My guest is Sara Gottfried, M.D., a Harvard-trained, board-certified gynecologist and clinical assistant professor of integrative medicine and nutritional sciences at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Gottfried specializes in hormone health, vitality and longevity using precision and personalized approaches. We discuss female hormone health, puberty, perimenopause and menopause; hormone testing; the microbiome; stress-related hormone challenges, their causes and various treatments. We also discuss fertility, birth control and tools for improving microbiome health, treating PCOS, insulin management and the best nutrition, supplementation and exercise programs for women. While the episode focuses mainly on female hormones, males will also benefit from our discussion because it includes actionable tools for managing stress, bolstering the gut microbiome and immunity—all of which can improve overall health, vitality and longevity in both males and females.
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Dr. Sara Gottfried
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Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Sara Gottfried
00:03:51 ROKA, Thesis, LMNT, Momentous
00:07:50 Women, Family History, Heredity & Environment
00:11:00 Puberty, Stress, Menstrual Cycles, Intrauterine Devices (IUDs)
00:17:26 Tool: Sex Hormones, Microbiome, Estrobolome & Disease; Biomarker Testing
00:25:11 Nutritional Testing; Vegetables, Microbiome & Disease
00:31:13 AG1 (Athletic Greens)
00:32:22 Microbiome, Prebiotics & Probiotics, Inflammation
00:36:08 Microbiome Testing, Magnesium, Constipation & Thyroid
00:42:25 Female Colonoscopy; Network Effect & Modern Medicine, Stress Factors
00:45:13 Constipation, Stress & Trauma, Autonomic Balance
00:55:35 Constipation Relief, Stress, Breathwork & Meditation
01:02:58 Systemic & Societal Stress Unique to Females
01:08:19 InsideTracker
01:09:23 Testing & Future Behavior
01:11:55 Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) & Cardiometabolic Disease; Stress
01:22:57 PCOS, Insulin, Glucose Monitoring and Management; Data Access
01:29:48 Behaviors for Vitality; Exercise & Body Phenotype; Cortisol
01:36:40 Cortisol Supplements: Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Fish Oil, Phosphatidylserine
01:42:36 Cortisol, Anxiety & Immune System; Adrenal Function, Resilience
01:48:07 Tool: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Inflammation, Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators
01:54:20 Oral Contraceptives, Benefits & Risks; Ovarian Cancer; Testosterone
02:06:50 Fertility, Follicular & Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) Assessments
02:10:29 Menopause & Hormone Replacement Therapy; Women’s Health Initiative
02:15:30 Perimenopause, Cerebral Hypometabolism, Metabolism & Estrogen
02:21:49 Intermittent Fasting, Ketogenic Diet, Metabolic Flexibility
02:23:29 Stool Testing
02:25:32 Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Test, ACE Score & Disease
02:31:56 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter, Momentous
Disclaimer:
This is THE single best Huberman Lab episode you have ever done, Andrew. On behalf of all women, thank you. Let’s hear her again soon, please.
Don’t miss the nugget she dropped at the very end by 2:25 about the CAC score test… a must for all!!! The number one killer for both women and men in the US is heart disease and it creeps up stealthily.
Copper IUDs cause inflammation, possible heavier bleeding and may make the uterine environment more prone to fibroids.
The problem started with women using OBGens for hormone replacement & they have zero to little training beyond pregnancy & delivery
Women wise up & go to endocrinology
I had a copper iud and went to the emergency room 5 days later to have it removed. At age 35 . Btw the ultrasound showed it was placed correctly from planned parenthood. I had 2 doses of morphine and was still uncomfortable. Horrible horrible experience. I never had a baby before getting it. I tried researching bad side effects before getting it and couldn’t find anything. Then afterwards I searched copper IUD gone wrong, emergency cases and THEN I found some negative articles about it. 😅 in my opinion I think my body wanted to “birth” the foreign object. Because it felt like it was trying to expel it. Soooo so painful. I also have a client who got pregnant while on iud and they couldn’t find it . Her baby came out with the iud in the babies head. Another client went in for an iud replacement. They couldn’t find it and said she probably pushed it out. She knew she didn’t so she advocated for X-ray/ultrasound and it was puncturing her uterus, waaay far away from where it should be. If she didn’t catch that and get surgery to remove it she could’ve gone into sepsis and died. I know plenty of people have good experiences, particularly women who have already had kids. Just cautioning anyone thinking about getting one put in . Hopefully this is helpful.