Menopause w/ Dr. Jackie Walters

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What's up, everybody? I'm Gammy and this is positively gam Every week I have raw, in depth conversation with inspirational people pushing for change on everything from aging, relationships, politics, wellness, to the current issues facing the black community. In this episode, we're going to be discussing menopause. Joining me today is

Dr Jackie Walters. She is a philanthropist, health expert, women's advocate, t D person anality, and award winning O B G. Y N. A two time breast cancer survivor, Dr Jackie has turned her pain into a passion for nurturing the emotional and physical needs of women and men diagnosed with breast cancer. You can catch Dr Jackie on Bravos Married to Medicine. Welcome, Dr Jackie, Thank you. We are so glad that you took time out of your busy schedule

to join us. Tell me what you enjoy most, Dr Jackie, Being the TV personality or being the doctor The doctor I'm sure lots less critics. Absolutely, absolutely, this is such an important topic for women at my age in particular, We're gonna focus our attention today on menopause. Okay, so can you tell me exactly what menopause is. Menopause is when a woman has stopped having her period for twelve

consecutive months. The ovaries have stopped making eggs, so you you lack estrogen, pagetstro and all the hormones are just in disarray and you're not having a period. Your reproductive years have ended. Okay, So in my mind, there's pre menopausal menopause and post menopause. Is that correct? So I typically say peri menopause when you're aware of menopause, which menopause is typically fifty plus a minus five. It can be as early as forty five, as late as fifty

five some women later. On an average in the United States it's about fifty one. So if I can remember back when I was forty five, and I've been forty five about ten times now. So when I was you start having the symptoms, hot flashes, and a lot of women really think they're going crazy, the brain fog, I

can't sleep at night, what happened to my libido? So they're losing their mind minds, and if you go through it, there are so many things hair loss, skin is changing, the vagina is changing, There's so many changes you're going through before you get to that point where you're not having your period. So prep pre menopause or peri menopause is about forty five when you start having the symptoms.

Menopause is that short window where we say, and it's about seven years or so before you get to menopause. So around fifty one, let's just say you're fifty one and you haven't had a period for a whole entire year, You're in menopause. Some people you say post menopause is I've gone through all the symptoms, I've not had my period, and now I'm in this phase. I think I just

call it menopause. When your period has stopped, you're in menopause. Okay, so there is no post menopause, because that was gonna be my next question. When does it end? Like when do your symptoms end? I'm like sixty seven. I would say that I went into medically induced menopause around fifty one. I think because I was getting a treatment for I hapotit to see with those that would that threw me into two menopause, and so I had menopause at forty

because I did chemo for breast cancer. Yeah, the chemo and radiation, especially if you radiate the pelvis ovaries are gone. So really, once you kind of stop having the symptoms, which I don't know if all women stop having them, they are like the post MENOPAUSEI okay, But when like I still have hot flashes, particularly at night, I'm still doing I guess the body changes like the vaginal atrophy and dryness that's never that will never go away. We'll

I'll always be dealing with that. And I say, we have to manage menopause. It's not gonna go away, so you have to do things to make it better. We have all kinds of lotions and potions to get the lucy juicy back. I would think that the hot flashes and the night sweats and the baginal issues are the major complaints. I know they were for me. They're the major complaints. And I took hormones probably longer than I should have because I tried to do it naturally, and

I just I was suffering. I was suffering, and the reason why the doctors of course didn't recommend it for me, is because I have a very strong history of cancer and my family. My mother had breast cancer as well, and I'm assuming that she went into medically induced um menopause because of it, but she never talked about it. I never saw her, I never saw her fanning herself, or we didn't talk about it in our family, So I have no idea when she went into it, how

she what that experience was like. And that's one of the determining factors as to win a woman will go into menopause. We typically inherit that from our mom's and so you can and you're right, our almost didn't talk about it, and so we never knew. And that's why I'm so glad you're talking about it now so that women can talk about it. But what I do say to women, it's all about quality of life. Like you have the granola type who I don't want need hormones.

I want to eat plants, I wanna eat berries, and I want to go through it naturally. That's not me. And so I'm like you, I needed something to manage menopause, And of course I believe in as many hormones as you need safely. But I'm believing by identical hormones. I actually put in bioaudentical hormone pellets in my office. And it is about quality of life, because think about it.

