Helen Stearns, DNP

Helen Stearns, DNP Personalized (Peri)Menopause & Midlife Healthcare for Women. Here to empower YOU! Get your FREE Perimenopause Symptom Guide and Tracker! Link in bio!

Providing compassionate, evidence-based care to help you thrive, not just survive.

09/05/2026

These long Saturday walks around the Lake with 2 of my bestie NPs are one of the highlights of my week!

Video 📸 compliments of Miss Sylvie 🤩. (Apparently she does not appreciate the walks as much as I do. Love her little self-narrative going on behind us 🤣)

09/02/2026

Correction: that was NOT the Hahn school of nursing behind me 🤣. I was one building too soon and hadn't looked behind me carefully enough.

Regardless, it's an absolutely gorgeous day here and the campus is so lovely. Happy to be back for an Alumni Spotlight interview 💜

09/02/2026

Did you know there are over 40 symptoms of perimenopause? 🤯 (Spoiler: It’s not just hot flashes.)

If you’re navigating anxiety, mood swings, unexplained weight changes, or sleep disruptions, you don't have to just "tough it out."

Join me and Holistic Sound Healer Anabel for a transformative afternoon of education, community, and a deep nervous system reset.

🧠 The Science: I’ll be breaking down exactly what’s happening in your body and sharing a roadmap for relief—covering everything from lifestyle strategies to Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (BHRT) and non-hormonal options.

🎶 The Soul: Anabel will guide you through a deeply restorative sound bath to ground your energy and ease midlife anxiety.

Take a couple of hours for some much-needed "me time" in a safe, welcoming space with other women. Let’s move from surviving to THRIVING. 💖🌈

Ready to finally get your perimenopause questions answered? 👇 🔗 Click the link in my bio to grab your spot, or comment "THRIVE" below and I’ll DM you the details!

SATURDAY, 9/5, 1-3PM, Claremont, San Diego

09/01/2026

Perimenopause kicking you in the butt?!

This transition time is NO JOKE.
It is REAL.
It is chaos, and for many women,
It is debilitating.

Weight gain.
Abdominal fat.
Mood shifts.
Rage.
Zero libido.
Vaginal dryness.
Joint pain.
FATIGUE.

I am here to tell you
you absolutely do NOT
need to suffer through
these symptoms for the
next chapter of your life.

It is NOT "downhill from here."
It is NOT "just aging."

Hormone imbalances can be corrected.
Low iron stores can be re-filled.
Heavy bleeding can be helped.
Sleep can be restored.
S-x can be pleasurable and desirable again.

You are NOT broken.
There are a growing number of us
who are trained peri/menopause specialists,
and we WANT to help you.
We truly believe that women
DESERVE to THRIVE.

Schedule a call, and let's talk.



wholisticcare

08/27/2026

Hormone Therapy NIGHTMARE ☠️🧟‍♀️🕷️👺

This hormone therapy shortage is no joke.

I have learned my lesson with waiting too long to get my refill process started with 😖

Ladies, do yourselves and your providers a HUGE favor and sign up for the HRT Club and/or get your refills going LONG before you will run out !


08/26/2026

San Diego, Queens! This one is just for you💫

Are you navigating midlife, feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, sleeplessness, or unpredictable body changes?

Trust me, I get it. I'm in Perimenopause myself.

This is more than a workshop, it’s an invitation to a deeply transformative, educational experience designed to help you navigate your midlife journey and reclaim your best self during the perimenopausal transition.

Join me (Helen, a Board-certified Nurse Practitioner and certified Menopause Practitioner), and Anabel, an intuitive empath, Holistic Health Practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher and Sound Healer, for an afternoon dedicated to knowledge, embodiment, and peace.

I will help demystify the science, physiology, and treatment of perimenopause. Anabel will then guide you through a deep sound healing journey, offering a powerful practice to soothe the nervous system and integrate the knowledge you’ve received. We've done these events before together and you are in for a real treat. It's time to break away for a couple hours and have some "me time" 💖🌈

What You Will Gain:

* Clarity on Your Body:
Understand the physiology of perimenopause and why over 40 symptoms of perimenopause including anxiety, mood swings, skin & weight changes and hot flashes occur.

*A Personalized Roadmap:
Explore comprehensive therapy and treatment options, including evidence-based insights into Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (BHT) and effective non-hormone choices.

* Tools for Transformation:
Learn crucial lifestyle strategies-from stress management and sleep optimization to targeted diet and exercise-that are the foundation of managing this transition

*Deep Inner Peace:
Experience the profound, restorative power of a therapeutic sound bath designed to ground your energy and ease midlife anxieties.

Come ready to learn, connect, and receive the compassionate support you need to move from surviving to THRIVING in your midlife.

This will be a SAFE, welcoming space for you to be surrounded by other women, sharing, learning, getting your perimenopause questions answered.
$55 cost of attendance. Link in comments to reserve your spot or DM me!

