Cynthia Thurlow

Cynthia Thurlow Nurse Practitioner | Author: The Menopause Gut | Everyday Wellness podcast | Women's Health-Gut Microbiome-Menopause
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09/04/2026

New research on menopause and the gut, published this month. 🚨

A longitudinal study followed 964 women across the menopause transition and found increases in markers of gut barrier damage and immune activation linked to microbial translocation. Those markers rose during the transition itself, not in the years before or after it.

What I find validating is that this builds on research I referenced while writing The Menopause Gut (link in bio). In 2020, the same research group published the first human study examining the association between menopause and gut barrier outcomes within SWAN, a large multiethnic U.S. cohort focused on women’s health through the menopause transition.

Now we have a much larger longitudinal dataset pointing in the same direction.

As hormones decline, we are seeing more evidence of compromised gut barrier integrity, microbial translocation, and changes in immune activation.

Clinically, this is part of why we may see more autoimmunity, more food sensitivities, and changes in how the immune system responds to opportunistic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in midlife.

The mechanisms and long-term consequences still need more research. But the connection between hormonal decline, the gut, and immune regulation continues to hold up.

https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI209807

A little Labor Day surprise for you!If you’ve been thinking about trying something from The Midlife Pause, our Labor Day...
09/04/2026

A little Labor Day surprise for you!

If you’ve been thinking about trying something from The Midlife Pause, our Labor Day Sale is a good time to do it.

Buy one, get one 50% off across the supplement line.

Comment LABOR and I’ll send you the link to shop.

There are things about our heart health that I really wish more women were taught earlier.Your pregnancy history matters...
09/03/2026

There are things about our heart health that I really wish more women were taught earlier.

Your pregnancy history matters. Menopause matters. The labs you’re asking for matter. And sometimes a clean scan doesn’t tell the whole story.

These are the kinds of conversations we’re going to have inside Heart Mastery.

For 10 days, I’ll share one short lesson and one simple action each day. I want you to come away with a better understanding of your cardiovascular health and the questions worth asking.

We start September 8, and it’s completely free.

It all starts with the 2-minute Real Risk Check. Take the quiz, get your personal starting point, and you’re registered for Heart Mastery.

If you want to join me, comment HEART and I’ll send you the link.

I say this all the time: women are not small men.I'm not being dramatic.The tools we use to diagnose heart disease, the ...
09/03/2026

I say this all the time: women are not small men.

I'm not being dramatic.

The tools we use to diagnose heart disease, the risk calculators, the standard workups, even the lab thresholds used to diagnose a heart attack, were built and tested mostly on men.

That's one of the biggest gaps in women's heart health.

I take a closer look at why that matters in today's Substack article.

Comment "READ" and I'll send you the link.

09/03/2026

Many women have questions about HRT dosing, timing, and absorption.

Today on the Everyday Wellness Podcast, I'm answering listener questions about HRT dosing, administration, lab draws, cycling versus continuous dosing, and oral versus vaginal and transdermal progesterone.

In this episode, you will learn:

✅ The estradiol dosage range I prefer, for bone protection

✅ How heart disease risk can influence the route you select for HRT

✅ I clarify the “start low and slow” approach to HRT dosing

✅ Why women with uteruses need progesterone when taking estrogen

✅ Why HRT dosing can become more complicated during perimenopause

✅ How FDA-approved bioidentical hormones differ from compounded preparations

✅ Various factors to consider when using an estradiol patch

✅ Alternative routes of administration for women who feel unwell when taking progesterone orally

✅ How providers can safely transition women from transdermal estradiol patches to other options

🎓 CEUs are available via SapienCE:
https://www.sapiencepro.co/?peachs_apc=cynthia-thurlow

Comment 637 and I'll send you the full episode.

09/02/2026

Supporting your partner through menopause starts with understanding what she's experiencing.

Today on the Everyday Wellness Podcast, my husband, Todd Thurlow, joins me for a special conversation as we answer many of your questions about our relationship, how we met, our shared interests, and what we've learned while navigating midlife together.

I love the interest this topic has generated, and I truly hope this conversation helps couples communicate better and better understand one another during the perimenopause and menopause transition.

In this episode, you will learn:

✅ What Todd came to understand about my perimenopause to menopause experience

✅ How education and communication can help couples navigate the menopause experience

✅ The changes Todd has noticed in my personality since my 30s

✅ How our shared values have influenced our business decisions

✅ What Todd values most about being a husband and father

✅ How, over time, Todd came to understand more about my childhood experiences and appreciate how I focused on creating a different environment for our children

✅ How the prospect of having both boys leave home is affecting us, both as individuals, and as a couple

✅ How Todd’s approach to his health has changed due to my influence

✅ What Todd believes men should understand as their partners navigate the perimenopause-menopause transition

🎓 CEUs are available via SapienCE:
https://www.sapiencepro.co/?peachs_apc=cynthia-thurlow

Comment 636 and I'll send you the full episode.

09/01/2026

Does creatine cause hair loss? 🤔

There’s ZERO direct evidence linking creatine to hair loss.

One small study found a slight increase in DHT (a hormone linked to hair loss). But:

• The study wasn’t replicated
• DHT stayed within normal ranges
• NO participants reported actual hair loss

If creatine caused baldness, “gym bros” would be walking around shiny-headed by the thousands. 😬 Not happening.

Creatine is something I use and recommend regularly, especially for women in midlife.

If you’re thinking about incorporating it into your routine and want to know which creatine I use and recommend, comment CREATINE and I’ll send you the details.

If you went through menopause before 45, that is something I want your clinician to know.A study of more than 46,000 wom...
09/01/2026

If you went through menopause before 45, that is something I want your clinician to know.

A study of more than 46,000 women found that earlier menopause was associated with higher odds of cardiovascular disease.

The numbers were especially clear before age 45.

The study also looked at lifestyle, and this part matters too. Women with the healthiest lifestyle scores had lower odds of cardiovascular disease. So this is not about fear. It is about having more complete information about your risk.

I broke down the findings in the slides, If this applies to you, bring it up at your next appointment.

Source: Pant A, Gibson AA, Marschner S, et al. Heart. 2024.

And if you want a clearer starting point for your own cardiovascular risk, I created a free 2-minute Real Risk Check. Comment HEART and I’ll send you the link.

25 years as a nurse practitioner.I've watched women walk out with a "normal" score while carrying real risk the whole ti...
08/31/2026

25 years as a nurse practitioner.

I've watched women walk out with a "normal" score while carrying real risk the whole time.

Preeclampsia. Early menopause. PMOS. Autoimmune disease. Depression.

None of these are in the calculator your doctor uses to decide if you need a statin or a calcium score.

Saturday I take that gap apart.

If you'd like to follow the rest of this series, comment "SUBSTACK" and I'll send you the link to subscribe or visit https://cynthiathurlownp.substack.com/

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