Why This Meno Life Exists
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6 min · Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube
Show Notes
Told your labs are normal when you don't feel normal? In this first episode of This Meno Life, Dr. Siân West, board-certified OB-GYN and menopause specialist, explains why she started a podcast about medical dismissal in perimenopause and menopause.
She starts with her own story. During an advanced maternal age IVF pregnancy she was on the other side of the desk, and even with everything she knew about medicine, she walked out of an appointment doubting what she felt. The clinician was a good one, which is exactly why it stayed with her. Dismissal usually isn't malicious, and it still leaves women second-guessing themselves.
Then she lays out what the show is for: evidence without fear tactics, symptoms taken seriously, and options explained honestly, so you walk into your next appointment more informed and harder to dismiss.
What you'll learn
Why a normal test result does not automatically mean everything you are experiencing is normal
The difference between intentional harm and being dismissed, and why that distinction matters
What perimenopause looks like in a real appointment: changing cycles, broken sleep, mood changes, brain fog, hot flashes
The four things this show commits to: science without the nonsense, validation without overpromising, autonomy with guardrails, and medicine kept human
What is coming: perimenopause, MHT, hot flashes, sleep, brain fog, libido, vaginal health, bone health, and the things the internet is getting wrong
The goal is not just that you listen. It is that you walk into your next appointment more confident, more informed, and harder to dismiss.
Questions this episode answers
What is the This Meno Life podcast about?
This Meno Life is a podcast for women in midlife, hosted by Dr. Siân West, a board-certified OB-GYN and menopause specialist. It covers perimenopause, menopause, MHT, and the medical dismissal many women meet when they ask about their symptoms, with evidence-based explanations and no fear tactics.
Is medical gaslighting always intentional?
No. Dismissal in medicine is frequently not malicious. It can happen through minimizing a symptom, redirecting the conversation, over-relying on one normal test result, or a clinician not having the time, training, or framework to investigate further. The impact on the patient is the same whether or not intent was involved.
Does a normal lab result mean my symptoms are not real?
No. A normal result on a particular test does not automatically mean everything you are experiencing is normal, insignificant, or unrelated. Many midlife conditions are diagnosed from the overall clinical picture: history, symptom pattern, timing and context, not from a single number.
Who is Dr. Siân West?
Dr. Siân West is a board-certified OB-GYN and menopause specialist who hosts This Meno Life, a podcast for women navigating perimenopause and menopause.
Why do so many women feel dismissed in perimenopause?
Perimenopause produces symptoms across many systems at once, which often get treated as separate complaints rather than one transition. Combined with limited menopause education in medical training and short appointment times, that is how a woman can report real, disruptive changes and still leave with "you're fine."
Resources and research mentioned
No studies are cited in this episode. New here? Start with Episode 2 for the science.
Related episodes
Episode 2: Feral, Not a Gentle Decline: The Hormone Truth About Perimenopause
Episode 3: Why Men Get Viagra and Women Get Therapy Referrals
Episode 5: My Doctor Won't Prescribe MHT: What Are Your Options?
About Dr. Siân West
Dr. Siân West is a board-certified OB-GYN and menopause specialist. She hosts This Meno Life, a weekly podcast for women in midlife that covers perimenopause, menopause and MHT with the evidence first and no fear tactics.
Follow This Meno Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube so the next episode finds you.
I'm a doctor, but not your doctor. Everything here is for education, not medical advice. Stay curious, stay evidence-based, and always talk to your clinician before making changes.
