Meet Your Body with Jessica Valant, MSPT

In this personal episode of Meet Your Body, Jessica Valant shares her own HRT journey: the symptoms that finally pushed her to consider hormone therapy, the questions and concerns she had before starting, what she tried first, what helped, what didn’t, and where she is now eight months later.

Jessica talks openly about the physical changes that were affecting her quality of life - joint and muscle pain and significant mood changes - and how she began trying to understand what role hormones might be playing.

She shares:

Why vaginal estrogen was a game-changer for some of her symptoms

The adjustments she made concerning her endometriosis

Why she initially started testosterone and estrogen and later added progesterone

The questions she asked about HRT given her breast cancer history and the conversations she had with her medical team

What she learned from tracking symptoms, making adjustments and giving the process time

The importance of using exercise, nutrition and nervous system nourishment as foundational health habits

Where she is now after eight months of HRT

Jessica also shares the emotional side of the decision: fear, uncertainty, weighing potential risks and benefits and accepting that there may not always be one perfect answer.

This isn't a prescription for what anyone else should do. Jessica is a physical therapist and women’s health expert, but in this episode she is sharing her experience as a woman navigating her own complicated hormonal transition.

Whether you're considering HRT, already taking it, or simply trying to understand what the process can look like in real life, this episode offers an honest and nuanced look at one woman's experience.

Sponsors

Factor Meals - Get 50% off with code MEETYOURBODY50off at the link here

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⚫︎ Jessica’s UNLIMITED community and app with daily workouts for muscle strength: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com/unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Hormones in Perimenopause and Menopause: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000787395575⁠⁠

⚫︎ HRT 101: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000788838984

⚫︎ About the Women's Health Initiative Study: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000788451085⁠

⚫︎ My Perimenopause Journey: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000653471907

⚫︎ Jessica’s website, resources, services & more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@meetyourbodypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ YouTube workouts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaValantPilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Follow Jessica on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.instagram.com/jessicavalantpilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Valant Pilates app:Apple IOS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/mry5ya8r⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/yh3ty5fp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jessica Valant and Jessica Valant Pilates, LLC, recommend you consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. The information given here is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hormone replacement therapy is having a resurgence—but HRT isn’t one medication, one dose or the right choice for every woman.

In this episode of Meet Your Body, physical therapist and women’s health expert Jessica Valant breaks down what hormone replacement therapy actually is, what it can—and can’t—do, and the important factors to consider when deciding whether HRT might be right for you.

Jessica walks you through the three hormones you hear about most in the menopause conversation—estrogen, progesterone and testosterone—including why each might be prescribed and the different ways they can be taken.

You’ll learn:

What HRT is and who might be a good candidate

The differences between estrogen, progesterone, progestins and testosterone

Pills, patches, gels, creams and vaginal estrogen—and why the route of administration matters

What changes after a hysterectomy or removal of the ovaries

Special considerations for women with a history of breast cancer or endometriosis

What “bioidentical” hormones actually means

Why the timing of starting HRT matters

The proven benefits of HRT

The questions to ask your healthcare provider when considering hormone therapy

Most importantly, this isn't a conversation about whether HRT is simply “good” or “bad.” Your age, symptoms, medical and surgical history, personal risk factors, goals and preferences all matter.

Whether you’re curious about HRT, already taking hormones or have been told hormone therapy isn’t an option for you, this episode will give you the information and questions you need to have a more informed, individualized conversation about your health.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⚫︎ Jessica’s UNLIMITED community and app with daily workouts for muscle strength: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com/unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Hormones in Perimenopause and Menopause: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000787395575⁠

⚫︎ About the Women's Health Initiative Study: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000788451085

⚫︎ Podcast references: ⁠Dr. Heather Hirsch and Dr. Kelly Casperson

⚫︎ Jessica’s website, resources, services & more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@meetyourbodypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ YouTube workouts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaValantPilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Follow Jessica on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.instagram.com/jessicavalantpilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Valant Pilates app:Apple IOS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/mry5ya8r⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/yh3ty5fp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jessica Valant and Jessica Valant Pilates, LLC, recommend you consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. The information given here is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2002, the results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) changed the conversation around hormone replacement therapy almost overnight. Millions of women stopped taking HRT, prescriptions plummeted, and fear around estrogen, breast cancer and heart disease shaped women’s healthcare for the next two decades.

But what did the WHI actually study—and what did it really find?

In this short episode of Meet Your Body, Jessica breaks down the history of the landmark Women’s Health Initiative, why the hormone therapy trial was stopped early, and how its findings were interpreted and communicated to women.

