Perimenopause is such an important time to continue with and/or start preventative cancer screenings:  mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and skin checks to name a few.  Did your mom, dad, sibling or close relative have a cancer diagnosis and you're afraid the "c" word runs in your family.  Should you get screenings earlier than suggested?  How do you know when to have a conversation with your doctor?  Christen and Carla speak with board certified genetic counselor, Hetal Vig, on today's episode to find out all about cancer risk and genetic counseling.  Why is genetic counseling important?  Who should be counseled?  What should you do with the information if you get tested?  If you've ever asked yourself these questions or are curious about genetic testing, this is an episode for you!  We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation with Hetal--she's a fountain of knowledge and breaks it down for us to make sense of it all! You can contact us at perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg! As always, if this episode resonates with you please give us a follow, share with your friends, like, rate and review to help us spread the word and continue talking about all the important issues during this phase of life!  Enjoy! xo C&C

It's Season 2 of PerryMenopause:OMG! Listen as Christen and Carla recap and rehash some of their favorite episodes from season 1.  Thanks to all our listeners, supporters, family and friends for making our passion project come to life!  As we gain more listeners, we decided to pay it forward by purchasing period products for local teens in need with any money we make from the podcast this season.  You can help us with this endeavor by subscribing, rating and reviewing the podcast!  More reviews=more listeners!

We can't wait to share Season 2 with you! 

xoxo Christen & Carla

Christen and Carla talk about the good, the bad, the funny and the ugly parts of the 2022 NYC Marathon!  C&C want to give a special thanks to Holley at Holley Samuel for her tips and tricks about fueling prior to and during our race.  Check her out on social media @holleyfuelednutrition!  C&C also want to thank coach Elisabeth from @runningexplained for hosting a great shakeout run in NYC's Central Park the morning before the marathon.   Please follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you use to listen to your podcasts, and if you like what you hear please rate and review!  Thanks for  your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please  email us at www.perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and  Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

In Episode 10, Christen and Carla talked with Carla's dear friend, Courtney Cherry about relationships and how those relationships evolve as we age.  They knew it was going to be a great discussion but they didn't know how long they could chat about the subject!  Instead of editing the content down to one bite-sized episode, C&C decided to do a Part 2 on relationships.  Christen and Carla wrap up the first of their "If I only knew about" episode on relationships with discussions about familial, romantic and children relationships!  

Please follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please email us at www.perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

In a mini-series titled "If I only knew about..." Christen and Carla invite their friends to join them in discussions about a plethora of topics that they wish they knew about when they were younger!  For the first episode in this series, C&C invite one of Carla's best friends, Courtney Cherry, to join them in a discussion about relationships.  Courtney also happens to be an expert in global brand marketing and communications so it's very fitting to have her on the pod to discuss relationships--something Courtney cultivates on a daily basis for her career.  Listen as the girls discuss (and laugh about) relationships and how they evolve throughout adulthood.  "If I only knew about...relationships" is a 2-part episode because, you guys, relationships are not cut and dry and there's LOTS to say about them! Thanks again to Courtney Cherry for being a wonderful friend for over two decades!  Tune into Courtney's dog's Instagram account @cheddarthebasset! Please follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please email us at www.perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

Are you in perimenopause?  Are you getting fine lines and wrinkles faster than you had imagined?  Do you have acne breakouts more often than your teenager?  If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then this is the episode for you!  Please join Christen and Carla as they learn all about skin and how to take care of the skin they are in with expert Sarah Kagan.  Sarah is the Lucy Walker Honorary Term Professor of Gerontological Nursing, School of  Nursing; Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist, Abramson Cancer  Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Medicine; University of  Pennsylvania and her love and excitement for skincare is contagious!

Interested in learning more?  Here are some of Sarah's favorite websites for more information and some of her recommended products.

www.paulaschoice.ingredient-dictionary.com

www.carolinehirons.com

www.cerave.com

www.herbivorebotanicals.com

www.janeirdale.com

www.supergoop.com

www.iliabeauty.com

Remember,  please follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you  use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be  automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for  your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please  email us at www.perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and   Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

Christen and Carla are, in fact, marathoners but they cannot be more different on how they approach running!  On this episode, Christen and Carla dive into what drove them into running, who persuaded them into long distance running (ahem--that's all CB and her bad influence!), what their overall goals are and how NYC 2022 training is going.  And although they couldn't be more different, you can hear their excitement when talking about races and their love of the sport.  As they train, they encourage each other, talk one another off the ledge and have each others' backs.  Follow them on Instagram #perrymenopauseomg to see how each of their training weeks go and how they use determination and a lot of humor to get through race training season!

Remember, please follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please email us at www.perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and  Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

Christen and Carla welcome Holley Samuel of Fit Cookie Nutrition to the PerryMenopause: OMG podcast!  Holley Samuel is a registered dietitian, personal trainer, Master of Health Education and Eating Disorders, and CEO of her private virtual practice Fit Cookie Nutrition. Holley is an avid runner herself, and helps runners and endurance athletes of all levels break free from a restrictive mindset, fuel for performance, and avoid injuries through her nutrition coaching and personal training programs at Fit Cookie Nutrition.  Holley is also the host of her podcast "Fit Cookie Nutrition"! 

