@DrWendyWalsh- Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino Talking Fertility and Mental Well-Being

Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino, Board-Certified Family Physician and Lead and functional medicine physician at Love.Life. She is telling us about fertility and mental well-being. Also we get into menopause and mental health. Take a listen

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to The Doctor Wendy Wall Show on KFI
AM six forty live everywhere on.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
The iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
So, you know, I go out in the world. I
see people, I see places. I'm always thinking about my show.
I'm always thinking about what you my listener needs to hear.
And I happen to tour this really cool facility in El
Segundo called love Life. I use the word facility, but
I mean it's a health club, like how a health
club should be, where it actually cares about your health.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Like they've got gyms and pickleball, but then.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
You know, really healthy food and a whole spa situation
and pilates, but they also have physicians. And I ran
into this amazing doctor, doctor Jacqueline Tolentino. Hi, Doctor Jaqueline,
how are you.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
I'm good, I'm good. Thanks so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
And I said, I got to have her on my
show because she started talking, and she talked about all
the subjects we talk about regularly on the show.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
So in a.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Minute, we're going to talk about my favorite subject with
a menopause. Because a lot of our listeners are a
little oh, let's just call us women of a certain age,
and as a result, they may not be aware of
the medical interventions available to them, or how it's impacting
their relationship or their sex life, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
But there's something else I.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Talk about a lot, doctor Jacqueline. Right now, we're in
the information age. We're not so much agrarian based anymore,
and women are uniquely suited to talk and text and
extract information. And as a result, many women in our
culture are burning some important years of their fertility window.

(01:34):
Gaining higher education and building their careers. All makes sense,
it's all about survival. But then they get into their thirties,
because the average age of first time marriage now in
America is thirty, which many doctors would say is the
beginning of the end of the fertility window. So let's
talk about the emotional and psychological aspect of something. I'm

(01:57):
sure you deal with a lot your primary care, but
that you're the first line of defense right when people
come to you and say, why aren't I pregnant? First
of all, what is the perfect age to get pregnant?
Is there one? You know?

Speaker 3 (02:13):
I would say that there is not a perfect age
to get pregnant. The perfect age to get pregnant is
the age that is right for you. I'd also say
that fertility journeys they're rarely just physical. We know that
that emotional weight, the hope, the fear, there's grief, there's frustration.
For some women that are going through infertility, it can
take a huge toll on your mental health.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
And I'm sure the hormones that they're sometimes taking right
Like if they're going to have IVF and they have
to you guys have to extract some eggs, they have
to raise their hormones, and that can cause some major
relationship strife. It's like constant PMS, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Yes, Yes, I mean from a relationship standpoint, we know
that these women who are really struggling with fertility, it's overwhelming.
Not only is it overwhelming, it's complicated on so many levels.
And the stress that women are experiencing who are really
struggling with this journey that takes a toll on everything else,
including the hormones, including the neurotransmitters in the brain, including

(03:14):
the relationships and how they feel, and of course even
about themselves and how they're feeling throughout the journeys. So
it becomes really complicated.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, I'm sure when your body is failing you. You
feel like somehow a failure in some way, and doctor Tolentino,
you are part of a team that's called integrative care
at Love Life. Now, what does it mean when we
say integrative care.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
When I think of the word integrative, I think of
utilizing many different modalities to support health and healing, including fertility.
So this isn't just about people seeing a primary doctor.
It's about utilizing all of the different tools they have
in their toolbox, including even seeing other practitioners in different

(04:01):
spaces like Eastern medicine practitioners, and maybe even utilizing a
health coach or a registered dietitian and integrating the care
that they might experience with their personal trainer, etc. So
it becomes a fabric, and integrative medicine is really about
molding together this fabric of care where people have a
care team and they're not just relying on one specific

(04:22):
person for support.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
So when it comes to an area like fertility, how
does integrative care assist?

Speaker 3 (04:29):
Oh Man, You know, when I think of integrative care
from a fertility standpoint, people are typically seeing possibly an
obgyn or even a reproductive doctor, but then they're also
adding in acupuncture. They may also be seeing a functional
medicine practitioner like myself to really focus in on the
root cause. Whether we're looking at anatomical concerns, or we

(04:51):
want to make sure that somebody's nutrients status is great,
or we're looking at the levels of hormones and how
the brain is signaling down to the ovaries, or maybe
we're even taking a look at their nervous system and
their stress response. So not only are they seeing myself,
but they're seeing a whole host of care teen experts
to really help them understand what's going on and how

