Studies & Guides

Tools for better questions.

Free guides to bring to your next appointment, and the research behind our approach, summarized in plain language.

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Symptom tracker, notebook and tea on linen

Guides

Free guides & printables

Print them, fill them in, and bring them to your visit.

The Misdiagnosed Guide

Our free guide to the symptom patterns most often missed in midlife, sent straight to your inbox.

7-Day Symptom Tracker

Track what you feel for a week so patterns are easier to spot and explain.

Open & print

Visit-Prep Checklist

What to bring and what to ask, so you leave your appointment with real answers.

Open & print

7-Day Symptom Tracker

Mark each day: ✓ if present, or rate 0 (none) to 10 (severe). Name: ____________________   Week of: __________

SymptomMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Hot flashes / night sweats
Sleep quality (0–10)
Mood / anxiety (0–10)
Energy (0–10)
Brain fog
Joint or muscle aches
Period / bleeding
Other

Notes (triggers, medications, what helped):

Visit-Prep Checklist

Bring this to your next appointment.

Bring with you

  • List of medications and supplements, with doses
  • Recent lab results (last 1–2 years)
  • Your completed symptom tracker
  • Date of your last period and any recent changes
  • Family history (heart disease, cancer, thyroid, osteoporosis)

Questions to ask

  1. Could my symptoms be connected to one underlying cause?
  2. Could perimenopause or my thyroid be part of this?
  3. What else could explain this, and how would we rule it out?
  4. What are my treatment options, including non-hormonal ones?
  5. When should I follow up, and what should I watch for?

Studies

The research behind our approach

Key studies and guidelines, summarized in plain language. Follow the links to read the originals.

Hormone therapy

Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)

The large 2002 trial whose early results led many women and doctors to stop hormone therapy. Later analyses showed risks depend heavily on age and time since menopause.

Rossouw JE, et al. JAMA. 2002;288(3):321–333.

Read the study →
Hormone therapy

WHI long-term follow-up

Eighteen years of follow-up found hormone therapy was not associated with increased all-cause mortality among women in the WHI trials.

Manson JE, et al. JAMA. 2017;318(10):927–938.

Read the study →
Guidelines

2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement

The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS) concludes that for healthy women under 60, or within 10 years of menopause, the benefits of hormone therapy generally outweigh the risks for bothersome symptoms.

The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2022;29(7):767–794.

Read the study →
Guidelines

2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement

Reviews the evidence for non-hormonal options for hot flashes, including prescription medications and behavioral approaches, for women who can’t or prefer not to use hormones.

The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2023;30(6):573–590.

Read the study →
Symptoms

Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Among women with frequent hot flashes and night sweats, symptoms lasted a median of 7.4 years, and persisted a median of 4.5 years after the final period.

Avis NE, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):531–539.

Read the study →
Medical training

Menopause knowledge among residents

In a 2019 study of 183 family medicine, internal medicine, and OB/GYN residents across 20 training programs, only 6.8% felt adequately prepared to manage menopause, and one in five had received no menopause lectures.

Kling JM, et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2019;94(2):242–253.

Read the study →

These summaries are educational and not medical advice. Talk with a clinician about what applies to you.

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REAL PEOPLE. REAL SCIENCE. A BRIGHTER TOMORROW.