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In this episode, Dr. Jila Senemar explains what every woman should know about perimenopause, menopause, hormone changes, and how to navigate this transition with confidence. Watch the video episode on YouTube and listen to the audio episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re enjoying the show!
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- Show Notes
- Learn more about Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal
- Learn more about Dr. Meenal Agarwal
Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal Episode #114: Are You in Perimenopause? The Signs Most Women Miss With Dr. Jila Senemar
Mood swings. Belly fat. Poor sleep. Brain fog.
Many women experience symptoms of perimenopause years before they realize hormones may be involved.
In this episode, Dr. Jila Senemar explains what every woman should know about perimenopause, menopause, hormone changes, and how to navigate this transition with confidence.
By 2030, more than 1.2 billion women worldwide will be in menopause. Yet many women are never taught what perimenopause looks like, when it starts, or how profoundly it can affect sleep, mood, relationships, metabolism, cognition, and overall quality of life.
In this episode of Uncover Your Eyes, Dr. Meenal Agarwal sits down with board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Jila Senemar to discuss what doctors often miss about perimenopause and menopause, why symptoms are frequently dismissed, and how women can advocate for themselves during one of the most important hormonal transitions of their lives.
Whether you're in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, or supporting someone who is, this conversation will help you better understand what is happening inside the body and how to navigate it proactively.
In this episode, we’ll uncover:
- The earliest signs of perimenopause many women miss
- Why menopause is about more than hot flashes
- The connection between hormones, sleep, mood, and brain health
- Why belly fat becomes more common during menopause
- The impact of perimenopause on relationships, careers, and daily life
- Common myths about menopause and hormone therapy
- The role of hormonal birth control during perimenopause
- Menopause and divorce: what the research shows
- The #1 piece of advice Dr. Senemar gives women approaching menopause
Learn more about Dr. Jila Senemar at JilaMD.com, on her podcast Her Time, Her Health with Dr. Jila, and on Instagram @DrJilaSenemar
At Uncover Your Eyes, Dr. Meenal Agarwal brings you conversations at the intersection of healthcare innovation, longevity science, mental health, and self-advocacy, so you can understand the hidden systems shaping how you feel, move, and heal.
🎧 Tune in and join Dr. Meenal Agarwal as we reimagine what it means to be well in today’s complex healthcare system. Because healing starts with understanding — and Uncovering Your Eyes.
Subscribe to Uncover Your Eyes on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube, and learn more about Dr. Meenal on Instagram @Dr.MeenalAgarwal.
Show Notes
- Are You in Perimenopause? The Signs Most Women Miss With Dr. Jila Senemar
- [0:01] Welcome to Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal
- [1:01] Learn more about Dr. Jila Senemar at com, on her podcast Her Time, Her Health with Dr. Jila, and on Instagram @DrJilaSenemar
- [1:57] Why menopause is finally being talked about and why it took so long
- [2:11] The cultural history of menopause: shame, decline, and being dismissed
- [3:55] The Women's Health Initiative What it actually said vs. what the world heard
- [4:54] Two decades of women undertreated because of one misrepresented press release
- [6:03] The timing hypothesis: why starting hormones within 10 years of menopause matters
- [7:27] The estrogen-only arm nobody talked about and what it actually showed
- [8:20] Why the menopause conversation needs to start in your 30s, not your 50s
- [9:49] What healthcare providers should be asking and the red flags they're missing
- [10:47] How perimenopause actually presents: it's not hot flashes and missed periods
- [11:44] Sleep disruption, mood swings, and irritability as early hormonal signals
- [14:40] How untreated perimenopause quietly erodes relationships, friendships, and careers
- [16:36] Women coming in in tears not knowing what's wrong and being told their labs are fine
- [18:27] Over 100 symptoms now attributed to perimenopause
- [19:23] Non-hormonal strategies first: sleep, stress, diet, movement, and community
- [21:12] When and how hormones enter the conversation and why they're not a silver bullet
- [22:10] Bioidentical vs. synthetic hormones
- [22:38] Birth control in perimenopause: why you can still get pregnant and what to do about it
- [24:26] Body image in midlife and untangling mood, depression, and physical change
- [25:25] Why cortisol, insulin resistance, and estrogen loss converge
- [26:50] Why eating less and working out more makes things worse
- [27:48] How insulin resistance actually works and why fat won't burn
- [30:10] Why cardio isn't enough anymore. Muscle is the organ of longevity
- [31:26] Using body composition over BMI: measuring what actually matters
- [32:25] Myth #1: hormones cause breast cancer
- [33:22] Myth #2: normal labs and a regular period mean nothing is wrong
- [34:18] Patients, advocate for yourself and Providers, listen more
- Learn more about Dr. Jila Senemar at com, on her podcast Her Time, Her Health with Dr. Jila, and on Instagram @DrJilaSenemar
- Subscribe to Uncover Your Eyes on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube, and learn more about Dr. Meenal on Instagram @Dr.MeenalAgarwal
- Theme Song: “Upbeat Motivational Pop Rock” by Alexey Anisimov
What is Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal?
Thanks for listening to Uncover Your Eyes with Dr. Meenal. Being an eye doctor makes life easy, right? Not so fast. Join us as we uncover our lives as healthcare professionals. In each episode, you will face reality and vulnerability. You’ll hear how to manage your wellbeing, culture, and physical and mental health. You’ll also navigate self-improvement and professional development, all while uncovering innovation in patient care from experts in our healthcare system. Let’s do this while keeping it “real” and authentic. Hosted by Dr. Meenal Agarwal, Expert Optometrist, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Mom of 3.
Who is Dr. Meenal Agarwal?
With three clinics in Toronto and sought-after experience, Dr. Meenal Agarwal is an expert in vision and eyecare innovation. She is a leading voice on patient care, technology, professional development, and wellness in the healthcare industry.