Dr AMy Killen Contact +NEW - Dr. Amy B. Killen

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Sep 14

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Brexanalone is the perfect example of a drug company taking advantage of our lack of appropriate sex hormone education.

Oral progesterone readily gets metabolized into allopregnanolone (ALLO) in the liver. 🥳

Allopregnanolone then acts on GABA receptors to calm you down and help you sleep.

ALLO is useful in postpartum depression but there's no reason to pay $34,000 for a hormone that your body can easily make from plain old micronized progesterone. ✅

Unfortunately, we only have a few small studies that have looked at using progesterone for PPD so, while many doctors have used it with success for years, we're lacking strong clinical trials.

We need to do better. Much better. 🌿

Share this with someone who might benefit! 🙏

P.S. Brexanalone was removed from the U.S market in early 2025 and replaced with Zuranolone, a synthetic version of allopregnanolone that is taken orally and only costs $15,900 for a 14-day supply. 🤔

P.P.S. Thanks to Neil Rouzier for teaching me about progesterone for PPD. @worldlinkmedical

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View Instagram post by dr.amybkillen

Aug 26

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Is menopause life threatening? 🤔

Or should we just ignore it and only treat "real" endocrine problems?

It's not a pissing match, doctors! ❎

We can treat menopause AND other endocrine diseases.

It's 2025 - get with the program and stop delaying women's care to LIFE SAVING and LIFE CHANGING hormone therapy. 💯

@menopausetaylor

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Sep 20

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It's been a wild ride! 🎢

I left Emergency Medicine in 2013 to practice a type of medicine that very few doctors understood.

My physician friends made fun of me (some still do). My checkbook hated me. It was all a huge gamble. 😩

But, my husband and kids believed in me and stuck by me during all of the moves, the paycheck-less years, and the many identity crises.

Thank you to those who took a chance on me along the way (see below). 🙏

What "unhinged" things have you done on your path to living your dream? ❓

P.S. Thanks for the post inspiration @nataliecrawfordmd

@docere_clinics @harry.adelson @humanauthealth @killen8 @littlebrown
@shinetalentgroup @mindvalley @apex_biologix

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Nov 16

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Dear Mom... 🌹

I'm sorry your doctor made you feel guilty for taking estradiol and progesterone.

I'm sorry your doctor was not up to date on the literature.

I'm sorry that the FDA's warning label on estrogen made the misinformation around hormone therapy worse.

I appreciate that you listened to me, despite the fear they threw at you.

I'm grateful that at age 79 you have no ongoing medical problems, have a clear mind, clean arteries and a responsive metabolism.

I hope your GP doctor sees what a healthy woman looks like and stops making women feel guilty for choosing to make hormone therapy a part of their longevity programs. 🌷

Love, Amy

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View Instagram post by dr.amybkillen

Jul 29

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Menopause is not a moral failing. ❎

She doesn't feel miserable because she stopped "taking care of herself."

How would you feel if your testicles randomly stopped working at age 50? 🤔

Would you tell yourself to "try harder"to get those hormones back "in balance?"

I rarely call out other professionals on here because I believe expressing our different opinions is healthy.

But, @drpatrickflynn this video is not okay. You owe your 400k followers more. ❗

Sincerely, Dr Amy K

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View Instagram post by dr.amybkillen

Jul 26

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We may not all agree on the "optimal" level of hormones in blood (or urine) in menopause and that optimal level may be different from one person to the next, but what do we gain by not measuring? 📊

If we want to learn more about why these hormones work better for some vs others, why some people have side effects, why some women get cancer ... Shouldn't we measure MORE things vs less? 🔬

Yes, advanced testing is not required to prescribe hormones to women safely.

Expensive tests aren't always necessary. But, we will never get better at this if we hamstring ourselves with this antiquated idea that we don't need to test women's hormones.

What are your thoughts? Let's discuss... ❓

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Oct 2

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How do the doses of hormone therapy affect endometrial thickness (and endometrial cancer risk)? 🤔

This new study by Glynne and @menopause_doctor had some surprising findings as discussed in the video.

My only wish is that they'd looked at the estradiol to progesterone ratios vs endometrial thickness and not just hormone doses and estradiol serum levels. 🥳

I did a deep dive on this study and reviewed some key info about preventing endometrial cancer in this week's Substack so check it out. ✅

Thoughts? ❓

P.S. Do you want to learn more about how GLP-1 medications (ex: Ozempic) affect cancer risk in women? If so, let me know below! 👇

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Jul 20

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Does progesterone increase breast cancer risk? 🤔

According to this segment from @cbsmornings it does, BUT just like with the WHI in 2002, we must be careful before broadcasting flawed interpretations!

Dr Celine Gounder is an infectious disease and global health physician. She's not an expert in women's hormones, so it probably wasn't fair to ask her to comment on this particular study. 😩

Menopause Hormone Therapy is quite safe but the details matter so make sure your doctor is up to speed before he/she gets out the prescription pad! ✅

What questions do you have? ❓

P.S. I mixed up absolute risk and relative risk. Ugh. Very sorry.

