In this solo episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons breaks down the newly released American College of Physicians mammography screening guidelines, what they say, what the data behind them actually shows, and why the radiology community's response raised more questions than it answered. She also makes the case that DCIS has been misclassified, mistreated, and misrepresented for decades, and walks through what a truly preventive breast cancer screening protocol looks like in practice.

She rounds out the episode with a clear-eyed look at collagen supplementation and breast cancer risk, and addresses hormone replacement therapy after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Every woman deserves this information before she makes a decision, not after.

What You'll Learn

• Why DCIS is not breast cancer and what the data says about over treating it
• What the new ACP mammography screening guidelines say and why the radiology world responded with opinion instead of evidence
• What the Wisdom Trial revealed about personalized breast cancer screening and why the results make annual mammogram guidelines indefensible
• What preventive breast cancer screening actually looks like without radiation, compression, or harm
• Why collagen supplementation has no association with breast cancer risk or recurrence
• Why bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is not off the table after a breast cancer diagnosis
• Why treating the tumor without addressing root cause is not treatment

Episode Timeline

00:00 Understanding DCIS: The Controversy
15:54 Rethinking Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
39:29 Innovative Breast Cancer Screening Methods
46:08 The Importance of Metabolic Health
52:42 Reevaluating Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
59:27 Holistic Approaches to Breast Cancer Treatment
01:04:27 Understanding Hormone Replacement Therapy
01:15:19 The Path to Prevention and Optimal Health
1:17:00 Where to Start With Prevention

Resources Mentioned:

• jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2847514
• www.targetedonc.com/view/hrt-shows-no-adverse-effect-on-breast-cancer-risk-in-patients-with-brca-variant

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working privately with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off.

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with hormone specialist Karen Martel to talk about what's really driving the metabolic chaos of perimenopause and menopause and why the solution most women need is the one they've been told to fear. They also tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in women's health: the relationship between estrogen, metabolic health, and breast cancer.

What happens when a nutrition expert who helps women lose weight suddenly can't lose weight herself? Karen found out the hard way at 42, gaining 15 pounds in six months, losing her period, battling depression, and watching her skin age before her eyes. Despite eating clean, exercising, and doing everything "right," her body had other plans.

This is the episode you'll want to send to every woman in your life who's been told her labs look "fine."

What You'll Learn

• Why you can gain weight in perimenopause without changing your diet or exercise routine
• The biological aging study that found perimenopausal women are aging faster on the inside and what stops it
• Why estrogen is the metabolic master hormone and what happens to your hunger signals, blood sugar, cholesterol, and muscle when it drops
• Why being asymptomatic in perimenopause does not mean nothing is happening to your heart, brain, and bones
• Why it is never too late to start hormone replacement therapy
• Why insulin and insulin-like growth factor may be driving estrogen receptor positive breast cancer more than anyone is talking about
• Why women with a history of breast cancer are not automatically disqualified from hormone replacement therapy and why most doctors have it wrong
• How GLP-1s are changing the game for menopausal women
• The truth about breast cancer, estrogen receptors, and why insulin may be a bigger driver than anyone is talking about

Episode Timeline:
01:07 Meet Karen Martel
04:10 Karen's Personal Perimenopause Wake-Up Call
09:09 Why You Cannot Out-Diet or Out-Exercise Hormone Loss
17:21 What Estrogen Actually Does in the Body
25:12 HRT Delivery Methods and Why Form Matters
26:28 Breast Cancer, Estrogen Receptors, and the Insulin Connection
33:48 The Vaginal Estrogen Contradiction
37:08 Estrogen as the Most Powerful Anti-Aging Tool
38:56 The Pharmaceutical Incentive Behind the Anti-Hormone Narrative
44:35 Menopausal Weight Gain and Where GLP-1s Fit In
53:13 Is It Ever Too Late to Start Hormone Replacement
59:39 Women Deserve Better Standards of Care
1:02:06 The Statistics That Should End the Debate
1:05:38 Topical Estrogen and Why Ingredients Matter

Find Karen Martel
Website: karenmartel.com

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working privately with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off.

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn takes on one of the biggest questions in breast health: why are more women being diagnosed with breast cancer? In this solo episode, she challenges the long-standing belief that estrogen is the main driver and argues instead that metabolic dysfunction, not estrogen itself, is the deeper issue we should be paying attention to.

Dr. Jenn explores how insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, obesity, and hormone depletion may shape breast cancer risk, progression, and recurrence. She also explains why she believes conventional screening is too focused on finding disease after it has developed, and why women need a more proactive approach that looks at metabolic health, prevention, and long-term support after menopause and breast cancer treatment.

What you will learn

• Why Dr. Jenn believes the “estrogen causes breast cancer” narrative is incomplete
• How metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and inflammation may shape breast cancer risk and outcomes
• What metabolic syndrome is and which markers she believes women should be tracking
• Why she argues conventional screening often misses the bigger picture
• How she thinks about hormone replacement in menopause, including for some high-risk women and survivors
• Why foundational health habits are presented as the basis for prevention and recovery

Episode Timeline:
00:00 Introduction to Breast Cancer Concerns
03:27 Dispelling the Estrogen Myth
06:34 Understanding Hormone Deficiency and Breast Cancer
09:13 The Role of Metabolic Health
12:02 High-Risk Populations and Hormone Replacement
14:49 Foundational Health for Breast Cancer Survivors
17:55 The Metabolic Crisis and Breast Cancer
20:14 Screening for Metabolic Dysfunction
25:08 The Flaws of Mammography
27:48 Innovative Screening Approaches
30:35 Conclusion and Call to Action
52:51 Introduction to Breast Health Awareness

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working privately with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off.

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons