August 14, 2025 • 29 mins
Are you struggling with low libido and wondering if hormones could be the answer? In this video, we're diving into the world of hormone regulation and how it can impact your sex drive. From understanding the role of testosterone and estrogen to exploring natural ways to boost your libido, we're covering it all. Whether you're looking to reignite the spark in your relationship or simply feel more confident in your own skin, this video is for you. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into the world of hormones and libido.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:07):
Stress impacts our ability to make our hormonesin normal healthy amounts And so this is a
connection that is kind of missing a lot of thetime in when we think about our hormones, we
think about, you know, our sex hormones likeestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
But what we don't look at is what the impact ofstress is on the production of those hormones.
(00:32):
It feels like different symptoms like fatigueor sleep disturbance or weight gain that you're
that is unexplained or it could be mood things.
It could be anxiety or depression.
It could be foggy brain.
You know, there's so many different things thatcan show up and you might not know that it's
because of stress.
(00:52):
One of the things that I that I think is soimportant is the fact that women approaching
midlife and perimenopause, they they're kind ofled to believe a little bit that so I believe
in the elegant use of hormone replacement andthat is several factors.
First is
(01:13):
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(01:36):
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(02:03):
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Now back to our show.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to another episode of the LibidoLounge.
I'm your host and board certified sexologist,doctor Diane Mueller, and I have with me today
(02:28):
a new friend, somebody I'm so excited tointroduce you to, the hormone boss, a fellow
naturopathic physician.
We're gonna talk about all things hormonestoday.
We're gonna really talk about some of theconnections with hormones and libido, and I
know some of you listening already know thingsthat such as hormones can impact sexual health.
(02:49):
So today, we're gonna get everybody up to speedon that, but we're also gonna go a lot deeper
and really understand what you need to know.
We're gonna dispel, like, myths, bust downstereotypes, get over some fears around this
topic, and a whole lot more.
So doctor Iris, thank you for joining me today.
Thank you so much, that was a lovely welcome.
(03:10):
I'm really excited to be here with you.
Yeah, I'm excited for more time.
Every time we've chatted, I've just enjoyed theconversation so much.
So let's just lay the foundation, So as I know,like I said, like, do know some people are
aware of hormones and impact on libido and sexdrive, and I also know there's some people that
have, like, a entry level awareness or maybehave heard of this and don't know a whole lot.
(03:34):
So let's just, like, start the foundation here.
Can you just help lay us, like, the some of theconnection between hormonal health and libido
and sexual health?
Yes.
Well, first of all, women can experience issueswith libido at any stage of their life, right?
(03:55):
So the biggest real connection that I'm reallypassionate about and that I like to highlight
is how stress impacts our ability to make ourhormones in normal healthy amounts.
And so this is a a connection that is kindamissing a lot of the time in when we think
about our hormones, we think about, our sexhormones like estrogen and progesterone and
(04:19):
testosterone, but what we don't look at is whatthe impact of stress is on the production of
those hormones.
And so throughout our entire lives we can havethis effect on being able to actually make your
own hormones in the right amount for your ageand how that can impact libido, just looking at
(04:43):
like estrogen levels.
A woman at any age can be low in estrogen.
Testosterone levels, which is directly impactedby stress.
So that's kind of the the place I like to beginbecause it is the foundation of our hormone
production.
So I wanna ask you now a question about stressbecause I feel like, you know, stress is like
this cliche thing that we can say, andsometimes I know people are like, oh, yeah.
(05:08):
Stress.
I've heard it before.
And it's so easy, I think, to hear this andjust be like, okay, doctor d.
Okay, doctor Iris.
Like, I got this.
I've heard this.
Stress is bad.
Right?
But but there's two things that that kindabring up that I have to, you know, say about
this or I really want to ask you about this.
First is sometimes I think there are situationswhere people think they're not stressed because
(05:29):
they don't actually feel like that anxiety orthat tension in their body.
Like, I'll give you an example of myself.
Like, right now, I just reactivated my aurarange, so I'm tracking my my, you know, some
stats again.
And I've I've had this turned off for a coupleyears, but historically, one of the things that
has been just awful with my tracking device ismy heart rate variability.
(05:54):
And we know that how variable our heart rateis, like, the more variable, like, the better,
and stress is one of the big factors thatturned down our HRV.
So lo and behold, you know, it's like I wantedto check and see where I am because last I
left, this was not good despite trying abazillion things.
And so I activate it, and it's still it'sslightly better than it was, but it's still
(06:16):
relatively crappy at, like, 20 to 24, which is,you know, half of where I would want it to be
at least.
So my question for you here is how do peopleactually recognize sometimes that they're
stressed?
Because I think there's some people that arelike, oh, yeah, I know I'm stressing, you know,
there's anxiety, there's these feelings, butfor other people it's like, well, clearly my
(06:40):
body is reacting to stress, like I can see itin in this.
But in my body itself, I don't actually like, Ifeel pretty chill.
Right?
I can have good days, you know, almost everyday.
So how do you like, do you have senses, youknow, sense for people around, like, okay.
Step one, if this is one of the biggest thingsis with stress is our impact, how do we take a
(07:00):
step back and say, okay, well, is this true forme?
Yes.
That's such a great point because it's true.
You know, your your ability to your resilienceagainst stress can actually protect you from
really feeling the effects of it, at least inthe beginning.
And there's, you know, there's what stresscauses is adrenal, glandular output.
(07:22):
Right?
And we make cortisol as one of the main fightor flight hormones and that hormone is designed
to protect you against the effects of stress.
So in the beginning, you should be able tofight off stress, not really feel the effects
of that stress.
