EFR 901: Perimenopause Explained: Brain Fog, Weight Gain, & Fatigue — What Every Woman Needs to Know with Dr. Mariza Snyder

Ever Forward Radio with Chase Chewning

Chase Chewning

Healthcoach, Education, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Wellness, Fitness, Humanoptimization, Resiliency, Holistic, Highperformance, Coaching, Biohack, Health, Military, Entrepreneurship, Mindset, Health & Fitness

5 • 927 Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is brought to you by Legion, Fatty15, Joi and Blokes, and Audible.

Today we sit down with hormone expert and bestselling author Dr. Mariza Snyder, DC to unpack the misunderstood phase of perimenopause—a time of powerful transition that affects every woman but is rarely talked about with clarity and compassion. Mariza defines what perimenopause really is (and how early it can begin), while highlighting symptoms like brain fog, mood shifts, energy crashes, and stubborn weight gain that are too often misdiagnosed or ignored. Drawing from both science and personal experience, she explains how estrogen impacts everything from mental clarity to metabolism, and why muscle mass and metabolic health are non-negotiables after 40. If you're a woman navigating this stage—or someone who loves one—this episode will leave you feeling informed, validated, and ready to thrive in your next chapter.

Follow Mariza @drmariza

Follow Chase @chase_chewning

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In this episode we discuss...

00:00 – Welcome & Introduction to Dr. Mariza Snyder
02:15 – What is Perimenopause? How It Differs from Menopause
05:00 – Early Symptoms Most Women Miss
08:20 – Estrogen and the Brain: Why It Matters for Energy & Mood
11:45 – Dr. Mariza's Personal Journey into Perimenopause
15:30 – Hormone Imbalance or Just Life? How to Tell the Difference
18:50 – The Power of Muscle: Weight Gain, Insulin, and Aging
21:30 – Lifestyle Shifts: Movement, Sleep, and Metabolic Health
25:00 – Natural Solutions vs. Hormone Therapy: What's Right for You?
28:45 – The Critical Role of Cycle Tracking and Lab Testing
32:10 – Why Women Over 40 Need to Prioritize Self-Advocacy
36:00 – Dr. Mariza's Go-To Daily Practices for Hormone Health
39:20 – Final Thoughts: You're Not Broken—You're Transforming

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Episode resources:

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Get 50% off hormone labs with at https://www.JoiAndBlokes.com/chase
FREE 30-day audiobook trial at https://ww.AudibleTrial.com/everforward
Watch and subscribe on YouTube
Learn more at DrMariza.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	The following is an operation podcast production.
0:03.0	These hormones are master regulators of the body.
0:05.8	And probably one of the biggest hormones that's regulating the brain.
0:08.9	The CEO of the female brain is estradial.
0:11.9	And that our brains have been reliant on estrogen rhythmically,
0:16.7	binding to receptor sites and controlling inflammation,
0:20.0	managing energy metabolism in the brain.
0:22.7	And a big part of what Perry is is not only are these hormones declining, but they are
0:27.7	declining erratically without permission.
0:31.2	We start to see some pretty big brain changes.
0:33.9	When I knew unequivocally that I was in perimenopause. Because even, again, the subtle
0:39.3	symptoms for me, I was like, oh, is this my thyroid? Am I working too hard? Am I burning the
0:44.8	candle on both ends? Like, what's going on with me? But how I knew was for three months in
0:51.0	a row around seven days prior to my period.
0:54.5	So halfway through that ludial phase, I would wake up with this deep sense of dread.
1:00.2	Everything felt insurmountable.
1:01.9	I didn't know how I was going to get through my days.
1:04.6	I also would have these moments throughout my day where I would feel this just awful, raging rage and I it just felt so uncontrollable.
1:14.3	It felt so I felt so untethered.
1:16.4	Hey, this is Dr. Mises Snyder, author of the Perimenopause Revolution and welcome to Ever Forward
1:21.2	Radio.
1:46.3	Well, I'm so glad to have you on the show because we're talking about something that has loosely been covered on Everford Radio, but I have not ever sat down with someone to just like go, all right, menopause, you know, take me to school. What is it all about? And it's something that as a guy, I physically, you know, personally can't relate to, but also just in my marriage, my wife has not hit perimenopause yet. So I have no kind of like,
	...

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