(05:12):
can we improve the condition.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
You know, I happen to teach health psychology, and we
talk about how the brain informs the body. The body
informs the brain. And it is not uncommon for couples
to go through a lot of fertility treatments and then
literally give up and then six months later get pregnant naturally.
And that's because the stress has been reduced, right, Yes, yes.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
I mean so many women. What they struggle with is
doctors will tell them, oh, it's fine, you just need
to relax. Oh, and that's so hard to relax at
a time when you're also struggling with this situation. So
it's almost like some women who are really struggling with this,
they might feel dismissed and they might feel as though
they're not really being heard when they're saying, Hey, I'm
struggling with this and then need some support beyond just

(05:58):
what you're giving me. And that's also where an integrative
care team can help support that. Not only are we
listening to our patients, we're doing different kinds of dynamic
testing and also different types of dynamic support. Either they're
getting acupuncture, they're focusing on their stress response. They have
this beautiful facility and love life, so they're also getting
that care there and it becomes a beautiful mix of

(06:20):
three hundred and sixty degree wellness where we're hitting on
every aspect.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
So, for those couples out there who might be struggling
with fertility right now, what's the single most important bit
of advice you can give them?

Speaker 3 (06:34):
I would say, know that you're not alone, and that
if you find yourself in a position where you're struggling
to get pregnant and you're not sure what the next
step might look like, that it's important for you to
feel that you have a support team that's behind you,
who's going to help you with every step along the way.
There are so many couples that are really struggling with fertility,

(06:57):
and there are so many different types of dynamic treatments
that are supportive to help support this journey, to make
sure that you get to the goal, which is not
only having the baby, but also helping to support the
postpartum time period and what that care looks like. So
making sure that you feel as though you're supported with
your care team. I also think that it's not just
a one size fits all to see one particular practitioner

(07:20):
and then just hang on that word. If you feel
that there's more to explore with your fertility journey, honor
that maybe that means seeing an integrative care team. Maybe
that means doing some additional research, or even just opening
up to your partner that you want to explore more
modalities for support.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
That is wonderful advice. Reach out.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
There are people out there. They have different ideas and opinions. Now,
when we talk about women's health, we have to go
to break. We talk about across the life lifespan, what
we're dealing with. You know, you mentioned postpartum, which is
the only time in my life I've been on an antidepressant.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
That was quite a ride, that postpartum life. But now many.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
Of our listeners or at the other end of things,
when the factory is shutting down and menopause is now
finally being talked about as a realistic, real important health
issue and lots of treatments are available, let's talk about it.
My guest is doctor Jacqueline Tolentino of Love Life. It's
so hard to explain what love Life is, but it's

(08:19):
basically a health club and it's also a doctor's office
and a spa and a great restaurant all in one.
In else agindo, let's talk about menopause. I am so
happy to see that it has come out of the closet,
that we can all talk about it, and that it's
much more than just a bunch of hot flashes. Right.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
Menopause affects every cell in your body.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
It does. And what's crazy about menopause and this experience
that so many women are having is that even though
we all are going through it, and we all may
experience it, the personal experience that is what varies dramatically
from women to one, and it's not just about hot flashes, correct.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
It can be about a lot of mental health stuff.
I'm gonna tell you a story like when I first
started to experience menopause, I would get lost in traffic,
I would have a brain fog or I couldn't even
remember where I was. That caused anxiety and obviously a
little bit of a depression. I was actually a regular
on the Doctor Drew Show at the time, and I

(09:24):
was late for my shop because of what happened. And
he sent me immediately to a beautiful doctor who set
me up with hormone replacement therapy. And I have to
tell you this story Doctor Tolatino, because it's so funny.
I said to her, you know, I just want to
do everything natural, Okay, I'm just I don't want to
do anything like hormones. I just want to be natural.

(09:45):
And she looked at me and in the sweetest way,
she said, well, what's natural is your cells are dying.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
But we can keep them alive a little longer. I'm like,
sign me up.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
So that was how she sold hormone replacement therapy to me,
and I got to tell you it changed my life.
Let's talk about what these hormone imbalances often due to
women who are of a certain.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
Nay, yeah, yeah. I mean for women who are going
through menopause or even perimenopause, it becomes a rocky road
of estrogen that's rapidly declining, of progesterone that's going down,
of testosterone that's also going down. And so that experience
for some women during that rocky road, that's what brings
up a whole host of symptoms that so many women

(10:36):
may not attribute or associate with menopause. And I think
the reason why is because number One, when they go
see a doctor and they talk about things that might
overlap at that time period of life, they might feel
dismissed and the doctor might not realize that when you
put all the symptoms together, these are women who are
experiencing not just the hot flashes and not just possibly