You don't feel stressed even though there isjust daily stress and our lizard brain
(07:43):
perceives that stress, but we might not, youknow, consciously be aware of it.
So, and this is kind of more stage one adrenalfatigue where you're able to make a bunch of
cortisol, feel protected against the stress,and then, you know, it it might take quite a
significant amount of time with prolongedstress before you start feeling the effects of
(08:07):
it.
Now what does that feel like?
It it feels like different symptoms likefatigue or sleep disturbance or weight gain
that you're that is unexplained, or it could bemood mood things.
It could be anxiety or depression.
It could be foggy brain.
(08:29):
You know, there's so many different things thatcan show up, you might not know that it's
because of stress.
So I do think, you know, in the beginning, youknow, we do feel protected against stress and
we feel like we can handle stress fine.
But what happens is over time, it reallydepletes the adrenal gland's function and
ability to make all that cortisol so youradrenals become start to become fatigued.
(08:53):
So sometimes even after, you know, traumaticevents, can take even up to two years after the
fact of of that trauma or that experience, thatstressful situation, to kind of crash.
And so sometimes that delayed effect, you know,can be a little bit, confusing when we're like,
what what is happening?
(09:14):
So, yeah, I think symptoms, any differentsymptoms you might not know related to stress,
that's kind of how to do an inventory and seeif stress may be affecting me because all of
those symptoms can be, you know, rooted in thatone stress response cause.
I really want to pinpoint something you saidbecause I think it's so important for people to
(09:34):
hear this part again, which is that sometimesthe impact, right, the crash or whatever it is,
might not happen right away.
So we can have like a really intense time, andwe might not even notice some of the symptoms
that that stress created for, you know, a yearor two after.
So I just wanted to emphasize that because Ithink it's a really good point.
(09:56):
And then my other, you know, question and andto our listeners, like like, just hang with me
if you're like, I'm here for hormones.
We're gonna get there.
Like, this is what we're doing, but we wannalay that foundation of, okay.
What is really happening here from a standpointof the root causes as far as hormonal
dysfunction?
So then my other question before we move onjust in relationship to your kinda intro
(10:16):
statement on on stress is, what about thepeople that are just, like, almost in this
world of, okay.
Like, serious can this be from a standpoint ofstress?
Because, like I said, like, I do, and I imagineyou you are similar, like like, this is so
important, and yet it's, one of the most, like,cliche things that I think just gets, like,
thrown around, and we're like, yeah.
(10:37):
Drink more water.
Yeah.
Like, you know, live a stress free, you know,lifestyle and all those things.
So I wanna make sure we are being cautious forour listeners of, like, you know, going deeper
than that.
So if somebody's listening and they're like,okay, docs, I've heard this before.
Stress is bad.
I've heard this before.
What would you say to them to help, like,really help them understand that, like, yeah,
(10:58):
this is something that is talked about a lot,and at the same time, it's not cliche.
It's one of those, you know, fundamentalthings.
So do you have anything that you would addthere to just support those people?
Absolutely.
So the thing is is it is kind of cliche to talkabout stress.
Everyone's talking about it because you can'tescape it.
Yeah.
It's everywhere every day, and the thing thoughthat that I think is a huge takeaway is that
(11:24):
the onus is not up to us to avoid stress or tospend hours a day doing stress management
things.
That's not feasible.
Right?
So what isn't offered as much is solutions tohow to handle stress better, how to be more
resilient, how to not feel overwhelmed all thetime.
(11:44):
And that has to do with many factors.
It has to do with your own stress responsesystem, that HPA axis, the hypothalamic
pituitary adrenal axis, that's your stressresponse system.
And everyone has a different functionality oftheir stress response system, and it's based
on, you know, your childhood.
(12:07):
It's based on the stress that you'veexperienced, traumas you've experienced, what
you've inherited from your family, and whatyou've learned growing up about how to respond
to stress.
There's a lot of different factors there, andwe can actually impact the way our HPA axis,
our stress response system functions with awhole class of botanical medicines.
(12:31):
And that's something that, you know, and otherthings too.
There are lifestyle things.
There's nutrition.
There's exercise, all these things.
But but that's the real key that I think thatwomen it's gonna really leverage women in in
their ability to, maintain and optimize theirhormone production is by leveraging those those
(12:54):
botanical natural botanical medicines to beable to improve and optimize your stress
response system.
So that okay.
So that's wonderful.
So now we know, hey.
This is, like, no matter how cliche this is, noand and really the word there too is common,
that this is actually extremely real.
And I do think it's an important point pointaround, like, we're not it's not like we're
(13:16):
gonna we can't live in a cave.
We can't nobody that I know can, like, spendtheir whole day in meditation and escaping from
the world and doing all these, like, stressresiliency techniques.
So it is it's it's less about, hey.
We can, like, avoid these and more around howdo we keep the body balanced.
So then we talked about, okay, stress causesdysfunction in our sex hormones and of course
(13:38):
with the dysfunction in the sex hormones, thatcan be one reason why somebody has a sexual
health imbalance.
If you haven't taken a minute yet to go towanttowantit.com to get your bonuses, almost
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(14:03):
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(14:25):
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Now let's get back to our episode.
When it comes to like hormones and sexualhealth, like to me, like, okay, so that covers
(14:45):
some of the basics.
What about myths around like hormones andsexual health?
Are there any like myths that you see like comeup, just like things that are like
misunderstood in the eye of the public that youthink are important to mention?
Well, I think the under, like, I think what'softentimes kind of overlooked is the role of
(15:06):
testosterone in women's health, and women'slibido and and all of that, but also just brain
health, mood health, bone density, all of thesethings that testosterone is really important.