If you're in menopause high flashes, you can't sleep at night, you're gaining weight, you're not having sex, you're a little bit blue, then what what quality of life is there? Exactly? Exactly, So talk to me about what some of the modern um techniques are to deal with this. Because there were a lot of natural stuff that I can remember taking black co hash. Yeah, all these things, yes, if they if they did absolutely, I had all these supplements lined up.

They did nothing, I mean, and I shouldn't disparage them like that because maybe they do work for some people. I was not successful, and I was not successful either, and so that's why I took a class and I came a big believer and I'm a big provider of biodentical hormont pellets. Don't talk to me about that. These pellets are made from soy and yams, which are natural and there made. The plant is shaped to look like

an estrogen. It's put into a pellet that is about as big as a rice and we implant that into the upper part of your buttocks in the under the skin subcuticular and the body releases estrogen and testosterone. If you have a uterus, you do have to take a progesteron to to balance out the the estrogen so that you're not getting cancers and unopposed estrogen effects. But it works. It creates the best libido in the whole wide world because you're getting your testosterone back and the benefits of

testosterone less belly fat, more energy. Again, there's a spike in the libido, so all of the things we're missing in menopause, the bioidentical hormos give that back. Okay, So I'm not having an issue with my libido, thank god. But but it's the vaginal issues that is of the most problematic from me. So would bioidenticals be something that I should consider with the history of cancer and my family.

If there's not been a genetic predisposition, did your mom have a gene for breast coling are over And if she didn't, you can certainly safely go to the doctor and make sure it's okay. But you could get estrogen back and it's gonna give you more vaginal fluff because the vagina has become very thin. That's why sex is uncomfortable and there's no slipping slide happening because you don't have any estrogen there. Now, I do have products that I do recommend to women. If you can't use an

estrogen that you put in the vagina. It's a hyuronic acid. It makes the vagina thicker and more moist. That will bypass needing hormones. So there are things out there that you can use and not have to use a hormone. You just have to use it when you need it. Okay. So it's that's a product that I would use right before I engage in sexual activity. You can, and you know, you can use it twice a week just to make the vagina more moist, but right before sex makes it

even better. Okay, you see how I'm just focused on it. We had your friend on doctor Dr Tiffany Henry. We had a whole conversation on this. Women like yourself, and I call us more mature when you're over fifty five year mature. We're not older, we're just mature women. It's still having that energy and the wherewithals who want to have sex. Yeah. You know how many women I see every day and they're thirty five, forty five and they

don't want to have sex. Wow, But you certainly can use bioidentical hormones to give you back your rolls and folds. I call in the vagina and make it thicker and moist But there are products you can use to just give you moisture. What are some of the what are some of the changes that that women would feel, not

just physically but emotionally. Uh, they're depressed. That broken sleep at night can lead to depression because it throws those hormones off because you wake up, you take the cover off, and in about five minutes you're cold, so you put the cover back on. And that can happen seven eight times a night. So broken sleep can lead to depression and sadness and anxiety and the brain fog. I mean, at one point, and I can definitely tell you when I really noticed it, I lost my dad to Alzheimers,

and I thought, oh my god, I'm getting Alzheimers. Because I would walk in a room and go, what am I coming here for? And so to that all the time, Yeah, and they get really stressed. Out about not knowing that they don't know and it's just the brain fog. I mean you can get in the car and you're driving sometimes to go okay, where was I going? And crazy enough it happens and women don't realize that it's menopause. Yeah. Yeah. So the modern treatments then are I mean old school pills.

You could do an oral tablet where you would take an estrogen and progesterone if you have a uterus or estrogen if you don't. Uh. New school. We're really into bioidenticals and whether we're taking it by mouth or we're using a cream or a vaginal suppository. But I'm a really big believer in the bioidentical pellets because you put it in, you don't have to think about it again for six months. Got it? Oh wow? Six months? Okay,

that's pretty cool. What do you think about these new This doesn't necessarily well, yes, it does have to do with menopause. It's more of how your vagina changes as you age, and a lot of women are getting these treatments for their the the outside of their vagina, how their vagina looks. What is your feeling about treatments like that? I've tried. I think it was Mona Lisa. Yeah, I've done the Mona Lisa and I felt like it made the lips of my vagina more plump, but it didn't.

