Ep. 30: The Hormone Whisperer: Unlocking Midlife Wellness for Heart Health — with Dr. Polly Watson, Gynecologist & Menopause Specialist

This is an episode every woman — and the people who love them — should hear. Dr. Regina Druz is joined by Dr. Polly Watson, a gynecologist and certified menopause specialist who practices through an integrative, functional-medicine lens. Together they reframe perimenopause and menopause not as a narrow set of hot flashes, but as a whole-body, systemic transition that reshapes the heart, brain, bones, mood, and metabolism. The centerpiece is what Dr. Druz calls the ‘estrogen explosion’ — the estrogen dominance that can show up years before a final period — and how it ties to rising blood pressure, palpitations, arrhythmias, and stiff-heart changes. They walk through how to stage perimenopause, how to test and support estrogen detoxification, and how to put the misunderstood Women’s Health Initiative in the rear-view mirror so women can make informed, individualized decisions about hormones and their hearts.

Watch on YouTube: A video version of this episode is available on the Own Your Heart Health YouTube channel. Subscribe to be notified of new episodes.

Episode Chapters

[00:00] Introduction & Meet Dr. Polly Watson
[02:18] Inspired by Her Mother: Menopause at 38
[05:00] “Talking Hormones in Cardiology Is Malpractice”
[06:50] From Hot Flashes to Whole-Body Health
[10:00] Menopause as a Systemic Condition
[12:30] The Stages: STRAW, SWAN & “Puberty in Reverse”
[16:30] Menopause & the Heart: BP, Arrhythmias, SCAD & Takotsubo
[19:30] What Is “Estrogen Dominance”?
[28:30] Testing & Reversing Estrogen Dominance
[33:30] The Estrogen Explosion, CKM & Early Warning Signs
[37:00] Putting the WHI in the Rear-View Mirror
[46:30] What to Test in Your 40s and 50s
[52:30] Midlife Power & Closing

Transcript

[00:00] Introduction & Meet Dr. Polly Watson

Dr. Regina Druz (00:02): Welcome to Own Your Heart Health. I’m Dr. Regina Druz, your holistic cardiologist. This week we’ll dive into common heart health concerns, uncovering root causes and unpacking scientific discoveries and controversies. The information provided does not constitute medical advice. Please contact your healthcare practitioner before making any changes that may impact your health.

Dr. Regina Druz (00:40): Hi everyone. I have a great guest today, and this is an episode every woman listening must hear — and if you’re a man listening, please tell your wife, girlfriend, mom, or sister to listen too. My colleague Dr. Polly Watson specializes in hormone wellness, with a focus on menopause and perimenopause; she’s a certified menopause specialist through the North American Menopause Society. She first reached out to ask me what’s going on cardiac-wise for women in menopause, and I had so many specific questions for her. A spoiler on today’s theme: estrogen dominance — or as I call it, the ‘estrogen explosion.’ More on that later. Welcome, Dr. Polly.

Dr. Polly Watson (01:35): Thank you so much for having me — this is going to be fun, and I value your work so much. We’re always looking for allies, so even if you’re a man listening, we welcome anyone who wants to support women, because there aren’t enough people supporting women right now.

[02:18] Inspired by Her Mother: Menopause at 38

Dr. Regina Druz (02:18): I think it’s important that to really do right by women’s health, we bring an integrative, functional-medicine lens to it. So, the question I ask all my guests: how did you grow up to be a functional medicine doctor and a hormone specialist?

Dr. Polly Watson (02:55): My mom was a huge inspiration. She went through menopause at 38, and at the time nobody clued into it — they told her it was all in her head. We now know early ovarian failure has significant effects on the brain, the skeleton, and the heart, so it was really malpractice not to take her seriously. I was a high schooler watching her go to the doctor and cry while they tried to get her out of the room — it was a disaster — and I knew I wanted to go into women’s medicine. I delivered babies, which was fantastic, but I got menopause certification early. I came into functional medicine when, at a menopause society meeting, someone asked about adrenal fatigue and was told ‘that doesn’t exist’ — that same silencing. I thought, we can argue about terminology, but people are suffering, so can we get curious? I found AIHM with Dr. Mimi Guarneri, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and A4M, and broadened my thinking about root causes and lifestyle. Once you know, you can’t go back.