Now a lot of hormone savvy or, you know, healthsavvy women do know a little bit more about how
(15:26):
testosterone is a thing.
It's a women's hormone.
And I think that that but there's a lot ofwomen also that that don't get much information
about that, right?
And so I think that they they thinktestosterone is a male hormone.
Yes, men have more testosterone, but we alsorequire testosterone to have optimum health and
(15:51):
energy and libido and all of that.
I think that's probably the biggest one I canthink of right now.
Yeah.
I think it's an important one because I thinkit's true.
I mean, it like, the fact that testosterone isnot even, like, FDA approved for women to use
is, like, a kind of a shocking thing where weactually look at, you know, research on well,
(16:12):
one, you know, we know from medicine that womendo have testosterone, like you mentioned, and
then two, you look at the dramatic impact onsex hormones and on, I mean, on sexual health,
and the fact that testosterone is really inmany, you know, ways not even a a part of the
conversation, I think is a major, majorproblem.
(16:33):
Well, let's talk about aging because you alsomentioned early on that, okay, we can have
these hormone abnormalities at any age.
Right?
So then what do you feel from a standpoint oflike, where does aging play a role in our
hormones?
What is like a natural change as far ashormones and aging, and what is like say a
(16:53):
dysfunctional change with hormones and aging?
That's a great question.
So one of the things that I think is soimportant is the fact that women approaching
midlife and perimenopause, they're kind of ledto believe a little bit that when they start
(17:14):
having symptoms of perimenopause that it's justbecause they're getting older and they have to
live with it.
Now the thing is is that women arrive atperimenopause with pre existing hormonal
deficiencies and imbalances.
And the problem is that when it's just blamedon perimenopause or menopause, the whole, you
(17:37):
know, situation is kind of overlooked.
And even if you're just treating with HRT, youknow, hormone replacement therapy, for example,
you're still missing the fact that her body isnot actually producing her own hormones in the
right amount for her age and in the rightbalance.
And so that, if you are able to address thatbefore reaching perimenopause, then it's going
(17:59):
to change the trajectory of the way you age.
And those hormones, you should be able to makeyour own hormones in optimal amounts so that
you can have the vitality that those hormonesare providing to you.
They're powerful steroid anti inflammatories.
They help reduce chronic pain and, jointdegeneration.
They help with skin health, prevent aging ofskin.
(18:23):
There's just so many things to, you know, lookat with having healthy hormones and how that
slows the aging process.
And HRT has a role too in that if you want to,use that, I believe in the elegant use of HRT,
and maybe not in every case, but not everywoman wants to do it, but there is a way to do
(18:45):
it that is kind of an elegant way to use itthat will also continue to slow the aging
process and prevent things like dementia, bone,you know, osteoporosis, you know, heart
disease, all these things that really go up inrisk in women's health after a certain age, you
know, in your forties and fifties, your riskgoes way up for all those things, and it's
(19:07):
because hormones are declining.
But, yeah, so I think that that if you are ableto come to that that stage already having
optimized hormones, then you're going toactually have a much slowed aging process.
So so everybody, we're gonna talk.
(19:28):
I'm gonna ask doctor Ira something here, andwe're gonna talk in more detail in our
exclusive content in part two about testing andabout some of the problems, the pros and cons
with standard testing, things to look out,truths, lies, that sort of thing.
So look for that in the exclusive content inpart two.
You can find out how to join for that in theshow notes.
(19:49):
But here, and that's like my next question withthis is in thinking about, okay, perimenopause,
menopause, and even, you know, andropause formen, these times in life with hormones where
hormones start to change, when do you, from atiming perspective, recommend, like, oh, wow.
I should be thinking about looking at myhormone health?
Like, is there certain times you recommend justlike your whole life throughout years?
(20:13):
Like when do you recommend like, hey, we betterstart looking and seeing what's happening here?
Well, so I mean, I think we should be empoweredwith knowledge about our hormone health our
entire lives because it is very it's anunderserved area in medicine.
It's very difficult to actually find someonewho is knowledgeable enough to help women
(20:36):
optimizing their hormone health at at every atevery stage of life actually.
The woman who I I tested, the youngest womanI've tested and had, she had a deficiency was
16 years old.
So it can start as early as, you know, in justafter puberty.
(20:58):
It can start then because stress is that thatfactor that's depleting our ability to make our
hormones.
So every age really is an opportunity tooptimize your hormones, but absolutely for
sure, in your once you've reached you know,you're over 40, it is time.
You you have to really I mean, otherwise,you're you're most likely going to have a rough
(21:23):
time through perimenopause and menopause.
It's, you know, and that's every time that I'vetested someone who, I mean, of course, lot of
women come to me with a bunch of symptoms.
Right?
But, when I I test their hormones, even ifthey're on HRT and they're still deficient and
still out of balance.
So, I think after 40 is really the most crucialtime to get this optimized because then you're
(21:46):
going to have a more smooth transition as yourhormones start to naturally decline through
perimenopause.
Yeah.
So I hope everybody's really listening to thatbecause I do think so often, like, we wait too
late, you know, and I shouldn't say necessarilytoo late.
That's not the way I should say it because inmany ways, anything we do for our health, the
fact that we're starting is better, you know,better to start now than never.
(22:08):
So I correct myself on the too late, but wewait later than is ideal.
Right?
We wait later than we need to, and we waitlater than is best for our optimal transition
throughout, you know, this this time period aswell, just like for optimal health.
So in the conversation of, like like, what youmentioned was you recommend in many cases, not
all you had said, an an elegant approach toworking with hormones.