It did not really help me feel more moist I still had to use lubricants. Yeah, you're supposed to get a regrowth of the collagen, so it makes it plumper, it makes it less painful with intercourse. But you're right, it should give you some moisture, but you may not get a lot. You always have to supplement with a little bit of something. We have the J shows now where they're doing facials on the vagina. Oh now, what

what is that? But J show is almost like a facial where they go in and remove unwanted hair and hair bombs and uh, the sugar and all of the stuff that you do to your face. Women are doing it to the vagina to give it that look and feel. Oh my, that seems like a lot. Yeah, we put it. We put in collagen in the volva so that we can plump up the volver and make them plumper and more comfortable during intercourse. So the same thing we're doing

with faces now, we're doing with the vagina. I understand, okay, and I know you you have talked about this before and it's pretty much whatever floats your boat. But you're a big proponent of maintaining your your pubic hair. If you're asking me personally, not well, I'm saying as from not personally, but as a doctor, I always give it. There are benefits to pubic hair. Yeah, you know. Public hair can release older and can get in the way.

And so I'm all about what the patient wants. I'm super of what they want, whether they wax or shave, laser hair removal, or they say grow hair or go there, it's up to Yeah, yeah, it's totally up to them. But most women are not are going there. Yes, yes, which is challenging now that we're going through COVID. It's difficult. Absolutely. I put a lot of it. I wrote the Queen V I have to tell you about that, and I put it in the book that there are different types

of personalities around the vagina. And I talked about a patient and women who are called coochie condriats. Yes, I got your books. Yes, they are terrified of their vagina. But then you have girls who are notorious v A. G. S. They will come in the room. You walk in there totally naked, and I'm like, I left your gown. No, I don't need it. I don't need it. Yes, and they don't mind taking out the vagina, pulling it up,

showing you exactly what it looks like. So I have them from what I call Mary Jane sanctified snatch virgin Mary's who don't even want to talk about the vagina out loud to the girls who come in there. I have girls who would put tattoos on the mind's and yeah, it's a GPS. Yes, I've seen it all. So if you get the book, there's a test in the book that helps you determine which vaginal personality you are. And I took the test in the book, and I believe that I'm a Mary Jane. But like you said, you

typically are kind of like a combination of both. Yes, yeah, so I would be the Mary Jane and then sank the I hate to say it, but yes, definitely not the notorious fee. I'm not her. No, you're I'm not her. And that's a little bit old school, even though there's some really closet notorious vags out there. Oh yeah, oh, yeah, my age notorious acutely. I have one in particular who describes herself as a general manager. And she's a mature

woman that's fifteen over. And she had five players on her team and you know what I mean, and each player served a different purpose, and so she was very comfortable talking about this one does this, and this one's real good at that. And I'm sitting down and she was like, put your hand down. Girl. You're a doctor. Yeah, I guess you have to be able to listen to all of that. Dr Jackie, Yes, I've heard it all. Now, for my girlfriends who indulge in libations from time to time,

what would you say? White wine, red wine or both are okay? Because I heard that doing during menopause one is not so good. All alcohol will aggravate some hot flashes, got it, And so red wine, I've been told, okay, gave me really bad hot flashes. So if I had to pick one, I would say drink white wine, got you okay? All right? But the thing about hot flashes, gam is if you notice, if you're excited, good excitement, bad excitement, you may notice a hot flash. Come on.

So I think there is something. It's a vasomotor response, and so anything that triggers that thermoregulatory center, good stuff that excites you or if you're frustrated, you may feel a hot flash come. And so not only foods, but your mental response can trigger more hot flashes. And I'm like, am I dreaming at night because I get so many hot flashes some nights. But it definitely is one due

to the lack of estrogen. We know that. But if you start noticing when you get a hot flash, if you're in a tight if you're rushing or somebody you go hi, you may notice a hot flash come. Yeah. And you mentioned food too, so it depends on the kinds of foods that you're eating. If you're eating really spicy foods, maybe exactly that make got more hot flashes.

And then women who smoke will notice menopause a lot earlier, probably two to three years earlier than they normally would have had it, because the nicotine destroys the follicles the eggs in the ovaries, and so they go through menopause a lot earlier. Okay, now I asked this question to dr um Tiffany as well. I'm gonna ask you, do you have any preference as far as lubricants for lubricating the vagina for intercourse, do you have a preference leaning

towards border based or yes, definitely water based. And again, there's a depository that I like, the one I was mentioning, and it's a Rivari and it's a small suppository slides in the vagina and it just feels like natural vaginal moisture. It feels like mucus, and so that's my favorite. It's a suppository. You put it in and within ten minutes the body tempt will heat it up and your moist Yeah.

