Looks Are Deceiving
I thought I'd dive right in with my first official blog with a post that’s a little vulnerable – but deeply real. After all, my mission here is to empower women with the knowledge they need to get proper support early in perimenopause, so they can address symptoms and hormonal imbalances before deficiencies start affecting their lives in ways they never imagined. So let’s begin with my honest, raw story – because that’s where true learning and connection always starts.
“You look way too young to have SEVERE Osteoporosis!”
I honestly hear that all the time, and that is why I decided to title this blog - Looks are Deceiving!!
Let’s go back, say 10 years ago!
That is when I hit Menopause. I was at the age of 40, and initially had minimal symptoms. At the time, I was a busy mom with a 13-month-old baby, trying to juggle motherhood, work, and life. I thought I was healthy. I ate well (or so I believed), stayed active, and took supplements. I truly thought I had everything under control.
What I didn’t know back then was just how much hormonal support my body actually needed.
During perimenopause, our estrogen levels start to fluctuate and decline, and this can cause all sorts of symptoms – from brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep, hot flashes, (perhaps you can you relate :)), to joint pain!
Estrogen truly is our fountain of youth. Without it, aging accelerates both inside and out. On the outside, you may notice changes in your skin, hair, and body composition. But inside, silent and serious changes are occurring:
Plaque can build up in your heart arteries, increasing your risk of heart attack
Bone loss accelerates, raising your risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Brain shrinkage occurs, increasing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Women are experiencing these three silent diseases earlier than ever before from poor nutrition, lack of vitamins/minerals, sedentary lifestyle, and gut health issues.
⚠️ Bottom line Women today are at risk earlier due to lifestyle, hormonal, and environmental factors.
Crazy! No one ever told me. Because I didn’t have obvious symptoms – or maybe I just wasn’t speaking up loudly enough – no doctor thought to check my hormone levels. And back then, I had no idea how crucial it was to educate myself on this topic. If only I had known then what I know now, things could have been so different. That’s exactly why I feel so driven to share this with you and shout it from the rooftops – so every woman navigating her perimenopause or post-menopause journey is empowered with the knowledge I wish I’d had.
THE DAY!
Last March (of 2024), it felt like any other morning. I got the kids off to school and rolled out my mat to try a new Pilates workout from an app I’d just downloaded. Mid-lunge, my knee suddenly buckled. I fell hard onto my side, trying to protect it—and shattered my wrist.
The pain was excruciating. After a rushed trip to the ER and emergency surgery, my surgeon told me words that still echo in my mind:
“You have the bones of an 80-year-old.”
His bedside manner wasn’t exactly comforting, but those words sparked something in me. They were the start of my journey of deep self-discovery and powerful transformation, and the reason I am here sharing my story with you today!
After what I heard, I was still in shock. How could this be? I was only 49. I ate well, exercised, took care of myself… or so I thought.
Because I was under 50, I wasn’t eligible for a DEXA scan in Canada unless a specialist signed off. Thankfully, my surgeon did, as he classified my break as a fragility fracture. When the results came back, they were gut-wrenching: a T-score of -5.6 in my spine. If you don’t know what that means – it’s literally off the charts bad. It was then shared with me that I have severe osteoporosis!
Soon after I was referred to an endocrinologist. But the waitlist? A whopping eighteen months here in Canada. Unless I had already broken my back or hip, I wasn’t considered an urgent case. (I know… I rolled my eyes too.) I seriously thought about travelling to see someone sooner, but at the time, it just wasn’t financially possible.
Thankfully, in the meantime, my family doctor was able to connect me with a local rheumatologist who specializes in osteoporosis — and she was willing to see me. She became the first specialist I met with since receiving my severe osteoporosis diagnosis, and finally, I felt like I was starting to move in the right direction. She was thorough, kind, and spent over an hour with me, reviewing every detail of my medical history. I honestly felt hopeful. At the end of our appointment, she prescribed a bone medication. Trusting her guidance, I filled the prescription and started taking it right away. But something didn’t sit right. I began researching the medication I was putting into my body, and the more I learned, the more uneasy I felt. Just a few weeks later — and after really tuning into my intuition — I made the decision to stop taking it. I dove deep into learning about bones — how bone cells function, what helps them rebuild, and what leads to their breakdown. The more I understood, the more I realized the medication she prescribed didn’t feel right for me. It seemed like it was just masking the issue instead of addressing the root cause. And the potential side effects? Honestly, they were awful.
That’s when I started looking into other options. Deep down, I knew my early menopause resulting in an estrogen deficiency were major factors affecting my bones. I needed someone who could help me tackle that directly and support me in rebuilding bone strength – but finding that kind of help proved to be a challenge in our regular medical system. The first solution offered was always bone medication, never hormones (gah!!). This is a huge topic on its own, and one I’ll definitely dive deeper into soon, because I’ve learned so much since last summer!
Back to my journey – September rolled around, and with the kids back in school, I finally got in to see the endocrinologist thanks to a last-minute cancellation. (Quick tip: always ask to be added to their cancellation list – polite persistence pays off!). He was a younger doctor, recently graduated. Sometimes that can actually be a good thing, as they often bring a fresh perspective compared to those who have been in the field for decades. I remember sitting in the waiting room with many seniors, and when he called my name, he looked at everyone but me. He called again, and I said, “That’s me.” He looked confused – I could tell he was puzzled as to why someone “so young” was there.
Him and his team were quite perplexed and had never seen bone loss this severe in someone my age. He told me my situation was incredibly rare. His immediate recommendation was more bone medication. This one was different from the first recommended medication as it was an anabolic osteoporosis drug, typically reserved for patients with extremely high fracture risk. Yep, that’s me! It’s an injectable treatment, administered daily, for up to two years. I know it sounds serious, but if I was to take anything this would be my first choice as it actually rebuilds bone and mimics our naturally occurring parathyroid hormone.