(22:32):
What do you mean by that?
Yes, great question.
Well, so I believe in the elegant use ofhormone replacement and that is several
factors.
First is making sure that the underlying causeof hormonal deficiency and imbalance is
addressed.
K?
So making sure that you're looking at what whatcould be playing a role into your hormone
(22:56):
production.
So optimizing that so that you can bringeverything into the optimum amount for your
age, right, then looking at and seeing what isneeded.
Because there are normal ranges for evenmenopausal levels.
We still make our hormones after menopause.
This is another thing a lot of women don'tknow.
(23:17):
You still make these hormones and you should beable to make them for normal menopausal ranges,
which the range is lower than when you're inyour thirties or forties, but you still should
be able to make all of these hormones.
So addressing the root cause, making sure thatyou're making the right amount of hormones for
your age and the right balance, that's numberone.
(23:37):
Number two is, not doing a protocol.
Okay?
So right now HRT is very it's very talkedabout.
It's a very hot topic.
And right now it's like the pendulum has swungfrom no hormones because they cause cancer and
they're scary to every woman have to havehormones or she won't be healthy.
I, you know, I believe that the protocols thatwomen get put on tend to cause a lot of side
(24:03):
effects.
So really having someone who understandshormones, you know, on a deep level, being able
to test the right things in the right way, andcreating a totally personalized approach.
And then also using bioidentical hormonesrather than synthetic hormones, that's
(24:23):
definitely very important.
And I don't think, you know, I don't believe inoral forms of hormones.
I prefer topical just because, you know, sooften I find women having side effects or, you
know, GI side effects or even I've tested somany women who are on the oral progesterone and
(24:47):
their levels are still coming up deficient.
So bioidentical, no protocols, getting to theroot cause, and making sure that your hormones
are actually in the right balance.
I think that is what is not looked at with mosthormone kind of therapy approaches is they're
(25:09):
not testing your progesterone to estrogenratio.
And that is so key.
If you're taking estrogen, you want to have anoptimized progesterone to estrogen ratio
because that's what helps make you feel good,but also because your hormone receptors all
over your body, it's not just about whether youhave a uterus or not.
Every woman deserves to not be estrogendominant, even if she doesn't have a uterus.
(25:33):
So I know that progesterone is that, you know,it's very protective against estrogen when
you're taking it.
The right balance is really, really key aswell.
Amazing.
And, yeah, I think one of the key things inthat, and there's a lot of great things she
said, I think one of them just hone in on is,like, the fact that it's not a protocol.
Like, the work you do is not a protocol, andit's, like, really understanding the uniqueness
(25:57):
of every individual and saying, hey.
This is what you need, and this is thecombination of what we need to do to address
the stress and the root cause and the hormones,whether that's HRT or otherwise, that's not
necessarily gonna be the same for the nextperson that walks through your door.
Right?
Yeah.
And and and the and the final point too is thatthat you're not overdosed.
(26:20):
Yeah.
This is, I run into that all the time as well.
So I don't believe in in, you know, bringingyour your hormone levels up to a level that
your body has never seen before.
Bringing your hormone levels up to what it wasin your twenties or thirties, that's fine, but
when it's when it goes way beyond that, I Idon't think that that I don't think that the
(26:43):
body is used to those that amount of hormones,and I and I think that that's where there can
be a lot of problems.
Yeah.
That's physiological dosing around, is what mybody this is what my body is, like, designed to
be able to work with, that knows how to workwith, those kind of things.
I couldn't agree more, and I wanna wrap up thisepisode and let people everybody know, I'm
(27:05):
gonna let you tell them about this in a moment,that doctor Iris has free consultations for
people that are interested in working with her,which is just amazing.
So we're gonna have links for that in the shownotes of how you can get yours.
And and before we I let you say that, just as areminder, everybody, also remember if you want
part two, we're gonna talk about testing.
We're gonna talk about some of these HRT myths.
(27:27):
We're gonna talk about some of the, you know,the spelling, some of the fears around around
HRT, what you can do about it as well as, likeI said, how to get the proper testing.
So look down below for that in our show notes.
But before we go, please tell everybody aboutour your free consultation.
Yeah, so the free consultation is actuallydirectly with me.
So it's a one hour consultation where I canactually listen to what's happening with you,
(27:53):
what your symptoms are, and kind of assess whatmight be happening and whether I whether or not
working together might significantly help you.
So it really is a chance to meet with an expertand be able to get some insight as to what
might be going on and also develop like a threestep plan that you can either take and
(28:20):
implement on your own, or we can talk aboutwhat it might look like to have us help you
implement that.
And then you do work with people all around theworld, correct?
I work with people, my comprehensive programsare actually with people in The United States,
just because they include testing andsupplements and things like that, and it's
(28:42):
kinda hard to, but for consulting educational,I do have an offering for international, so
there is an option for that.
It just isn't the extensive service.
Okay.
Perfect.
Yeah.
So we'll have all of that in the show notes,and thank you again everybody for joining us
today.
Thank you, Doctor.
Iris, for being here.
Please do check out Doctor.
Iris's free consultation.
(29:02):
Go ahead and sign up for the exclusive contentand I'll see you all real soon.
Ciao for now.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the Libido Lounge.
Please don't keep me a secret.
Please share this with your friends.
You can find me on YouTube, on Instagram, aswell as how to work with me at mylibidodoc.com.
Stress impacts our ability to make our hormonesin normal healthy amounts And so this is a
connection that is kind of missing a lot of thetime in when we think about our hormones, we
think about, you know, our sex hormones likeestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
But what we don't look at is what the impact ofstress is on the production of those hormones.
