Dr. Kelly Simms ND, CNS, FABNE
Naturopathic Doctor, Integrative and Functional Medicine, Natural Women's Health
Hot flashes are sudden episodes of intense heat affecting the face, neck, and chest. They are the most common vasomotor symptom of menopause, affecting roughly 80% of women during the menopausal transition. Data from the SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation) study shows that these heat episodes last an average of 7 to 10 years, far longer than…
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Types of PCOS refer to the classification of polycystic ovary syndrome into distinct subtypes based on the underlying driver of hormonal imbalance. Understanding which type you have changes the approach to treatment. The four main types are insulin-resistant PCOS, adrenal PCOS, post-pill PCOS, and inflammatory PCOS. Each has a different root cause, and effective treatment requires addressing that specific cause…
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Perimenopause symptoms are the physical and emotional changes women experience as hormone levels fluctuate during the transition to menopause. These symptoms result from shifting estrogen and progesterone production and affect everything from menstrual cycles to sleep, mood, and cognitive function. While perimenopause typically begins in the mid-40s, increasing numbers of women notice symptoms in their late 30s and early 40s….
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For years, perimenopause was thought to be something that happened in your late 40s—maybe your early 50s. It was considered a gradual transition, a slow shift leading up to menopause. But something has changed. More and more women in their late 30s and early 40s are coming into my practice, exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why their cycles feel erratic, why…
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Deciding to start a family is an exciting milestone, but it can also come with a lot of questions—especially if you’ve been on birth control. Two common questions we hear from women considering pregnancy are, “When should I stop birth control?” and “What should I do next to conceive?” Preparing for pregnancy involves understanding these steps and making informed decisions….
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Chronic stress can be difficult to define since we all experience different levels of stress daily. First, let’s break down how the body reacts to stressors, pivoting into “fight or flight” mode to give you extra energy. When stress persists, our HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis will respond to sustain this immediate reaction. Additional hormones, glucocorticoids, are released into most organs and…
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