09/08/2026
YOUR BODY ISN’T MAKING ESTROGEN FROM NOTHING...
By 51, most women have lost 90% of their estrogen. Estradiol isn’t manufactured on its own, it’s converted from testosterone, through an enzyme called aromatase. This process mostly happens in the ovaries. Testosterone isn’t just a “male hormone”. Women make testosterone also, and it’s the raw material your body uses to make its own estrogen.
That’s why perimenopause isn’t really an estrogen problem. It’s more of an upstream problem with testosterone. When testosterone production falls in your late 30s and early 40s, your estrogen falls with it. This process is happening years before a period ever skips, and years before most traditional doctor’s appointments/labs think to look.
This is also why we don’t default straight to estrogen treatment in hormone optimization. For most women, starting to optimize their hormones in their early 40s revolves around restoring testosterone and progesterone first to supplement the body’s own conversion pathway.
Swipe through for what the research actually says about symptoms related to estrogen (and in conjunction, testosterone) decline: the brain fog, fatigue, mid-section fatigue deposits, weight gain, muscle loss itchy skin.
Follow Dr Jason Rupeka | OHIO, FLORIDA for science-backed insight your doctor may not have time to walk you through. Unfortunately, traditional medical education does not cover hormone optimization (or replacement for that matter) let alone what’s going on in perimenopause or how to treat these symptoms and help prevent future catastrophes. We offer consultations on wellness and how it relates to perimenopause and menopause. During these consultations, you will get a full lab panel and interpretation. If you choose to move forward with trying to supplement your hormonal decline, than great! We can guide you through treatment options and that process. If you decide to watch and wait, then that is fine as well, but at least you now have a baseline to reference (try to get some of these labs done at a traditional annual exam or yearly physical…)
*For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Individual results vary