(00:32):
It feels like different symptoms like fatigueor sleep disturbance or weight gain that you're
that is unexplained or it could be mood things.
It could be anxiety or depression.
It could be foggy brain.
You know, there's so many different things thatcan show up and you might not know that it's
because of stress.
(00:52):
One of the things that I that I think is soimportant is the fact that women approaching
midlife and perimenopause, they they're kind ofled to believe a little bit that so I believe
in the elegant use of hormone replacement andthat is several factors.
First is
(01:13):
Just wanted to take a quick minute to tell youhow you can get almost $250 worth of free
bonuses that will teach you how to improve yourdesire, how to have more libido, how to get the
right test done to figure out the root causesof low libido from a physical perspective.
This is for men and women.
And you do this by preordering a copy of mybook.
(01:36):
My book is coming out in late fall.
Projected date is November 1.
And in my book, we're gonna talk about allsorts of physical root causes for low libido,
how to help pelvic pain, how to help erectiledysfunction, how to help vaginal dryness, how
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(02:03):
your support.
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Now back to our show.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to another episode of the LibidoLounge.
I'm your host and board certified sexologist,doctor Diane Mueller, and I have with me today
(02:28):
a new friend, somebody I'm so excited tointroduce you to, the hormone boss, a fellow
naturopathic physician.
We're gonna talk about all things hormonestoday.
We're gonna really talk about some of theconnections with hormones and libido, and I
know some of you listening already know thingsthat such as hormones can impact sexual health.
(02:49):
So today, we're gonna get everybody up to speedon that, but we're also gonna go a lot deeper
and really understand what you need to know.
We're gonna dispel, like, myths, bust downstereotypes, get over some fears around this
topic, and a whole lot more.
So doctor Iris, thank you for joining me today.
Thank you so much, that was a lovely welcome.
(03:10):
I'm really excited to be here with you.
Yeah, I'm excited for more time.
Every time we've chatted, I've just enjoyed theconversation so much.
So let's just lay the foundation, So as I know,like I said, like, do know some people are
aware of hormones and impact on libido and sexdrive, and I also know there's some people that
have, like, a entry level awareness or maybehave heard of this and don't know a whole lot.
(03:34):
So let's just, like, start the foundation here.
Can you just help lay us, like, the some of theconnection between hormonal health and libido
and sexual health?
Yes.
Well, first of all, women can experience issueswith libido at any stage of their life, right?
(03:55):
So the biggest real connection that I'm reallypassionate about and that I like to highlight
is how stress impacts our ability to make ourhormones in normal healthy amounts.
And so this is a a connection that is kindamissing a lot of the time in when we think
about our hormones, we think about, our sexhormones like estrogen and progesterone and
(04:19):
testosterone, but what we don't look at is whatthe impact of stress is on the production of
those hormones.
And so throughout our entire lives we can havethis effect on being able to actually make your
own hormones in the right amount for your ageand how that can impact libido, just looking at
(04:43):
like estrogen levels.
A woman at any age can be low in estrogen.
Testosterone levels, which is directly impactedby stress.
So that's kind of the the place I like to beginbecause it is the foundation of our hormone
production.
So I wanna ask you now a question about stressbecause I feel like, you know, stress is like
this cliche thing that we can say, andsometimes I know people are like, oh, yeah.
(05:08):
Stress.
I've heard it before.
And it's so easy, I think, to hear this andjust be like, okay, doctor d.
Okay, doctor Iris.
Like, I got this.
I've heard this.
Stress is bad.
Right?
But but there's two things that that kindabring up that I have to, you know, say about
this or I really want to ask you about this.
First is sometimes I think there are situationswhere people think they're not stressed because
(05:29):
they don't actually feel like that anxiety orthat tension in their body.
Like, I'll give you an example of myself.
Like, right now, I just reactivated my aurarange, so I'm tracking my my, you know, some
stats again.
And I've I've had this turned off for a coupleyears, but historically, one of the things that
has been just awful with my tracking device ismy heart rate variability.
(05:54):
And we know that how variable our heart rateis, like, the more variable, like, the better,
and stress is one of the big factors thatturned down our HRV.
So lo and behold, you know, it's like I wantedto check and see where I am because last I
left, this was not good despite trying abazillion things.
And so I activate it, and it's still it'sslightly better than it was, but it's still
(06:16):
relatively crappy at, like, 20 to 24, which is,you know, half of where I would want it to be
at least.
So my question for you here is how do peopleactually recognize sometimes that they're
stressed?
Because I think there's some people that arelike, oh, yeah, I know I'm stressing, you know,
there's anxiety, there's these feelings, butfor other people it's like, well, clearly my
(06:40):
body is reacting to stress, like I can see itin in this.
But in my body itself, I don't actually like, Ifeel pretty chill.
Right?
I can have good days, you know, almost everyday.
So how do you like, do you have senses, youknow, sense for people around, like, okay.
Step one, if this is one of the biggest thingsis with stress is our impact, how do we take a
(07:00):
step back and say, okay, well, is this true forme?
Yes.
That's such a great point because it's true.
You know, your your ability to your resilienceagainst stress can actually protect you from
really feeling the effects of it, at least inthe beginning.
And there's, you know, there's what stresscauses is adrenal, glandular output.
(07:22):
Right?
And we make cortisol as one of the main fightor flight hormones and that hormone is designed
to protect you against the effects of stress.
So in the beginning, you should be able tofight off stress, not really feel the effects
of that stress.
You don't feel stressed even though there isjust daily stress and our lizard brain
(07:43):
perceives that stress, but we might not, youknow, consciously be aware of it.
