Arete Women's Medicine

Arete Women's Medicine Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Arete Women's Medicine, Medical and health, Telemedicine, Ridgway, CO.

Michelle Mullins, Dual-Certified Nurse Practitioner

Women's Health • Hormones • Metabolic Health • Perimenopause • Menopause
Helping women feel strong, think clearly, and perform at their best through personalized conventional + functional medicine.

✨ It's Official: Areté Women's Integrative Medicine Is Live! ✨I'm so excited to share that my website is officially up a...
07/31/2026

✨ It's Official: Areté Women's Integrative Medicine Is Live! ✨

I'm so excited to share that my website is officially up and running: aretewomensmedicine.com

Areté is a functional and integrative telehealth practice built for women who refuse to slow down. I combine conventional medicine, functional medicine, and lifestyle strategies to get to the why behind your symptoms, not just manage them.

What I focus on:
🌸 Perimenopause & Menopause
💊 Hormone Optimization & HRT
😴 Sleep Restore Program & CBT-I for Insomnia
🏃 Performance, Recovery & Active Aging
🩺 PCOS, PMDD & Cycle Irregularities
❤️ Metabolic, Thyroid & Heart Health
🧠 Mood & Stress Physiology
🌿 Gut, Immune & Longevity Support

I believe good care doesn't assume a single cause. Hormones, thyroid, sleep, stress, and metabolism are evaluated together, so your plan reflects what's actually driving how you feel.

Colorado licensed telehealth, statewide, plus in-home visits available for those living in Ridgway, Ouray, Montrose, and Telluride.

📞 Free 15-minute Discovery Calls are available now call to see if Areté is the right fit for you. Booking opens October for a November start date!

Head to the link in bio or visit aretewomensmedicine.com to learn more and get started.

— Michelle Mullins, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC, Founder

🔥 Inflammaging: Why Your Body Starts Fighting Itself in MidlifeThere's a term for what's happening in your body during t...
07/31/2026

🔥 Inflammaging: Why Your Body Starts Fighting Itself in Midlife

There's a term for what's happening in your body during this transition: inflammaging, chronic, low-grade inflammation that rises with age, and it turns out perimenopause is a major accelerant, not just something that shows up after menopause.

The mechanism: estrogen normally acts as a natural anti-inflammatory regulator. As it fluctuates and declines in perimenopause, that regulation loosens, a landmark SWAN study found inflammatory markers (IL-6 specifically) rise around the final menstrual period, well before menopause is complete.

What it contributes to: cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, muscle loss (sarcopenia), and accelerated skin aging.

Why this actually matters to you day to day: this isn't just abstract lab values or long-term risk. It's plausibly connected to symptoms you may already be noticing:
🦴 Joint pain: one of the most common, and often overlooked, perimenopause symptoms
🧠 Brain fog: inflammation affects how your brain uses energy and regulates mood-related chemicals
😴 Poor sleep raises inflammation further, creating a cycle

What helps:
🏋️ Resistance training, shown to reduce inflammatory markers tied to cellular aging, and directly counters the muscle loss that inflammation itself accelerates
🏃 Regular aerobic activity
😴 Prioritizing sleep
🥗 An anti-inflammatory, protein-adequate diet
💊 Hormone therapy: estrogen therapy has been shown to reduce key inflammatory cytokines directly, worth a conversation if you're already considering HRT for other symptoms

Bottom line: your body isn't malfunctioning, it's responding to a real, measurable shift in hormonal regulation, and there are evidence-based ways to support it.

💛 Testosterone Is a Woman's Hormone TooEvidence-based indications:🩺 Low libido: The primary, most well supported reason,...
07/29/2026

💛 Testosterone Is a Woman's Hormone Too

Evidence-based indications:

🩺 Low libido: The primary, most well supported reason, backed by the Global Consensus Position Statement

🌸 Genitourinary syndrome of menopause: Vaginal dryness, pain with s*x and decreased arousal and sensation driven by both low estrogen and low testosterone in the v***a and pelvis

Thoughtful prescribers don't reach for testosterone right away, other explanations (sleep, alcohol, stress, relationship factors) are ruled out first, since low libido often has non-hormonal roots too.

