Free + Total Testosterone + DHT — too much conversion to DHT can shrink hair follicles over time

✅ Cortisol (stress hormone) — chronic stress pushes hair into the shedding phase (telogen effluvium)

✅ Nutrient status — Iron, ferritin, vitamin D, B12, if these are off, your hair will show it before anything else

I see women every day who were told “your labs are normal” while their symptoms were screaming otherwise.

Hair loss is not just cosmetic. It’s a clinical clue and your goal shouldn’t be to chase hair growth products, it should be to figure out why your body is deprioritizing hair in the first place.

That’s where real treatment starts.

If this sounds like you, it’s time to look deeper than surface-level fixes. Save this if your hair has been thinning and you’ve been told everything is “normal” 💌

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04/16/2026

There are currently no FDA-approved testosterone replacement therapies specifically for women in the U.S. although thousands of women are being prescribed it every day.

So what’s happening instead?

Many women, as tamsenfadal mentions, are being told to use male-formulated testosterone gels with instructions like “just use a pea-sized amount.”

That’s not precision medicine. That’s guessing.

And when it comes to hormones, guessing = inconsistent results, and sometimes, unwanted side effects, which is why in my practice, I offer women better, more controlled options, such as:

🧴 Compounded testosterone creams which allow for precise, customized dosing
💊 Sublingual options for consistent delivery in the form of troches or rapid dissolve tablets
💉 Injections in small doses if absorption is an issue in alternative forms

Yes — gels and pellets exist, but for women to avoid irreversible side effects, such as voice deepening, unwanted hair growth, or clitoromegaly, to name a few, it’s important your testosterone replacement is dosed appropriate, individualized, and actually works for your body.

Testosterone is critical for women’s health when it comes to libido, energy, mood, muscle, cognitive function, and more.

Testosterone isn’t the problem, it’s how it’s being prescribed — save this to refer back to before starting testosterone therapy 💌

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04/15/2026

Hot sauna. Cold testicles.
This might sound ridiculous until you understand the physiology and why, even for women, men’s s*xual health should be discussed more in depth.

Society has conditioned women to carry the primary responsibility of preventing pregnancy and now they’ve quietly shifted the primary responsibility of getting pregnant onto them too.

Meanwhile, the data tells a different story:

In the U.S., about 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility, and the cause is more evenly distributed than most think:
✅ One-third involve male factors
✅ One-third involve female factors
✅ One-third involve a combination of both

Male fertility is part of the conversation — whether people want to acknowledge it or not.

Men weren’t designed to have their reproductive organs exposed to prolonged heat as mentioned by Bryan Johnson yet we do it daily with saunas, hot tubs, and even laptops.

S***m production (s***matogenesis) is controlled by hormones like testosterone, FSH, and LH, and requires a temperature of about 2–4° below body temp taking ~70–90 days to complete.

So yes — chronic heat exposure can impact s***m count and fertility.

If a man is wanting to optimize his fertility, he should:
✅ Be mindful of consistent heat exposure
✅ Support hormone balance
✅ Prioritize sleep, recovery, and metabolic health

In the latest episode of Confessions of a Male Gynecologist with FirmTech | Drug-Free ED Solutions we took a deep dive into men’s s*xual wellness, fertility, and the habits that actually make a difference.

🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you stream podcasts, save this for later, and send it to someone who still thinks fertility is only a women’s issue!

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