So, and this is kind of more stage one adrenalfatigue where you're able to make a bunch of
cortisol, feel protected against the stress,and then, you know, it it might take quite a
significant amount of time with prolongedstress before you start feeling the effects of
(08:07):
it.
Now what does that feel like?
It it feels like different symptoms likefatigue or sleep disturbance or weight gain
that you're that is unexplained, or it could bemood mood things.
It could be anxiety or depression.
It could be foggy brain.
(08:29):
You know, there's so many different things thatcan show up, you might not know that it's
because of stress.
So I do think, you know, in the beginning, youknow, we do feel protected against stress and
we feel like we can handle stress fine.
But what happens is over time, it reallydepletes the adrenal gland's function and
ability to make all that cortisol so youradrenals become start to become fatigued.
(08:53):
So sometimes even after, you know, traumaticevents, can take even up to two years after the
fact of of that trauma or that experience, thatstressful situation, to kind of crash.
And so sometimes that delayed effect, you know,can be a little bit, confusing when we're like,
what what is happening?
(09:14):
So, yeah, I think symptoms, any differentsymptoms you might not know related to stress,
that's kind of how to do an inventory and seeif stress may be affecting me because all of
those symptoms can be, you know, rooted in thatone stress response cause.
I really want to pinpoint something you saidbecause I think it's so important for people to
(09:34):
hear this part again, which is that sometimesthe impact, right, the crash or whatever it is,
might not happen right away.
So we can have like a really intense time, andwe might not even notice some of the symptoms
that that stress created for, you know, a yearor two after.
So I just wanted to emphasize that because Ithink it's a really good point.
(09:56):
And then my other, you know, question and andto our listeners, like like, just hang with me
if you're like, I'm here for hormones.
We're gonna get there.
Like, this is what we're doing, but we wannalay that foundation of, okay.
What is really happening here from a standpointof the root causes as far as hormonal
dysfunction?
So then my other question before we move onjust in relationship to your kinda intro
(10:16):
statement on on stress is, what about thepeople that are just, like, almost in this
world of, okay.
Like, serious can this be from a standpoint ofstress?
Because, like I said, like, I do, and I imagineyou you are similar, like like, this is so
important, and yet it's, one of the most, like,cliche things that I think just gets, like,
thrown around, and we're like, yeah.
(10:37):
Drink more water.
Yeah.
Like, you know, live a stress free, you know,lifestyle and all those things.
So I wanna make sure we are being cautious forour listeners of, like, you know, going deeper
than that.
So if somebody's listening and they're like,okay, docs, I've heard this before.
Stress is bad.
I've heard this before.
What would you say to them to help, like,really help them understand that, like, yeah,
(10:58):
this is something that is talked about a lot,and at the same time, it's not cliche.
It's one of those, you know, fundamentalthings.
So do you have anything that you would addthere to just support those people?
Absolutely.
So the thing is is it is kind of cliche to talkabout stress.
Everyone's talking about it because you can'tescape it.
Yeah.
It's everywhere every day, and the thing thoughthat that I think is a huge takeaway is that
(11:24):
the onus is not up to us to avoid stress or tospend hours a day doing stress management
things.
That's not feasible.
Right?
So what isn't offered as much is solutions tohow to handle stress better, how to be more
resilient, how to not feel overwhelmed all thetime.
(11:44):
And that has to do with many factors.
It has to do with your own stress responsesystem, that HPA axis, the hypothalamic
pituitary adrenal axis, that's your stressresponse system.
And everyone has a different functionality oftheir stress response system, and it's based
on, you know, your childhood.
(12:07):
It's based on the stress that you'veexperienced, traumas you've experienced, what
you've inherited from your family, and whatyou've learned growing up about how to respond
to stress.
There's a lot of different factors there, andwe can actually impact the way our HPA axis,
our stress response system functions with awhole class of botanical medicines.
(12:31):
And that's something that, you know, and otherthings too.
There are lifestyle things.
There's nutrition.
There's exercise, all these things.
But but that's the real key that I think thatwomen it's gonna really leverage women in in
their ability to, maintain and optimize theirhormone production is by leveraging those those
(12:54):
botanical natural botanical medicines to beable to improve and optimize your stress
response system.
So that okay.
So that's wonderful.
So now we know, hey.
This is, like, no matter how cliche this is, noand and really the word there too is common,
that this is actually extremely real.
And I do think it's an important point pointaround, like, we're not it's not like we're
(13:16):
gonna we can't live in a cave.
We can't nobody that I know can, like, spendtheir whole day in meditation and escaping from
the world and doing all these, like, stressresiliency techniques.
So it is it's it's less about, hey.
We can, like, avoid these and more around howdo we keep the body balanced.
So then we talked about, okay, stress causesdysfunction in our sex hormones and of course
(13:38):
with the dysfunction in the sex hormones, thatcan be one reason why somebody has a sexual
health imbalance.
If you haven't taken a minute yet to go towanttowantit.com to get your bonuses, almost
$250 worth of free bonuses for pre ordering mybook, I recommend you do that now.
We're gonna go through so many reasons and somany solutions to fixing low libido for both
(14:03):
men and women.
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So many things designed to help supportestrogen and testosterone and circulation and
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(14:25):
So if you go to wanttowantit.com, you can findthat book for preorder and you can also then
take advantage of the almost $250 worth ofbonuses I am giving away for preorder that will
not be available for long.
Now let's get back to our episode.
When it comes to like hormones and sexualhealth, like to me, like, okay, so that covers
(14:45):
some of the basics.
What about myths around like hormones andsexual health?
