The Biggest Lie Women Were Told | Casey Stumpf | Ep. 440

Casey Stumpf is a nurse practitioner with 18 years of clinical experience spanning emergency medicine, military family health at Camp Pendleton, hospice care, and hormonal optimization. She holds a Menopause Society Certified Provider credential and a bachelor's in dietetics from UC Davis. She now runs a practice in California focused exclusively on perimenopause, menopause, and hormonal health for both men and women.

In 2002, a study got published before the researchers finished reviewing it. The media ran with one conclusion: estrogen causes cancer. For the next two decades, women were stripped of hormone therapy and told to white knuckle through the worst years of their lives. That same study actually showed women on estrogen alone had 18% less breast cancer. Nobody reported that part. Casey walks through exactly what happened, why the data was misread, and what six decades of fear have cost 75 million American women — only 5% of whom are on hormones today.

We get into the real mechanics of what perimenopause does to the brain and body, why testosterone is her favorite hormone for women, the connection between untreated menopause and Alzheimer's, hip fractures, heart disease, and divorce. She talks about sitting bedside through hundreds of hospice deaths and how that shaped everything she does now. We talk about our mom's end-of-life letter, our dad's refusal to age gracefully, and what it means to build your 80-year-old self in midlife.

Today's Sponsors:

Montana Knife Company:

Brunt:

For a limited time, our listeners get $10 off at BRUNT when you use code "clearedhot" at checkout. Just head to

Timestamps:

[00:06:05] ER and military medical career

[00:09:33] Hospice work and end-of-life care

[00:14:26] Champagne, grief, and family memories

[00:20:39] From hospice to hormone care

[00:24:05] Hormone myths and menopause misinformation

[00:29:21] Menopause basics and medical gaps

[00:39:24] Personal symptoms and relationship strain

[00:44:57] Hormone charts and symptom patterns

[01:05:22] Testosterone, pellets, and dosing

[01:21:51] Listener questions and practical guidance

[02:03:03] Practice info and where she works