Navigating Menopausal Care with Dr. Samantha Dunham

The Positive Pause

In this episode, Dr. Samantha Dunham joins us for a conversation on the crisis around menopausal care as often, women experience menopausal symptoms without understanding what’s happening and without knowing where to go for help.

Dr. Samantha Dunham is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN), a certified menopause practitioner, and the co-director of the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause at NYU Langone Health. She’s also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Dunham practices general gynecology and preventive women’s health, with a special focus on perimenopause and menopause and their roles in disease development. At the Center for Midlife Health and Menopause, she educates patients on what to expect during perimenopause and menopause and collaborates with them to develop treatment plans tailored to their symptoms and goals.

Menopause is a unique and individual experience. Women experience different symptoms at different stages of their lives, and they’re affected by factors such as ethnicity, genetics, nutrition, diet, exercise, and fitness. Symptoms can include mood changes, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, joint pains, weight changes, brain fog, heart palpitations and more, and can last for up to ten years.

In this episode, Dr. Dunham discusses:

• The need for holistic and integrative medical care for women in midlife
• Diagnosis of and education about perimenopause
• Different hormonal, non-hormonal and complimentary treatments available for the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause
• How women should advocate for themselves to receive the integrative medical care they need, including when they are dismissed when trying to talk with their healthcare provider about what they believe are menopausal symptoms

The women who see Dr. Dunham range from those experiencing symptoms to those who want to know more about what to expect during menopause. The unpredictability of menopause is what drives all of them want to understand the changes happening in their bodies.

Listen to this very informative episode to learn more about how menopause might affect you and the medical care you can and should seek to receive to help you navigate and manage your health at midlife to optimize your well-being.

Connect with Dr. Samantha Dunham:

• Bio: https://nyulangone.org/doctors/1124045802/samantha-m-dunham
• Website: https://nyulangone.org/care-services/center-for-midlife-health-menopause
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthadunham
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NYULangone
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYULangone
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nyulmc/custom