Are there any like myths that you see like comeup, just like things that are like
misunderstood in the eye of the public that youthink are important to mention?
Well, I think the under, like, I think what'softentimes kind of overlooked is the role of
(15:06):
testosterone in women's health, and women'slibido and and all of that, but also just brain
health, mood health, bone density, all of thesethings that testosterone is really important.
Now a lot of hormone savvy or, you know, healthsavvy women do know a little bit more about how
(15:26):
testosterone is a thing.
It's a women's hormone.
And I think that that but there's a lot ofwomen also that that don't get much information
about that, right?
And so I think that they they thinktestosterone is a male hormone.
Yes, men have more testosterone, but we alsorequire testosterone to have optimum health and
(15:51):
energy and libido and all of that.
I think that's probably the biggest one I canthink of right now.
Yeah.
I think it's an important one because I thinkit's true.
I mean, it like, the fact that testosterone isnot even, like, FDA approved for women to use
is, like, a kind of a shocking thing where weactually look at, you know, research on well,
(16:12):
one, you know, we know from medicine that womendo have testosterone, like you mentioned, and
then two, you look at the dramatic impact onsex hormones and on, I mean, on sexual health,
and the fact that testosterone is really inmany, you know, ways not even a a part of the
conversation, I think is a major, majorproblem.
(16:33):
Well, let's talk about aging because you alsomentioned early on that, okay, we can have
these hormone abnormalities at any age.
Right?
So then what do you feel from a standpoint oflike, where does aging play a role in our
hormones?
What is like a natural change as far ashormones and aging, and what is like say a
(16:53):
dysfunctional change with hormones and aging?
That's a great question.
So one of the things that I think is soimportant is the fact that women approaching
midlife and perimenopause, they're kind of ledto believe a little bit that when they start
(17:14):
having symptoms of perimenopause that it's justbecause they're getting older and they have to
live with it.
Now the thing is is that women arrive atperimenopause with pre existing hormonal
deficiencies and imbalances.
And the problem is that when it's just blamedon perimenopause or menopause, the whole, you
(17:37):
know, situation is kind of overlooked.
And even if you're just treating with HRT, youknow, hormone replacement therapy, for example,
you're still missing the fact that her body isnot actually producing her own hormones in the
right amount for her age and in the rightbalance.
And so that, if you are able to address thatbefore reaching perimenopause, then it's going
(17:59):
to change the trajectory of the way you age.
And those hormones, you should be able to makeyour own hormones in optimal amounts so that
you can have the vitality that those hormonesare providing to you.
They're powerful steroid anti inflammatories.
They help reduce chronic pain and, jointdegeneration.
They help with skin health, prevent aging ofskin.
(18:23):
There's just so many things to, you know, lookat with having healthy hormones and how that
slows the aging process.
And HRT has a role too in that if you want to,use that, I believe in the elegant use of HRT,
and maybe not in every case, but not everywoman wants to do it, but there is a way to do
(18:45):
it that is kind of an elegant way to use itthat will also continue to slow the aging
process and prevent things like dementia, bone,you know, osteoporosis, you know, heart
disease, all these things that really go up inrisk in women's health after a certain age, you
know, in your forties and fifties, your riskgoes way up for all those things, and it's
(19:07):
because hormones are declining.
But, yeah, so I think that that if you are ableto come to that that stage already having
optimized hormones, then you're going toactually have a much slowed aging process.
So so everybody, we're gonna talk.
(19:28):
I'm gonna ask doctor Ira something here, andwe're gonna talk in more detail in our
exclusive content in part two about testing andabout some of the problems, the pros and cons
with standard testing, things to look out,truths, lies, that sort of thing.
So look for that in the exclusive content inpart two.
You can find out how to join for that in theshow notes.
(19:49):
But here, and that's like my next question withthis is in thinking about, okay, perimenopause,
menopause, and even, you know, andropause formen, these times in life with hormones where
hormones start to change, when do you, from atiming perspective, recommend, like, oh, wow.
I should be thinking about looking at myhormone health?
Like, is there certain times you recommend justlike your whole life throughout years?
(20:13):
Like when do you recommend like, hey, we betterstart looking and seeing what's happening here?
Well, so I mean, I think we should be empoweredwith knowledge about our hormone health our
entire lives because it is very it's anunderserved area in medicine.
It's very difficult to actually find someonewho is knowledgeable enough to help women
(20:36):
optimizing their hormone health at at every atevery stage of life actually.
The woman who I I tested, the youngest womanI've tested and had, she had a deficiency was
16 years old.
So it can start as early as, you know, in justafter puberty.
(20:58):
It can start then because stress is that thatfactor that's depleting our ability to make our
hormones.
So every age really is an opportunity tooptimize your hormones, but absolutely for
sure, in your once you've reached you know,you're over 40, it is time.
You you have to really I mean, otherwise,you're you're most likely going to have a rough
(21:23):
time through perimenopause and menopause.
It's, you know, and that's every time that I'vetested someone who, I mean, of course, lot of
women come to me with a bunch of symptoms.
Right?
But, when I I test their hormones, even ifthey're on HRT and they're still deficient and
still out of balance.
So, I think after 40 is really the most crucialtime to get this optimized because then you're
(21:46):
going to have a more smooth transition as yourhormones start to naturally decline through
perimenopause.
Yeah.
So I hope everybody's really listening to thatbecause I do think so often, like, we wait too
late, you know, and I shouldn't say necessarilytoo late.
That's not the way I should say it because inmany ways, anything we do for our health, the
fact that we're starting is better, you know,better to start now than never.
(22:08):
So I correct myself on the too late, but wewait later than is ideal.
Right?
