Dr Louise Newson: Anxiety! Joint pain! The perimenopause symptoms you’re ignoring

Happy Place with Fearne Cotton

• Podcast Home
• Download Episode

Thursday, 21 May 2026 - 57 minutes

One in six women arriving at Dr Louise Newson's menopause clinic have suicidal thoughts. 92% see those thoughts reduce with natural hormones, so why are women still being prescribed antidepressants instead?In this chat with Fearne, Louise explains why women are being misdiagnosed with depression or anxiety when the root cause is hormonal. Fearne admits she's the woman with her head in the sand about perimenopause, so Louise walks her through what the many (many!) different symptoms could look like, and how to talk to a GP about how you’re feeling mentally and physically.Plus, is there any truth to the myth that HRT causes breast cancer? Why is testosterone the most misunderstood hormone in women's health? And would the contraceptive pill be approved if it was created today...?Louise’s new book, The Power of Hormones, is out now.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:Liz EarleCally BeatonNaomi Watts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subscribe to this podcast

• Apple Podcasts
• Apple Podcasts
• RSS Feed