On this episode of Innovate & Elevate, Sharon speaks with Dr. Erin Duralde, Medical Director for Women’s Health and Menopause Care at One Medical, about a question that keeps coming up in midlife healthcare: now that we know more, where do people actually go for menopause care?

Recorded shortly after the FDA removed the long-standing black box warning on estrogen therapies, this conversation explores how menopause and perimenopause care can be integrated into primary care, what a modern menopause visit should look like, and how clinicians can better listen to symptoms, history, and lived experience to guide care.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

How Dr. Duralde’s early work as a patient advocate at the UCSF Breast Care Center shaped her approach to menopause care and clinical decision-making
Why menopause education was largely missing from medical training following misinterpretations of the Women’s Health Initiative, and how that legacy still affects care today
What patients can expect from a dedicated menopause or perimenopause visit at One Medical
How intake surveys and symptom tracking help clinicians better understand what matters most to each patient
The wide range of symptoms that can appear during perimenopause, beyond hot flashes and night sweats
How clinicians think through treatment options in perimenopause, including hormonal and non-hormonal approaches
The difference between menopausal hormone therapy and combined hormonal contraception, and why timing and symptoms matter
How testosterone is used in post-menopause, why dosing matters, and how safety is monitored
How primary care providers are being trained at scale to deliver evidence-based menopause care

As always, nothing in this episode is personal medical advice. Please talk with your own clinician about your individual history, risks, and options.

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Connect with Dr. Erin Duralde MD MPH MSCP

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Menopause Care, Guidelines & Professional Organizations Referenced:

The Menopause Society – https://www.menopause.org/
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) – https://www.acog.org/
American Urological Association (AUA) – https://www.auanet.org/

Topics & Therapies Discussed:

Menopausal hormone therapy
Perimenopause symptom assessment
Testosterone therapy in post-menopause
Vaginal estrogen for genitourinary symptoms of menopause
Intake surveys and symptom-based care
Primary care–based menopause models

Skip to the Good Part:

00:00 – Why Access to Menopause Care Keeps Coming Up

01:00 – Introducing Dr. Erin Duralde and Her Path into Menopause Care

03:30 – How Misinterpretations of the WHI Shaped Medical Training

06:30 – What a Modern Menopause Visit Should Look Like

09:30 – Why Intake Surveys Change the Quality of Care

12:00 – The Range of Perimenopause Symptoms

14:30 – Hormonal and Non-Hormonal Treatment Options

18:00 – Testosterone Therapy: Safety, Dosing, and Expectations

22:00 – Labs, Symptoms, and Clinical Judgment

25:00 – Scaling Menopause Care Through Primary Care

Please note: The information on this podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with a healthcare professional regarding your individual health needs.

About Dr. Erin Duralde: Dr. Erin Duralde is a practicing primary care provider and Medical Director of Women's Health and Menopause Care at One Medical, where she leads menopause care delivery. Before joining One Medical in 2023, she practiced at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Menopause and Midlife clinic in Boston. Erin earned her MD from the University of California, San Francisco, completed her internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and holds a Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health. She has completed fellowships in both population health management and menopause management. Board-certified in internal medicine and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, Erin actively researches women's quality of life and barriers to care, recently co-authoring a state-of-the-art review on menopause management for the British Medical Journal. Her goal is to close the gap between research and practice in menopause care through human-centered, compassionate treatment approaches.

About Sharon: Sharon Kedar is a co-founder and partner at Northpond Ventures, a multi-billion-dollar science-driven venture capital firm. Her extensive career includes leadership roles at Sands Capital and McKinsey & Company, and she is a published author on personal finance. As the host of the Innovate and Elevate podcast, she passionately advocates for menopause care and HRT (hormone replacement therapy), challenging the silence around human health XX (also known as women’s health). She aims to help women navigate midlife and achieve longevity by aging with power. Sharon holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a CFA charter holder. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, Greg, their three kids, and their dog Bo.

This podcast is produced by Brave Moon Podcasts.