08/21/2026
Perimenopause and menopause can affect much more than your periods.
As estrogen and progesterone change, women may experience hot flashes, disrupted sleep, vaginal symptoms, changes in body composition, and changes in sexual health and desire.
For appropriate women, menopausal hormone therapyโHRTโcan be one of our most effective tools, particularly for symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and painful in*******se. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
But I also look beyond hormones.
One area that concerns many women is increasing visceral abdominal fat. Tesamorelin is a peptide that can reduce visceral adipose tissue in its FDA-approved population, although its use for menopausal body-composition changes would be off-label. (FDA Access Data)
Another issue we often donโt talk enough about is libido. PT-141, or bremelanotide, acts through melanocortin pathways and is FDA-approved for certain premenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Use after menopause would be off-label. (FDA Access Data)
The goal isnโt simply to prescribe hormones or peptides. Itโs to understand the individual womanโher symptoms, metabolic health, body composition, sexual health, risks, and goalsโand build a personalized strategy.
Menopause isnโt something women simply have to suffer through. There are options.
Educational content only. Individual risks and contraindications must be assessed by a qualified clinician. Tesamorelin is not FDA-approved for menopausal visceral fat or weight management; bremelanotide is not FDA-approved for postmenopausal HSDD. Perimenopause HRT HormoneReplacementTherapy MenopauseSupport HealthyAging LongevityMedicine WomensLongevity MetabolicHealth VisceralFat BodyComposition SexualHealth WomensSexualHealth Libido PeptideTherapy Tesamorelin PT141 Bremelanotide PersonalizedMedicine IntegrativeMedicine YouthfulMedicine