I use a suppository too. It's not Rivari though, it's another brand, and I can't think of the name of it, but I use a very small suppository and it seems to be working for me. But I would be really interested in talking to my O B G y N about the bioidenticals. That's that sounds like something I might be interested in trying. And we'll get some information from Foulon and I'll send you some info and we'll send you some of those suppositories. Perfect perfect, I see it

behind you. Dr Jackie talked to us about your new book. Absolutely so The Queen the Sex intimacy and down their healthcare. I've been in the O. B. G. Y An for twenty four plus years. I think I've heard it all, and I'll tell you that some of the weirdest things I've gotten from a vagina again was a glass base and nuts and boats, snicker bars. Wait a minute, well in a back up that you say that again. So I had a couple who were having a good time on a Friday night and they used the little bud

vase as a toy. And so you think about it. They put the opening of the bud vase in the vagina in and out, and he created a suction and they couldn't get it out, and it's stuck and it's stuck. And they added water and they added oil, which only made that suction tighter. Oh my god. So by Sunday, there in the emergency room and they're calling like, okay, you need to come to the ear and here we are with a glass base in the vagina. Yes, and

we have to get it out. I was concerned because I'm like, oh, please, don't let this base break because now we're sisters. But once we got it out, it was like, let's talk about choics. So with that being said and all of the stuff I say when I say to women is your vagina is not making history. Somebody has done it before. So I wanted to write a book taking the stories, of course, making the patients anonymous, and share the stories with women so you realize you're

not the only one who's done it. Let's talk about it. So it's to educate, inspiring up lift women and to make him laugh, to realize some painful situations s t I s like her peace. You're not the first person to get her peace. It's okay. It's not written on your forehead. It is okay. And this is how you manage these things with a vagina to get through life, because it's for procreation and recreation. Exactly say it again, Dr Jackie, only louder. It is for procreation and when

you're finished with that, a lot of recreation. It again. I want the women to I want women to be free. Our mom's had us a little embarrassed to talk about my goodness. Please. Yeah, you couldn't say sex. And we see that girls who come into the office and they look around the room to make sure you know it's just me and you and God. Baby, and she'd say I had sex last night and you're like good, was

it good? And they don't want to talk about it, or they don't want to talk about it being bad sex, or they don't even want to come into the appointment if they've had us that, if they've had sex to day before. That was me. I'm gonna have to cancel and reschedule because I had sex lass, Okay, No, you can come be And that's what I try to be.

I want to be a good girlfriend doctor. I want you to be able to come in, be open on this transparent, tell me those crazy things and I'm like, look, good people make bad decisions, and girl, how we're in this together. Let me help you figure out how to get out of this place. And so that's why I have that book, Like I want women to know be free. Yeah, and to be able to come and speak with your ghanacologists without judgment is so important, so important, absolutely, and

that's my thing. I'm like, you do know that happened to me too, And they're like you've had it, girl, you have had b V before and they were like I'm like okay, And just for me, since I became an adult, I think when I started out as a young girl or as a teenager when my mother had control, my ganacologist was man. But as an adult I quickly switched to a female gannacologist just for my own comfort. And that's not to throw shade on anybody's choice of doctors,

but just for me, for my own comfort level. I wanted to how and I say, from my comfort level too, I'm like you, I need to go to a girl. So when I say you see this right here, she's seen it before and she understands. Or if you talk about cramps, you will understand. I'm like you not to say anything to my brothers and O, B G, I A N But a woman can tell me what a cramp feels like, or women can talk to you about

what labor pain feels like. So I'm all for women seeing women, but again it's up to you and what I feel like. It's so unfair. I feel it's so unfair that men have the little blue pill and women don't have anything. What is the deal with that? Now they do have pills now for women, So they do some pill they have they call it the viagrapher women, but that we've not heard of that. Yeah, they'll give you some more and why can't I think of the name of it at the moment, But it increases blood

flow to the critters. It's a pink pill. It's pink. Okay, Yes, so they do have things for women. Now. Now, I'll be honest, if you're more mature like me and you've gone through menopause, whether it's surgically induced, chemo induced, your age, it's not gonna give you that moisture like you need, but it will definitely boost your libido. But they're kind of there are a lot of things. I love Biot pellets, and I'll say Biot because that's the brand I use.

