How the Recent FDA Panel on Hormone Therapy Surprised Us

Plus, meet the trainer on a mission to help midlife women rethink movement!

View on web New reader? Subscribe July 24, 2025 Heading into last week’s FDA panel on hormone therapy, the mood in the women’s health community was…cautious. Would the conversation center on science—or repeat the same tired warnings from 20 years ago? Would clinicians acknowledge the lived experiences of millions of women—or default to outdated data? The truth is, many of us weren’t sure what to expect. But what unfolded in that D.C. conference room felt—dare I say—exciting. Expert after expert stood up and said what so many women have been saying for years: the current black-box warnings on hormone therapy are outdated, overly broad and, in some cases, dangerously misleading. They called for change rooted in today’s evidence, not yesterday’s fear. They spoke up about the real risks of not treating menopause symptoms. And they pointed to newer, safer hormone formulations that simply weren’t available two decades ago. To witness that shift—at the federal level—was powerful. Of course, the labels haven’t changed just yet. But this panel was a critical first step. A turning point. And perhaps most importantly, a reminder that advocacy works. When women push for better care, better research and better conversations, we do move the needle. We’ll keep following this story closely and sharing content about what it means for your health, your options and your right to feel like yourself again. Meet the Trainer Who Uses Movement as Medicine Beth Lewis has never been one to sit still—and she doesn’t think you should either. A lifelong mover with a background in dance, Lewis has made a career out of helping people build strength and mobility in ways that are both deeply functional and unexpectedly joyful. Beth brings deep expertise and a holistic approach to her work helping people move with purpose at every age and stage —and she’s on a mission to help more midlife women rethink how (and why) they move. In our conversation, Lewis breaks down the overlooked muscles that matter most for women over 40, the surprising link between vision and brain health and why a jump rope might just be your new best friend. You’ve worked with everyone from elite athletes to post-op patients. What’s one part of the body you wish more midlife women would focus on? Believe it or not, from the knee down is incredibly important. We don’t think about our feet at all, and we don’t think about the muscles of our lower leg, but these muscles decline significantly after the age of 50. And it’s one of the biggest reasons women, specifically, fall down. So creating that strength and resilience from the knee down is so important for balance, because women fall a lot more than men, and also for really good, efficient gait mechanics. Fall prevention is a major part of what you do, and it starts earlier than most people think. What’s one small, doable practice that makes a big difference over time? Honestly, doing calf raises. It's really important. Or training the feet. There's an exercise called “short foot” or just heel rises can make a huge difference, believe it or not. Also, you know, really training balance. People think that standing on one leg is training balance, but, like, [it should be] really challenging. If you're not working hard and almost falling down, you're not really doing balance training.   Vision training isn’t what most people picture when they think “fitness.” Why is it so important—especially as we age—and what exactly does vision training look like for midlife women? It’s so important; it's a modifiable risk factor for dementia. Making sure that you're getting regular checkups for your vision is very important, but also adding hold turning movements to your balance exercises can be a really interesting way to do it. How do you find flow—that space where you’re fully present and immersed? Over the past few years, I’ve gotten into skipping rope. I love rope dancing. I have been working on a dance at Radio City with Hugh Jackman, where we do jump rope dancing. So, I do a lot of skipping rope, like the tricks! And music is something that really drives that state for me, like specific beats per minute, between 150 and 180. I like to move fast and play with slowing it down and stalling. The Menopause Symptoms No One Talks About Hot flashes and night sweats may get the spotlight, but they’re far from the whole story when it comes to menopause. For many women, the symptoms that go undiscussed—or even dismissed—can be just as disruptive. And just as important to understand. Take bladder urgency, for example. That sudden gotta-go feeling isn’t just an inconvenient part of getting older—it’s a common symptom tied to the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and postmenopause. Recent research shows that urinary symptoms often worsen through the transition, and hormone therapy isn’t always the quick fix it’s assumed to be. In fact, systemic estrogen may even exacerbate the issue in some cases. It’s a reminder that treatments need to be tailored, and vaginal estrogen might be a better route for those dealing specifically with pelvic and bladder changes. Then there are the symptoms that show up in the heart. Literally. Heart palpitations—those fluttery, racing sensations that often arrive without warning—are now being recognized as more than just anxiety or stress. New data suggests they could be connected to hormonal changes affecting the autonomic nervous system, and in some cases, might signal broader cardiovascular risks.  And of course, there’s the mental health toll that so often flies under the radar. While it’s now well-established that menopause is a time of increased risk for depression and anxiety, too many women are still caught off guard when mood symptoms hit. Hormonal shifts don’t just cause physical discomfort—they can alter brain chemistry, increase emotional reactivity and leave even the most resilient among us feeling unfamiliar in our own skin.  What all of these symptoms have in common is that they’re real, they’re common and they deserve more visibility. By continuing to surface the lesser-known sides of menopause, we help women feel seen—and better equipped to advocate for care that actually meets their needs. How We're Finding Flow REGISTERING for RISE: Women’s Sports, the one-day summit returning to NYC on September 16. Hosted by Sportico, it brings together top voices in sports business—from WNBA leaders to visionary owners like Michele Kang—to chart the future of women’s athletics. APPLAUDING Rhode Island for becoming the first state in the U.S. to enact workplace protections for women experiencing menopause. READING Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell, out July 29. From Oscar winner to wellness mogul, this deeply reported new release pulls back the curtain on how Gwyneth Paltrow has helped shape the culture around women’s health. CONGRATULATING Dr. Jen Ashton on her historic appointment to the Board of the American Heart Association—the first board-certified OB-GYN to ever serve in that role. This email was sent to kashebeauty.trends@blogger.com by SHE Media. Please add email@email.shemedia.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. SHE Media is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 SHEMedia, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 475 5th Ave New York, New York, 10017 View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Rights | Ad Choices | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Update Profile