[05:00] “Talking Hormones in Cardiology Is Malpractice”

Dr. Regina Druz (05:00): That resonates. Years ago I was inspired by senior cardiologists — many of them women pioneers — who put women’s cardiovascular health on the map. As a junior faculty member at the American College of Cardiology, I was in the faculty lounge with an extraordinary cardiologist who truly made women’s cardiac health a recognized term. I casually mentioned I was interested in how hormones and hormone replacement might affect what we see in female patients. And she said to me, basically, ‘Regina, just talking about hormones and cardiology is malpractice.’

Dr. Regina Druz (06:20): It’s been many years, and a lot has changed. We don’t talk like that anymore, and we don’t think like that anymore — and I hope my fellow cardiologists listening don’t either. So, Polly, what’s the connection you’ve learned to see through this more integrative lens? Give us the flavor of these perimenopausal and menopausal patients.

[06:50] From Hot Flashes to Whole-Body Health

Dr. Polly Watson (06:50): There’s been a big shift. We used to talk only about hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Now we ask: when I’m perimenopausal and my estrogen is fluctuating, what’s happening to my heart — am I getting palpitations? What’s happening to my mood, my working memory, my word-finding? My sleep? My body composition and insulin resistance — the scale may not move, but I lose my waist and my hourglass figure? My ability to maintain and build lean muscle? Hormones affect every tissue in the body, so menopause doesn’t happen in a vacuum. And there may be reasons to consider hormones that have nothing to do with hot flashes — protecting the brain if we start before the final period, or addressing the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause: the achiness, frozen shoulder, and more. We’re seeing these symptoms affect the whole person.

Dr. Regina Druz (08:30): Hi everyone, it’s Dr. Regina here. I know there are contradictory opinions about nutrition for heart health and longevity — the discussion gets heated and confusing. Some push low-fat, low-cholesterol; others are fans of a ketogenic diet; and there are many voices urging vegan or vegetarian eating. To cut through the clutter, my team and I created Holistic Heart University: on-demand courses, nutrition and lifestyle resources, and supplement guidance to make healthy choices for your heart easier to understand. I’m especially proud of our open office hours and the Q&A feature where you can put us in the hot seat. Head to the show notes for the link and use promo code OWNER20 for 20% off our annual subscription. I’ll see you in office hours.

[10:00] Menopause as a Systemic Condition

Dr. Regina Druz (10:00): So we’re seeing an expanded understanding that perimenopause and menopause are systemic conditions — not limited to the typical hormone symptoms, but affecting the cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems and, ultimately, women’s longevity. The same is true for men; they just don’t have this biologically programmed ‘fall off the cliff.’ I’ve been seeing a lot of cardiovascular issues in these patients: arrhythmias, palpitations, atrial fibrillation, new-onset or labile hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, lipid abnormalities, insulin resistance, and visceral fat gain. With newer imaging we’re approaching the point of routinely seeing ectopic adipose tissue — fat deposited around the coronary arteries and heart chambers. That fat can be highly inflamed, and the obesity-related phenotype of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is almost synonymous with being female. So walk us through the stages — how would a woman recognize she’s in perimenopause or menopause?

[12:30] The Stages: STRAW, SWAN & “Puberty in Reverse”

Dr. Polly Watson (12:30): I find the staging frustrating, and so do my patients. There’s a framework called the STRAW criteria. Menopause is technically the day you’ve gone a year without a period, and the rest of life is post-menopause (we use those terms interchangeably). Perimenopause is the time of progressive ovarian decline — think of it as puberty in reverse. Puberty didn’t flip on like a light switch; it ramped up over years, and perimenopause ramps down gradually. The SWAN study showed different patterns: women with more body fat may decline more linearly, while leaner women often get a giant estrogen spike before levels fall — the ‘estrogen explosion’ you describe. They come in with ‘shark week’ periods, breast pain, crying spells, PMS on steroids — then a couple of months later they’ve missed three periods in a row. It’s like Freaky Friday: which body will I wake up in today? And this can last two to ten years.

