Why do some women feel incredible on hormone therapy while others struggle — even on the same HRT protocol?

In this episode of the Me.No.Pause Moxie Podcast, Clinical Hormone Coach Marie Hoäg, MBA, explains the answer through the lens of Patient Clinical Categories — a framework developed from over two decades of clinical observation and thousands of female hormone patients.

Marie and co-host Maggie Kuhn break down why women do not start hormone therapy from the same place, how gut health, toxin exposure, diet history, mindset, and overall health dramatically influence results, and why getting hormones balanced to the Hormone Sweet Spot™ is a process, not a prescription.

Listeners will learn:

• Why the same HRT system can produce different outcomes

• How the Five Clinical Categories were developed and what they mean

• What women in each category typically experience during hormone balancing

• Why compliance, clinical hormone coaching, and gut health are critical to success

• How understanding your category removes confusion, fear, and self-blame

This episode brings clarity to a question women have been asking for years:
“Why isn’t this working for me the way it works for someone else?”

If you’ve ever felt discouraged, confused, or blamed yourself for not responding “fast enough” to hormone therapy, this conversation will fundamentally change how you understand your body — and your path to the Hormone Sweet Spot™.

To learn your Clinical Category, start with the free Hormone Balance Test at HormoneBalanceTest.com.

The FDA removed the black box warning from estrogen—an announcement packaged as a major win for women’s health. But behind the headlines lies a different story. In this episode, Marie Hoäg breaks down what the FDA actually changed, what they left untouched, and why women must look deeper than the surface-level celebration.

Marie and Maggie examine the coordinated media tour by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, the inaccuracies and contradictions in his messaging, and why the science has not changed—only the narrative has. This symbolic shift opens the door for more low-dose prescribing, more confusion, and another generation of women being underdosed, misled, and medically underserved.

Marie explains the real differences between low-dose HRT and therapeutic-dose restoration, what women can expect from each generation of hormone therapy, and how the system continues to profit from the symptoms of estrogen deficiency. This is a critical episode for every woman who refuses to settle for the status quo and wants clarity on what true hormone restoration really looks like.

What You’ll Learn

• Why the FDA removed the visual black box, but kept the warning
• The industry motives behind the timing of this announcement
• The contradictions in Dr. Makary’s messaging
• Why low-dose HRT protocols cannot restore physiology
• How four generations of HRT differ in their clinical outcomes
• Why “talk to your doctor” is dangerous advice when doctors aren’t trained
• How women can identify real hormone restoration vs. symptom management
• What women should do now if they want true hormone replacement

Listener Questions We Address

• “If estrogen doesn’t cause cancer, why did the FDA keep the warning at all?”
• “Why are doctors still pushing low-dose protocols?”
• “What’s the real difference between an FDA-approved patch and therapeutic-dose HRT?”
• “Should women still trust menopause guidelines if the data is incomplete?”
• “What should women look for in a doctor who knows how to dose estrogen correctly?”

If today’s episode made you question whether you need HRT—or whether your current therapy is truly serving you—trust that instinct. Your brain, your body, your family, and your long-term mental and physical health depend on you getting this right.

To discover hormonal balance as you are supposed to experience it, book a complimentary discovery session at: advancedhormonebalancing.com

Disclaimer

The views expressed on the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast are based on over two decades of clinical observation, research, education, training, and personal experience by Marie Hoäg, MBA. It is presented for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes, and is not intended as medical, nutritional, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) advice. Viewers and listeners are strongly encouraged to consult with a trained HRT professional before making any hormone-balancing decisions.

After twenty years of fear-based medicine, the FDA has finally woken up about estrogen (sort of) — admitting that the black box warning never should have existed.

It’s validation, yes. But it’s also frustrating. Because while the FDA finally corrected the label, they didn’t correct the hormone restoration system. Women are still being prescribed low-dose, symptom-management therapies that leave them hormonally deficient, mentally foggy, and physically depleted. Basically, estrogen-starved.

I’ve been teaching for years that estrogen was never the problem — the problem was targeted misinformation, fear, and a deliberate standard of care designed to keep women in need of more estrogen.

In this episode, my producer and co-host, Maggie Kuhn, and I break down what the FDA got right, what they ignored, and why this moment — while historic — still falls short of real progress for women’s health.

