Have you ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting health information while simultaneously unsure how to actually take care of your body?

In this episode, Emily Paulsen sits down with Dr. Denise Au, a fellow of the American College of Physicians who has spent over two decades focusing on women's health, wellness, prevention, and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Au believes good health is about understanding how your body works and caring for it in ways that are sustainable and empowering without fear or restriction.

Emily and Dr. Au discuss the state of women's health and whether we're well-informed or overwhelmed by information from every direction. They explore how to build better relationships with healthcare providers, what's happening to our bodies during midlife and perimenopause, and the recent removal of the black box warning on hormone replacement therapy. Dr. Au also shares insights on preventative measures like full body MRI scans, why sleep is critical for everything from brain health to metabolism, and what the future of women's healthcare could look like.

This episode is a reminder that good healthcare requires ongoing conversation, not just annual checkups, and that the simplest interventions like sleep might be the most powerful.

Key Takeaways:

• We're both well-informed and overwhelmed: There's an overabundance of health information from friends, media, and the internet, making it hard to identify the best course of action for yourself.

• Healthcare needs ongoing conversation, not just annual exams: Easily accessible appointments, longer appointment times, telehealth, and patient portals create opportunities for shared decision making.

• Perimenopause symptoms originate in the brain: Hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, mood changes, depression, and anxiety are centered in the hypothalamus, not just reproductive organs.

• The black box warning on hormone replacement therapy was removed: The original study had major flaws. Women closer to menopause can benefit from hormone therapy for hot flashes, night sweats, and quality of life.

• Sleep is foundational to health: Sleep removes waste from the brain, consolidates memory, regulates metabolism, improves heart health, decreases risk of obesity and diabetes, and boosts immune function.

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We're bringing the podcast into the real world with our first ever in-person event! An evening of curiosity and conversation hosted in downtown Chicago, February 19th, 2026. Picture an intimate dinner party stacked with speakers, all guests from some of your favorite episodes, and space to make new childfree friends. Seats are limited so you can read all the details and get your ticket by visiting curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.com/2026-event.

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Host Emily Paulsen is an accomplished entrepreneur and happily childfree woman shining a light on the childfree-by-choice perspective. Whether interviewing experts or positioning leaders to scale through her Brand Studio, Electric Collab, Emily's power lies in allowing people to feel seen and celebrated for who they are.

Learn more about Emily at: www.curiouslifeofachildfreewoman.com

Connect on Instagram: @curiouslifeofachildfreewoman

Guest Dr. Denise K. Au, MD brings more than two decades of experience in internal medicine and medical education to her role at BIÂN Medical. A Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Au focuses on women’s health, wellness, prevention, and lifestyle medicine, blending evidence-based care with a holistic approach. Before joining BIÂN, she served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, where she trained future physicians and earned numerous teaching awards.

Learn more about Dr. Au at https://livebian.com/  and @bianmedical