Dr. Polly Watson (15:10): STRAW splits perimenopause into early (cycles becoming irregular, but not yet two missed in a row) and late (no cycle for at least 60 days) — though this only applies to women who still have a period and aren’t on an IUD, an ablation, or hormonal contraception, which excludes a big chunk of the population. And even in late perimenopause, when women ask ‘when will this end?’, the honest answer is often about two years, because labs like AMH, FSH, and luteal estrogen and progesterone aren’t reliably predictive. It’s unsatisfying for everyone.

[16:30] Menopause & the Heart: BP, Arrhythmias, SCAD & Takotsubo

Dr. Regina Druz (16:30): In my world, watching cardiovascular risk factors emerge, those crude definitions matter — because by the time you’ve met the one-year-no-period definition, the train left the station on cardiovascular, metabolic, cognitive, and detoxification risk years earlier. There are distinct blood-pressure trajectories: some women stay normotensive, some become hypertensive early, some late. Hormonal fluctuations and increased arterial stiffness, plus vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes, are linked to roughly a 40% higher risk of hypertension.

Dr. Regina Druz (17:50): Women remain the leading sufferers of heart disease — currently about one in three women die of cardiovascular disease (it briefly improved to one in four after years of advocacy). The majority of women over 60 have no symptoms before their first heart attack, women have higher mortality after a first heart attack, and there are syndromes with a hormonal connection that are more unique to women — spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and Takotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy. So this personalized pathway matters: at some point most women going through this transition have an estrogen surge or a relative predominance of estrogen over progesterone. That’s what I call the estrogen explosion, more commonly called estrogen dominance. Polly, what is estrogen dominance, and how do you define it?

[19:30] What Is “Estrogen Dominance”?

Dr. Polly Watson (19:30): In my view we can have estrogen dominance throughout the reproductive cycle. Basics: in the first half of the cycle the follicles in the ovaries mature and make estradiol, which builds the uterine lining — a landing pad in case of fertilization. One follicle becomes dominant and ovulates, forming the corpus luteum, which makes progesterone. So first-half estrogen dominance is normal. When I talk about estrogen dominance, I mean the luteal-phase balance: was there enough progesterone to balance the estrogen? An adolescent with an immature brain-ovary axis can have anovulatory cycles — estrogen without progesterone — and bad PMS. In the reproductive years, PCOS (5–15% of women) is an estrogen-dominant, insulin-resistant state: not ovulating regularly, so not enough progesterone, plus fat in the liver, where we detoxify estrogen — a catch-22.

Dr. Polly Watson (22:30): Move into perimenopause: you’re born with all the eggs you’ll ever have, and quality declines from about age 35. By your mid-40s you may miss ovulations; the brain pushes FSH to make the ovaries work harder, but they can’t quite ovulate, or egg quality is poor, so progesterone is low. That’s estrogen-dominant, low-progesterone again. We also see it with modern chronic disease — as Dr. Felice Gersh says, you want to ‘rent estrogen, not store it.’ You clear estrogen by detoxifying it in the liver and eliminating it through stool. But a huge share of Americans have fatty liver from a refined-carbohydrate diet — excess glucose becomes visceral fat and liver fat, so the liver can’t detoxify estrogen (or the hundred chemicals the average person wears and breathes each day). It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

Dr. Polly Watson (25:40): And you need enough dietary fiber to actually eliminate it — walk through Costco and there’s an entire aisle for ‘I have heartburn’ or ‘I can’t poop,’ because people eat a refined diet without enough fiber to bind and remove excess estrogen. Add polypharmacy — many people are on five or more medications, all processed by the liver. I picture musical chairs: your liver has only so many chairs to metabolize toxins, medicines, and even supplements, and the more you bring, the worse it does its job.

