When it comes to perimenopause, there’s a lot of weird and sometimes confusing information online. This is partly because women’s health is underfunded and understudied scientifically, but it’s also because of misinformation and snake-oil salespeople who rise up to fill the void with products and practices that don’t actually help.
It can be especially hard for women—who are so often gaslit by medical professionals—to know who to trust. That’s why so many women fall victim to grifters selling unregulated and untested products full of empty promises.
So how do you sift through all of the competing information online to figure out who’s offering evidence-based, scientifically backed advice—and who’s just cashing in on women needing answers and support?
Here are a few criteria to help you separate reputable experts from opportunists.
How to Spot Trusted Perimenopause Experts
1. Are They Offering Evidence-Based, Science-Backed Advice?
Even more important: are they using that evidence accurately? Legitimate experts will share straightforward facts without direct personal gain or profit. Medical professionals, in particular, will not dispense personalized medical advice online to people who aren’t their patients.
That doesn’t mean they won’t promote their work or highlight paid services—but they won’t cherry-pick studies or manipulate data to serve their own agenda.
2. Who Really Benefits From Their Advice?
This is a critical question. For example: if someone claims studies show collagen improves skin, joints, and hair—but never cites a single study—and then immediately pitches their own collagen supplement? 🚩 Red flag.
If someone has their own supplement line, be cautious. Also pay attention if they recommend products (especially with affiliate links) more often than they share actual science.
It’s always important to ask the question, “who really benefits from the advice this person is giving?”
3. Do They Use Fear-Mongering or Scare Tactics?
Wellness grifters often scare people into buying products they don’t need, disguised as “health advice.” An example from the growing perimenopause industry would be someone suggesting that if you are not constantly monitoring your glucose levels, you might be creating significant spikes in blood sugar which can cause weight gain and lead to serious conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Their ultimate goal is likely to scare you into thinking you need to buy a continuous glucose monitor. From them.
4. Do They Focus Too Much on Weight Loss?
This might feel controversial, but it matters. Many “experts” who zero in on perimenopausal weight gain are just recycling the old diet culture playbook—labeling women as “unhealthy” based solely on size. Additionally, they’re more likely to use weight loss as a solution for a wide range of issues, even when weight loss might not actually relieve other perimenopause symptoms.
Yes, weight gain during perimenopause is common. You don’t have to love it, but it isn’t automatically a sign of poor health—it’s often just your body responding to hormonal shifts.
The best experts take a weight-neutral approach: they focus less on pounds and more on improving the symptoms of perimenopause that actually impact your quality of life.
Thankfully, there are several really great voices for perimenopause advice on the internet, who meet this criteria.
Perimenopause Experts Worth Following
Dr. Jen Gunter – OB/GYN & Advocate for Women’s Health
Dr. Gunter has been one of the leading voices in women’s health for quite awhile. She is an OB/GYN and a fierce advocate for women’s health, often referred to as “Twitter’s resident gynecologist.” On her website she explains about her motivation as a women’s health educator that “I’m here to build a better medical internet. You can’t be empowered about your health if you have incorrect information.”
She is extremely vocal about misinformation and is unafraid to push back against people making questionable claims about women’s health.
She has written 3 books including The Menopause Manifesto. She currently writes The Vajenda, a substack publication.
Dr. Lauren Streicher – Gynecologist & Menopause Expert
Dr. Streicher is a gynecologist, a professor of OBGYN at Northwestern, and a menopause expert. She focuses on sexuality and menopause, a profoundly under-discussed subject. Dr. Streicher is the author of several books, all on covering various menopause-related topics, including one specifically about sex during menopause. She is also the host of 2 podcasts, one called Inside Information: Menopause, Midlife, and More, and the other called Come Again, a limited series podcast about sex and orgasm in midlife.
Leslie Weidner, RDN, CDN – Registered Dietitian
Weidner is a registered dietitian who focuses specifically on perimenopause and the changes our bodies go through physiologically during perimenopause that can impact our overall health. She offers evidence-based health advice that is not motivated by trends, fads, or diet culture.
Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, PhD – Scientist & Researcher
Dr. Colenso-Semple is a scientist and researcher, focusing on female physiology, exercise, and nutrition. She offers straightforward facts on her instagram page about various health topics impacting perimenopausal and post menopausal women. She goes more in depth on some of these topics on her podcast, Front Page Fitness.
Dr. Harita Raja – Psychiatrist
Dr. Raja is a psychiatrist who helps women in midlife connect the dots between their hormones and their mental health. While she has a smaller online presence than some bigger names in the women’s health world, she speaks specifically about the importance of recognizing how perimenopause can dramatically impact mental health, which is something that is less visible in conversations about hormonal changes in midlife.
Experts Who Walk the Line (Great Resources, With Some Caution)
There are a few others who offer fantastic resources and medically sound advice, but do occasionally veer into red flag territory (specifically discussing GLP-1’s or glucose monitoring) and spend a little more time promoting their services than discussing perimenopause health.
Dr. Heather Hirsch – Internist & Women’s Midlife Health Specialist
Dr. Hirsch is an internist specializing in women’s health in midlife with a particular focus on chronic disease. Her objective, online and off, is to use science and evidence-based medicine to best support women in perimenopause and post menopause. She hosts a podcast called Health with Heather Hirsch, offering deeper insights into the experiences women have during perimenopause, as well as post menopause. In 2023 she created The Collaborative, a telemedicine practice to better support women in midlife. And her book, The Perimenopause Survival Guide will be published in October 2025.
Dr. Kelly Casperson – Urologist & Midlife Sexual Health Expert
Dr. Casperson is a urologist, a field of medicine that is only 10% female. She focuses on sex in midlife, as well as many of the symptoms that come up during perimenopause and post menopause that can impact a healthy sex life. She hosts the You Are Not Broken podcast and has written 2 books, one of which is called The Menopause Moment and will be published in September 2025.
Dr. Jessica Shepherd – OB/GYN & Author of Generation M
Dr. Shepherd is an OBGYN and the author of the book, Generation M. According to her website, her “mission is to enhance the longevity and wellbeing of women everywhere.” Her approach is scientific and holistic, seeking to care for women in midlife through body as well as mind. As a black woman, she also offers her personal and professional experience of perimenopause through a voice and perspective that is unfortunately less widely heard.
The Bottom Line
Perimenopause can feel like the Wild West of wellness advice, but you don’t have to fall for grifters. Follow experts who share evidence-based, weight-neutral, and fear-free information to get the clarity and support you need.
The next time you’re searching for answers about your symptoms, skip the snake oil and turn to one of these trusted voices for guidance you can actually rely on. —Naomi
