By Julie Brownley, MD, PhD Founder, Psychiatry for Women A patient starts an antidepressant and calls three days later: “I thought this was supposed to help my anxiety. Why do I feel more anxious?” Sometimes the answer is activation. It can feel like being unusually keyed up, restless, irritable, or unable to sleep. Some people describe a surge of anxiety or panic. Others say they feel physically uncomfortable in a way they can’t quite name. It may appear shortly after starting an...

By Julie Brownley, MD, PhD Founder, Psychiatry for Women f I asked you to name the symptoms of menopause, you'd probably say: Hot flashes Night sweats Irregular periods Mood changes Those are certainly common. But estrogen receptors have been identified in tissues throughout the body—including the brain, skin, eyes, ears, joints, bladder, blood vessels, muscles, and connective tissue. As estrogen begins its unpredictable decline during perimenopause (often years before your final menstrual...

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). But this is more than a name change, it reflects a fundamental shift in how we understand one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women. Learn why experts made the change, what PMOS really is, and why this new perspective may lead to earlier diagnosis and better care.