When we think about hormone balance, it's easy to focus on how much estrogen your body is making. Equally important, however, is how well your body metabolizes and eliminates estrogen. Healthy estrogen clearance depends on three major systems working together
One of the most exciting developments in women's health over the past few years is the emergence of saliva-based testing for endometriosis. For decades, diagnosing endometriosis has been frustratingly slow. The average woman waits 7-10 years from the onset of symptoms to receive a diagnosis. Many are told their painful periods are "normal," while others undergo years of imaging, medications, or even surgery before finally getting answers.
If you’ve reached perimenopause and suddenly feel like you just can’t handle stress the way you used to, you’re not imagining it. Maybe you’re waking up at 3:00 a.m. with your mind racing. You’re exhausted in the afternoon but somehow get a “second wind” at bedtime. Your anxiety feels heightened, your body composition is changing, or you simply feel more easily overwhelmed by things that wouldn’t have rattled you a few years ago. There are many reasons this can happen during the menopause transition, but one important piece of the puzzle is cortisol.
Many of us spend our days rushing from one task to the next, constantly planning, worrying, or replaying the past. While stress is an unavoidable part of life, how we respond to it can have a profound impact on our health.
Some temporary water retention is incredibly common and usually does not mean you've gained fat or that your hormones are harming you. For most women, patience really does pay off. Support your body with hydration, movement, potassium-rich foods, adequate protein, fiber, good sleep, and time. If you're still feeling persistently swollen after 3-4 months, or the symptoms are becoming severe, it's worth talking with your healthcare provider. Sometimes a small adjustment to your hormone regimen can make all the difference.
When most people think about gut health, they think about food. Maybe they need to eliminate gluten. Maybe they have SIBO. Maybe they need probiotics, digestive enzymes, or more fiber. While all of those tools can be helpful, there's another piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked: Your nervous system.
Methylene blue has become one of the most talked-about compounds in the longevity and biohacking world. From social media influencers to physicians interested in mitochondrial medicine, it's being discussed as a potential tool for improving brain function, energy, and even healthy aging. But what exactly is it—and does the science support all of the excitement?
In this blog, I share my inside story on perimenopause. At Tendwell, we can. help.
A lot of my patients in their 40s and 50s have progesterone-releasing IUDs such as Mirena, Liletta, Kyleena, or Skyla. These devices can be incredibly helpful during the reproductive and perimenopausal years, but one question comes up frequently in my practice . . .
Research suggests that polyphenols may help support cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, protect blood vessels, support brain function, and contribute to healthy aging. It's one of the simplest (and most delicious) ways to add more health-promoting nutrients to your day.
Heart health in women—especially during perimenopause and menopause—is evolving quickly. Newer cholesterol guidelines are shifting the conversation away from simply “waiting until someone has heart disease” and toward identifying risk earlier, looking at the whole picture, and treating preventively for the long term.
Walk into any health store and you’ll see shelves of supplements promising better energy, metabolism, sleep, focus, hormone balance, or immunity.
If you’ve been dealing with bloating, gas, or unpredictable digestion, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of SIBO—or you’ve been told everything is “normal” when it doesn’t feel that way. In this blog, we walk through it simply.
At Tendwell, we aim to make your care as transparent, thoughtful, and cost-effective as possible. One place this often comes up is lab testing—whether to use insurance or choose a cash pay option. While insurance seems like the obvious choice, that’s not
If you’ve lived with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), you already know how powerful hormone shifts can be on mood, energy, and cognition. Then perimenopause begins—and many women are caught off guard when their symptoms change.
Many patients come to Tendwell with a sense that something is off—but no clear answers. Sometimes they already suspect mold exposure. Other times, they’ve seen multiple specialists—ENT, neurology, gastroenterology—and still don’t feel better. Their labs may be “normal,” yet symptoms persist.
There’s been a surge of new lab companies—Function Health, Superpower, and others—promising deeper insights, more data, and a clearer picture of your health. In this blog we explore these offerings.
Many patients come to Tendwell after mold exposure, trauma, chronic illness, or perimenopause saying the same thing: “I feel like my body is stuck in fight-or-flight.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You may be experiencing nervous system dysregulation — and there is a physiological reason for it.
If you’ve been told you have Hashimoto’s, or that your thyroid labs are “normal” but you still feel exhausted, anxious, foggy, or stuck with weight gain — you are not alone. We see this every day at Tendwell.
Understanding that difference between vaginal and transdermal estradiol can make hormone therapy feel much clearer and more intentional.