Decoding Partnership in Midlife with Dr. Richard Shapiro from Decoding Women's Health
From Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue by Pushkin Industries
February 10, 2026 · 33 min · Season 1
About this episode
A discussion on how partners can support women going through menopause, featuring Dr. Richard Shapiro.
We’ve talked a lot on this show about health issues midlife women face. But what about the other people who often have a front-row seat to these changes, and can play a key supporting role? This week, a conversation about supporting a partner who’s going through menopause—with none other than Elizabeth’s own partner: Dr. Richard Shapiro (who also happens to be a pioneering breast cancer and melanoma researcher and surgeon). They talk about the ways they’ve navigated midlife changes in their relationship, common misconceptions about taking hormones, and impacts menopause can have on relationships, as well as give advice for how both partners and clinicians can better support women experiencing menopause. Links to resources mentioned in this episode: (00:01:38) Dr. Elizabeth Poynor on Rich Roll’s podcast Menopausal Hormone Therapy and the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women with a Pathogenic Variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 The Menopause Society 8 facts about divorce in the United States Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue
Guest: Dr. Richard Shapiro
Topics covered
- midlife partnership
- menopause
- supporting partners
- health issues
- relationships
Keywords
- menopause
- midlife changes
- hormones
- relationships
- support
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Menopause Society, Rich Roll’s podcast, Pushkin Industries
More episodes of Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue
- Ted Danson on Comedy with a Conscience from Who's with Me? with W. Kamau Bell · June 3, 2026 · 1h 33m
- Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan · August 2, 2021 · 28 min
- Rob & Michele Reiner · July 26, 2021 · 26 min
- Reverend Jesse & Jacqueline Jackson · July 19, 2021 · 24 min
- Bryan Cranston & Robin Dearden · July 12, 2021 · 26 min
- What We're Listening To: Rich and Daily · July 8, 2021 · 8 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue podcast page.