If you want to understand the difference between managing menopause and full hormone restoration, this is the episode to listen to.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the FDA finally reversed the 2003 black box warning
• The truth about the Women’s Health Initiative study and decades of misinformation
• How estrogen protects the brain, heart, bones, and lifespan
• Why women are still not receiving full hormone restoration
• What needs to change in medical education and practice for women to get real results

Disclaimer

The views expressed on the Me.No.Pause Moxie Podcast are based on over twenty years of clinical observation, research, education, training, and personal experience by Clinical Hormone Coach Marie Hoäg, MBA. This content is for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as medical or hormone therapy advice. Always consult a trained HRT professional before making any hormone-balancing decisions.

Remember, everybody benefits when YOUR hormones are balanced.

Clinical indicators are your body’s operating language—and the most practical way to verify whether your hormones are balanced and your HRT is truly working.

In this episode of the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast, Marie explains how real-time symptoms (positive and negative) pair with blood labs to determine hormonal balance and map a woman’s progress toward the Hormone Sweet Spot™.

You’ll hear how the Clinical Indicator Assessment (the Hormone Balance Test) was built from years of patient pattern-tracking, why estrogen’s effects show up in real time, how gut health and the estrobolome influence clinical responses, and why sustained balance requires precise titration over defined phases—not guesswork.

Hormonal balance is not a crapshoot or something stumbled upon; there is a technique and a process for full hormone restoration and sustainable hormonal balance.

What You’ll Learn:

• The four “clue” types: physical, mental, emotional, behavioral
• Positive vs. negative clinical indicators—and why early negatives (e.g., breast tenderness, transient bloating) can signal appropriate adaptation
• How to read indicators alongside labs to confirm progress toward optimal ranges
• Why estrogen’s real-time action makes test timing and phase-specific draws essential
• The estrobolome’s role and why dysbiosis can blunt HRT benefits
• The phased path to balance: foundation → fine-tuning → maintenance

Listener Questions We Address:

• “I started on a low-dose patch with nightly progesterone and my sleep and sweats got worse—is that normal?”
• “I’m five years postmenopause with multiple autoimmune diagnoses—how do I know if HRT would help me?”

Resources & Next Steps:

• Take the Hormone Balance Test (Clinical Indicator Assessment): hormonebalancetest.com.
• To see if advanced hormone balancing is a good fit for you, book a complimentary discovery session by going to advancedhormonebalancing.com.

Disclaimer:
The views expressed on the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast are based on over two decades of clinical observation, research, education, training, and personal experience by Clinical Hormone Coach, Marie Hoag, MBA. It is presented for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes, and is not intended as medical, nutritional, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) advice. Viewers and listeners are strongly encouraged to consult with a trained HRT professional before making any hormone-balancing decisions.

In this powerful listener Q&A episode, Marie Hoäg, Clinical Hormone Coach of 20 years, answers complex and emotional questions from women who are desperate for real answers about hormone therapy. From confusion around testosterone to frustration with untrained doctors, Marie exposes why so many women remain estrogen-deficient—even while “on HRT.” She explains what true hormone restoration looks like, why withholding estrogen should be considered a medical injustice, and how to find practitioners trained in advanced, therapeutic-dose protocols that fully restore female physiology.

• Why “low-dose” HRT and symptom-management protocols keep women stuck in deficiency
• The difference between first-/second-generation HRT and advanced third-/fourth-generation systems
• How to approach testosterone after restoring estrogen and progesterone
• What causes spotting, fatigue, and emotional instability during early adaptation phases
• How estrogen protects against autoimmune conditions, joint pain, and inflammation
• The truth about “Menopause Society–certified” providers and the limitations of conventional care
• Why consistency—not patch hopping or stopping—is critical to successful restoration

• Can a woman’s testosterone be raised naturally?
• Why did I start spotting after switching HRT methods?
• Could my joint pain and hair loss be from perimenopause—or estrogen deficiency?
• What should I ask a new doctor before starting hormone therapy?
• Why did my Menopause Society–certified provider replace my HRT with birth control?
• Is it normal to feel anxious after starting an estrogen patch?

