My journey to learn as much as I could about Hormone Replacement Therapies began in 2010, while I assisted Dr. Mark Rosenbloom in developing and opening his hormone balance clinic, Lifeforce, in Evanston. We provided HRT support, full-body scans, personalized food plans, and structured fitness plans. We were very much ahead of the curve.  At that time, I was under 50.  I had not realized I was a perfect candidate for the therapies at that time. I thought it was too expensive to consider for myself. Knowing it would probably be years before insurance companies would consider covering the cost, I put this out of my mind. 

Fast forward to 2023, my mother suffered from several UTIs, landing in the hospital often. She was given antibiotics, but they rarely worked as she suffered for years. Her body was resisting the rounds of antibiotics.  After some time, it was thought that she enjoyed visiting the doctor’s office, her social outlet after the COVID lockdown.  Ultimately, the isolation for her played a big part in her failing health. In August 2023, she experienced a stroke in the middle of the night. She was helicoptered to St Louis brain trauma center. She survived the stroke and was transferred to a rehab facility. She was improving daily, other than the UTI’s recurrence.  A nurse said to me; This is a sign death is near. I accepted this answer; however, it was not easy to hear.  Ultimately, she succumbed to catching COVID. Her already injured brain was attacked by COVID and a septic urinary tract infection that also struck her brain, causing her death on January 1st, 2024—the lack of care and knowledge in the rehab/nursing center was a difficult pill to swallow, I will admit. 

No one ever mentioned vaginal estrogen as a treatment for her, which could have been used 3-4 years before her health decline. This simple cream could have given her a much better quality of life for the last 2-3 years of her life.  This story is happening to women all over the world, with a significant challenge in the US: the FDA continues to pressure the pharmaceutical industry to put a warning label on the box. My mother should have been given this cream years before her body rejected antibiotics over and over. They never explained the importance of the prescription or why she needed it. This sparked a desire to share this information and support the Menopause Movement.