You’ll learn:

What type of estrogen and progestin were actually used in the WHI

Why the age of the women in the study matters

What researchers found about breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots and fractures

The important differences between the estrogen-only and estrogen-plus-progestin trials

Why absolute risk and relative risk told very different stories

How the WHI differs from the way many women use hormone therapy today

What decades of follow-up research have taught us about HRT, timing and individual risk

The WHI wasn’t simply a “bad study,” and its findings shouldn’t be ignored. But its results also shouldn’t be applied to every woman, every hormone and every form of HRT.

This episode puts the study back into context so you can better understand where our fear of hormone therapy came from—and what the research actually tells us today.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⚫︎ Jessica’s UNLIMITED community and app with daily workouts for muscle strength: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com/unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Hormones in Perimenopause and Menopause: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000787395575

⚫︎ Podcast references: You Are Not Broken episode 225 and unPAUSED episode The Truth About Estrogen

⚫︎ Jessica’s website, resources, services & more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@meetyourbodypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ YouTube workouts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaValantPilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Follow Jessica on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.instagram.com/jessicavalantpilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Valant Pilates app:Apple IOS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/mry5ya8r⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/yh3ty5fp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jessica Valant and Jessica Valant Pilates, LLC, recommend you consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. The information given here is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What actually happens to your hormones during perimenopause and menopause? In fact, what are hormones anyway and why are they important? We hear constantly that estrogen is dropping, progesterone is disappearing and testosterone is changing—but the real story is much more nuanced.

In this episode of Meet Your Body, physical therapist and women’s health expert Jessica Valant breaks down the science of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone throughout a woman’s lifespan. She explains what each hormone does in the body, how hormone levels normally rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle, and what begins to change as women enter perimenopause and eventually menopause.

You’ll learn why estrogen doesn’t simply decline during perimenopause but instead becomes unpredictable, what roll progesterone plays in mood regulation, why testosterone is important in women and how decreasing hormone levels can affect everything from bones and muscles to sleep, sexual health, stress management, itchy skin and more.

This is the first episode in a three-part series designed to take the confusion out of hormones and HRT. In order to really feel empowered in the aging process it's important to understand three things from today's episode: what these hormones actually do, how they change and why those changes matter.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⚫︎ Jessica’s UNLIMITED community and app with daily workouts for muscle strength: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com/unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Motivation and consistency in fitness: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000683343498⁠

⚫︎ Jessica’s website, resources, services & more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@meetyourbodypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ YouTube workouts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaValantPilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Follow Jessica on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.instagram.com/jessicavalantpilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Valant Pilates app:Apple IOS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/mry5ya8r⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/yh3ty5fp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jessica Valant and Jessica Valant Pilates, LLC, recommend you consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. The information given here is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is it so hard to stay consistent with the health habits we know are good for us? In this episode of Meet Your Body, Jessica breaks down the five keys that are essential to creating health habits you can actually stick with—without relying on willpower, guilt, or an unrealistic overhaul of your life.

She discusses how to find a meaningful why, keep things simple, make health habits fit into real life and busy schedules, evaluate whether what you're doing is actually working and learn to play the long game instead of expecting immediate results. Drawing from her own experiences and years of working with women as a physical therapist and movement teacher, Jessica offers a realistic and compassionate approach to consistency. If you’ve ever started strong only to get overwhelmed, fall off track, and wonder why you can’t just “be more disciplined,” this episode will help you approach health habits differently. You'll learn how to make them stick without all the overwhelm and complication and how to help your future self in the process.

Sponsors:

➡️ Get 20% off your first order at Beam Minerals with code MEETYOURBODY ⁠⁠⁠http://www.beamminerals.com/meetyourbody⁠

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⚫︎ BUILD Program - Four weeks of home workouts, recipes, habits and support for your longterm health! ⁠https://app.jessicavalant.com/for-sale/build-program⁠

⚫︎ Motivation and consistency in fitness: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000683343498

⚫︎ Sleep Tips ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-your-body-with-jessica-valant-mspt/id1649561552?i=1000700931343⁠

⚫︎ Jessica’s website, resources, services & more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Jessica’s UNLIMITED community and app with daily workouts for muscle strength: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.jessicavalantpilates.com/unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎Watch our podcast episodes on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@meetyourbodypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ YouTube workouts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaValantPilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⚫︎ Follow Jessica on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.instagram.com/jessicavalantpilates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Valant Pilates app:Apple IOS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/mry5ya8r⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Google - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/yh3ty5fp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jessica Valant and Jessica Valant Pilates, LLC, recommend you consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. The information given here is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices