IHS 2026 Program Replete with New Approaches To and Understandings Of Menopause and Perimenopause

Thursday, 11 am

It looks like longtime IFM friend and educator Deanna Minich will present her case for abandoning or at least rethinking the estrogen centric approach to menopause regulation: "Reframing Perimenopause: A Root-Cause, Systems-Based Model for Endocrine Resilience and Hormone Harmony"

Thursday, 1:45 pm

Naturopathic physician Eric Dorninger's presentation will share much with Dr. Minich's, in seeing menopause and perimenopause as consummate inflammatory and immune-dysregulating events, but will instead look to a potential role for non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids many of us are now familiar with: "Sleep, Inflammation, & Anxiety in Menopausal Women: The Emerging Role of CBD, CBG, and CBN as Novel Therapeutics for Supporting Graceful Menopause."

Thursday, 3:00 pm

Anna Cabeca isn't choosing sides. In her talk, "Vaginal Health & Intimacy—The Microbiome Connection," she will explore the potential role for both HRT (estradiol & Dhea) as well as tweaks to gut health-- and diet.

Thursday, 4:15 pm

While not menopause specific per se, Dr. Eboni Cornish looks at what she describes at an "alarming rise in complex, chronic symptoms that include fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, mood instability, sleep disturbances, and hormonal irregularities." Certainly this can't help as one nears or enters the menopause years. Her focus is on latent infections and the chronic immune activation they can trigger. She summarizes it thusly:

Chronic infections—including Borrelia (Lyme disease), Epstein-Barr virus, Bartonella, and mold-related biotoxins—can trigger persistent immune activation that disrupts both the gut-brain axis and hormonal regulation. These infectious drivers may initiate or perpetuate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, estrogen-progesterone imbalance, and autoimmunity. In many women, this manifests as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), brain fog, insomnia, anxiety, or treatment-resistant depression—conditions that rarely prompt further investigation into infectious or neuroimmune contributors. Emerging neuroimaging research, including SPECT scans, reveals characteristic perfusion abnormalities in women with chronic infections and neuroinflammation. These include decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, limbic overactivation, and cerebellar hypoperfusion—findings that correlate strongly with executive dysfunction, emotional volatility, and poor stress tolerance.

This certainly sounds like a session not to be missed.

Friday, 11:15 am

Dr. Amy Killen, with "Hormone Playbook," will make a pitch for broader adoption of HRT and will share her approach to simplifying decision-making and prescribing with catchy mnemonics like HOT KISS (Hormone Optimization Therapy—Keep It Simple, Stupid) and BEAST MODE:

B – Bioidentical hormones: Always preferred over synthetic or conjugated formulations.

E – Early treatment: Over 25 RCTs show early estrogen use prevents heart attacks, strokes, and hip fractures.

A – All the parts: Every organ below the belt needs estrogen - age is not a contraindication.

S – Systemic estrogen: Oral estrogen requires progesterone. Always balance.

T – Testosterone: Only if needed. Don’t dose blindly.

M – Mammograms: Screen appropriately but don’t confuse estrogen with breast cancer risk.

O – Optimized, not “normal”: Lab values must be symptom-informed.

D – Dose to prevent outcomes: Treat to reduce fracture, dementia, and cardiovascular risk, not to “hit a number.”

E – Endometrial ultrasound: Use when in doubt about bleeding patterns. It’s simple and essential.

Saturday, 10:30 am

Androgen therapy in menopause: the "secret sauce?" by Dr. Gary Goldman

Saturday, 10:30 am

While again, not technically menopause or perimenopause, bone health and osteoporosis concerns certainly overlap with them. Joe and Lara Pizzorno have, in my estimate, written the most useful book in years on bone health, "Your Bones." She shares her personal story via 3 short videos at the AlgaeCal site. And here they update us with their knowledge and clinical experience: "Proven Strategies for Restoring Bone Health" Their outline:

This lecture is practical not theoretical, not simply a summary of recent research. We are presenting an algorithm with documented success in restoring bone health for hundreds of women and men. We provide clinicians with:

• Insight into how to most quickly determine the key factors causing bone loss in each metabolically unique patient with a recent DEXA (and REMs and TBS) showing a significant decline in bone mineral density (BMD)/increase in fracture risk

• Lab test recommendations to identify nutrient deficiencies and toxin exposures which impact bone health.

• Short discussion of the specific nutrients (Including dosages) required for healthy bone renewal with brief explanation of the role each plays.

• Short discussion of the key toxins which damage bone health

• Illustrative case histories​

(You'll find me here!)

Saturday, 1:15 pm

Not to be outdone, Dr. Aly Cohen appears to be grabbing onto that "toxin exposure" thread of Joe and Lara and running with it here, in her "Environmental Toxins: Practical Approaches to Menopause & Bone Health." She elaborates:

Exposure to endocrine and immune-disrupting chemicals (EDCs and IDCs)—such as phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS, heavy metals, and pesticides—can amplify hormonal dysregulation, increase oxidative stress, and worsen metabolic and inflammatory profiles, further accelerating bone loss and contributing to early onset of osteopenia or osteoporosis.

But wait, there's more...

Attendees will learn how these toxins interact with vitamin D metabolism, calcium absorption, the immune system, the gut microbiome, and bone remodeling, and how these interactions can influence long-term skeletal health in midlife women. The presentation will close with actionable, evidence-based strategies for risk reduction, such as practical lifestyle and environmental interventions that promote hormonal balance, reduce toxic load, and support bone density through nutrition, targeted supplementation, home environment changes, and safer personal care product use.

Next up: 2-3 sessions on men's hormones at middle age. And 2-3 sessions on the latest research, clinical experience and thinking where long Covid is concerned. Asap!