Author: drmclockhart
drmclockhart
Mother, Grandmother, Wife, and a Practicing Geriatric and a Family Nurse Practitioner. I have a PhD and been and active Researcher on some very interesting projections of the years. I like being a health coach, to provide current evidence based health information for women in actionable simple steps. Be Well: Dr. Lockhart
For the first time, Congress formally acknowledged the menopause care gap. That matters to every woman who has been told her symptoms are “just aging,” every woman who struggled to find an informed provider, and every woman who wondered why so little reliable information exists about perimenopause health, hormone balance for women over 40, and menopause care. On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first-ever congressional hearing devoted to menopause. The hearing was titled “Half the Country, Zero Hearings: Meeting the Moment to End the Menopause Care Gap in America.” This was not…
If you have ever felt rushed, dismissed, or told your symptoms were “just stress” or “just aging,” the data says you are not imagining it. You are not being dramatic. You are not asking for too much. You are navigating a healthcare system that does not always listen carefully, explain clearly, or move quickly enough. A new Gallup-Pivotal Women’s Health Survey, conducted July 14–22, 2026, surveyed 3,845 women and 1,296 men through the Gallup Panel. The results, published September 18, confirm what many women have experienced firsthand: getting care is not always the same as getting answers. The good news?…
For years, many women with painful, disproportionate fat accumulation in their legs have heard the same explanations: “It is obesity,” “You need to exercise more,” or “That is just how your body is built.” Those answers can miss an important condition: lipedema. Now, dedicated ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for lipedema have been accepted for implementation, with an expected effective date of October 1, 2027. The final code numbers, descriptions, and documentation requirements have not yet been published in the official CDC/NCHS code files. Until then, clinicians may continue using codes such as E88.2, R60.9, or E65, depending on the patient’s presentation…
Do you lose focus, energy, and patience around 3 PM: even when you started the day well? Do you notice midlife weight gain that does not respond to the same habits that worked in your 20s or 30s? Pause before blaming your willpower. A daily energy crash, persistent hunger, and changing body composition can signal that your metabolism needs closer attention. Hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause can affect insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, body fat distribution, sleep, and muscle mass. Your symptoms may be telling you to look beyond calories and exercise alone. Use your lab work as a tool. The…
If hot flashes or night sweats are disrupting your life, you may have wondered whether hormone therapy is right for you. A new analysis from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), published in JAMA Internal Medicine on September 8, 2026, offers encouraging information. Among women with vasomotor symptoms: such as hot flashes and night sweats: those who began hormone therapy during perimenopause or early postmenopause had a 22% lower risk of cardiovascular disease over approximately 20 years compared with women who did not use hormone therapy. That is meaningful. It is also not a reason to start…
Your supplement routine should support your health: not overwhelm it. After 35, your nutritional needs can shift as metabolism, muscle mass, bone health, stress, sleep, and hormones evolve. That does not mean you need a cabinet full of pills. It means you may benefit from identifying specific gaps and filling them strategically. Start with food, sleep, movement, hydration, and regular medical care. Then use supplements when they make sense for your diet, lab results, symptoms, life stage, and health goals. Here are five options worth discussing with your healthcare professional. 1. Start With Vitamin D3 + K2 Vitamin D deserves…
The best wellness gifts do more than fill a box. They remind a woman that her health, comfort, energy, and time matter. After years of caring for family, managing work, and showing up for everyone else, many women 35 and over are ready to prioritize themselves. A thoughtful health gift can support that shift without adding pressure or creating another impossible goal. Choose practical tools that make healthy habits easier. Add a few comforting or indulgent touches that encourage rest, recovery, and self-care. Most importantly, give her something that supports her current journey: not something that suggests she needs to…
If a sudden urge to urinate has ever interrupted a walk, meeting, workout, road trip, or good night’s sleep, you already know that urgency urinary incontinence can affect much more than your bladder. It can shape your schedule, limit your choices, and quietly reduce your confidence. Now, a new medical technology is drawing attention. In August 2026, the FDA cleared Revi Extend, an implantable tibial neuromodulation system designed for urgency urinary incontinence, or UUI. The updated implant is designed to last up to 15 years, while therapy is delivered through a lightweight external wearable. That does not mean Revi Extend…
If you have wondered whether estrogen therapy affects long-term brain health, a new Stanford Medicine study may have caught your attention. Published in Neurology on August 12, 2026, the study found that women who reported using estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy had lower odds of Alzheimer’s-related brain pathology at autopsy. They also had better memory performance and were more likely to remain independent in daily life. That finding is meaningful. It is also easy to misunderstand. Use this study as a tool for asking better questions: not as a reason to start estrogen without personalized medical guidance. See the Big Finding…
You walk into a room and forget why. You know someone’s name but cannot retrieve it. You reach for a familiar word: and it disappears. Welcome to brain fog. Brain fog can feel alarming, especially when you are over 35 or 40 and already noticing changes in your periods, sleep, mood, or energy. The good news: perimenopause-related memory and concentration changes are common, usually mild, and often improve as hormone levels stabilize. Here is what is happening, what may help, and when to seek medical evaluation. First, understand the transition Perimenopause is the hormonal transition leading up to menopause. During…