In this episode of Hysterical Women, we dive into the story behind the documentary The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control — a film that exposes the decade-long fight to bring the first medication for low sexual desire in women to market.

Joining us are two incredible women behind the story:

• Cindy Eckert, founder of Sprout Pharmaceuticals and the driving force behind Addyi
• Joanna Griffiths, founder of Knix, women’s health advocate, and executive producer of the film

Together we unpack the staggering bias that shaped how women’s sexual health has been studied, regulated, and dismissed — and why the road to approval for a women’s drug looked nothing like the path that led to the little blue pill.

From shocking quotes inside FDA hearings to the women who bravely shared their stories in public, this episode explores what happens when systems designed around men attempt to define women’s health.

We also talk about resilience, advocacy, the power of getting angry, and what it actually takes to push change forward in women’s health.

Spoiler: sometimes it requires women who are willing to be a little mad.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• The documentary The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control
• The fight to bring Addyi, the first medication for low sexual desire in women, to market
• The shocking statements made during the FDA approval process
• Why women’s sexual health has historically been dismissed or trivialized
• The double standard between drugs for men’s sexual function and women’s desire
• How bias in medicine and regulation can delay progress for decades
• What it felt like for women to publicly share their most personal health struggles
• How advocacy movements are often fueled by anger, injustice, and purpose
• The role of resilience when fighting systems that resist change
• Why women’s health conversations have historically been rooted in shame and stigma
• How simply sharing our stories can drive cultural and medical change

Let’s Connect:

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

• Follow Cindy at @cindypinkceo
• Follow Joanna at @joannaknix
• Follow the film at @thepinkpillfilm

Sleep problems are common in perimenopause and menopause — but what makes them feel especially brutal is the no end in sight part. One bad night turns into worry about the next night… which makes it even harder to sleep… and suddenly you’re stuck in a cycle of anxiety + exhaustion.

In this episode, Dr. Michelle is joined again by Coven Women’s Health Registered Social Worker, Dominique Williams, to talk about why sleep gets disrupted in midlife, what “best practice” support actually looks like, and what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night with a blank mind and still can’t fall back asleep.

This conversation is part education, part validation, and part “okay but what do I do at 3 a.m. when I’m wide awake?”

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why perimenopause and menopause sleep disruption can become a self-perpetuating anxiety cycle
• The most common sleep patterns Michelle sees in clinic: trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and “wake after sleep onset (WASO)”
• Why disrupted sleep isn’t always caused by night sweats (and why identifying the actual trigger matters)
• How a sleep diary, stimulus control, and structured wind-down routines help retrain your brain for sleep
• What to do when you wake up and can’t fall back asleep: the “15-minute rule” and why getting out of bed matters
• Nervous system tools that can help your body downshift (breath work + progressive muscle relaxation)
• The small things that make a big difference: room temperature, darkness, fans, night sweats strategies, and minimizing clock-watching
• Progesterone and sleep: why feeling sedated doesn’t always mean better quality sleep
• Sleep medications vs. sleep architecture: what’s changing in perimenopause and why newer options are emerging
• The daytime habits that quietly impact sleep at night (caffeine, movement, late eating, alcohol — and the “be an adult, accept the consequences” approach)
  
  

Let’s Connect:

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

In this episode, Dr. Michelle is joined by Dominique Williams, a Registered Social Worker at Coven Women’s Health, for a deeply honest and empowering conversation about mental health in perimenopause/menopause, and why so many women feel dismissed, invisible, or like they’re “losing it” during this transition.

Dominique shares her personal journey through perimenopause, a breast cancer diagnosis, and the moment she was told by a healthcare provider that there was “nothing” that could help her symptoms - an experience that shaped her work supporting other women today.

Together, they unpack the emotional, psychological, and neurological changes that can happen during hormonal transitions, the role therapy (especially CBT) can play in symptom relief, and why addressing mental health is not optional care, it’s essential.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Dominique’s personal experience with perimenopause, breast cancer, and medical dismissal
• Why so many women feel invisible or minimized when they raise menopause concerns
• The most common mental health symptoms in perimenopause and menopause
• Anxiety, low mood, irritability, rage, and why your “bullshit tolerance” suddenly drops
• Brain fog, memory lapses, and why they don’t mean you’re developing dementia
• How hormonal changes impact the brain, including the amygdala
• Why therapy, especially Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), is evidence-based care for menopause
• How CBT can help with hot flashes, sleep disruption, anxiety, and mood changes
• A simple, practical CBT grounding exercise you can try when your mind won’t stop racing
• Why thoughts can intensify physical symptoms and how to interrupt that cycle
• What it really means to say “I don’t feel like myself” and why that feeling is valid

If you’ve ever wondered whether what you’re feeling in perimenopause or menopause is “normal,” or if mental health support actually belongs in menopause care - this conversation is for you.

Let’s Connect

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

In this episode, Jenn is joined once again by Coven’s Registered Dietitian Nishta Saxena to answer the nutrition questions the Coven keeps asking - from protein overload and creatine hype to whether the latest fitness trends are actually worth your time.

Together, they unpack why nutrition advice feels so overwhelming during perimenopause and menopause, how desperation and misinformation fuel fads, and what actually matters when it comes to supporting muscle, bone, energy, and metabolic health as hormones shift.

