You know your body, you know when something is off, right? When you go to the doctor, do you sometimes feel like your concerns are dismissed and you are made to feel like it’s all in your head, when in fact you know it’s more than that? You then get frustrated, turn to the internet, turn to your girlfriends, all in desperation seeking some answers.

Do you feel comfortable in your relationship with your doctor? Do you feel as though your doctor is concerned with your overall wellbeing? What are some important questions and red flags to look out for when you are meeting a new doctor for the first time? Let’s get into it!

This is why I am so excited to be talking Dr. Angela DeRosa about how to choose the right women’s doctor and what questions to ask. Grab your pen and paper because you are going to want to take notes!

Meet Dr. Angela DeRosa

Dr. Angela DeRoa is a dynamic professional on a mission to change the face of women’s health and wellness.

She has more than 25 years of experience in the medical field, both in the pharmaceutical
side and in clinical practice, and is an internationally recognized authority
on women’s hormonal health.

She understands the range of health issues women face and is enthusiastic about educating patients on the realities of the risk factors of hormonal health imbalances.

Visit her website. Connect on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Click here for her Youtube Channel.

In This Podcast

Summary

• How to find a doctor that will meet your needs
• Your first appointment: red flags and questions to ask
• Google keywords to find your best doctor
• DeRosa’s advice to women for medicine
• DeRosa’s advice to overwhelmed parents

How to find a doctor that will meet your needs

When you’re looking for doctors that can help you with hormonal care or the overall broader picture, you’re starting to see more integrative specialists and functional medicine. (Dr. Angela DeRosa)

Modern medicine is often illness-based, meaning that treatment and medicine will only be dispensed once a person has developed a full-blown sickness or is riddled with symptoms.

Integrative and functional medicine looks at all the aspects of your life together, instead of separated parts, and observes your overall quality of life and wellbeing when assessing your symptoms.

In this way, working with an integrative doctor may be better suited to women’s health because they consider all the possibilities instead of focusing on the outcomes, or lack of outcomes, on a specific test.

When you seek out your doctors, first and foremost … trust your gut and trust your instinct. If you’re going in to talk to someone and they’re disregarding you or not even talking to you, that’s a problem. (Dr. Angela DeRosa)

Your first appointment: Red flags and questions to ask

Keep an eye out for potential red flags at your doctor’s appointment, such as:

• If your doctor avoids full engagement and eye contact,
• Not giving you a chance to tell your story and interrupt you constantly,
• Disregarding your symptoms and do not make you feel understood,
• Immediately recommending and prescribing antidepressants for any symptoms that may relate to depression,

You have to advocate for yourself until you are heard, or until you find the doctor who is listening to you, because you may be dismissed.

First and foremost, you need to know what your goal is when you are going into the doctor’s office. Here are some questions you can ask your doctor at your first appointment:

• Regarding my age and my family history, what are some things we need to keep tabs on or be aware of going forward on my health journey?
• Is it possible to evaluate my hormones?
• Are you a specialist in hormonal studies? If not, would you be comfortable working with someone who is a specialist so that we can find the best care for my body?

If they just say “okay I can manage your estrogen and we’ll get you on progesterone” but they make no mention of testosterone in women, you know they don’t know enough. They should have an acute awareness that testosterone is our most abundant hormone. If you start going down that path and all that they are suggesting is estrogen and progesterone, there’s definitely a problem. (Dr. Angela DeRosa)

Google keywords to find your best doctor

• Hormone specialist
• Integrative doctor
• Functional medicine
• Restorative health
• Naturopathic clinicians

Dr. Angela DeRosa’s advice to women for medicine

• Trust your gut. If you feel or think something is wrong, get it looked at or checked out, even if some people doubt you and your concerns.
• Do not assume that symptoms are your new normal. If you are feeling apathy, that may be a testosterone deficiency. If you feel like life is a struggle to live, question why, because life is not about constant struggle.
• Take the time for yourself to seek the answers that you need and do not stop until you get them.

Keep your own medical records that have your medical life is summarized and easily on hand.  These can be bullet points of medications you have taken or have been on, a list of illnesses or ailments in the family, and the medical events that have happened in your life.

This helps your new doctor can do a quick scan and see everything that they need to know about you before they proceed.

Dr. Angela DeRosa’s advice to overwhelmed parents

You have to disconnect and take care of yourself, because if you do not take care of yourself then you cannot care for others. Make the time and take the space that you need in order to prioritize your health and overall wellbeing.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Angela DeRosa – How Your Doctor is Slowly Killing You: A Women’s Health Survival Guide

Useful links:

• How To Deal With Girl Drama – Set Boundaries and Cut The Gossip | EU 77
• Age Management Medicine Group Website 
• Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding
• Hormonal Health Institute
• Reclaim your Identity Challenge from August 1st, 2021
• FREE Guide Download – 5 Mistakes to Avoid for a Healthy Marriage
• Sign up for the VIP membership
• Join Our Girl Gang
• Empowered And Unapologetic Free Course

Meet Veronica Cisneros

I’m a licensed therapist and women walk into my office every day stressed and disconnected. As a mom of three daughters, I want my girls to know who they are and feel confident about their future. I can’t think of a better way to help other women than by demonstrating an empowered and unapologetic life.

So I started  Empowered and Unapologetic to be a safe space for women to be vulnerable and change their lives for the better before she ever needs to see a therapist.

Whether you listen to the podcast, join the free Facebook community, join the VIP community, or attend our annual retreat,  you’re in the right place. Let’s do this together!

Thanks for listening!

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