But that was my last resort, I still wanted to try everything I could to naturally rebuild my bone density first without pharmaceutical drugs. Thankfully, he respected that choice – which I was very grateful for, as it is known that some doctors will not be open to anything but what they recommend.
So, I went all in. I stared deep-diving into everything:
✔️ Bioidentical hormones and HRT - Wow what a journey that was! Stay tuned I will share every single detail with you!
✔️ Essential supplements (AlgaeCal became a staple)
✔️ Root-cause functional care (again, I have so much to share about this journey!)
✔️ Whole-food nutrition (hello, 100g+ of protein a day)
✔️ Strength training, stomping, vibration plates, heel drops – all crucial for bone health.
I connected with a functional doctor to help me navigate menopause and explore bioidentical hormone therapy. She was the first one who came up in my Google search — and while that felt like a good start, I quickly realized she wasn’t the right fit. After a few months, it became clear that finding a practitioner who truly listens, understands your story, and is genuinely invested in your care can be more challenging than expected. This is honestly a major hurtle with SO MANY.
I then eventually, I found another functional practitioner who was deeply compassionate and truly listened. Around the same time, I also connected with an absolute GEM of a physician within our Canadian medical system – someone who specializes in menopause and genuinely cares about my story and my health journey. Both practitioners said to me, “This is so unfortunate, you were failed by the system. This should have been addressed years ago.”
Hearing those words brought me to tears. Honestly, I’ve cried many times thinking about how different things could have been. But their validation meant everything because deep down, I already knew the truth: estrogen is the number one protector of our bones. And with virtually none left in my body, it was critical to get safe, effective levels back in place.
Both practitioners were fully supportive and willing to start me on a safe, appropriate dose of estradiol to address my estrogen deficiency — something that, surprisingly, had never been brought up by any of the other doctors or specialists I’d seen, even after being diagnosed with severe osteoporosis.
Sometimes I pause and reflect on the long list of doctors I’ve seen over the past decade. Every single one of them knew I was in menopause — yet not one ever checked my estrogen levels or initiated a single conversation about menopause or hormone health. Looking back, it still shocks me.
Because estrogen isn’t just about hot flashes or mood swings — it’s one of our body’s most powerful protectors. It supports our bones, brain, heart, and so much more.
Eventually, I realized I had to speak up. Get curious. Ask harder questions. And yes, I had to get louder — always respectfully — to advocate for myself and my health.
I’ll be sharing more soon about what that journey looked like… and trust me, some of the things I was told along the way were unbelievable. Stay tuned.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) became a vital part of my healing journey to address my estrogen deficiency. For me, it wasn’t just a choice — it was a necessary step to protect my bones and preserve my quality of life. That said, HRT isn’t the right path for everyone. It’s a deeply personal decision, and one that deserves an informed, open conversation with your doctor.
But here’s the problem: When we finally gather the courage to talk about our symptoms, we’re often dismissed or misdiagnosed as over 95% of general practitioners have no formal training in menopause. This makes it incredibly challenging to have that conversation let alone start managing it!
Stay tuned! I’m putting together the ultimate resource just for you: “What to Ask Your Doctor in Perimenopause – Questions, Labs, Clarity.” This toolkit is designed to empower you with the right words, the right questions, and the clarity you need to advocate for your health. When you’re ready to get answers — you’ll know exactly where to start.
Ladies, listen up — osteoporosis is a silent thief.
It sneaks up without symptoms and often isn’t discovered until you break a bone. That’s why protecting your bone health can’t wait until your 50s — the time to take action is in your 30s (or even earlier)!
I’m here to guide you through everything you need to know — how to build stronger bones now so you’re not blindsided later. Prevention starts today, not when it’s too late.
Rebuilding bone isn’t easy — some even say it’s impossible. But I’m here to prove otherwise. I’m committed to giving it everything I’ve got, because I’m not just living for today. I want to feel strong, vibrant, and full of life — now and decades from now, when I’m still showing up for my kids and, one day, my future grandkids.
Here are some stats!
🔹 1 in 2 women over age 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. (International Osteoporosis Foundation)
🔹 Women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the first 5-7 years after menopause due to the rapid drop in estrogen. NUTS!
🔹 90% of hip fractures are due to osteoporosis, and hip fractures significantly increase risk of death within a year, especially in older adults.
🔹 Osteoporosis is underdiagnosed: Only about 20% of women who have a fracture receive testing or treatment for osteoporosis afterward.
🔹 Osteoporosis is not just an “old woman’s disease” – bone density starts declining in perimenopause. Gut issues, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, chronic stress, and poor nutrient absorption can accelerate bone loss even in women under 50. Hello that’s me!
🔹 Estrogen deficiency is the #1 cause of osteoporosis in women. Ladies read that one again!
🔹 Many women are being diagnosed earlier than ever before due to:
Chronic gut issues affecting calcium and nutrient absorption
Hormonal imbalances in perimenopause leading to rapid bone density loss
Undiagnosed early menopause (natural or surgical) - that was me!
If only I had known then what I know now. I would have gladly paid out of pocket for a DEXA scan years ago. If you’re 35+ and haven’t had one yet, I’m urging you – honestly, I’m begging you – please go book one now!!
Every woman deserves to know her baseline bone health. Waiting until age 50 in Canada or 65 in the US might be far too late. It certainly was for me!!
Thank you for listening and being part of my first blog post. This was a very vulnerable post for me to share, but I want to bring awareness to all women to not only educate yourselves on the obvious menopausal symptoms, but the silent ones too!
Remember my friends: looks can be deceiving.
You never know what silent battles someone may be fighting.
