Welcome to The Ovary Club with me, Alisa Vitti, your source for women's hormone truth from someone who's been pioneering this conversation for over 20 years.
If you want to join the club, here's what you need to know: your ovaries are a key driver of how you feel, function and age. They track everything and it's time you start working with them.
And no, your body doesn't operate like a man's, so your health strategy shouldn't either.
That's why I'm here to help you deal with hormone symptoms naturally, slow hormonal aging, and biohack like a woman.
Inside The Ovary Club, we do things differently. This is gender-specific science designed to help optimize your health through every decade of life.
Why listen to me? I'm a women's hormone and functional nutrition expert, bestselling author of WomanCode and In the Flo, and the creator of the Cycle Syncing® Method and Flo Living.
So if you're ready to join the club, consider this your invitation to fall in love with your amazing female body and start living in sync with your hormones.
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28: Early Puberty in Girls: 4 Surprising Triggers + What Parents Can Do
Episode 28
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 • Duration 15:01
Girls are starting puberty earlier than they did a generation ago. Some pediatricians are now seeing breast buds in girls as young as 6 and 7. And it is not just genetics. Everyday factors like stress, diet, and chemical exposure can push a girl's body into puberty years before it is ready.
In this solo episode of The Ovary Club, I am breaking down why the timing of puberty matters so much more than most people realize, the four main factors research has linked to early puberty, and the simple, consistent things you can do to set your daughter's hormones up for success. Whether you are a mom or not, this is information every woman should have.
I am also sharing exactly what I do for my own daughters, from screens off after 7 p.m. and fragrance-free products, to how we talk about bodies and periods at home. Because none of us had this information handed to us. You have it now, and that is what matters.
What's Discussed:
(1:07) How the timeline of puberty is shifting for girls.
(2:24) What precocious puberty is and the signs to watch for.
(3:08) Why the timing of puberty matters decades later.
(4:06) How chronic stress is linked to earlier periods in girls.
(4:49) The personal care products worth a closer look.
(5:20) What diet and rapid weight gain have to do with puberty timing.
(5:59) The surprising link between infant feeding and puberty.
(7:11) My own late puberty and why I wanted something different for my daughters.
(7:49) How I manage my daughters' stress load and screen time.
(8:32) What I look for in personal care products at home.
(9:01) How to feed her for healthy hormones, starting in infancy.
(9:56) Why the conversation about her body should start early.
(10:26) The simple daily check that teaches kids to read their body's signals.
Thank You to our Sponsors:
FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c
27: Why Low Desire Isn't Just a Hormone Problem with Kimberly Ann Johnson
Episode 27
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 • Duration 01:11:50
If your desire has disappeared, you probably already have a theory about why. Your hormones. Your age. Your relationship. The kids. But there is a system sitting underneath all of those that almost nobody is talking about. When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, your body is not going to prioritize pleasure, no matter how clean your diet is or how perfect your protocol looks.
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with my friend Kimberly Ann Johnson to talk about what is actually happening when women feel cut off from their bodies, why postpartum is so often where that disconnection begins, and why trying to "fix" your nervous system can keep you stuck in the exact state you are trying to get out of. We also get into her new book, Erotic Seasons, and how a woman's desire shifts through every season of her life and every phase of her cycle.
Kimberly Ann Johnson is a sexological bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner, birth doula, and postpartum advocate who has spent the past twenty years helping women heal from birth injuries, gynecological surgeries, and sexual boundary violations. She is the author of the early mothering classic The Fourth Trimester and Call of the Wild, the creator of Activate Your Inner Jaguar, and the host of the Sex Birth Trauma podcast. Her new book, Erotic Seasons: Tuning into the Rhythms of Women's Sexuality and Spirituality, maps a woman's sexuality through the maiden, mother, virgin, and crone seasons of life.
What's Discussed:
(6:45) What is actually happening in your nervous system when you feel cut off from your body.