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Aug 2

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Estrogen needs a rebrand. 🎉

Out with the "it causes cancer and makes you gain weight" and in with the "This hormone is cool AF" 🤩

What do you think? ❓

P.S. Made with AI. But damn.... I wanna be this girl! 😂

P.P.S. I should make this bag, yes? 💪

#womenshealth #perimenopausehealth #menopausehealth #estrogenmatters

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Aug 8

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Menopause symptoms aren't caused by a steak and sunshine deficiency. 🥩

Because menopausal symptoms occur due to a systemic drop in estrogen, women have had menopausal symptoms for thousands of years. ✅

@theprimalbod it's not okay to tell women untruths - even if your goal is to get them to eat healthier. ❎

We need to do better.

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Aug 18

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What do you think? 🤔

Menopause hormone therapy is fine if we're just talking about menopause.

Hormones Replacement Therapy is fine if we're actually replacing hormones to their old levels.

Hormone Therapy? Hormone Optimization Therapy (which is what I tend to prefer because I want to be a HOT Doctor! 😭)

What do you think? ❓

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Sep 9

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Big news!!! Gulp. 🤩

I signed a book deal with the fabulous Little, Brown Spark (Hachette publishers) and I couldn't be more excited. 🎉

This book is about women's longevity through the lens of reproductive health.

How does ovarian aging, hormone optimization and sexual health affect health span and lifespan in women? 🤔

How are we different from men?

How can we turn our differences into our superpowers, blending the tried-and-true with the cutting edge to slow aging?

More information to come but for now ... Yay! 🥳

@littlebrownspark @shinetalentgroup

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View Instagram post by dr.amybkillen

Aug 13

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How much estrogen do you need for bone health? 🤔

Lower doses of estrogen (oral or transdermal) can help prevent bone loss but you need higher doses to build bone.

And, bone benefits start to fade shortly after cessation of hormone therapy. ⚠️

Are you taking enough estrogen to keep your bones strong? Is anyone monitoring you? ❓

Studies... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5423263/?utm_source=perplexity

https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/10381-10395.pdf?utm_source=perplexity

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/197177?utm_source=perplexity

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View Instagram post by dr.amybkillen

Oct 27

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💉What if tiny doses could make a big difference? 💉

The GLP-1 microdosing debate is in full effect.

💭 Can small, off-label doses improve inflammation, hormones, or metabolism without major weight loss?

🧪 The science, 🤔 the skepticism, and 📁 the emerging evidence behind this growing trend - and what it could mean for the future of metabolic health -is all unpacked this week!

Comment "'SUBSTACK' to get this week's free article right to your DMs!
#GLP1 #MetabolicHealth #Semaglutide #Microdosing #HormoneHealth #Longevity

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Aug 13

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Your bones are remarkably sensitive to estrogen so respond even when it's started late. 🦴

They also respond to a low dose of estrogen (although higher doses will be better for building bone).

What other bone questions do you have? ❓

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Aug 4

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About this weekend....

Every year we take a day and drive to the Uintas then hike out to Wall Lake where we cliff jump into frigid water. 🏔️

It's... The best.

Here's to staying healthy enough to keep doing the things that make life worth living. 🎉

P.S. I promise this cliff is higher than it seems here. Ha!! 🤣

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Jul 23

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Alcohol not feeling as good as it used to? 🍾

Yeah. I get it.

A lot has changed since your 20's in terms of how your body responds to alcohol. 🍷

Alcohol has never been good for us, but now it feels downright toxic! ⚠️

Whether you choose to give it up entirely or just drink occasionally, midlife requires us to reevaluate our relationship with alcohol.

What's changed for you about your approach to alcohol? ❓

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Sep 27

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Progesterone is generally "cycled" in women who still have regular periods because giving the same dose every day can cause irregular bleeding. ✅

Common reasons to take progesterone in a premenopausal woman include...

🔺Severe PMS
🔺 Premenstrual migraines
🔺 Cyclical anxiety or insomnia
🔺 PCOS
🔺 Infertility from progesterone insufficiency
🔺 Postpartum depression
🔺 Estrogen-associated disorders such ovarian cysts, fibrocystic breasts, endometriosis, mast cell dysfunction, uterine fibroids.

What's your experience with cycled progesterone been? ❓

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Oct 28

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Wait...what?! 💃

You may benefit from testosterone therapy even if you don't have low testosterone on your blood test!

Low libido, low arousal and orgasmic problems tend to respond to testosterone therapy, even in women with "normal" serum T levels. 🤔

So, yes, check those hormone levels. But also ... Make sure to listen to your symptoms!

Have you tried testosterone despite"normal" labs? ❓

Study:
Rakibul M Islam et al. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019 Oct.

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Nov 9

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True story. 😏

Luckily, the American Urological Association recommends low dose vaginal estrogen for women with overactive bladder in menopause.

Unfortunately, there's still work to do in getting the word out that vaginal estrogen should be Step 1, not Step 5.

Of course, estrogen doesn't fix everything. But, it sure is a safe, easy, remarkably effective place to start! ✅

Estrogen > Surgery if possible! 💃

Thank you to in-the-know urologists like @drrachelrubin @kellycaspersonmd @ashleygwinter and @renamalikmd for helping to get the word out about vaginal estrogen!

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