Email questions for the show to moxie@menopausemoxie.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed on the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast are based on over two decades of clinical observation, research, education, training, and personal experience by Marie Hoag, MBA. It is presented for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes, and is not intended as medical, nutritional, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) advice. Viewers and listeners are strongly encouraged to consult with a trained HRT professional before making any hormone balancing decisions.

In this groundbreaking episode, Marie Hoäg, Clinical Hormone Coach, challenges one of the deepest myths in women’s health: that menopause is inevitable and irreversible.

Marie reveals how advanced, therapeutic-dose HRT—designed for full physiologic restoration—can actually reverse menopause for many women and keep them there for life.

Drawing from two decades of clinical experience, Marie walks listeners through the five steps and three phases of reaching the Hormone Sweet Spot™, a clinical destination where a woman feels—and tests—as though she’s in her reproductive prime.

This isn’t low-dose HRT “management.” It’s FULL hormone restoration.
It’s the difference between living like the walking dead and feeling fully alive again.

💡 What You’ll Learn

• The truth about menopause: It’s a disease caused by estrogen and progesterone deficiency that can be reversed by addressing the root cause of the deficiency.
• The difference between prevention and reversal: When to start HRT, and what makes each possible.
• Why conventional HRT fails: How low-dose, symptom-management protocols keep women in menopause, feeling like hell, and riddled with mental illness.
• The 5 steps to the Hormone Sweet Spot™: a roadmap to sustainable hormone balance.
• The 3 phases of hormone restoration: From receptor building to full optimization and lifelong maintenance.
• How estrogen transforms mental and physical health: Reversing depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, joint pain, and cognitive decline.
• Why coaching is critical: Avoiding “futzing” with hormones and learning to read your body’s indicators correctly.

💬 Key Takeaways

• Menopause does not have symptoms. Menopause IS a symptom of hormone deficiency.
• Low-dose HRT is symptom management; advanced HRT is full restoration.
• The body can “wake up” from menopause when given enough estrogen and progesterone in the right amounts and in the right way.
• Mental illness, fatigue, and apathy often disappear once hormones are fully restored.
• The Hormone Sweet Spot™ is both a science and an art—measurable in labs, but felt deeply in a woman’s life.

🩸 Real-World Success Stories

Marie shares the inspiring stories of:

• Tracy (age 52): Went from near job loss and daily tears to regaining her cycle, career, and confidence within months.
• Shelly (age 72): After decades on low-dose hormones, she restored her brain, body, and libido—and says she’ll “never give up these hormones over my dead body.”

Both women achieved full mental, physical, and emotional restoration—proof that age is not the defining factor, but estrogen deficiency is.

🧠 Moxie’s Message

“No woman with plenty of estrogen experiences menopause—no matter how old she is.”

“Women deserve more than symptom management hormone therapy. They deserve full restoration and to feel alive again.”

Disclaimer:
The views expressed on the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast are presented for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes, and are not intended as medical, nutritional, or hormone replacement advice. Viewers and listeners are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on the content presented.

If your HRT worked for a while and then stopped, you’re not alone.

For decades, women have been handed low-dose, short-term hormone therapies that were never designed for full restoration — only to manage symptoms just enough to keep them quiet for a while. And when women speak up that their HRT is no longer working, they are prescribed drugs and sold supplements to manage the side effects of hormone deficiencies they still experience.

In this week’s episode of the MeNoPause Moxie Podcast, I reveal what most women (and even many doctors) don’t realize: there are distinct generations of HRT systems, each built with different intentions and results. Understanding the differences can change how you age, how you feel, how you behave — and your susceptibility to mental illness.

You’ll Learn:

• Why so many women are unknowingly kept in a state of estrogen starvation—even while on HRT.

• How to tell when your current therapy has reached its limit.

• What separates symptom management from true hormone restoration.

• Why “low dose” isn’t the same as “safe”—and how it may actually accelerate hormonal decline.

• What true hormone restoration looks like — and why it feels completely different.

• How therapeutic adaptive dosing brings women into their Hormone Sweet Spot™.

Why This Matters for Women

Women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond are running companies, managing family, leading teams, and building legacies — often while battling brain fog, fatigue, and mood swings caused by chronic hormone deficiency.

You deserve more than temporary relief. You deserve a system that restores your full capacity to think, lead, create, and thrive.

The more you know how HRT works and what you need, the more control you will have over how your brain and body function and age.