08/25/2026

👇🏼 GASLIGHTING AT ITS WORST 👇🏼

I received a message today from a patient that left me absolutely ENRAGED. 😡

She is a 41-year-old mother of two. She went to her yearly appointment with her OBGYN—a professional with over 30 years of experience—seeking help. She is exhausted. She has zero libido. Her joints ache. She is dealing with unexplained weight gain. She is suffering.

His response? He told her that "perimenopause" is a "made up word that is currently popular." 🤯

I am appalled. This is INEXCUSABLE ON EVERY LEVEL.

To dismiss a woman’s debilitating, physiologically real symptoms as a "made up trend" is the definition of medical gaslighting. The lack of professional knowledge and clinical curiosity here is staggering. Worse: it is DOING HARM. Leaving women to suffer without evidence-based options is the exact opposite of the Hippocratic Oath. 🙅‍♀️

How does a physician with 30 years in women's health not know what perimenopause is and denies that it's even REAL?!

Look at the data: 🚨 Only 31.3% of US OBGYN residency programs have a dedicated menopause curriculum 1. 🚨 A survey of medical residents (including OB/GYN, internal, and family medicine) found that over 20% received ZERO menopause lectures during their training. 🚨 A shocking 6.8% of those residents felt adequately prepared to actually manage menopause. 🚨 Even today, trainees severely lack education on the basic pathophysiology of menopausal symptoms.

Yet, the vast majority of residency program directors completely agree that standardized menopause training is desperately needed.

When clinicians aren't taught the science, they leave women to suffer from very real symptoms like joint pain, metabolic shifts, and debilitating fatigue—while being told it’s "all in their heads" or just a fad.

To the woman who sent me this message: I am so sorry. You deserve compassion. You deserve someone who listens. Your symptoms are REAL, perimenopause is REAL, and you are not crazy.

We have to demand better. We need clinicians who stay updated, remain curious, and actually validate the women sitting in front of them.

If you’ve ever had your symptoms dismissed,

08/24/2026

Are you white-knuckling your way through cravings? Let's talk about GLP-1s!!

During perimenopause, our declining estrogen levels often lead to an accumulation of visceral (belly) fat, which drives up systemic inflammation and insulin resistance 1. At the same time, many women experience intense "food noise": intrusive, constant thoughts about food.

Here is what you need to know about GLP-1 therapy (like semaglutide and tirzepatide):
❌ It is NOT meant to kill your appetite. If you are starving yourself, you will lose precious, metabolically active muscle mass.
✅ It IS meant to quiet the noise. GLP-1s act centrally in the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) to stop food rumination. ✅ It IS meant to build body attunement. By slowing gastric emptying and adjusting brain signaling, it helps you finally feel what true satiety is.
✅ It IS an anti-inflammatory. GLP-1s directly reduce central adiposity, fighting back against the metabolic inflammation triggered by the menopause transition.
✅ It IS showing promise for addiction. Massive new 2026 data shows that GLP-1s help modulate dopamine reward pathways, significantly lowering the risk of alcohol, ni****ne, and other substance use disorders.

📚 Recommended Reading: I absolutely love the book "Weightless" by endocrinologist Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD.. She so beautifully explains that obesity and midlife weight resistance are chronic, biological conditions and NOT a lack of willpower. The book is a phenomenal guide to using these tools correctly while preserving muscle.

Have you noticed a shift in your "food noise" or belly fat during perimenopause? Let me know below! 👇

DrSalasWhalen WeightlessBook WomensHealth HormoneBalance InsulinResistance

08/22/2026

Me and my 1st world problems 😭

08/21/2026

Love it or hate it? Let’s talk about why starting Progesterone can sometimes feel worse before it feels better. 👇

If you’ve recently started oral micronized progesterone and find yourself feeling groggy, bloated, crampy, experiencing breast tenderness, or feeling a little "off" emotionally, you are definitely not alone.

It can feel like a bumpy ride at first, and your experience is completely valid. Here is what's happening: in those first few weeks, your brain and body are adapting to a new hormonal environment.

But I always encourage my patients to have patience during this adjustment period, because the long-term payoff is often huge. When optimized, progesterone can be the ultimate "calming" hormone:
💤 Promotes deep, restorative sleep
🧠 Eases anxiety and calms the nervous system
🛡️ Provides essential protection for your uterine lining

The biggest takeaway? Don't throw in the towel on day three!

But also, remember that hormone therapy is never one-size-fits-all. If those early side effects just aren't lifting, this is where nuanced, personalized care comes in.

Sometimes a simple tweak makes all the difference. Adjusting the dose, taking it closer to bedtime, or changing the delivery method—like switching from an oral capsule to using that same capsule vaginally (which bypasses the liver and can drastically reduce morning grogginess!) can change everything.

Hormones are not a guessing game. Work with a provider who listens to your symptoms and personalizes your protocol until it works for your body. 🫶

Have you had a love/hate relationship with progesterone? Drop your experience in the comments below! 💬👇

PersonalizedMedicine HormoneOptimization MidlifeWomen

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