Episode 28 - Amenorrhea and heart health

In this episode, Nicola speaks with Dr. Chrisandra Shufelt to discuss:How Dr. Shulfelt came to be interested in amenorrhea and heart health. Ways in which it's reasonable to make comparisons between people who are post-menopausal versus amenorrheic. Low estrogen affects the stretchiness of blood vessels, changes in cholesterol, and can be associated with insulin resistance. Dr. Shufelt's next study is looking at which factor underlying amenorrhea might have the biggest effects on heart health. She tells us about some of the results from the study she and colleagues just completed. We discuss risk factors for heart disease, traditional and "non-traditional" (i.e. things that mostly affect women).  The impact of cholesterol, and how quickly changes in cholesterol and bone health are seen.  Dr. Shufelt tells us about her recently completed study of vascular function in people with amenorrhea versus menopause versus normal menstrual cycles and shares some of the results, including some interesting notes on inflammatory factors.We chat about hormone replacement versus birth control pills  and which is preferable and when, what the effects of the placebo week might be... Factors that biological females should be aware of with regards to heart attacks, risk factors, and conversations with your doctors around your personal risk. Dr. Shulfelt is active on twitter, find her @cshufeltmdFor information about the heart study, http://noperiod.info/heartstudy, 310-423-9666To find support in your HA recovery:Get the "No Period. Now What?" book at noperiod.info/book.To join the NPNW Support group, please visit noperiod.info/supportTo make an appointment with Dr Rinaldi and get individual support to get your period back or improve your fertility, please go to noperiod.info/appointmentsTo make an appointment with Florence Gillet and get help with the body and mind changes happening in recovery please visit www.beyondbodyimage.comYou can find us on social mediaNo Period, Now What? on InstagramBeyond Body Image on FacebookBeyond Body Image on InstagramAmenorrhee_fr  (HA recovery 100% in French) on InstagramEmail us  via [email protected] you enjoyed this podcast and found it helpful, please drop us a rating and a review to help more people find it. Editing by Steven WorlowOriginal Music by the Andy Shulman Band "Lost & Found" available on Spotify.