Dr. Regina Druz (27:00): The same is true for supplements — many patients think more is better, and I explain that less is more, because the liver still has to process all of it. And a quick note for listeners: if you’re on audio, jump over to YouTube, where there are chapters, and Dr. Polly will share her excellent ‘estrogen dominance’ infographic — causes on one side, symptoms on the other. From the cardiac side I’d add labile hypertension, increased arterial stiffness, arrhythmias, and heart-failure syndromes, especially HFpEF driven by that inflamed ectopic fat.

[28:30] Testing & Reversing Estrogen Dominance

Dr. Regina Druz (28:30): In the land of lipids we have target numbers tied to risk. In the land of hormones we don’t really have a go-to number — correct me if I’m wrong. So how do you assess where a woman is and decide which strategies she needs?

Dr. Polly Watson (29:40): You’re right — most menopause research was qualitative (how do you feel, how many hot flashes), so for cardiovascular protection I’m largely using expert opinion. I always start with history. A 46-year-old with ‘shark week’ periods, heavy clotting, breast pain, worsening PMS, and a shortening cycle makes me think of a luteal-phase defect — not enough progesterone. I check for structural issues like fibroids first. I start with blood because it’s cheap and covered, and go to urine metabolites when I’m stuck. On a 28-day cycle I’d measure serum estrogen and progesterone and convert the units — estrogen in picograms, progesterone in nanograms — then put progesterone over estrogen; a broad ‘normal’ ratio runs roughly 100 to 500, and a low number signals estrogen dominance. Because perimenopause is a roller coaster, I may follow it over a couple of cycles and read it against her history, never off a single lab.

Dr. Polly Watson (32:30): If I suspect poor methylation — say her homocysteine won’t budge after B vitamins — I might add a DUTCH test (dried urine metabolites) to see methylated versus unmethylated estrogen and tailor liver detox support. But most of the time we can get far with the functional-medicine foundations: enough fiber, fewer toxins, less alcohol, filtered water, and sometimes micronized progesterone. I use a lot of broccoli sprouts for sulforaphane, which supports phase-two estrogen detox — and you won’t hurt anyone by having them eat broccoli sprouts.

[33:30] The Estrogen Explosion, CKM & Early Warning Signs

Dr. Regina Druz (33:30): I’ll give listeners the backstory on why I call it the estrogen explosion — I went through one myself, and it was truly an explosion, which pushed me to research it. (An early plug: my book, Longevity Switches: How to Age-Proof Yourself for Optimal Health, Wellness, and Vitality, comes out in 2026, and it covers the estrogen explosion and ‘testosterone tanking.’) In these patients I see our typical cardiovascular badness — in cardiology we now talk about cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic, or CKM: labile blood pressure, palpitations, and the emergence of a ‘stiff heart’ (diastolic dysfunction). Retracing my own steps, two of my earliest signs were lability in blood pressure and a drop in heart rate variability — which I can see on my Oura Ring. As easy-to-generate data becomes common, I think we’ll rethink these crude definitions, because cardiovascular and metabolic risk is years in the making before the ‘one year without a period’ line.

[37:00] Putting the WHI in the Rear-View Mirror

Dr. Regina Druz (37:00): Many women are still hesitant about evaluating hormones or considering bioidentical hormone replacement because of one study — and we know which one. How do you address patients still influenced by that older, less-applicable research?

Dr. Polly Watson (38:00): We need to be very clear. The Women’s Health Initiative looked at one formulation of hormone therapy, mostly in much older women (average age about 63) who weren’t very symptomatic. In the modern era, most of us only ever give transdermal estradiol — because oral estrogen undergoes first-pass liver metabolism and slightly raises clotting risk. In the WHI’s estrogen-only arm they used Premarin (conjugated equine estrogen — you’re not a horse), and there was no increase in breast cancer; the Million Women Study and Nurses’ Health Study showed the same even over 15-plus years. When they added a synthetic progestogen — medroxyprogesterone acetate, not bioidentical progesterone — they found about three more women per thousand over five years with breast cancer.

