Episode 170

Published September 15, 2026

In this episode, Cynthia Thurlow joins host Dr. Jaclyn Smeaton to explore the estrobolome and its role in metabolizing estrogen and progesterone, stress and cortisol as a driver of hormone imbalance, and DUTCH Test patterns that can signal gut dysfunction.

Cynthia and Dr. Jaclyn also discuss:

• How gut health can impact hormone metabolism, not just digestion
• The many roles of progesterone, including GABA signaling, myelin maintenance, and neuroplasticity
• Cyclical symptom tracking to determine hormonal versus non-hormonal anxiety
• The differences between bioidentical hormone therapy, oral contraceptives, and synthetic progestins
• Simple daily habits to support gut and hormone health

Key Moments

0:41 Episode Introduction

2:49 Introduction and Overview of Menopause Gut

5:49 The Connection Between Gut Health and Hormones

8:41 Understanding Progesterone and Its Role

11:50 The Importance of Stress Management

14:58 Navigating Perimenopause and Menopause

17:42 The Role of Allopregnanolone

20:39 Exploring Anxiety in Perimenopause

23:47 The Need for Personalized Hormonal Treatments

28:51 DUTCH Courses: Introduction to Menopausal HRT

29:41 The Need for Personalized Hormonal Treatments (Cont'd)

33:15 Understanding Hormonal Changes and Their Impact

38:37 The Role of Stress in Midlife

46:27 Exploring the Gut's Influence on Hormones

53:27 Navigating Hormonal Therapies and Their Nuances

59:39 Testing and Lifestyle Recommendations for Gut Health

About our speaker

Cynthia Thurlow is a globally recognized expert in nutrition & women's health, highly sought after speaker, and the CEO and founder of Everyday Wellness Project. She’s been a nurse practitioner for 20+ years, is a 2x TEDx speaker: her 2nd talk on intermittent fasting has been viewed over 7 million times. She has been featured on ABC, FOX5, KTLA, CW and in Medium and Entrepreneur. Cynthia was recently listed in Yahoo Finance as one of the “21 founders changing the way we do business.” She’s also the host of Everyday Wellness Podcast, which was listed as “20 podcasts that will help you grow in 2020”  by Entrepreneur magazine, and in Business Insider “21 podcasts to expand your mind in 2021.”

Show Notes

Check out Cynthia Thurlow’s book, The Menopause Gut, and follow her on Instagram @cynthia_thurlow_!

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