Megyn Kelly has sparked a lively conversation online by delving into a topic often shrouded in silence: hormone replacement therapy (HRT). During a recent episode of her podcast, the 55-year-old boldly declared, “I’m on it and I love it.” She went on to explain that the treatment had alleviated numerous issues she hadn’t realized were linked to hormones.

Despite the reluctance many women feel towards starting HRT, or menopause replacement therapy (MRT) as it is more accurately termed, due to its age-related stigma, the time has come to dispel such misconceptions. The hesitation surrounding this treatment needs to be addressed and overcome.

Women shouldn’t have to endure the discomfort of perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Believe me, I speak from experience.

Having spent decades as a health advocate interviewing leading medical professionals, I am well-acquainted with the advancements in hormone replacement therapy. I’ve studied extensively, diving into research papers and expert discussions. Yet, perhaps out of a sense of invulnerability, I assumed HRT wasn’t something I’d ever need.

My lifestyle is a testament to healthy living: I maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, prioritize sleep, and take vitamins. I believed I was doing everything right. Therefore, during my recent annual gynecological checkup, when my doctor presented the typical checklist of menopause symptoms, I dismissed them with confidence.

I eat well, exercise, focus on sleep and take my vitamins. I ‘do everything right.’ So, when my doctor ran through the standard menopause symptom checklist at my recent annual gynecological checkup, I swatted them away with pride.

Hot flashes? No.

Stubborn belly fat? Absolutely not.

Megyn Kelly ignited an online firestorm after breaching a taboo topic in women’s health: hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

There’s no reason for women to suffer through the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. Trust me, I know

Brain fog? Yes — but I’ve been that way since birth.

Vaginal dryness? Nah.

Periods still regular? Completely.

Sex drive, ok? Solid.

Then she asked something I never saw coming.

‘Any shoulder pain?’

I froze. For months, I’d had a bizarre and maddening shoulder injury that nothing could alleviate.

I’d blamed it on my first Wyoming winter and a snow shovel. But as someone who can still crank out dozens of strict push-ups, I found it baffling and somewhat humbling that I couldn’t shake it.

‘Why are you asking about my shoulder?’ I asked.

It turns out that musculoskeletal pain, particularly ‘frozen shoulder,’ is a well-documented but underreported symptom of perimenopause.

Estrogen, one of that hormones that decreases in women’s bodies as they age, has potent anti-inflammatory properties, and as it drops, tendons and joints become inflamed and slow to heal.

My jaw hit the floor.

My doctor put me on the lowest dose estrogen patch plus a low dose of progesterone.

Within three weeks, my shoulder was 90 percent better.

One of my first thoughts was: why don’t more women know about this?

Well, we know the answer – and it has to do with one of the biggest travesties in American medicine.

Some women are prescribed estrogen patches, seen here, to treat menopause symptoms

Every major figure in the study of MRT — Dr Michelle Milovina, Dr Mary Claire Haver, Dr Lisa Mosconi, Dr David Sinclair, Dr Drew Pinsky, Dr Peter Attia (all of whom I’ve interviewed) — all share one thing in common: a white-hot, barely contained fury over a single study called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).

Launched in 1991, the WHI was meant to be the definitive word on women’s health. But in 2002, the WHI was abruptly halted when researchers claimed that estrogen plus progestin (a synthetic compound that mimics progesterone) dramatically increased the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.

The findings rocked the medical community and the media erupted. Doctors stopped prescribing the hormones overnight and an entire generation of women were essentially abandoned — terrified of the very medicine that could help them.

But the study was fundamentally flawed.

The average participant was 63 years old — over a decade past the critical ‘window of opportunity’ for hormone therapy. The WHI also used synthetic progestins and oral estrogens, forms now considered largely obsolete.

Look at data for women in their 40s and 50s today who take modern, bioidentical, transdermal (patch) delivery. The risk of breast cancer risk doesn’t just shrink, for most women, it virtually disappears.

One botched study and millions of women suffered needlessly. Countless others have even died from preventable hip fractures or heart disease because their doctors were too frightened to prescribe the medicine that could have protected them.

MRT, I believe, is a miracle for women because it helps maintain our biology at its source. Estrogen and progesterone aren’t just ‘sex hormones.’ They’re the female body’s master regulators, governing nearly every major system.

But, starting at 40-year-old, her estrogen and progesterone levels start to drop. And when they go, they don’t just take your periods with them. They take the biological scaffolding that hold everything together.

The brain: Estrogen fuels the brain’s glucose metabolism. When levels drop, the brain essentially begins to starve, producing the brain fog so many women dismiss as normal aging. 

Even more alarming, long-term estrogen deprivation significantly increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Women already represent nearly two-thirds of all Alzheimer’s cases. This is not a coincidence.

Sleep: Progesterone converts in the brain to a neurosteroid called allopregnanolone, which activates GABA receptors essentially acting as a natural, safe sedative. 

Women on MRT consistently report that the 3am wakeups stop. Deep, restorative sleep returns. Everything else follows.

Metabolism: Estrogen optimizes insulin sensitivity. Without it, the body becomes less efficient at processing carbohydrates and dramatically more prone to storing visceral fat, the dangerous kind packed around your organs, aka ‘menopause middle.’ 

Restoring estrogen restores metabolic flexibility. The weight that seemed impossible to shift suddenly responds again.

Heart and bones: Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US. Not breast cancer, which is what almost everyone fears the most. 

Estrogen keeps arteries supple and maintains healthy cholesterol ratios. It also governs bone-building cells. Without it, women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone density in just five years. The result of too little estrogen is osteoporosis, a ‘silent killer’ that announces itself only when a hip shatters.

Skin, hair, nails and joints: Estrogen is a primary driver of collagen synthesis, the structural protein that keeps skin firm, hair strong, and joints cushioned. 

I’ve been open for years about using collagen peptides and they absolutely help. But here’s the critical piece most people miss: if estrogen is low, your body’s ability to use that collagen is compromised. 

MRT and collagen supplementation aren’t competing strategies. They’re synergistic – one restores the engine, the other provides the fuel.

Additionally, the benefits of MRT are cumulative. Improved brain chemistry and progesterone-backed sleep lead to lower cortisol and more energy. When your insulin sensitivity is optimized, your metabolic flexibility returns.

Suddenly, you have the capacity to train harder, eat better and stay consistent. That’s when the results start to compound: stronger joints, healthier skin and better body composition — not from a single ‘miracle fix,’ but because the entire system is working in harmony again.

If you are suffering, don’t let pride stand in your way. We have the science to live better for longer. It’s time we start using it.