60. Cholesterol, Estrogen, and the Missing Piece

Your LDL went up at your last appointment. You eat well, you exercise, nothing in your lifestyle changed, and yet your doctor is already talking about a statin. Before you agree to anything, there is a piece of this conversation that is almost certainly missing. In this episode, Tanya reframes the cholesterol conversation from the ground up, starting with the fact that your body produces 75 to 80 percent of its own cholesterol and does so deliberately. She covers why cholesterol is essential for hormone production, cell membrane integrity, bile production, and sex drive. She then goes into why estrogen decline in perimenopause and menopause directly reduces the liver's LDL clearance mechanism, the cortisol-cholesterol connection and how chronic stress drives cholesterol production through the pregnenolone steal, and why cutting out eggs and switching to low-fat everything is rarely the lever women think it is. This is the first episode in a three-part August series on cholesterol as it pertains to women in midlife. The next episode goes deep on the specific lab markers that give you the full picture. The final episode of the series gets into what actually moves the needle. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Femmenessence Pro (Harmony, Peri, and Post): When estrogen is better supported, so is your liver's ability to clear LDL. Reach out to Tanya on Instagram if you need help choosing the right one. 🔗: [CLICK HERE] DNA Reset for Fat Loss Academy Waitlist: If this series has you thinking about the root cause picture in your own body, including how your DNA shapes your response to cholesterol, hormones, and metabolic health, this is the work inside the academy. Enrollment opens in early 2027. 🔗: [CLICK HERE] 🫶🏼 Let’s Stay Connected 📸 @tanya.pennington.miller on Instagram 💻 nourishtothrive.com And don’t forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode. ROOTED IN FAITH. BACKED BY SCIENCE.