How Hormones Took Over Your Feed
Summary
Wired senior writer Kate Nibbs joins Lizzie O’Leary to explore the explosive growth of the perimenopause industry, driven by telehealth startups and a cultural shift toward hormone therapy. The episode examines how the flawed Women’s Health Initiative study and the rise of GLP-1s created a "perfect storm" for VC-funded companies like Midi and Hims to market HRT online. Nibbs discusses the tension between improved accessibility for ignored patients and concerns over predatory "pill vending machine" models, lack of continuity of care, and the politicized disconnect between pro-hormone advocac…
Topics discussed
Host shares her perimenopause-focused social media feed
The explosive growth of the perimenopause industry
Defining perimenopause and its diffuse symptoms
The legacy of the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study
Recent shifts in medical guidelines and the GLP-1 boom
Frustrations with traditional healthcare providers
Major players in the telehealth hormone market
Why middle-aged women are a prime target for wellness tech
Concerns about overcorrection and questionable tactics
Risks of asynchronous prescribing and 'pill vending machines'
The strange bedfellows: MAHA and evidence-based clinicians
The political contradiction of hormone therapy advocacy
The future of commercialized, a-la-carte healthcare
Closing remarks and show credits
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