Your adrenal glands are small but powerful organs that sit on top of your kidneys. They produce several important hormones: • Aldosterone , which helps regulate blood pressure • DHEA , which can be converted into sex hormones • Epinephrine and norepinephrine , your “fight-or-flight” hormones • Cortisol —the stress hormone most often mentioned when people talk about “adrenal fatigue” A colorful array of bubbling and steaming test tubes filled with vibrant chemicals,

What is it? Progesterone is a steroid hormone made in the adrenal glands, the ovaries (and the testes in men), and—during pregnancy—the placenta. After ovulation each month, the ovary releases progesterone to prepare the uterus for a possible pregnancy. If the egg is fertilized, the placenta eventually takes over progesterone production. If not, progesterone levels fall… and your period begins. Structural representation of progesterone, a steroid hormone with the chemical for

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been thinking about what I’m truly grateful for. The list is long, but here are a few things that rise right to the top: 1) Hormone replacement therapy. The conversation around perimenopause is finally changing, and honestly, I think we can thank Gen X women for that. For a generation branded as apathetic, we sure banded together when it came to demanding better care. After 2002, menopause management basically evaporated. Women were tol

As I shared last week, I recently had an abnormal mammogram. When the nurse called to tell me that I needed a diagnostic mammogram, I let out that  sigh—the deep, tired, “of course” kind of sigh. I’ve been blessed with dense breasts, and I’ve been considering a breast reduction, so this felt… inevitable. It wasn’t my first abnormal mammogram. But it still landed with weight. It’s not the mammogram itself that gets to me. The squishing? Fine—there’s plenty of tissue to work wi

Have you ever had an encounter with a doctor that left you in tears? What am I saying— of course , you have. A woman rests her head in her hand, visibly overwhelmed by stress, as thoughts swirl around her. I’ve heard so many stories from patients who didn’t feel heard. Whose symptoms were brushed off. Who walked back to their cars, shut the door, and cried. And as I reflect on my own career, I know—painfully—that sometimes I’ve been the cause of that pain (though, thankfully,

During the pandemic, a man named Josh Wardle invented a game for his partner, Palak Shah who was fond of word games. His game, Wordle became a world-wide phenomenon with people texting their family and friends the results every morning, encouraging some competition and a lot of camaraderie. My family and I joined the Wordle craze and then sought out other similar games. Taylordle, Quordle, Heardle and WORLDle- to name a few. One of my kids found another game called Framed. Th

I became pregnant with twins in late 2006 after one round of IVF. My husband and I knew we were lucky to get pregnant so quickly and while the thought of twins was a little overwhelming, it was still very exciting. Pregnancy was great. I was 30 years old (which carried a certain sense of maturity, no?). I had graduated medical school in 2002 and had a resounding four years of clinical experience. That made me an expert right? I was well versed in each trimester of pregnancy.

The Night Shift- when you can't sleep

Tribute to my dad who died 11 years ago

Since the moment the twins were born, a part of me knew adulthood loomed. But to be honest who is thinking about your kids going off to...

I was a medical student at the turn of the century (No- not THAT century! I’m not that old!). And during that time, attending physicians...

How is it I can still relate to a nine year old?