Full-time work, mortgages, perimenopause rage and a libido that belongs entirely to you. In Episode 20 of On the Mones, Kate Thomas and Jean Kittson get into the real mechanics of midlife, beyond the punchlines and into the conversations we should be having far more often.
In this episode Kate Thomas and Jean Kittson cover:
Episode 20 picks up where Part 1 left off, moving past the punchlines and into the genuine complexity of midlife. Jean and Kate discuss the financial realities that many women in their 40s and 50s face: full-time work, mortgages, the mental load of budgeting during a phase of life that is supposed to feel settled but frequently does not. Jean reflects on what shifts in work during midlife, what starts to matter more, and what women find themselves increasingly unwilling to put up with. It is a conversation that will resonate with anyone who has felt the particular exhaustion of being highly capable and completely depleted at the same time.
Perimenopause does not just affect the person experiencing it. In Episode 20, Jean and Kate unpack the invisible ripple effects on families, relationships and personal identity, covering brain fog, rage, the unsettling question of whether this is just who I am now, and the ways the people closest to women in perimenopause are often experiencing the transition alongside them without anyone naming it. For women who have felt their symptoms dismissed or minimised, this conversation offers both validation and the language to articulate what is actually happening.
One of the most substantive conversations in Episode 20 covers HRT, longevity and the broader question of what it means to take women's hormonal health seriously. Kate and Jean discuss why access to evidence-based hormone therapy still requires so much advocacy from women, what the research actually shows about HRT and long-term health outcomes, and why the framing of menopause as a natural process to simply endure misses the point entirely. A telehealth pharmacist consultation with Kate is a great first step for women wanting to understand their HRT options clearly and without the noise.
Episode 20 goes directly to one of the most frustrating inequities in women's healthcare: the ease with which men are prescribed Viagra for erectile dysfunction compared to the barriers women face when seeking testosterone therapy for low libido. Kate and Jean examine what this disparity says about how medicine has historically valued women's pleasure and wellbeing, and why testosterone deserves to be part of the mainstream menopause conversation rather than an afterthought. For women navigating this conversation with their GP, a pharmacist-led medication review can help you understand your options and frame the right questions.
One of the most memorable concepts in Episode 20 is the idea of having a libido for yourself. Not just in a sexual sense, but energetically, creatively and personally. The desire to feel alive, interested, engaged and present in your own life. Kate and Jean explore what happens to that energy during perimenopause and menopause, why reclaiming it matters far beyond the bedroom, and why women deserve to want things for themselves rather than only in relation to others.
Episode 20 closes with a refreshingly honest and funny conversation about sex, sex toys and what it means to reclaim desire in midlife on your own terms. Kate and Jean approach this with warmth and zero judgment, making the case that midlife is not the end of a woman's sexual life but potentially the beginning of a more honest, more intentional and more pleasurable one.
If this episode has raised questions about HRT, testosterone, perimenopause symptoms or your medication options, a telehealth pharmacist consultation with Kate is a great next step. In a dedicated one-on-one session you can go through your symptoms, your current medications and your treatment options in plain language, without rushing.
Book a consultation with Kate Thomas.
You can view the transcript for this episode below
On the Mones is hosted by Kate Thomas, an AHPRA-registered pharmacist with 25 years of clinical experience. Each episode breaks down hormones, perimenopause, menopause and medical misinformation with evidence-based clarity and zero judgment. Listened to in over 30 countries.
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