The broader picture: testosterone isn't just a libido hormone, it plays a role in energy, focus and mood throughout the body. Emerging research is also exploring its connection to brain health, bone density, and cardiovascular health, promising areas, though still developing compared to the evidence behind its use for libido and GSM.

About 1 in 10 women of reproductive age live with endometriosis, tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside th...
07/28/2026

About 1 in 10 women of reproductive age live with endometriosis, tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside the uterus, causing inflammation, scarring and pain.

Symptoms may include:
✨ Severe menstrual cramps
✨ Chronic pelvic pain
✨ Pain during or after s*x
✨ Painful bowel movements or urination during your period
✨ Heavy menstrual bleeding
✨ Difficulty becoming pregnant

Many people wait years for a diagnosis.

Evidence-based treatment:
🩺 First-line: combined oral contraceptives or progestin therapy, plus NSAIDs for pain
🔬 Second-line: GnRH agonists/antagonists
🏥 Laparoscopic excision surgery for more severe or treatment-resistant disease

Functional medicine approaches as a complement:
🏃 Regular physical activity to reduce systemic inflammation and support hormonal regulation
🥗 Anti-inflammatory eating patterns, particularly Mediterranean-style, linked to reduced pain and improved GI symptoms
🌿 Targeted nutrient support such as adequate vitamin D and omega-3s

💡 Pain that disrupts your daily life is not something you should simply live with. If symptoms are affecting your work, relationships, or quality of life, talk with a qualified provider. Early evaluation and treatment can help.

Your pain is real. Your concerns deserve to be heard.

07/27/2026

Cortisol has become one of the most misunderstood hormones on social media.
The truth? You need cortisol to live.

Cortisol helps regulate:
✔️ Your body's response to stress
✔️ Blood pressure
✔️ Blood sugar and energy metabolism
✔️ Immune function
✔️ Your natural sleep-wake cycle

The goal isn't to "lower cortisol."
The goal is to support a healthy, adaptable stress response.

Research shows that chronic, unmanaged stresscan disrupt the body's stress-response systems, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system. Over time, this may contribute to poor sleep, elevated blood pressure, digestive symptoms, changes in immune function, increased pain sensitivity, and metabolic health challenges.

The encouraging news is that your dailyhabits matter.

Evidence-based ways to support a healthy stress response include:
☀️ Get outside for morning light to reinforce your circadian rhythm.
😴 Prioritize consistent, restorative sleep.
🏃 Move your body regularly—and allow time for recovery.
🥗 Eat enough protein and a nutrient-dense, balanced diet.
🌿 Spend time in nature whenever possible.
🧘 Practice stress-management strategies that work for you, such as mindfulness, diaphragmatic breathing, yoga, or other relaxation techniques.

Functional medicine isn't about chasing a single "cortisol fix." It's about understanding how sleep, nutrition, movement, stress, relationships, and environmentwork together to influence health and using strategies to improve resilience over time.

Your body was designed to respond to stress.
It was also designed to recover.

Pelvic Floor Therapy: When to Think About It and What the Evidence ShowsPelvic floor therapy isn't just for "after birth...
07/26/2026

Pelvic Floor Therapy: When to Think About It and What the Evidence Shows

Pelvic floor therapy isn't just for "after birth" or "later in life" it's a well-studied, evidence-based intervention across several life stages and conditions.

When to consider it:
🤰 Pregnancy and postpartum: to prepare for delivery, support recovery from vaginal or cesarean birth, and address diastasis recti, incontinence, or prolapse symptoms that can follow
🌸 Perimenopause and menopause: when tissue and hormonal changes affect pelvic support
🏃 Athletes: with impact sport related leakage
🩺 Urinary or f***l incontinence, or pelvic organ prolapse
💕 Painful in*******se (dyspareunia) or vaginismus
🔥 Chronic pelvic pain, including pain related to endometriosis
🌿 Vulvodynia
🎗️ Pain during in*******se after gynecologic cancer treatment
🚽 Chronic constipation or straining-related issues (including chronic a**l fissure)
😖 Dysuria or burning with urination that keeps recurring despite negative urine cultures as this can signal pelvic floor hypertonicity rather than infection
⚕️ Recovery after pelvic or gynecologic surgery

