
The Menopause Gut: What Estrogen Is Really Doing to Your Microbiome with Cynthia Thurlow
From The Inflammation Code by Dr. Shivani Gupta
April 21, 2026 · 58 min
About this episode
Dr. Shivani Gupta discusses the impact of estrogen on gut health during menopause with guest Cynthia Thurlow.
Have you ever done everything right, eating clean, exercising, managing stress and still felt like your body was quietly unraveling? In this episode, Dr. Shivani sits down with Cynthia Thurlow, nurse practitioner, two-time TEDx speaker, and author of the brand-new book The Menopause Gut, for one of the most important conversations in women's health: what happens to the gut during perimenopause and menopause, and why almost no one is talking about it. This is the conversation your doctor probably hasn't had with you yet, and the one your body has been waiting for. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why estrogen is far more than a reproductive hormone and how it protects your gut lining, immune system, serotonin, and insulin sensitivity The bi-directional relationship between estrogen and the gut microbiome, and why you can't address one without the other What the estrobilome is and how impaired estrogen detoxification contributes to brain fog, weight gain, joint pain, and breast tenderness Why leaky gut becomes more likely in perimenopause and how declining estrogen is the missing link most doctors skip The surprising reason women over 40 are more prone to UTIs and how vaginal estrogen alone…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Shivani Gupta
Guest: Cynthia Thurlow
Topics covered
- menopause
- gut health
- estrogen
- microbiome
- women's health
- perimenopause
- probiotics
Keywords
- menopause
- gut microbiome
- estrogen
- perimenopause
- probiotics
- women's health
- leaky gut
- UTIs
- brain fog
- weight gain
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Menopause Gut
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