Millions of Women Stopped Taking Hormones Because of a Misread Study | Dr. Sharon Malone

Millions of Women Stopped Taking Hormones Because of a Misread Study | Dr. Sharon Malone

May 27, 2026 · 1h 28m · Episode 1145

About this episode

Dr. Hyman and Dr. Malone discuss the misconceptions surrounding menopause and hormone therapy, emphasizing the need for a more individualized approach to women's health.

For far too long, many women have been told their symptoms were normal, exaggerated, or simply something they had to live with—treated as isolated problems instead of part of a much larger hormonal transition happening inside the body. On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I’m joined by Dr. Sharon Malone, host of The Second Opinion podcast and Chief Medical Advisor at Alloy Women’s Health. We discuss how menopause and hormone therapy became so misunderstood, the real story behind the Women’s Health Initiative study, and why a more individualized, prevention-focused approach to women’s health is long overdue. Watch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. We explore: Why so many women enter perimenopause completely unprepared—and how symptoms can begin years before menopause officially starts What the Women’s Health Initiative actually found, and how one medical narrative reshaped women’s healthcare for decades How menopause affects far more than reproduction, including the brain, heart, sleep, metabolism, and bone health What you should know about hormone therapy today, including timing, individualized treatment, and understanding risk in…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Mark Hyman

Guest: Dr. Sharon Malone

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Organizations: Alloy Women’s Health, The Second Opinion, Women’s Health Initiative

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