In this empowering episode, Dr. Anna Cabeca, The Girlfriend Doctor, sits down with internationally respected gynecologist and menopause expert Dr. Maria Sophocles to break the silence around vaginal and vulvar atrophy, hormonal shifts, and declining intimacy in midlife.

They explore why pain, dryness, and loss of desire are often normalized—and how this fuels what Dr. Sophocles calls "The Bedroom Gap." You'll learn how hormones, anatomy, stress, and communication impact pleasure, plus evidence-based strategies to restore comfort, confidence, and connection at any age.

Menopause is natural. Suffering is optional—and pleasure is your birthright.

00:00 – Welcome to The Girlfriend Doctor Show
01:45 – Why sexual medicine is missing from OB-GYN training
04:20 – What The Bedroom Gap really means
07:15 – Why women's sexual pain is often normalized
10:00 – The ABCs of sexual health: Acceptance, Being present, Communication
19:25 – Hormones, dryness, pain & loss of desire in midlife
23:10 – Vulvar anatomy & early signs women shouldn't ignore
28:15 – DHEA, estrogen & testosterone for tissue health
42:30 – Practical strategies to close the bedroom gap
58:00 – Reclaiming intimacy, confidence & pleasure at any age

"You cannot heal a body you hate."
"Menopause is natural. Suffering is optional."

"If it hurts every time you do something, why would your body want it?"
"Normalizing the problem is what keeps women stuck."
"Intimacy isn't just physical—it's communication, confidence, and connection."

Website: https://www.mariasophoclesmd.com
Virtual Practice: The Thinking Woman
Book: The Bedroom Gap (available on Amazon & major booksellers)
TED Talk & media features including Oprah Daily
Founder, Women's Healthcare of Princeton

Website: https://dranna.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

What if the future of women's longevity wasn't about fighting aging—but teaching the body how to adapt, regenerate, and thrive?

In this deeply insightful episode of The Girlfriend Doctor Show, Dr. Anna Cabeca sits down with renowned longevity and regenerative medicine expert Dr. Kathleen O'Neil to unpack the cutting-edge science—and timeless fundamentals—behind women's biohacking, immune resilience, and healthy aging.

Dr. O'Neil shares her extraordinary journey from pathology and the morgue to elite performance medicine, explaining how understanding why people die transformed how she helps patients live longer, stronger lives. Together, they explore immune modulation, peptides, GLP-1s, light and dark therapy, bone regeneration, adrenal health, energy medicine, and why balance—not extremes—is the true secret to longevity.

From menopause and bone loss to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, peptides like oxytocin and thymosin, and the power of adaptability, this episode is a masterclass in personalized, ethical, regenerative medicine for women at every stage of life.

If you're curious about biohacking beyond the hype—and want grounded, science-backed strategies that actually work—this conversation is for you.

• 00:01:00 – Welcome & introduction to longevity and regenerative medicine

• 04:05 – Dr. O'Neill's time in the morgue and what it taught her about immunity, aging, and silent disease

• 08:15 – The immune system explained: friend vs. foe, gut training, adaptability, and immune modulation

• 12:18 – Light, dark, melatonin, oxytocin & why darkness is essential for regeneration

• 13:19 – Feasting, fasting, and the paradoxes that build resilience and adaptability

• 16:04 – GLP-1s, peptides, and why dosage variability matters for long-term results

• 21:14 – Energy medicine, biochargers, frequency, vibration & photobiomodulation

• 24:10 – Adrenal burnout, cortisol dysregulation, and immune collapse

• 28:17 – Bone loss, ovarian aging clocks, and why prevention must start earlier

• 30:04 – Bone health, muscle, oxytocin & rebuilding resilience after menopause

• 36:17 – Regenerative medicine, stem cells, and ethical innovation in longevity care

• 40:41 – Inside a cutting-edge regenerative medicine clinic

• 41:02 – Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, lymphatic drainage & advanced recovery tools

• 45:18 – Personalized medicine, foundations first, adaptability & final takeaways

"Longevity is really gerotherapeutics—preventing aging by teaching the body how to regenerate." – Dr. Kathleen O'Neil

"You can't hack your life without doing the fundamentals." – Dr. Kathleen O'Neil

"Balance—light and dark, stress and recovery—is what creates adaptability." – Dr. Kathleen O'Neil

"The immune system is a living medication inside us." – Dr. Kathleen O'Neil

"Everything I do today is serving the version of myself I'll be in the future." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

Dr. Kathleen O'Neil, MD

• Website: treatwellness.boston

• Instagram: @treatwellness_

About Dr. O'Neil:
Dr. Kathleen O'Neil earned her M.D. from Boston University School of Medicine (Magna Cum Laude) and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is a global expert in regenerative and longevity medicine, peptide therapy, GLP-1s, and exosomes, working with elite athletes and professional teams. She is a founding board member of the International Peptide Society and the American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians and previously served as Medical Director of Tom Brady's TB12 Wellness Center.

Connect With Dr. Anna Cabeca

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• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

Midlife has a way of getting your attention, especially when your body starts changing in ways no one really prepared you for, and menopause is often right at the center of it. In this conversation, we talk honestly about what's really happening during this season and what women can do to feel more like themselves again. You'll hear how small, intentional shifts can lead to more energy, clarity, and resilience over time. This episode is about moving from just getting through midlife to actually feeling good in it.

I sat down with Dr. Sangeeta Pati, MD, FACOG, ABOIM, a Board-Certified OB/GYN and Integrative Medicine Physician with over 30 years of experience, and the Founder of MD Prescriptives and the SaJune Institute. We break down her simple but powerful five-point model covering hormones, nutrition, detoxification, mind-heart balance, and the physical body. She also shares how lessons from the Blue Zones apply to women's health, especially during menopause. Everything we discuss is practical, doable, and rooted in real science.

Dr. Sangeeta opens up about how her global work in maternal health and her own healing journey completely changed how she approaches women's care. We talk about stress, the nervous system, burnout, and why so many women feel overwhelmed in midlife. This episode connects the dots between everyday habits and the body's natural ability to heal. If you're craving a grounded, reassuring conversation about menopause, longevity, and whole-body wellness, you'll feel right at home here.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:04:17] Modern health care needs a radical shift.

[00:06:52] Expanding the medical toolbox.

[00:10:04] Oxytocin increasing behaviors.

[00:12:27] What living in a blue zone teaches you.

[00:15:17] Supporting the adrenals using the 3-step process.

[00:28:06] Empowering the body to heal.

[00:32:12] Gut health protocol.

[00:37:12] Hormone optimization for longevity.

[00:44:13] Joyful purpose, healing, and health.

[00:45:47] Healing with the gifts of earth.

Memorable Quotes:

"I consider modern life to be man's greatest disease." [00:12:56] – Dr. Sangeeta Pati

"It is the way that we take the journey that determines the destination. It's not the destination that determines the result. It is literally how we take the journey." [00:45:05] – Dr. Sangeeta Pati

Connect with Dr. Sangeeta Pati:

Website: https://mdprescriptives.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takemypowerback_initiative & https://www.instagram.com/md_prescriptives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555361832889 & https://www.facebook.com/mdprescriptives

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeeta-pati-md-facog-aboim-84283787/

Connect with Dr. Anna Cabeca:

Website: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/show

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com