Dr. Polly Watson (40:30): And as Dr. Rachel Rubin and Dr. Peter Attia have discussed, that small signal may reflect under-reporting in the control group — it might not even be significant. I tell patients: I’m never going to give you the hormones from that study, but even if it were right, three per thousand over five years is about the same breast-cancer risk as a glass and a half of wine a day. We’re not having intelligent conversations about alcohol, which is a known carcinogen.

Dr. Regina Druz (41:30): Exactly. And the WHI’s intention was to show fewer cardiovascular events, but they saw more — largely because many enrolled women were older and already had established disease. That led to the belief that women with cardiovascular disease should never be offered hormones, and I completely disagree. We can find subclinical disease without waiting for a heart attack — calcium score, AI plaque and inflammation imaging, CIMT vascular-age screening — and given estrogen’s role in nitric oxide and vascular protection, management often should include some form of bioidentical hormone treatment, depending on the patient.

Dr. Polly Watson (43:00): To circle back: transdermal estradiol raises nitric oxide and opens blood vessels, which helps lower blood pressure — I see the same as you, women whose blood pressure and cholesterol jump in perimenopause improving on a transdermal estradiol plus bioidentical progesterone (Prometrium, available at a regular pharmacy). Synthetic progestogens undid some of estradiol’s cardiac benefit, so adding bioidentical progesterone is the smart move. Honestly, I feel hormone therapy has been scapegoated for women’s breast cancer while we poison the food supply and environment — we blame women for taking hormones instead of addressing the real damage.

Dr. Regina Druz (44:30): Hi everyone, it’s Dr. Regina here. Many of my colleagues and I are seeing patients arrive with self-ordered blood tests. When this trend started, I thought it would help — who doesn’t want more access to their health data? But too often self-ordered labs lead to more confusion and frustration: patients come in with a pile of results and are no better off. That’s why we created HeartWell Toolkits — a curated collection of at-home blood and genetic markers focused on heart and brain health that gives you the data you need to make informed, actionable decisions. You can order them at the shop on holisticheartcenters.com — the link is in the show notes. Use code TESTING10 for 10% off and free shipping.

[46:30] What to Test in Your 40s and 50s

Dr. Regina Druz (46:30): Two quick questions. First, for a woman between about 40 and 55 — the perimenopausal zone — what are the top few tests and symptoms to pay attention to, without spending too much time or money? Second, what research in progress might change how we use hormones for women?

Dr. Polly Watson (47:40): On research, I think we are putting the WHI in the rear-view mirror — loud, credible voices are pushing, a group met with the FDA about the vaginal-estrogen label, and women are asking when we’ll finally get testosterone. On testing: most women aren’t coming in with great labs. When someone reports energy, weight, mood, and sleep fluctuations, check all the hormones — a complete thyroid panel, fasting insulin, hemoglobin A1c, ApoB and advanced lipid particles — because most women present with a heart attack, so let’s get serious. I’ll often check day 19–21 estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone (a luxury if she’s not on an IUD or ablation), and add liver function, ferritin, and markers of insulin resistance and fatty liver. None of this happens in a silo — it’s all happening together.

Dr. Regina Druz (50:30): Such a great point — women don’t need 300 markers, just the right ones, and most are common and insurance-covered, obtainable at an annual physical or GYN visit. The harder part is having physicians prepared to interpret them and guide women. I just wrote a Substack piece called ‘ChatGPT and Poop’ because patients are sending me AI interpretations of their results — we have more information than ever, but that ‘citizen doctor’ activity has to be taken at face value and can create issues. A JAMA study even found most people with high blood pressure don’t know their target number. And in cardiology, after years of progress, the mortality curve has gone flat despite more money, devices, and tools than ever — with some developing countries catching up to us.

