The Truth About Menopause with Tamsen Fadal

In this powerfully candid episode, Dr. Nigma sits down with Tamsen Fadal, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author of "How To Menopause", to talk about the realities of perimenopause and menopause—and why the narrative around aging and women needs to change now.

Tamsen shares her personal health crisis live on-air, the medical gaslighting that followed, and the birth of her groundbreaking documentary, The M Factor. Together, she and Dr. Nigma dive deep into hormone health, cultural shame, the aftermath of the WHI study, and what every woman needs to know to reclaim power and clarity in midlife.

This is required listening for every woman in her 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro to Tamsen Fadal and the mission to destigmatize menopause

02:00 – Tamsen’s on-air health scare that led to a diagnosis she discovered through a patient portal

05:00 – The overlooked and misunderstood symptoms of perimenopause

08:30 – The cultural invisibility of women post-40 and reclaiming visibility

11:45 – Why Tamsen created The M Factor documentary and what shocked her in the process

15:00 – How estrogen affects your brain, bones, dental health, and more

17:30 – Why doctors are still not being taught menopause properly

20:00 – The fallout of the 2002 WHI study and the fear around hormone replacement therapy

23:00 – Testosterone in women: the forgotten hormone

25:15 – Why “menopause” needs a rebrand—and how other cultures honor aging women

28:00 – What younger women need to know now about hormonal health

30:30 – Creating a roadmap for menopause the way we do for mammograms

33:00 – The emotional toll of not being believed by doctors—and how we change that

35:00 – How functional medicine and hormone testing can guide the way forward

38:00 – The real reasons behind stigma, shame, and silence

41:00 – Tamsen’s vision for the future of menopause—and why midlife is a new beginning

Follow Tamsen Fadal:

IG: @tamsenfadal

Podcast: @thetamsenshow

Book: How To Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better Than Before (Hachette, March 25, 2025)

Follow Dr. Nigma:

Instagram: @drnigmatalib

Podcast Instagram: @thehealthydocpod

Facebook: nigma.talib

Website: www.healthydoc.com