Dr. Sameena Rahman is an OB-GYN, menopause & sexual medicine specialist, and the force behind Gyno Girl. We unpack perimenopause beyond hot flashes, how vasomotor symptoms connect to heart and brain health, why South Asian women carry outsized cardiac risk, and why antidepressants are prescribed far more often than hormones. We also break the silence around sexual pain, recurrent UTIs, and pelvic floor dysfunction (spoiler: it’s not “just do more Kegels”) and walk through evidence-based treatments, including when vaginal estrogen or DHEA can be lifesaving. If you’ve ever been dismissed, rushed, or told to “have a glass of wine,” this one’s for you. Your pain isn’t a footnote—it’s data.
In this episode
- Perimenopause, decoded: symptoms beyond hot flashes and why vasomotor changes can signal broader cardiometabolic issues.
- Risk, reframed: the unique cardiac burden faced by South Asian women and what to ask your clinician.
- Meds mismatch: why many midlife women are 4x more likely to get an antidepressant than hormones—and how to navigate that conversation.
- Sexual health = health: genital urinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), recurrent UTIs, and pelvic floor dysfunction—and why Kegels can worsen pain for some.
- Treatments that help: role of pelvic floor PT, topical vaginal estrogen/DHEA, and a whole-person, “sex-detective” approach.
- Advocacy toolkit: how to prep for appointments, what to track, language to use at check-in (“pelvic concern”), and how to be heard.
- Culture & stigma: moving through shame (“sharam”), medical bias, and why sexual wellness at midlife is part of longevity, not vanity.
- Stronger bones, safer lives: why estrogen education matters for osteoporosis prevention and fracture risk.
Episode Resources:
The Pain Gap
Dr. Sameena Rohman Instagram
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