[52:30] Midlife Power & Closing

Dr. Polly Watson (52:30): Any closing words or resources, Dr. Polly? I host a podcast called Menopause Rescue, where we raise these issues. My biggest advice: interact respectfully with your healthcare team. If you get 15 labs back, don’t expect detailed answers over messaging — that’s asking someone to work for free at night, away from their family. You deserve answers, and the doctor deserves to be paid for their time, so make a follow-up appointment. Menopausal concerns are complex and need a separate visit from a basic wellness check. And there aren’t enough menopause-literate providers — you can find one at menopause.org. Advocate for yourself, don’t let a heart attack be your first sign of heart disease, and know your numbers — know what your blood pressure should be and what it is. We’re entering an exciting second half of life, and midlife women are in the best position to get this done: we know what we want, and we can ask for it.

Dr. Regina Druz (55:00): One hundred percent. Society is finally accepting menopause as a transition that deserves attention and resources — it’s no longer swept under the rug. People call it ‘midlife pause,’ but I wish we’d say ‘midlife power,’ because in midlife comes the power and passion to pursue what you wish, with the experience and knowledge to change lives — your own and others’. Polly, this was phenomenal — listeners, please check out her Menopause Rescue podcast, and we’ll share her estrogen-dominance handout. Thank you so much for being on the show.

Dr. Polly Watson (56:20): Thank you so much for having me, and thanks for all the work you do for women.

Dr. Regina Druz (56:30): To the professionals listening: if you’re thinking of launching a cardiometabolic or integrative cardiology program in your practice, we can help. Holistic Heart Centers helps physicians expand into hybrid or concierge services — head to the show notes and click the application link; your intro call is entirely free. Ready to schedule a practice review? Use code DOC10 for 10% off our Practice Power Hour, a 60-minute coaching session. Thank you for tuning in to Own Your Heart Health with Dr. Regina Druz. This podcast is powered by Holistic Heart Centers. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review us on your favorite platform, and visit holisticheartcenters.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel. See you next week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is “estrogen dominance,” and how does it affect the heart?

Estrogen dominance — which Dr. Druz vividly calls the ‘estrogen explosion’ — refers to a relative predominance of estrogen over progesterone, particularly in the luteal (second) half of the cycle when progesterone should rise. Dr. Watson explains it can appear at many life stages (anovulatory teen cycles, PCOS, and especially perimenopause, when ovulation becomes erratic and progesterone drops). It’s worsened by anything that impairs estrogen clearance — fatty liver, low dietary fiber, environmental toxins, polypharmacy — since the body normally detoxifies estrogen in the liver and eliminates it through the stool. On the cardiac side, Dr. Druz links the hormonal shifts to labile or new high blood pressure, increased arterial stiffness, palpitations and arrhythmias, and stiff-heart changes (including HFpEF driven by inflamed ectopic fat around the heart). This is educational information, not medical advice; discuss your situation with a qualified clinician.

How do I know if I’m in perimenopause?

Dr. Watson describes perimenopause as ‘puberty in reverse’ — a gradual, years-long decline in ovarian function rather than a light switch. Menopause itself is defined as one full year without a period, and everything after is post-menopause. The STRAW criteria split perimenopause into early (cycles becoming irregular) and late (no cycle for at least 60 days), though that framework only applies to women who still have a period and aren’t on an IUD, ablation, or hormonal contraception. The SWAN study showed different patterns: leaner women often get a dramatic estrogen spike before levels fall, while women with more body fat may decline more steadily. Frustratingly, labs like AMH, FSH, and luteal estrogen/progesterone aren’t reliably predictive of timing. The most practical signals are your symptoms and cycle changes — heavier or shorter cycles, breast pain, mood and sleep shifts, and new palpitations or blood-pressure changes. Track them and discuss with a menopause-literate clinician.

Is hormone replacement therapy safe for my heart? (the WHI)

Dr. Watson argues the fear largely traces to a misreading of the Women’s Health Initiative, which studied one formulation — oral Premarin (conjugated equine estrogen) and synthetic medroxyprogesterone — mostly in much older women (average age ~63) who often already had cardiovascular disease. In the estrogen-only arm there was no increase in breast cancer; adding the synthetic progestogen was tied to roughly three more cases per thousand over five years (a signal she notes may not even be significant). Modern practice typically uses transdermal estradiol (which avoids first-pass liver effects and raises nitric oxide, helping lower blood pressure) plus bioidentical micronized progesterone. Dr. Druz adds that she disagrees with blanket exclusion of women with heart disease — subclinical disease can be found early with calcium scoring, CIMT, and AI imaging, and hormone decisions should be individualized. HRT is highly individual; this is general education, and any decision should be made with your own clinician.

What should I test in my 40s and 50s?

For a woman roughly 40–55 with energy, weight, mood, or sleep fluctuations, Dr. Watson recommends a focused but comprehensive panel rather than hundreds of markers: a complete thyroid workup, fasting insulin and hemoglobin A1c, ApoB and advanced lipid particles, liver function tests, and ferritin — plus, when feasible (not on an IUD or after ablation), day 19–21 estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. She turns to a DUTCH urine-metabolite test when standard labs leave questions about estrogen detoxification and methylation. Dr. Druz stresses that most of these are common, insurance-covered tests obtainable at an annual physical or GYN visit — the harder part is having a clinician prepared to interpret them. Both emphasize knowing your numbers (including your blood-pressure target) and not letting a heart attack be your first sign of heart disease. This is educational information, not a personalized testing plan.

Show Notes & Resources

Guest: Dr. Polly Watson, MD

Dr. Polly Watson is a board-certified gynecologist and a certified menopause specialist (through The Menopause Society / North American Menopause Society) who practices through an integrative, functional-medicine lens focused on perimenopause, menopause, and hormone wellness. Inspired by her mother’s menopause at 38, she pursued women’s medicine and trained with the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and A4M. She hosts the Menopause Rescue podcast and helps women navigate the hormonal shifts of midlife — and their effects on the heart, brain, bones, mood, and metabolism.

Dr. Polly Watson — host of the Menopause Rescue podcast
The Menopause Society — find a menopause-literate provider: menopause.org

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Dr. Polly Watson — the Menopause Rescue podcast
The Menopause Society — directory of menopause-literate providers (menopause.org)
Dr. Watson’s ‘Estrogen Dominance’ infographic — causes and symptoms (shared with HHC; link in the show notes)
Staging frameworks — the STRAW criteria and the SWAN study (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation)
Hormone & metabolic testing — serum estradiol/progesterone/testosterone (day 19–21), complete thyroid, fasting insulin, A1c, ApoB/advanced lipids, ferritin, liver function; a DUTCH urine-metabolite test when needed
Modern HRT — transdermal estradiol + micronized bioidentical progesterone (Prometrium); re-examining the WHI (oral Premarin + medroxyprogesterone, older women)
Estrogen-detox support — fiber, broccoli sprouts/sulforaphane, less alcohol, reducing environmental toxins, methylation support (B vitamins)
Subclinical heart-disease screening — coronary calcium score, CIMT/vascular age, AI plaque and inflammation imaging
Dr. Druz’s forthcoming book, Longevity Switches (2026), and her Substack (e.g., ‘ChatGPT and Poop’)
Holistic Heart University — on-demand courses and resources (use code OWNER20 for 20% off annual)
HeartWell Toolkits — at-home heart and brain health lab + genetic panels (use code TESTING10 for 10% off and free shipping)
For clinicians: Practice Power Hour coaching with Holistic Heart Centers (use code DOC10 for 10% off)

Holistic Heart Centers

holisticheartcenters.com
HeartWell.ai — AI-powered cardiovascular risk assessment
Address: 55 Bryant Avenue, Suite #6, Roslyn, NY 11576
Phone: 877-511-5166
YouTube: @reginadruzmd
Instagram: @dr.reginadruz
Podcast: Own Your Heart Health — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms

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