You can learn more about Holley and Fit Cookie Nutrition by visiting her website:  www.fitcookienutrition.com and following her on social media @fitcookienutrition.  

Do you use natural deodorant?  Is an antiperspirant better than a deodorant?  What are the best brands out there?  Should women who exercise daily use the same deodorant that their pre-teens use?  While Christen and Carla don't have the exact answers to these questions, they will review 7 different deodorant products in their first "product review" episode.  They figured since they are getting night sweats, have sporadic hot flashes and are totally sweaty while training for the NYC marathon, why not start with a product they use daily! Links to the deodorants/antiperspirants that are reviewed in this episode: Each and Every:  https://eachandevery.com/ Lume:  https://lumedeodorant.com/ Salt and Stone:  https://www.saltandstone.com/ Women's Mitchum Clinical:  https://.mitchum.com/ Dove (Clinical and Nourishing Secretes):  https://www.dove.com/us/en/home.html Secret Clinical:  https://secret.com/en-us To see our scoring rubric please visit us on Facebook & Instagram (#perrymenopauseomg).

What the heck is your pelvic floor?  It's normal to pee when you cough, right? RIGHT?!? Are kegels the only exercise I can do to strengthen my pelvic floor? Can I blame my kids for my pelvic issues? Dr. Jennifer Perna joins Christen and Carla on this episode to answer our questions and address our concerns about the pelvic floor.  Jenn also busts up some myths and educates us on the holistic approach of pelvic floor physical therapy.

Dr. Perna is a pelvic floor physical therapist and owns Vivid Women's Health in Newtown, PA.  Her website is:  https://www.vividwomenshealth.com

Remember,  to follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform  you use  to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be  automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions or episode suggestions please email us at perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg!

We decided to change it up a bit and switch gears for Episode 4!  We are turning to our girlfriends to share their perimenopause moments with us and our listeners!  From sweaty legs, to diamond uterine jewelry, to adult acne, we chat about some of our experiences and guess what we found out:  WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT!!  Get ready to hear a bunch of "OMG, That’s happened to me!" moments and stories from Christen, Carla, Regina and Elizabeth.  This episode was not only a blast to make, but it helped us figure out the next set of topics and experts to invite on the show.  We know we don't have all the answers (that's why we're leaning on experts) but we also know that we don't have every single symptom or concern about perimenopause!  We rely on our friends and listeners to suggest topics, so please don't be shocked if we invite you on to talk about your OMG moments and don't hesitate to contact us about a topic you'd like to learn more about!  We're a quick email away at perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. We'll do the work finding the experts but we need your input to help navigate this most important, ongoing conversation! This episode is brought to you by white wine and vodka.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Katie Bartolucci joins Christen and Carla on Episode 3 of Perrymenopause: OMG.  Katie is a mental health expert who specializes in Women's Health.  In this episode, we talk about the stressors that affect womens' mental health, particularly those stressors that come during this time in our lives.  We discussed depression that may occur during perimenopause and we are providing the following resources regarding depression, crisis and suicidal thoughts:

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline, free & confidential; 24/7 support:  1-800-273-8255
• Local to NJ:  The NJ Hopeline 1-855-654-6735
• Local to PA:  Dial 211; this number connects you with immediate crisis intervention.
• Starting 7/16/2022:  Dial 988; this is a national support line that you can dial from anywhere in the United States to connect with live suicide support.

Katie Bartolucci can be reached at www.kcbcounseling.com.  If you are local to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Katie's private practice is located at 278 N. Union Street, Suite 132, Lambertville, NJ  08530.  Katie accepts both in-person and virtual appointments.

Remember, to follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform  you use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be  automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your  support!  If you have any questions you can email us at  perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram  @perrymenopauseomg    

Is there a blood test to take to know if I'm in perimenopause?  Is sweating through your clothes at night normal?  What the heck are pellets?  Can I go off my birth control?  Customized bio-identical hormone therapy sounds so sexy--should I look for a center that offers this?  

Christen and Carla have TONS of questions and invite their very first guest onto the podcast to help answer those questions.  Join us this week as Dr. Juliana (Jewel) Kling answers some of our questions!  Dr. Kling is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Chair of Women's Health Internal Medicine and Associate Chair of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity in the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

Remember, to follow our podcast by clicking the + sign on any platform you use to listen to your podcasts.  If you follow the pod, you'll be automatically notified when new episodes are released.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions you can email us at perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com.  Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg

Enjoy the episode!

With a little bit of nerves and a TON of excitement, Carla and Christen jump in to their very first episode of Perrymenopause: OMG.  They introduce themselves, get some definitions out of the way, and share their first (of many) female OMG moments.  They are so excited to share their experiences with you and to create a space to gather, share stories, bust some myths, squash the stigma and laugh (or cry or rage or pee your pants a little). Whatever it is, Carla and Christen want you to know, they see you (not really because this is a podcast, but you know what they mean) and we're in this together!       Email us at: perrymenopauseomg@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @perrymenopauseomg

Christen and Carla are ready to talk all about perimenopause: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the funny!