The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

Up to 80% of women with PMDD have suicidal thoughts. Online, it's being trivialised as the 'luteal uglies'.
In this solo episode, Dr Louise Newson explains what'sactually happening in the second half of your menstrual cycle. She describes the sharp drop in progesterone that can trigger low mood, anxiety, irritability, brain fog, fatigue and more, and why calling it the 'lutealuglies’ does women a disservice.
Louise traces how PMDD was made a psychiatric condition in the 1960s and 70s, sidelining the work of Dr Katharina Dalton, a GP whose research on natural progesterone was decades ahead of its time. She explains why hormonal contraception doesn't actually contain hormones, why low testosterone is so often mistaken for fibromyalgia or depression, and how a symptom questionnaire can help you track your own pattern across your cycle.
Louise closes with three take-home tips on getting the right diagnosis and treatment and why sharing this episode matters.
Let’s connect
👉 Track your symptoms andunderstand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A
👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Kim Smith went on a family holiday to Spain with a UTI and woke up nine weeks later having lost all four limbs to sepsis.
Twice missed by Spanish doctors, Kim's kidney pain and uncontrollable shivering escalated so fast she doesn't remember being flown home. She tells Dr Louise Newson what actually happened, from the misdiagnosis to being told all four limbs would need amputating, and how she's rebuilt her life since as a quadruple amputee and sepsis awareness advocate.
Louise and Kim discuss the sepsis warning signs so often missed, why kidney pain and sudden shivering are red flags, and how around 30% of sepsis cases start as a urine infection. They also cover why vaginal hormones significantly cut UTI frequency and severity and are safe for almost everyone, including women who've had breast cancer, yet are still rarely prescribed.
Kim shares her three take-home tips on sepsis before the episode ends.
Follow Kim: @kims2ndchance
 
Let’s connect
👉 Track your symptoms andunderstand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A
👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Nutritionist Dominique Ludwig, author of No NonsenseNutrition, explains why your gut controls your hormones and hunger.
Dominique trained at King's College and has spent 20 years in clinical practice, working with around 4,500m people before writing the book that turns her clinic advice, and the recipes behind it, into something anyone can use at home.
Louise and Dominique talk through how your liver and gut clear out old hormones, why the wrong gut bacteria can impact your hormones and how the Contraceptive Pill can block your absorption of B12, zinc and folate. They also unpick why protein and fibre switch on the body's own satiety hormones (the same pathway GLP-1 medications work on) and why so many of Dominique's clients describe the disappearance of "food noise" as life-changing.
Follow Dominique: @dominiqueludwig_nutrition
Let’s connect
👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A
👉 More from Dr LouiseNewson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Many women are told that all hormone treatments are essentially the same. But the reality is far more complex, and understanding the difference could have a significant impact on your health, fitness and wellbeing.
In this episode, Dr Louise Newson is joined by women’s health and fitness coach Davey Maher to discuss why bioidentical and synthetic hormones work differently in the body, how they influence inflammation, muscle, metabolism and long-term health, and why these differences are so often overlooked.
Together, they explore why so many women struggle with weight gain and muscle loss during midlife, why strength training and nutrition become increasingly important as hormone levels change, and how taking the right hormones alongside healthy lifestyle habits can help women stay stronger, healthier and more active for longer.
Let’s connect
👉 Track your symptoms and understand hormones, download the Balance app: https://bit.ly/4yZty5A
👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson

Natalie Sykes spent years using heroin and crack cocaine to self-medicate undiagnosed PMDD, autism and ADHD, and now finally understands why.
Natalie, founder of the PMDD & Neurodivergence Alliance, tells Dr Louise Newson how PMDD's crushing hormonal mood swings collided with undiagnosed autism and ADHD to leave her, in her words, "allergic to my own body." Misdiagnosed as bipolar for decades, she turned to substances that numbed what nobody could explain. While using heroin, her PMDD symptoms disappeared completely.
Louise explains that progesterone, estradiol and testosterone act directly on the brain's opioid and dopamine receptors, so when women are chronically short of these hormones, the body looks for relief elsewhere. They discuss why neurodivergent women are especially vulnerable to this pattern and why harm reduction has to be part of the conversation.
Natalie shares her three take-home tips for anyone who suspects PMDD, ADHD or autism might be behind their struggle to cope.
If you've experienced hormonal changes at any stage of life - from menstruation through to menopause - and have experience of addictive behaviours, coping strategies or gambling, you can help shape future support by taking part in this research survey: https://newson.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1YtaHkftP8GrSbc
Follow Natalie @pmddneurodivergencealliance
Let’s connect👉 Been dismissed or misdiagnosed? Book a consultation at Newson Health clinic: https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/consultations👉 More from Dr Louise Newson: https://linkin.bio/drlouisenewson👉 Follow Natalie's work with the PMDD & Neurodivergence Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CzUafKyFt/?mibextid=wwXIfr