Dry mouth is often described as “not enough saliva,” but that phrase misses part of the story. Saliva is a tightly regulated secretion shaped by the nervous system, gland function, medications, hydration, disease, and—less directly—hormonal state. A person can also experience dry mouth even when measured salivary flow is within the normal range. [1][2]
menopause
Balance Matters: Rethinking Estrogen, Reclaiming Progesterone, Restoring Hormonal Stability
I just finished Balance Matters: Rethinking Estrogen, Reclaiming Progesterone, Restoring Hormonal Stability by Kitty Martone, and I’m genuinely excited to write this review. If you’re a woman in perimenopause, menopause, or anyone feeling like your hormones are running the show (and not in a good way), this book is a must-read. Kitty Martone brings nearly … Read more
Progesterone and Weight Gain: What the Dose-Dependent Data Actually Says
If you’ve recently started progesterone therapy—whether for menopause, IVF, perimenopause, or cycle regulation—you might have noticed a shift on the scale and asked yourself: does progesterone cause weight gain? The relationship between progesterone and weight gain is more nuanced than a simple “yes” or “no,” and the answer is highly dose-dependent.
🧠 A note from Carol
I’m a functional medicine practitioner, and I’ve spent years helping women separate hormone fact from hormone fiction. Here’s what surprises most of my new patients: the thing they’ve been blaming for their weight gain (progesterone) is often not the real problem at all. I wrote this article to give you the data — and a fresh perspective.
If something here resonates with your own experience, let’s talk.
👉 Book a 15-minute consult
Q&A with Carol Petersen
Join us for this engaging live Q&A session, recorded in real-time on Zoom. Carol will be ready to dive into your questions on perimenopause, progesterone, and PMDD—bring them on!
Missing the Mark on Progesterone: What Most Menopause Doctors Get Wrong
Featuring Dr. Phyllis Bronson & Carol Petersen, RPh | Hosted by Jill Chmielewski September 10, 2025 at 10am MST/11 am CST Introduction (Jill) Welcome audience, introduce Phyllis & Carol. Context: After the 2002 WHI study, menopause medicine was largely abandoned. Training stopped, myths spread, and providers were taught incomplete or inaccurate information, especially about progesterone. … Read more