This conversation blends practical education with real talk, helping you cut through the noise and focus on nutrition choices that are evidence-based, realistic, and tailored to your body - not trends or algorithms.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why nutrition fads feel especially tempting when you’re struggling with symptoms
• Weighted vests: what they actually do, who they may help, and when to skip them
• What truly supports bone density and muscle mass in perimenopause and menopause
• Creatine 101: what it is, how it works, and why consistency matters
• Why creatine isn’t a magic fix and how to use it safely
• The truth about protein needs for women as hormones change
• Why “more protein” isn’t always better (and can sometimes backfire)
• How to think about protein intake in a way that’s individualized, not extreme
• Whole food protein sources versus protein-fortified everything
• How to build meals that support energy, blood sugar, and hormones without overthinking it

This episode is equal parts myth-busting, education, and reassurance. If you’ve ever felt confused, overwhelmed, or behind when it comes to nutrition during perimenopause or menopause — this one’s for you.

Let’s Connect

If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

In this end-of-year episode, Dr. Michelle and Jenn answer the Coven and the Internet’s most Googled (and sometimes unhinged) women’s-health questions – from coffee-ground period blood to butthole zingers, vaginal dryness, TikTok sex rumors, “menopause psychosis,” and whether diarrhea during your period is actually normal (spoiler: yes).

This episode blends laugh-out-loud moments with real medical explanations, helping you understand what’s normal, what isn’t, and what your body is trying to tell you without shame, fear, or Dr. Google at 2 a.m.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Why period blood sometimes looks black, brown or like coffee grounds
• The real reason so many women get diarrhea during their periods
• What causes the sharp “lighting bolt” pains in your butt (and why you’re not alone)
• Lighting crotch during pregnancy: what it is and why it happens
• Why sex can feel like sandpaper even when you’re aroused
• The difference between lubricants, moisturizers and vaginal hormone therapy
• Pelvic floor tension and why your brain may be bracing for pain
• Whether sex actually helps period cramps or if TikTok lied again
• “Menopause psychosis”: what’s real, what’s not and why this TikTok term is misleading

This episode is equal parts myth-busting, education, and “OMG I thought it was just me.” If you’ve ever wondered whether something happening in your body is normal — this is your episode.

Let’s Connect
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Nutrition in midlife is loud so we brought in Coven Women’s Health Registered Dietitian, Nishta Saxena, to make sense of what your body actually needs in perimenopause and beyond. This episode breaks down metabolism, weight changes, hormone shifts and everything the internet gets wrong about “fixing” your body in your 40s and 50s. If you want less confusion, more confidence, and a grounded plan for nourishing yourself, this conversation is packed with clarity.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What a Registered Dietitian actually is and why regulated, evidence-based nutrition support matters.
• Why weight changes in perimenopause, including shifts in hormones, fat distribution and metabolism.
• GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, etc.), when they’re helpful and when they can create new problems.
• Why strength training becomes essential for health, longevity and weight stability.
• How stress, sleep and mindset impact appetite and midlife weight changes more than most diets do.
• Why nutrition is emotional, not just practical, and how to build habits that support the life you want.

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about the Weight & Nutrition programs at covenhealth.com
• Get started with the Diet & Nutrition Program or the Feel Powerful – Weight Management Program
• Follow Nishta on Instagram, @nishtasaxenard

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

This one gets personal. Dr. Michelle shares how she discovered she carries a BRCA mutation (from her dad’s side), what it meant for her 20s, and why that moment shaped her life’s work. From genetic testing and a preventive double mastectomy to building better care paths for women after cancer, this episode blends story, science, and the kind of straight-talk you wish you’d heard sooner.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• What BRCA actually is and why you can inherit it from either parent
• How to approach genetic testing when family history is missing or complicated
• What you need to know about screening
• Michelle’s decision-making: life insurance worries, timing kids, and choosing a preventive double mastectomy
• Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t exist: individualized choices vs. fear-driven advice
• Menopause after cancer: Who can (and sometimes should) consider hormones, and nuanced alternatives
• The survivorship gap: Why finishing treatment isn’t the finish line and what better support looks like
• How Michelle’s experience led to Coven Health and the Feel Powerful Menopause After Cancer program (evidence, empathy, and a real plan)
  
  

If you’ve ever felt in the dark about hereditary risk or been told to simply “tough out” menopause after cancer, this conversation is for you.

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven on Instagram at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com

Progesterone has a reputation for being the “bad guy” in PMS but it’s also essential for balancing estrogen and protecting your uterus. In this episode, Jenn and Dr. Michelle get into the role of progesterone, why women are told they’re “estrogen dominant,” and how myths around hormones keep us confused (and sometimes taken advantage of). They also touch on the hype around testosterone for women and what the evidence actually says.

In this episode, we’re talking about:

• Progesterone 101: what it is, when it’s made, and why it matters
• The truth behind “estrogen dominance” and other buzzwords
• How progesterone can help (or worsen) PMS and perimenopausal symptoms
• Jenn’s experience with headaches, fatigue, and finding the right combination of hormone therapy
• Side effects, myths, and the importance of safe prescribing and follow-ups
• Testosterone: when it can help, what it’s not good for, and why it’s suddenly everywhere in your algorithm
• Why individualized care, not one-size-fits-all hormone promises, is the key to feeling better

This episode is equal parts myth-busting and practical education, helping you understand how different hormones actually work together — and what questions to ask if you’re considering hormone therapy.

Links from the episode:

MQ6 – Menopause Assessment Tool

Let’s Connect:
If this resonated, leave a review or share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow us and find more information about Coven Women’s Health at @covenhealth or visit www.covenhealth.com