(10:58):
the irregular period or the vaginal dryness, but they're also
experienced changes in their metabolism, their immune system.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Oh yeah, that belly fat thing. That's an unwelcome guest
that shows up right.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
They're not you know, they're noticing weight gains. And then
comes in some of the mental health type concerns where
we're thinking about the brain fog, the headaches, the anxiety,
the irritability, and so putting all those pieces together, we
realized that seventy five percent of women who are in
perimenopause to menopause are going to experience some of these
constellations of symptoms.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
That has a lot, and it is a lot.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
And we should say that perimenopause can start as young
as age thirty five.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Right, it can? It can. There are women in their
thirties who are experiencing this, and the doctors haven't quite
put that together that this could be a woman who's
really going through Perring Mepoff.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah, I have to tell you a story.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
So after that nice doctor gave me the hormone replacement,
you know, I started. Now you should know at the time,
I had kids in elementary school. One of them was
on the spectrum. I had to like totally keep my
head together in the game.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
I was single mom.

Speaker 1 (12:04):
I mean, it was all just so stressful time for me,
And of course everyone was blaming the overwhelming stress oors
and lifestyle instead of what was going on. So I
was at my kid's school. It was like maybe the
third day, I'd put testosterone cream on my leg and
I was doing a morning like bake sale thing with
her class, a breakfast thing, and I felt the warm

(12:27):
sun on my back, and something happened. I guess the
testosterone finally hit my brain. I felt a little, just
a tiny shift of dizziness for a second, and then
the next thing I know, I felt neurotransmitters in my
brain exploding into bursts of happy sunshine. I was literally
singing that song walking on Sunshine. I was like, whoa,

(12:49):
because in comparison to how I had been feeling, I
probably just got up to normal. But how in comparison
to how I had been feeling, I.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
Was just like I couldn't leave it.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
I could actually feel it in my brain. Yeah. Yes,
so it really it saved my life, literally, say, and
I want to ask you another thing. I've been following
a lot of doctors on TikTok who talk about menopause.
I don't know why TikTok gives me those videos, but anyway,
they think I need them. Uh. And they've been saying

(13:21):
that all these scares about estrogen are unfounded, and that
these scares about cancer have to do with synthetic progesterone
that they used to give women.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Have you heard that, yes, I have so. Interestingly enough,
over the course of the last twenty years, there's been
a lot of misinformation about estrogen, in particular because of
how the studies were conducted and how the information was disseminated,

(13:52):
from very early on in the early two thousands, around
two thousand and three when the woman the WHI study
came out, and that point, there were so many women
who became very fearful of hormones because of the fact
that that was a big part of the conversation that
you know, women should be scared because it was going
to cause cancer, et cetera. Fast forward to now in

(14:13):
twenty twenty five, when we look back, we as physicians
and many physicians that have done a lot more research
into this have realized that the studies, that the way
that they were conducted and the information that was disseminated
was wrong, and that we should not fear estrogen. And
even in the past couple of decades as of late,

(14:36):
you'll see that for women who have even had breast
cancer who were put on hormone replacement, including estrogen, twenty
four out of the twenty five studies did not show
that this created an issue of recurrence, And it doesn't
make sense to me because biologically you think about how
important estrogen is life your entire body for all of us.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
Well, yeah, certainly for your heart.

Speaker 3 (14:59):
Estrogen and the recess or restration everywhere.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
There's far more chance that a woman will die of
heart disease than breast cancer. It just seems like breast
cancer has a better pr agency or something. But it
is our heart we're supposed to be protecting, right, yes,
And so.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
You know, for some women who really are thinking about
it in terms of how can I utilize something that's
going to be helpful for my bones, for cardiovascular protection,
for brain health against dementia, and a whole host of
other symptoms, biodonical hormone doesn't answer. Home Hormone replacement therapy

(15:38):
is one of their tools in their toolbox to help
support and protect them, not only to get rid of
the seventy five percent of symptoms, but also to help
support this as well. Well. It is certainly an option
that many women are now turning towards and talking to
their doctors about.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
I am living proof.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Thank you so much for being with us, doctor Jacqueline Tolentino.
You can find her at love Life. I love the
name of this. A health club called love Life, a
health club that's actually about your health. Has doctors there
and good food and pickleball. But anyway, you are there
as a thriving Board certified family physician and a lead
functional medicine physician at love Life. Thank you so much

(16:17):
for being with us on The Doctor Wendy Wall Show.

Speaker 3 (16:20):
Thank you so much. Take care, and.

Speaker 1 (16:21):
When we come back, speaking of menopause, did you know
a new study is out The more money a woman
makes in her relationship, the more likely she is to divorce.
Let's talk about how we can prevent that. When we
come back. You're listening to The Doctor Wendy Wall Show
on KFI AM six forty. We live everywhere on the
iHeartRadio app. Right now, let's go the twenty four hour

(16:42):
KFI Newsroom.