The Missing Link in Women's Health - Dr Kayla Osterhoff
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EPISODE SUMMARY
In this groundbreaking lecture, Dr. Kayla Osterhoff breaks down why the female body is still one of the least understood topics in modern medicine. From the massive gender gaps in clinical research to the misunderstood role of hormonal rhythms, this talk challenges nearly every conventional health assumption about women’s physiology. You’ll learn how the female biological rhythm affects everything from metabolism to cognition—and why the missing link in women’s health isn’t just about hormones, but about data, design, and decades of neglect.
5 KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The Research Gap Is Real—and Deep
Women were banned from clinical research until 1993, and even today remain underrepresented, especially in areas like drug trials, cardiovascular studies, and brain health.
• Bikini Medicine Isn’t Enough
Most “women’s health” research still focuses narrowly on reproductive organs, ignoring how sex hormones impact the brain, immune system, metabolism, and more.
• The Female Biological Rhythm Is NOT 24 Hours
Unlike men, women operate on a ~28-day hormonal rhythm—shifting cognition, metabolism, stress response, and energy throughout four distinct phases.
• Health Advice That Ignores Hormones Can Be Harmful
Popular trends like intermittent fasting or high-intensity training may work well for men but can backfire for women if not timed to their hormonal cycle.
• Personalized, Phase-Based Health Is the Future
Tracking one’s own biological rhythm and learning phase-specific strategies for supplements, sleep, nutrition, and stress is the most empowering step women can take now.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction to Dr. Osterhoff and the concept of the female biological rhythm
02:00 How women’s bodies have been systematically excluded from research
05:00 The ripple effect of male-dominant data in modern healthcare
08:30 Defining “bikini medicine” and what’s missing from the conversation
12:00 Key health disparities disproportionately affecting women
15:00 How hormones like estrogen and progesterone drive physiological complexity
19:00 The difference between the male 24-hour rhythm and the female 28-day rhythm
24:00 A breakdown of the four hormonal phases and what changes in each
31:00 Cognitive shifts across the menstrual cycle
34:00 Why research still avoids studying cycling women
39:00 How to critically assess research that claims universal outcomes
43:00 Strategies for women to become their own health advocates
47:00 Why lifestyle, supplements, and exercise must change by phase
50:00 Q&A: HRT, menopause rhythms, HRV, supplements, and more
01:07:00 Final thoughts on changing the system from the inside out
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Dr. Kayla Osterhoff – HerBioRhythm.com
Women’s Neuropsychophysiology Certification – Learn More Here
Instagram: @dr.kaylaosterhoff
Landmark study on sex differences in drug adverse events: NIH Source
Office of Women’s Health at NIH: womenshealth.gov
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