(8:02) The "social nervous system" and why so many women get stuck in comparison mode.
(10:06) What "I've done everything and nothing works" may really be telling you.
(14:17) What is going on underneath disappearing desire.
(19:22) Why calling oxytocin "the love hormone" sells it short.
(25:22) Why postpartum is so often where long-term disconnection from your body begins.
(29:12) Why postpartum care should look more like recovering from a car accident than "bouncing back."
26: Your Perimenopause Questions Answered: Food, Weight, HRT + More
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 • Duration 33:00
Perimenopause brings up a lot of very specific questions. What should I actually be eating? Why am I suddenly gaining weight when I have not changed anything? Should I be fasting? Is HRT enough? And what do I do if symptoms are already showing up hard in my 40s?
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I am answering four real questions women sent me about navigating this stage. I take you inside how I structure my own meals, when I eat carbohydrates, how I fuel strength training, what I pay attention to when weight suddenly becomes harder to manage, and where HRT fits into the bigger picture.
I am also sharing what I am doing personally at 49, because I do not believe women should have to wait until symptoms become unbearable before they start changing how they support their hormones. There is a lot we can pay attention to now, and sometimes the smallest adjustments tell you the most about what your body needs.
What's Discussed:
Q&A 1 | 0:56 What should I eat in perimenopause if I have insulin resistance and strength train?
Q&A 2 | 16:12 Could menopause eventually become optional?
Q&A 3 | 22:45 What can women 45+ do when hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, and irregular periods are already showing up?
Q&A 4 | 28:16 Why will the scale not budge at 47 even when I walk daily and eat clean?
Want More of Your Questions Answered?
I had way more perimenopause questions than I could fit into one public episode, so I kept going.
The full Q&A is available exclusively inside The Ovary Club Insiders, where I answer more of your questions about caffeine, dietary fat, legumes and the bean protocol, melatonin, and more.
FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at
25: How to Eat for Better Egg Quality, Ovulation, and Pregnancy with Lily Nichols
Episode 25
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 • Duration 01:11:47
If having a baby is somewhere in your plans for the next year, there is a lot you can be doing now that most women are never told about. Fertility prep starts well before you are officially "trying," and the months leading up to conception are a chance to support your body in ways that can make a real difference.
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Lily Nichols for a much-needed conversation about what preconception nutrition actually looks like. We talk about where the usual fertility advice falls short, the things women are doing in the name of "health" that may not be helping, and what I want you paying attention to now if pregnancy is on your radar. We also get into the part of fertility prep that should never fall entirely on the woman.
Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author known for her evidence-based work in prenatal nutrition. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal Nutrition® and the author of Real Food for Pregnancy, Real Food for Fertility, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Her books have reached millions of readers worldwide, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally.
What's Discussed:
(6:49) Why fertility nutrition should start months before you begin trying.
(11:19) Why having a "normal" period does not necessarily tell you everything about ovulation.
(13:39) What blood sugar can tell you about fertility, even when your labs are technically normal.
(19:54) The problem with fasting and under-eating when you are trying to support fertility.
(37:06) How long an egg is actually developing before ovulation.
(39:34) Why not all prenatal vitamins are created equal.
(49:21) What hormonal birth control can do to nutrient levels before conception.
(56:45) Why nutrition still matters if you are going through IVF.
24: 5 Ways Travel Disrupts Your Hormones + How to Protect Them From a Women's Hormone Expert
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 • Duration 21:07
If you are in your 40s or 50s and travel suddenly feels harder on your body than it used to, we need to talk. You come home bloated, constipated, exhausted, starving at weird times, sleeping terribly, and wondering why one trip knocked you out for days. In midlife, your hormones are already shifting, and travel can pile even more disruption on top of that.
There are five things I pay very close attention to when I travel now: my circadian rhythm, hydration, gut health, blood sugar and cortisol, and mitochondrial health. In this episode, I am breaking down what flying can do to each one, why women in perimenopause may feel those changes more intensely, and the things you can do before, during, and after a trip to make recovery much easier.
