Ep. 579: Normal Isn’t Optimal – The Shocking Truth About Progesterone, Brain Health & Hormone Timing with Dr. Felice Gersh | Menopause & HRT

Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Cynthia Thurlow

Nutrition, Alternative Health, Life Sciences, Science, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I am delighted to welcome Dr. Felice Gersh for part two of our conversation on progesterone, brain health, and cognition. Dr. Gersh is a valued colleague, friend, and mentor. She is a board-certified OBGYN in integrative medicine. She taught at the USC Keck School of Medicine for 12 years and is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine. Today, we continue our conversation by exploring the liver's role in detoxification, dosing, and alternative routes of administration for progesterone. We cover the effects of allopregnanolone, the timing hypothesis, how to optimize hormones during perimenopause and menopause, the impact of cycling hormones in menopause, optimal estradiol levels, progesterone intolerance, and paradoxical effects. We also discuss growth factors in estrogen cycling, mitochondrial health and inflammation, how shift work disrupts circadian rhythms, and immune system changes in menopause. This is a conversation you will definitely want to revisit. Dr. Gersh truly challenged my thinking about hormone therapy with her simple but powerful message about the importance of considering the bigger picture when it comes to hormone replacement therapy. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How reproductive hormones influence cognition, mood, and focus The cognitive changes, brain fog, and memory lapses that occur during menopause How allopregnanolone, progesterone’s metabolite, can either support calm and sleep or potentially accelerate cognitive decline over time How different routes of progesterone administration (oral, vaginal, rectal) produce very different outcomes Dr. Gersh challenges the assumption that static hormone dosing aligns with the evolution of female physiology. How localized symptoms act as indicators of what could be happening in the brain, bones, and cardiovascular system The benefits of using progesterone in cycles rather than continuously How estradiol and progesterone decline in menopause can lead to low-grade inflammation, shifts in immune function, and reduced mitochondrial efficiency How shift work disrupts circadian rhythms Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com. Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow. Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now! Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Connect with Dr. Felice Gersh On YouTube and Instagram The Integrative Medical Group of Irvine

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.
0:04.0	I'm your host, Nurse Practitioner Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.0	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:13.0	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and
0:21.5	impact over a million lives.
0:28.8	This is part two of a prolific conversation that I had with Dr. Felice Gersh, who is a dear
0:34.5	colleague and friend and also someone that I look up to as a mentor.
0:39.5	She's a board certified OBGYN and Integrative Medicine.
0:42.2	She taught at the Keck USC School of Medicine for 12 years and is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine.
0:51.7	Today we continued our conversation talking about the role of progesterone in brain health,
0:56.5	as well as brain health and cognition, the role of the liver and detoxification,
1:01.4	different routes of administration for progesterone, not just oral, but also rectal and vaginal,
1:06.7	and the impact of alopregnant alone, physiologicologic dosing of progesterone, the timing hypothesis.
1:13.2	How to optimize hormones in perimenopause and menopause. And as she states, normal is not optimal.
1:18.3	The impact of cycling hormones and menopause and optimal estradiol levels, which she likes to see
1:24.4	greater than 100 picograms per ML, the role of progesterone intolerance and paradoxical effects,
1:30.9	growth factors in estrogen cycling,
1:33.1	mitochondrial health and inflammation,
1:35.2	the impact of shift work and circadian disruption
1:37.8	and last but not least,
1:39.1	immune system changes that we see in menopause
1:41.8	and we know that inflammation accelerates. Again, one of
	...

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