The Dr Louise Newson Podcast7 Okt 2025

28 - How synthetic hormones can rewire the female brain

For more than half a century, "the Pill” has been a routine part of women’s lives, prescribed not only for contraception but for acne, period pain and hormonal regulation. It’s so deeply woven into modern medicine and culture that most of us rarely question how it works or what it does beyond its prescribed use.

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson speaks with psychologist, researcher and author Dr Sarah Hill about the untold story behind synthetic hormones and their impact on the brain. Together, they explore how shutting down natural hormone production and replacing it with synthetic versions can alter mood, motivation, cognition and mental health - changes that are often dismissed or overlooked in both medical practice and public conversation.

Dr Sarah Hill also explains why progesterone remains one of the most misunderstood hormones in medicine. Far from being a simple reproductive regulator, it plays a vital role in neuroprotection, inflammation control and emotional stability with implications for conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to postnatal mental health and autoimmune disease.

This episode challenges decades of cultural assumptions about women’s health and invites clinicians, researchers and patients alike to rethink what we know (and don’t know) about how synthetic hormones shape the female brain.

LET'S CONNECT

Subscribe here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@menopause_doctor

Website 👉 https://www.drlouisenewson.co.uk/

Instagram 👉 / @drlouisenewsonpodcast

Download balance app 👉 / https://www.balance-menopause.com/balance-app/

LinkedIn 👉 / https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlouisenewson/

TikTok 👉 / https://www.tiktok.com/@drlouisenewson

Spotify 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/7dCctfyI9bODGDaFnjfKhg

LEARN MORE

Join me on my upcoming theatre events in London and Birmingham 👉 https://www.nlp-ltd.com/dr-louise-newson-qanda/

Buy Dr Sarah Hill’s new book, The Period Brain 👉

https://www.sarahehill.com/books/

Take my online education course, Hormones Unlocked 👉 https://www.learningwithexperts.com/products/hormones-unlocked-dr-louise-newson

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(368)

68 – Testosterone: Why is it so hard to access?

Why are so many women denied testosterone?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by US menopause specialist Dr Susan Hardwick-Smith for a vital conversation about testosterone and why so many wom...

21 Mai 29min

67 – The Power of Hormones

Ahead of the publication of her new book The Power ofHormones, Dr Louise Newson sits down with journalist and Balance editorial director Kat Keogh to explore the hidden history of hormones and why wom...

19 Mai 44min

66 – PMDD and mental health: what’s really going on?

What if severe changes in your mental health were being driven by your hormones?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dr Isabella Sillar, an Australian doctor, who shares her powerful and dee...

14 Mai 30min

65 – The truth about food and health with The Happy Pear

What if improving your health could start with what’s on your plate?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Dave and Steve Flynn, also known as The Happy Pear, for a refreshing and practical co...

12 Mai 30min

64 – Estrogen: separating fear from fact

Why are so many women still being told estrogen is dangerous?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by oncologist and author of Estrogen Matters, Dr Avrum Bluming, to explore how fear around horm...

7 Mai 32min

63 – Hormones, disability and the battle to be taken seriously : Laura Dallison

What happens when you know something isn’t right, but no one will listen?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Laura Dallison, who shares her experience of navigating hormonal changes while l...

5 Mai 26min

62 – How hormones change your brain - Dr Jay Jagannathan

What if the symptoms women are told are down to stress or hectic lifestyles are actually coming from hormone changes in the brain?In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by board certified neurosu...

30 Apr 28min

61 – Living with untreated urinary symptoms

In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by Penny Pijnenburg for a powerful conversation about genitourinary syndrome , a condition that affects most women but is still rarely talked about.Penny sh...

28 Apr 31min