What the research shows:
A large body of evidence including Cochrane reviews and multiple recent meta-a**lyses confirms pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) improves strength and structural pelvic support, and helps restore normal intra-abdominal pressure. For pelvic organ prolapse, a landmark multicentre RCT found a significant reduction in prolapse symptoms at 2 years, and a broader review across 79 trials and nearly 14,000 women confirmed effectiveness, particularly in mild-to-moderate cases. Systematic reviews also show robust evidence-based support for pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for pelvic floor myofascial pain, dyspareunia, vaginismus, and vulvodynia — and for non-relaxing pelvic floor dysfunction presenting as unexplained dysuria or urinary frequency, pelvic floor physical therapy is considered first-line treatment with strong supporting evidence.

This is one of the most well-evidenced, interventions in women's pelvic health & worth a conversation with your provider

PCOS is more than irregular periods it's a whole-body condition. 💛PCOS affects metabolic, reproductive, and uterine heal...
07/23/2026

PCOS is more than irregular periods it's a whole-body condition. 💛

PCOS affects metabolic, reproductive, and uterine health, making early diagnosis and individualized care important.

✨ Evidence-based PCOS management includes:

🩺 Supporting insulin health: Many people with PCOS have insulin resistance, increasing the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

🌸 Protecting uterine health: Irregular ovulation can lead to prolonged buildup of the uterine lining. Regular menstrual cycles naturally or with treatment help protect the endometrium.

🤍 Supporting fertility: PCOS is one of the leading causes of ovulatory infertility, but many people conceive naturally or with evidence-based treatments.

🌿 Lifestyle is the foundation of care:
• Regular physical activity
• 🥗 A personalized, sustainable eating pattern that prioritizes whole, minimally processed foods, regular meals, adequate protein, fiber, and healthy fats to support insulin sensitivity and overall health. Current evidence shows no single diet is superior for PCOS.
• Quality sleep
• Stress management

💊 Depending on your goals, medications such as metformin, combined hormonal contraceptives, or letrozole may also play an important role.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to PCOS. The most effective treatment plan is individualized and based on the best available evidence.

📚 Based on the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for PCOS.

As women transition through perimenopause and menopause, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max) naturally declines with age...
07/19/2026

As women transition through perimenopause and menopause, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂ max) naturally declines with age. This isn't several separate factors acting independently — declining estrogen is a common driver behind both reduced cardiac/vascular efficiency and accelerated muscle loss, and those two changes compound each other. Reduced physical activity adds to the effect. But the decline is not inevitable.

Why does VO₂ max matter?
✅ Higher cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
✅ Better VO₂ max is linked to improved metabolic health, physical function, and quality of life.
✅ Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, making fitness one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors.

The good news? Exercise works.
Research consistently shows that women in perimenopause and postmenopause can significantly improve VO₂ max with regular exercise.
💪 The best approach isn't choosing between cardio or strength training—it's doing both.

Evidence supports:
🏃 Aerobic exercise as the primary way to improve VO₂ max and cardiovascular fitness.
🏋️ Resistance training to preserve lean muscle mass, improve strength, support bone health, and enhance metabolic health.

🔄 Combined aerobic and resistance training provides complementary benefits and is recommended by major exercise guidelines to support healthy aging.
What should you aim for?
✔️ At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) each week.
✔️ Strength training involving all major muscle groups at least 2 days per week.
✔️ Include balance and flexibility exercises regularly, particularly as you age, to support mobility and reduce fall risk.
Bottom line: Menopause isn't the end of fitness—it's an opportunity to prioritize it. Improving and maintaining your VO₂ max is one of the most effective ways to support cardiovascular health, preserve physical function, and promote healthy aging.

07/19/2026

If you find yourself interested in birds, and wanting to listen to bird sounds…. You may be in perimenopause..

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