All the information you need to cut through
HORMONE THERAPY
CONFUSION
For curious, independent thinkers who want to trade confusion for clarity - in under 3 hours
All the information you need to cut through
HORMONE THERAPY
CONFUSION
The #1 question I get from women in perimenopause and menopause is this:
Should I go on hormones?
If you’re overwhelmed, confused, frustrated—or downright freaked out—by the conflicting advice, strong opinions, and increasingly aggressive marketing around hormone therapy, you are not alone. This is one of the most polarized, commercially influenced, and misunderstood areas of women’s health today. And no one’s giving you the full picture. Not the media, not your doctor, not the influencer dancing around while she puts on her estrogen patch and not your friends.
We all need awareness of and access to hormone therapy – the progress on this has been great. However, I don’t know how any mortal woman could make an informed decision about hormone therapy in this climate – and I spend my days eating and breathing this stuff! That’s why I created The Hot Truth About Hormone Therapy: A digital guide to help you stop outsourcing your power and make your own informed, grounded, sovereign decision about this.
Before You Say “Yes” or “No” to Hormones…
You deserve to understand the landscape. To see the full map—beliefs, biases, blind spots, and all. Because:
Not all hormone therapy is the same
Not all practitioners agree on what’s best
Not all bodies respond the same way
And most doctors haven’t received even basic training
If you’re overwhelmed, you’re normal. The space is noisy, polarized, and commercially biased. My job is to cut through it — fast.
That’s why I created The Hot Truth About Hormone Therapy: A No-BS Guide to the Lay of the Land – In Under 3 Hours
It’s a modern guide to understanding one of the most important decisions you will ever make. I’ll walk you through it all in 5 Levels, each with a short, engaging video and set of slides, quizzes to help cement your understanding and all the sources and citations to dive further if you want.
“When it comes to hormone therapy, everyone has pieces of the puzzle—few have the whole picture. Many things are true. Most aren’t talked about. And the loudest voices often don’t know what they don’t know.”
- Ann Marie McQueen
Journalist & Founder, Hotflash inc
INTRODUCING
The Hot Truth About Hormone Therapy
When it opens, You'll Get:
A crystal-clear breakdown of how your hormones and metabolic system actually work (and don’t) during this transition
A clear understanding of why the deficiency narrative is so compelling – and so incorrect
A walk through the major prescribing belief systems – from all-in on hormones to hormones not required, and everything in between – and how to spot who's who
An honest, compassionate look at the risks, side effects, and who hormone therapy may not be right for
A deep understanding of what kind of practitioner—and what kind of therapy—might work for you
An honest look at side effects, risks and cases where hormone therapy might not be the right choice
The clarity you need to make a choice that aligns with your body, your beliefs, and your life
Resources to do your own research on any areas you’d like to dive in further
Coming Soon
A clearer way through the hormone therapy noise.
I was there too...
ANN MARIE MCQUEEN
In my late 40s, struggling hard through perimenopause, I finally worked up the nerve to ask my glamorous French gynecologist about hormone therapy.
She waved her hand and said, "There's nothing here. If we were in France, I'd have something for you."
I nodded, like we all do when we don't have the knowledge-or the confidence-to ask a better question. And I left that office feeling dismissed, confused, and alone.
I never did get hormone therapy. And I still wonder how many women have walked out of that same kind of appointment feeling just like I did.
Why I Created This Guide
I’m a Canadian journalist with 30+ years in the trenches. 600+ newsletters written. 200 episodes of my podcast. 200+ practitioners interviewed. Panels from New York to Dubai.
The smartest, most well-meaning experts are only working with pieces of the puzzle. Some practitioners understand the power of progesterone in perimenopause; some don’t differentiate between progesterone and progestin. Some doctors still prescribe oral estogren – others wouldn’t touch it with a very long pole. For every yin to hormone therapy there is a yang. Estrabolome, methylation – hormone stacking with peptides? These are all areas you probably want to be at least aware of. With this guide you will be.
Everyone had their own bias. Their own belief system. Their own framework. And it was becoming painfully clear that when it comes to perimenopause and hormone therapy, there is no universal playbook.
That's when it hit me:
When women walk into their doctor's office during perimenopause, they are basically on their own.
Unless they have the right information, questions, and tools, and a really switched on doctor, they are stepping into a system that is not designed to give them clarity. And most of the time, it doesn't even realize how broken it is.
So I did what I've always done:
I asked more questions.
I pulled every thread.
And I created this guide to help you walk in informed, confident, and finally clear on what's best for your body.