Because when I started using Biot bioidentical hormone pellets, let me put it that way, it was like unspeakable libido. Libido. Yeah, okay, I might that might get on my husband's nerves. Yes, I mean we have everything. Now I do a wow shot where we're taking your platelets and we're inserting it into the clitterest and into the vagina where we give

you back your own growth factors, which will help. And another thing in menopause is when got to go to the bathroom now that you didn't have when you were forty. Now at fifty, if you gotta go, you gotta get there fast or there's going to be an accident. So we take and put platelets back into the clitteral reading into the vagina. It reduces stress, urinary incontinence, and urgency, so you don't feel like you're gonna with your clothes when you have to go to the bathroom. Menopause is

about managing menopause. You can't anti age, you know you're gonna age, but you can manage aging. And part of managing menopause is to use everything we have out there to make life more comfortable for you. So I would just encourage my friends and women my age because with the conversations we have, I hear a lot of frustration, a lot of frustration. So I would just tell people to number one, take a look at your book, because

I think your book is so informative, but it's also fun. Yes, yeah, but I would encourage that and just be hopefully try to develop a relation and ship with your GANA coologists where you can really talk about what you need. Because there is light at the end of this tunnel and it doesn't have to be as difficult as we make it. I'm like I said, I'm sixty seven. I am still very um in love with my husband and we are still very active and enjoying life. And I mean, you

made some great points. This is the time in life where you're supposed to enjoy. Absolutely, we say whatever we want to. After fifty five, feel free to say whatever. But you don't have to act like our mom's did, where you have to wear it look like you were fifty five sixty five. Act. No, this is the time in life where you want to be free. Find a doctor that you can talk to if you and I end every conversation, every visit with do you have any questions?

Because a lot of times women want and I call them door not questions in the book, they won't really tell you what they're there for until my hand hits the door knob and then they'll say, okay, okay, we got had sex with two people and the roll and I don't. They'll start talking to you, but you want that, and I'm like, girl, tell me more, because sometimes it's like, oh, I remember that from college. Yeah, And so you are right, be free to enjoy life. Menopause is not the end

of life. It's just the end of your reproductive years. And there are so many things out there. And that pink peel is called Eddie and it's the pink peel a d y. I yeah, So they have everything out there now that we can feel like we're still young. And so I tell everybody go do what you need to do to manage menopause, to manage aging. So you look good, feel good. We all want to be happy, healthy and wealthy. There you go. That's a great way to end the show. Tell the listeners where they can

find you. You can find me on Instagram at the real Dr Jackie and on Facebook Dr Jackie Walters reach out. Make sure you get the book. And so my last part podcast is Dr Jackie's Point of v is in February, and I want everybody to catch the first of all, because it is something that was very hard for me. And of course you've probably seen it. You've seen it on the show where we my husband and I went through an infidelity issue. And I don't think anybody talks

about the talk to the man. So I allowed my husband, Oh that's great, Yeah, he gets to share what happened the moment he found out I knew and just the healing and the journey, because again I said, good people do bad things and absolutely made and infidelity does not always mean the end of the relationship. And we're so quick to want to cut things off, not necessarily baby, And I was persecuted by the world because I stayed with my husband. Really, oh my god, oh my god,

I was I was weak and I was weary. I don't believe it. And I re used to disregard him, disrespect or this honored him on a TV show because again I didn't stop loving him. Now. I wanted to kill him at the moment, but for I can't say killed. I wanted to child, but again I chose to stay until my first podcast will be us talking about him and how we got through that time. I am excited to listen to that podcast, so I will definitely be joining you for that. So here's my takeaway after my

conversation with Dr Jackie. As women, we're all going to go through menopause if we're blessed, and it's not the end of the world. It's all about learning how to manage your queen be So make sure you're having conversations with friends and family and most importantly, your doctor. Figure out whether you're going to use bioidenticals, all natural supplements

or maybe for you it's the little pink pill. But whatever your decision, girl, get you a fan and figure out how to keep your groove so you don't have to worry about getting your groove back. Yes, ma'am. So thank you to my guests, out to Jackie Walters. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, be sure to rate and review the podcast. Follow me on my Instagram at gammy nars to share with me your thoughts on this episode. I'm here, I'm talking, and I'm listening and as always,

stay grateful y'all. Positively GAM is produced by Westbrook Audio executive producers Adrian Banfield, Norris, Jada Pinkett, Smith's Amanda Brown and Fallon jethro Co executive producer Sam Hoti, associate producer Erica Ron and Crystal Devon's editor and mixer Calvin Bailiff. Positively GAM is in partnership with art e T That's the