014 Dr. Jolene Brighten – On Hormonal Birth Control, Symptom Management, & Women’s Vitality

01:02 – Introducing today’s guest, Dr. Jolene Brighten06:57 – Dr. Jolene talks about the history of hormonal birth control10:38 – Worldwide use of hormonal birth control13:06 – Birth control and infertility issues14:41 – The purpose of your menstrual cycle17:57 – Symptom management18:49 – The buffet approach to birth control20:05 – Understanding that belief has no place in medicine or science25:11 – The inherent medical bias against women28:41 – How hormonal contraception affects mate selection34:53 – Hormonal contraception’s influence on women’s behavior37:40 – How to stay safe on birth control in the wake of dangerous side effects41:00 – Reversing Metabolic Mayhem44:01 – Physiological side effects of hormonal birth control47:51 – Inflammation49:47 – The complex nature of hormones52:06 – Where listeners can follow Dr. Stephanie and subscribe to her newsletterTWEETABLE QUOTES“Your doctor doesn’t need to have a research study to believe your story.” (07:55)“What often happens is that you are put on birth control for symptom management and, as it turns out, those symptoms are really rooted in conditions that are associated with infertility.” (13:06)“Hormonal birth control can rob us of what I call our superpowers. Throughout the menstrual cycle we have this ebb and flow of hormones that really gives us superpowers.” (16:42)“For me, and really I think for many women, we don’t need other people’s beliefs when we’re trying to make an informed decision. We need the facts and we need the information, and we can frame those within our belief system.” (23:12)“While hormonal birth control can rob you of your libido, when you come off of it, if you’ve selected your mate while you were on it and you come off of it, you may report more sexual dissatisfaction.” (32:47)“If women have ever used hormonal birth control for six months or more in their lifetime, they have over thirty percent risk of developing diabetes post-menopausal.” (44:04)“Women are dismissed and die at higher rates of heart attacks than men because we’re often told, ‘Oh you’re just stressed. You’re just anxious. It’s just in your head.’” (46:49)“Women are tricky. But ya know what isn’t tricky about women? How well they know their body. So, what we have to do as doctors is listen to them because women are really smart and really in-tune with their body.” (47:40)LINKS MENTIONEDBetter! WebsiteDr. Stephanie’s WebsiteDr. Stephanie’s Twitter – @dr_stephanieDr. Stephanie’s Instagram – @dr.stephanie.estimaDr. Stephanie on LinkedInDr. Jolene’s WebsiteDr. Jolene’s LinkedInDr. Jolene’s Instagram – @drjolenebrightenDr. Jolene’s Twitter – @drbrightenDr. Jolene’s FacebookDepression, Anxiety, Stress Scales (DASS)DASS QuestionnaireDr. Jolene’s Books:Beyond the Pill: A 30-Day Program to Balance Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side Effects of the Birth Control PillENJOYING THE SHOW, READY FOR MORE?Please Subscribe to Better! With Dr. StephanieJoin our Private Facebook Community for Better!Rate and Review: Show your support and help spread the word by writing a review, along with a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts: https://bettershow.co/apple🎙️🎙️🎙️Podcast production and marketing provided by FullCast ****************************P.S. When you're ready, here are two ways Dr. Stephanie can help you:Subscribe: The Mini Pause — My weekly newsletter packed with the most actionable, evidence-based tools for women 40+ to thrive in midlife.Build Muscle: LIFT — My progressive strength training program designed for women in midlife. Form-focused, joint-friendly, and built for real results. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.