Where this was said
Sponsor: LMNT
At 1:07:40 · chapter starts 1:06:24
The question touches a nerve: Huberman acknowledges that perimenopause and menopause have been chronically under-studied, and that the field is only now entering a more rigorous era. [1] — Andrew Huberman "The large-scale HRT studies that concluded hormone therapy was dangerous or ineffective for menopause were apparently flawed in design and …" 1:04:50 He answers directly: yes, there is a well-founded mechanistic basis for anxiety during hormonal transition. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all modulate neuronal activity in circuits including the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and the HPA axis responsible for cortisol. When these hormones shift — not always declining, sometimes fluctuating erratically — neural circuit activity changes both acutely and in terms of baseline propensity for over- or under-activation. The landmark large-scale HRT studies that led clinicians to discourage hormone therapy were, in Huberman's summary, flawed: conclusions didn't match data, and therapies were often started too late. Re-evaluation and new studies suggest early initiation during perimenopause or early menopause produces significant benefits. He stops short of prescribing specific therapies, emphasizing instead that any physician who truly cares about a patient's health should be willing to have a thorough conversation about estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels and whether adjustment is warranted. He plans to bring specialist guests on the podcast for deeper coverage.
