We’ve gotten a lot of requests for episodes dealing with the hormonal changes women face in their late 30s and 40s. So today, Sarah and I bring you Laura Erdman, an OB/GYN who practices in Maryland. Sarah interviews her about what happens in perimenopause, some of the beneficial effects of oral contraceptives, and making our peace with the process of aging. This is an incredibly informative episode, so please check it out! In the Q&A we answer a question about how to teach kids about time.
If you have episode requests, please keep sending them along!
For the listener who asked about saying “quickly” all the time – I have really worked to tell my kids it is “time to focus on X”. Taking a long time eating breakfast, “Time to focus on eating your breakfast, and then it will be time to focus on getting dressed.” It seems to work well – and then if I do say, I need you to go quickly, they respond because they don’t hear it all the time.
@Dominique – great idea – framing things in terms of what we’re focusing on now helps move things along without the “hurry it up!” comments. I try to give my kids a warning “five minutes before we need to focus on this…”
Thank you so much for this episode! This was just the information I needed (and couldn’t find googling on Dutch websites myself).
@Annemieke- glad you enjoyed it! I thought it was very informative too!
I really enjoyed this episode – great and super knowledgeable guest. Having an OB you like and trust is so important! And Sarah – I also had a copper IUD and it was HORRIBLE. It was my only bc option because I have a genetic mutation that makes me prone to blood clots. So I can’t be on hormonal bc (had a massive blood clot during pregnancy and take blood thinner injections every day to prevent one during this pregnancy – genetics are fun…). I haven’t thought about how that will impact my options when I enter menopause… something I will have to talk to my OB about when that is on the horizon!
The time conversation was interesting. I was raised in a family where we were always early to things and now I am early as an adult so it must have been ingrained in me as a child. We do talk about time with our 2.5 year old, but it’s mostly related to timers! e.g. when the timer goes off we leave the park. This week when I was giving him a bath I said I would set the timer for 10 minutes – he said, ‘no mommy, set it for 5 minutes.’ I tried to explain that 10 was more than 5 but it was beyond his grasp… Kind of a funny moment, though.
@Lisa – wow, that sounds like an incredibly not-fun mutation. Only a few more weeks to go, though, right??
This was an excellent episode! I really appreciated hearing the science behind hormones rather than just anecdotal testimonies. Wish I lived near this doctor’s clinic!
@Anne – I know! I hope we have some Maryland listeners who look her up!
This was a great episode! I am a doctor too but I definitely learned some new things from her. Really great to focus on women’s health. Thanks!
Lived the episode even though I’m not close to the this phase yet. It has always sounded so horrible and mystical the way my mom and her friends described it. Now I wish I lived closer to Maryland! I wonder if you could also do an episode on what you would do again or avoid before getting pregnant the first time? Thanks for keeping us company this long winter :))
I learned so much from this episode! As someone who is turning 40 next month, the timing was perfect and much of what Dr. Erdman shared corresponded with my own recent experiences. I also shared this episode with two friends who just turned or are just about to turn 40 and we all commented that our text exchange about the episode was the first any of us had actually talked about perimenopause. Thank you for shedding light on this topic and providing great information and advice!
Loved this episode! Super informative! I’m 42, so felt like this one was perfect for me!
Thank you!!!!
@Megan – turns out we have a lot of listeners between the ages of 35-45. Seems like it might be our prime demographic!!
I also appreciated this episode! My hormones are definitely changing as I enter my late thirties and this is helping me re-evaluate my opposition to “hormone pills.” 🙂
Dr. Erdman delivered my son almost exactly 5 years ago! I did a double take when I saw her name on the list of episodes but it’s really her! First of all I would love to know how you selected her for the show. Not that it surprised me. She is the perfect combination of a competent and incredibly calm & approachable professional. She told me something I have since repeated to many mothers about the decisions we make every day as a parent, “The thing is”, she said, “there are no wrong answers but there aren’t any right answers either”. Think about it. Or don’t.
@Helena- small world! And yep, she was a great guest.