Impact on my life.
Somewhere around 52, when my health really started falling apart, I stopped outsourcing my well-being.
I realized that no one-no doctor, no expert-was going to care about my health as much as I did.
That's when I became the CEO of my own health.
At Hotflash Inc, I build everything on three pillars: scientific evidence, expert opinion, and lived experience. And the more I've learned, the more empowered I've felt. The fear started to fall away.
The guesswork faded.
This guide was born from that clarity-and I created it in this guide so you can have it too.
What Women Are Saying
"I KNOW YOU'RE OVER WHELMED.
AND YES, THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE RIGHT NOW..."
But hear me out.
This guide is meant to bring clarity to a conversation that has become confusing, polarized, and hard to navigate.
In a couple of hours, it will help you better understand what hormone therapy is, what questions to ask, and how to think more clearly about your options.
If that sounds like something you need, join the waitlist and I’ll let you know when it opens.
What’s Inside
(Plan)
The Hot Truth About Hormone Therapy is a fear-free, fact-based, bullshit-cutting guide to making one of the most important decisions of your midlife.
Level 1
Who do I believe?
Why the space is so confusing and how to think like an investigator (not a follower).
Level 2
HT 101
Estradiol, progesterone, progestins, testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone — what they are, what they do, and where evidence starts/ends.
Level 3
What your average doctor may miss
Perimenopause ≠ menopause. Market incentives. Why estrogen isn’t the only hormone. Progesterone matters.
Level 4
The Belief Ecosystem
Mainstream “lowest dose/shortest time,” rhythmic/cyclical protocols, estrogen-maximalists, and more — pros, cons, and landmines.
Level 5
13 Big Questions
Side effects. Safer starting routes. Breast cancer risk nuance (WHI: E+progestin vs E-only). Local estrogen for GSM. What to discuss with your doctor.
QUIZZES in each section to help process your learning
Grounded encouragement to be the CEO, scientist, and journalist of your own health.
🧠 Who Is This Guide For?
Women navigating perimenopause or menopause—especially if you’re feeling confused, gaslit, or pressured
Women deciding if they should use HT, what kind, when, and how long.
Anyone who wants informed consent before starting hormone therapy
Practitioners: doctors, coaches, trainers, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and other wellness pros who want to understand the full spectrum of prescribing philosophies so they can be more helpful to their patients, clients and customers
Curious minds who don’t buy into black-and-white thinking and want to be informed, not influenced
Women who want evidence vs anecdotes; the big picture versus getting stuck in the weeds
🚫 What This Guide Is Not:
Medical advice. It’s a decision system and a translation layer so you can have an adult conversation with your clinician — and own the choice.
A one-size-fits-all answer or a “take estrogen and everything’s fixed” pitch.
A push toward or away from hormone therapy
A regurgitation of industry-sponsored talking points
This is a guide by a woman, for women, backed by more than 6 years of deep-dive research, 200+ expert interviews, 600+ newsletters, and thousands of real-life stories. I’ve walked this road—and I created this to be the map I wish I’d had.
Because Making a Decision About Hormone Therapy Is a Big Deal
Whether you choose it or not, you should to it with an awareness of:
Your biology
Your unique symptoms
The true range of options
The evidence (and the gaps)
The financial realities Your values and preferences
And that, my friend, is what informed consent looks like.
Join The Hot Truth Waitlist Now
Get better information, less noise, and a clearer path to making the decision that’s right for you.
Coming soon
FAQs
1. Who is this guide for?
This guide is for women navigating perimenopause or menopause—especially if you’re feeling confused, gaslit, or pressured. It’s also useful for practitioners, wellness professionals, and curious minds who want a clear, evidence-based understanding of hormone therapy options and philosophies.
2. Is this guide medical advice?
No. This guide is not medical advice. It’s a decision framework and translation layer to help you have an informed conversation with your clinician and make a choice that aligns with your body, your values, and your life.
3. How long does it take to complete the guide?
The guide can be completed in under three hours (two if you move quickly). It’s broken into five levels with short videos, slides, and quizzes to help you process what you’re learning at your own pace.
4. Will this tell me whether I should use hormone therapy?
No one can make that decision for you—but this guide gives you the full landscape of options, risks, and belief systems so you can make an informed, confident decision with your clinician.
5. Does this guide cover side effects and risks?
Yes. You’ll learn about side effects, risks, and who hormone therapy may not be right for, including nuanced discussions on estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and other therapies. The guide focuses on giving you the big picture so you can ask smarter questions.
