The Vajenda

This feels like déjà vu. It was just a week or so ago that I wrote about how a new observational study could not prove menopause hormone therapy prevents dementia, and here we are again for round 2 with another study. I figured we should look at it as the HRT-PREVENTS-DEMENTIA influencer-hype machine appears to be hitting full stride. The study in question is Squires et al. in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, an observational study from the UK Biobank.

Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images I feel we must be on Exhibit #324 of the Estrogen Hype Machine. This week my social media feed has been filled with menopause influencers making bold claims that a new study is proof that menopause hormone therapy prevents Alzheimer’s disease for women. The study, Association Between Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Alzheimer Disease Neuropathology, was published August 12, 2026. It’s an interesting study and a good addition to the literature.

A week or so ago, I was asked about the product, Oestra for menopause hormone therapy. I wasn’t familiar with it, so I got around to Googling and, well, wow. Yikes on a bike! So here’s my product review. I do not recommend this product. Read on for the full meal deal. Oestra is a compounded vaginal estradiol and progesterone meant for systemic absorption or delivery into the blood and is sold by Inner Balance. The Inner Balance website says that it was started by Dr. Sarah Daccarett, MD.

Women are searching for menopause content online, and that is a good thing. For too long, menopause has suffered from a uniquely terrible intersection of sexism, ageism, and taboos. It was under discussed, underfunded, and understudied, and, consequently, women suffered. The Internet has helped democratize access to information, so an increasing number of women are learning more and exploring their options.

A healthcare company’s public claims provide insight into how its leadership and health care professionals interpret medical evidence and translate that evidence into patient care. This is something people should know if they plan on using these medical professionals or companies for their care. This brings us directly to the telemedicine platform MIDI and some of their recent testosterone content.

Images say more about me than words./Getty Images In the 1980s and 1990s, menopause hormone therapy (MHT) was not only prescribed for menopause symptoms, but it was also recommended for heart health and to slow aging based on lower quality evidence.

Readers of The Vajenda have been incredibly helpful at filling studies that I have promoted, and so I am hoping we can help recruit and quickly fill this new, important study. Menopause is not just a reproductive event.

There is big news from the United Kingdom: two new diagnostic tests for endometriosis are likely to be introduced under NICE’s Early Value Assessment programme. This has been described as “game-changing.” And perhaps one day they will be, but there is an important distinction between a promising technology and a proven one.

JOSE LUIS CALVO MARTIN & JOSE ENRIQUE GARCIA-MAURIÑO MUZQUIZ/Getty Images I’ve noticed several questions here on The Vajenda from women on menopause hormone therapy (MHT) about bleeding and an endometrial biopsy that is reported as proliferative endometrium. They have been told this is normal and nothing else needs to be done; they also have not received an answer about their bleeding.

This claim that menopause is castration comes up repeatedly on social media. The analogy is rhetorically loaded, and while the shock value might be great for the attention economy, the argument is scientifically flawed and not helpful if the goal is education.