We wait later than we need to, and we waitlater than is best for our optimal transition
throughout, you know, this this time period aswell, just like for optimal health.
So in the conversation of, like like, what youmentioned was you recommend in many cases, not
all you had said, an an elegant approach toworking with hormones.
(22:32):
What do you mean by that?
Yes, great question.
Well, so I believe in the elegant use ofhormone replacement and that is several
factors.
First is making sure that the underlying causeof hormonal deficiency and imbalance is
addressed.
K?
So making sure that you're looking at what whatcould be playing a role into your hormone
(22:56):
production.
So optimizing that so that you can bringeverything into the optimum amount for your
age, right, then looking at and seeing what isneeded.
Because there are normal ranges for evenmenopausal levels.
We still make our hormones after menopause.
This is another thing a lot of women don'tknow.
(23:17):
You still make these hormones and you should beable to make them for normal menopausal ranges,
which the range is lower than when you're inyour thirties or forties, but you still should
be able to make all of these hormones.
So addressing the root cause, making sure thatyou're making the right amount of hormones for
your age and the right balance, that's numberone.
(23:37):
Number two is, not doing a protocol.
Okay?
So right now HRT is very it's very talkedabout.
It's a very hot topic.
And right now it's like the pendulum has swungfrom no hormones because they cause cancer and
they're scary to every woman have to havehormones or she won't be healthy.
I, you know, I believe that the protocols thatwomen get put on tend to cause a lot of side
(24:03):
effects.
So really having someone who understandshormones, you know, on a deep level, being able
to test the right things in the right way, andcreating a totally personalized approach.
And then also using bioidentical hormonesrather than synthetic hormones, that's
(24:23):
definitely very important.
And I don't think, you know, I don't believe inoral forms of hormones.
I prefer topical just because, you know, sooften I find women having side effects or, you
know, GI side effects or even I've tested somany women who are on the oral progesterone and
(24:47):
their levels are still coming up deficient.
So bioidentical, no protocols, getting to theroot cause, and making sure that your hormones
are actually in the right balance.
I think that is what is not looked at with mosthormone kind of therapy approaches is they're
(25:09):
not testing your progesterone to estrogenratio.
And that is so key.
If you're taking estrogen, you want to have anoptimized progesterone to estrogen ratio
because that's what helps make you feel good,but also because your hormone receptors all
over your body, it's not just about whether youhave a uterus or not.
Every woman deserves to not be estrogendominant, even if she doesn't have a uterus.
(25:33):
So I know that progesterone is that, you know,it's very protective against estrogen when
you're taking it.
The right balance is really, really key aswell.
Amazing.
And, yeah, I think one of the key things inthat, and there's a lot of great things she
said, I think one of them just hone in on is,like, the fact that it's not a protocol.
Like, the work you do is not a protocol, andit's, like, really understanding the uniqueness
(25:57):
of every individual and saying, hey.
This is what you need, and this is thecombination of what we need to do to address
the stress and the root cause and the hormones,whether that's HRT or otherwise, that's not
necessarily gonna be the same for the nextperson that walks through your door.
Right?
Yeah.
And and and the and the final point too is thatthat you're not overdosed.
(26:20):
Yeah.
This is, I run into that all the time as well.
So I don't believe in in, you know, bringingyour your hormone levels up to a level that
your body has never seen before.
Bringing your hormone levels up to what it wasin your twenties or thirties, that's fine, but
when it's when it goes way beyond that, I Idon't think that that I don't think that the
(26:43):
body is used to those that amount of hormones,and I and I think that that's where there can
be a lot of problems.
Yeah.
That's physiological dosing around, is what mybody this is what my body is, like, designed to
be able to work with, that knows how to workwith, those kind of things.
I couldn't agree more, and I wanna wrap up thisepisode and let people everybody know, I'm
(27:05):
gonna let you tell them about this in a moment,that doctor Iris has free consultations for
people that are interested in working with her,which is just amazing.
So we're gonna have links for that in the shownotes of how you can get yours.
And and before we I let you say that, just as areminder, everybody, also remember if you want
part two, we're gonna talk about testing.
We're gonna talk about some of these HRT myths.
(27:27):
We're gonna talk about some of the, you know,the spelling, some of the fears around around
HRT, what you can do about it as well as, likeI said, how to get the proper testing.
So look down below for that in our show notes.
But before we go, please tell everybody aboutour your free consultation.
Yeah, so the free consultation is actuallydirectly with me.
So it's a one hour consultation where I canactually listen to what's happening with you,
(27:53):
what your symptoms are, and kind of assess whatmight be happening and whether I whether or not
working together might significantly help you.
So it really is a chance to meet with an expertand be able to get some insight as to what
might be going on and also develop like a threestep plan that you can either take and
(28:20):
implement on your own, or we can talk aboutwhat it might look like to have us help you
implement that.
And then you do work with people all around theworld, correct?
I work with people, my comprehensive programsare actually with people in The United States,
just because they include testing andsupplements and things like that, and it's
(28:42):
kinda hard to, but for consulting educational,I do have an offering for international, so
there is an option for that.
It just isn't the extensive service.
Okay.
Perfect.
Yeah.
So we'll have all of that in the show notes,and thank you again everybody for joining us
today.
Thank you, Doctor.
Iris, for being here.
Please do check out Doctor.
Iris's free consultation.
(29:02):
Go ahead and sign up for the exclusive contentand I'll see you all real soon.
Ciao for now.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the Libido Lounge.
Please don't keep me a secret.
Please share this with your friends.
You can find me on YouTube, on Instagram, aswell as how to work with me at mylibidodoc.com.
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