If you’ve ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling rushed, unheard, or still confused—this episode explains why.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Dr. Jill and Dr. Ade break down what’s really happening behind the scenes of modern healthcare—and why women in midlife are often left feeling frustrated, even when they have insurance.

Women today are asking for more time, more prevention, more thoughtful hormone care, and clearer answers. And they should. But the healthcare system was not designed to pay for much of the care women actually need in midlife.

In this episode, we explore:

• What women are rightfully asking for in midlife healthcare
• What insurance is designed to cover—and where it falls short
• Why visits feel rushed and why providers ask you to “pick one concern”
• The reality of copays, deductibles, and unpaid care
• The invisible administrative work patients never see
• Why so many physicians are burning out or leaving healthcare altogether

This conversation isn’t about blaming patients or doctors. It’s about understanding how the system has changed—and why it often doesn’t support the kind of care women deserve.

🎧 In Part 2, we’ll continue the conversation by exploring what’s emerging in response—including cash-pay care, direct care models, and how to think about your options without guilt or fear.

What happens when everything is “normal” on paper—but you don’t feel normal at all?

In this solo episode, Dr. Jillian Woodruff reflects on what she sees every day in exam rooms and hears in quiet conversations with women moving through perimenopause and midlife. From unexplained anxiety and exhaustion to sleep disruption, weight changes, and shifts in identity, this episode explores why so many women feel dismissed when their symptoms don’t fit a neat medical box.

Dr. Woodruff unpacks the limitations of “normal” test results, the long-standing gaps in menopause education, and the gender double standard that asks women to tolerate what would never be ignored in men. She also explains why these symptoms are biologically real, why they’re often misunderstood, and why quality of life is a legitimate medical outcome—not a luxury.

This is a grounded, thoughtful conversation about midlife complexity, medical humility, and why women deserve curiosity instead of dismissal.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why midlife and perimenopause look different for every woman

• The symptoms that often get overlooked or minimized in midlife

• How hormone changes interact with the nervous system

• Why “everything is normal” can shut down meaningful care

• The historical impact of the Women’s Health Initiative on hormone education

• When “normal aging” becomes a barrier to treatment

• The gender double standard in how aging symptoms are treated

• Why quality of life matters for long-term health and longevity

Key takeaways:

• Variation in midlife symptoms is biology—not failure

• Normal tests do not mean nothing is happening

• Medical humility is good medicine

• Aging should not require suffering

• Longevity without function is not success

Host:

Dr. Jillian Woodruff, MD

OB-GYN | Co-host, The Modern Midlife Collective

Share thoughts or ideas for future episodes:

📧 connect@modernmidlifecollective.com

Brain Fog After 40: The Hormone, Sleep, and Stress Connection No One Explains

If you’ve started forgetting words, losing your train of thought, or feeling mentally slower after 40, you’re not imagining it—and you’re not alone.

In this episode, Dr. Jill and Dr. Ade explain why brain fog is so common in midlife, how hormonal shifts in perimenopause affect cognition, and why stress and disrupted sleep can make mental clarity feel out of reach. They break down what’s happening in the brain, what’s within the range of normal midlife change, what deserves further evaluation, and what actually helps restore focus and confidence.

This is a grounded, science-based conversation for women who are worried about their brain—but tired of being told it’s “just stress” or “normal aging.”