The Women's Wellness Hub

REPOST of this important message from
• Did you know that women have unique risk factors for cardiovascular disease? If you’ve experienced gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or PCOS, your risk of developing cardiovascular disease may be heightened. Talk with your ob-gyn or other health care professional about ways you can lower your risk. Learn more about heart health for women at the link in ACOG bio

Fun fact: You can teach an earthworm to navigate a maze.

An earthworm. No prefrontal cortex. No podcasts. No Biohacks. Just a dirt-filled tube.

And yet… it can learn.

Which brings me to this:

“All people have the capacity to change…This capacity is known as neuroplasticity - the ability of our nervous systems to build new connections and pathways to help us think or do things differently.”~Precision Nutrition

Peri/Menopause can feel like your body and brain suddenly started operating under new management.

Sleep changes. Mood shifts. Energy fluctuates. Motivation comes and goes.

It’s easy to think: Maybe this is just how I am now.

But your brain 🧠 never loses its ability to adapt.

💪🏻You can build strength.
😴You can improve sleep.
🧘🏻‍♂️You can change old habits.
😌You can feel better in your body again.

Not overnight. Not perfectly. But absolutely.

You are not stuck.
Your brain is still capable of change.

Even if it sometimes feels like an earthworm is running the control panel.

Start small. Your nervous system is paying attention.

Thank you for this awesome opportunity to talk about our project!

REPOST - Learn How Research & Education Come Together to Support Women’s Health in Muskoka 💛

Our newest episode of The Pulse is LIVE! 🎙️

We’re diving into how evidence-based research, community partnerships, and local education groups (including LEG, part of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare) are transforming menopause care in Muskoka.
From perimenopause to post-menopause, learn how the Women’s Health Hub is empowering women with personalized care, trusted information, and true community support.

Featuring:
Dr. Lindsay MacMillan - The Muskoka Women’s Health Hub
RN, Angela Hollingshead - The Muskoka Women’s Health Hub
Magdalena Partyka-Sitnik – Research Administrator, MAHC
Dr. Timothy Lapp – NOSMU Faculty Associate Professor & LEG Lead

Learn more:
LEG YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/

LEG Website: https://www.huntsvilleleg.ca/

Women’s Health Hub: [email protected]

🎧 Listen now on Spotify!

Lots of chatter on the interweb about the FDA’s removal of the black box warning on menopause hormone therapy (MHT).

This is a good start. BUT we need to ensure the pendulum doesn’t swing too far the other way.

➡️Flip through the pics to read with The Menopause Society has to say.

Read below ⬇️ to see what the European Menopause and Andropause society has to say:

“The removal of a warning label does not imply that MHT is suitable for every woman or that it should be broadly prescribed without careful evaluation.
Key principles remain unchanged:
• MHT is highly effective for menopausal symptom relief, including the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, osteoporosis prevention in women at appropriate risk, but not universally indicated.
• MHT is not indicated for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic women.
• MHT is not indicated for the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia, frailty, and
“anti-ageing” therapy.
• Treatment must remain individualised, considering age, symptom severity, personal and family risk profile, comorbidities, and patient preference.
• A blanket, one-size-fits-all approach is incompatible with modern, evidence-based menopause care.
• The goal is appropriate prescribing, not maximal prescribing.” - EMAS

This is VERY important to keep in mind when consuming content on social media.

Women deserve SAFE and effective care.

Long read but I hope this helps some women out there!!

📣🚨FRIENDS!

At 9:30am, Tune in to 📻 Hunter’s Bay Radio 88.7 on your FM dial to hear yours truly and Maggie - our incredible research coordinator talk about our research project and the opening of the Women’s Health Hub!

Learning to surf 🏄‍♀️ at 49years young! Thank you .autentico and beautiful Tamarindo Beach 🏖️ Costa Rica 🇨🇷

🎃 Our first-ever Women’s Health Hub Menopause Clinic launched on Halloween!

Because what better day to kick off something bold and new than the day everyone embraces transformation? 👻✨

Our team showed up ready to make menopause care more accessible — and also ready for a little fun:
🩺 Dr. Patch Adams
🍌 A very responsible banana
🐭 Minnie Mouse (a menopause-supporting icon in her own right)
💁‍♀️ And me — a peri-menopausal woman covered in to-do lists and wearing three pairs of glasses, because… well, if you know, you know.

Laughter, learning, and evidence-based care — that’s what this clinic is all about.

We’re thrilled to be bringing compassionate, accessible menopause care to our community — led by nurses, supported by physicians, and focused on empowering every woman to understand and own her health.

📍 The Women’s Health Hub — where science meets empathy (and occasionally, costumes).

📸 credit:

It’s Official!🥳🎉🎊

Year 2 of our research study includes the opening of the Women’s Health Hub in Huntsville!

We’re reimagining how women’s health care is delivered in Ontario- reducing barriers and making it easier than ever for ALL women in our area to access quality, evidence-based care - covered by OHIP!

🚫🩺 No family doctor or NP? No problem!
You can self-refer for an assessment with a qualified RN (that’s me!) who can refer you to one of our collaborating physicians if you need menopause-related medical care.
📧 Email [email protected] to
book your appointment.

🥼Already have a care provider?
They can easily send a referral through their electronic medical record. Just tell them to look for “Women’s Health Hub” in PSS (they’ll know what this means!)

Our team is building a new model of care that puts women’s health front and centre - right here in Muskoka. 💜

Another fantastic blog by Dr. Jen Gunter!

Menowashing—and the thousands of people cashing in on fear and misinformation about menopause—is more rampant than ever.

Looking for a trusted voice who follows solid evidence and actually advocates for safe, effective care for women? You can 💯 trust .

She’s been calling out misogyny, fear-mongering, and grifters for years—working tirelessly to debunk myths and harmful narratives.

I encourage every woman to subscribe to her Substack - The Vajenda, follow her socials, and read ALL of her books. She’s direct, evidence-based, and doesn’t put up with anyone’s s**t.

(Total fan-girl moment over here 🙋‍♀️)

Dr. Gunter is the reason I began my own mission: bringing free, accessible, inclusive, evidence-based menopause education to ALL women in our community through research. 💪

🚨 Book Recommendation Alert! 🚨

Is testosterone really to blame for low libido? For most midlife women, the answer is no.

The biggest factors impacting libido aren’t hormones alone—they’re stress, mental load, relationship dynamics, and overall well-being. In fact, research shows that psychological and relational factors play a bigger role in sexual desire than testosterone levels. According to studies, nearly 45% of midlife women report sexual concerns, with stress, fatigue, and relationship dissatisfaction topping the list of causes.

So, before you assume your libido is broken, ask yourself:
👉 Am I dealing with chronic stress?
👉 Is my relationship truly supportive, or am I carrying more than my share of the load? (And I’m finally sick and tired of it!)

If you have a loving, supportive partner (who isn’t dealing with their own sexual dysfunction) but still feel stuck in a rut, this book is a must-read: “Better S*x Through Mindfulness” by Dr. Lori Brotto. It’s packed with practical strategies to reconnect with your body, quiet the mental noise, and cultivate desire on your own terms.

Your libido isn’t lost—it just needs a different kind of attention. 💡

References:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6226268

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15543025

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2015/0815/p281

https://www.ccjm.org/content/84/5/367