And I am giving you my personal travel routine because, as I say in the episode, I am a delicate flower. 😂 I bring my food. I pack my supplements and tea. I get up and do squats and calf raises on the airplane. I have spent years figuring out what keeps me feeling like myself when I travel, especially now in perimenopause, and I want you to take whatever helps make your next trip easier on your body.
(1:50) What crossing time zones can do to your circadian rhythm.
(5:04) Why protecting melatonin matters for much more than sleep.
(6:41) The surprising connection between dehydration, hunger, and fullness.
(7:56) Why your post-travel constipation may also affect your hormones.
(9:17) Where blood sugar and cortisol start getting messy during travel.
(10:05) Why I really want you to stop winging your food at the airport.
23: How to Eat for Your Hormones Without Making Food Miserable with Giada De Laurentiis
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 • Duration 58:06
Food is one of the most powerful tools we have for hormonal health, and somehow it has become one of the most confusing. Protein targets, fasting windows, carbs, fats, blood sugar, meal timing, supplements, food quality... women are trying so hard to get it "right" that eating can start to feel like another full-time job. And somewhere in all of that advice, we have lost the part where food is supposed to taste good, fit into an actual life, and be something we enjoy.
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Giada De Laurentiis to make eating for your hormones feel practical again. We get into what happens when the way you have always eaten no longer feels like it is working for your body, why hormone health is about more than simply choosing "healthy" foods, and how to build an approach to eating that can actually survive a busy life, travel, restaurants, family, and everything else women are carrying. Most importantly, we talk about how to do all of that without taking the joy out of food in the process.
Giada De Laurentiis is an Emmy Award-winning chef, nine-time New York Times bestselling cookbook author, and one of the most recognizable culinary voices in the world. Born in Rome and trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, she brings a perspective on food that has always gone far beyond calories and macros. This conversation brings that philosophy into the hormone conversation, and into the very real question so many women are asking: How do I eat in a way that supports my body without making food miserable?
(03:40) Why hormone changes can begin in your early 40s even when standard lab results still appear "normal."
(11:07) Why eating foods that seem healthy may still leave blood sugar, cholesterol, inflammation, and energy moving in the wrong direction.
(15:22) How fasting and meal timing can work against some women in midlife instead of supporting their metabolism.
(22:36) How protein, carbohydrates, fats, and the way meals are structured can change metabolic health.
22: Why Broken Sleep After 40 Is Not Something You Should Accept with Dr. Andrea Matsumura
Episode 23
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 01:10:08
If you are waking up at 3 a.m. every night, getting enough hours but still feeling exhausted, or suddenly having trouble sleeping when you never used to, please stop writing it off as "just perimenopause." Yes, your hormones are changing. But that does not mean every sleep problem after 40 should automatically get blamed on hormones and left there. Women can have real sleep disorders in midlife that show up very differently than the symptoms most doctors were trained to look for.
In this episode of The Ovary Club, Dr. Andrea Matsumura and I unpack why broken sleep after 40 is more complicated than "your hormones are changing," and why so many women are still not getting the right answers. We talk about the sleep problems that are commonly missed in midlife, what your 3 a.m. wake-up may actually be telling you, and why some of the most popular sleep fixes may not be helping the way you think they are
Dr. Andrea Matsumura is a board-certified sleep medicine physician, certified menopause practitioner, and founder of the D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method. She has built her work around something that should have happened a long time ago: looking at women's sleep through female physiology. Her framework considers daily habits, your sleep environment, emotions, circadian archetype, and the medical conditions that can quietly keep women from getting restorative sleep.
What's Discussed
(7:42) Why estrogen changes can disrupt the melatonin signal helping you stay asleep.
(12:26) The four-part sleep pattern Dr. Matsumura keeps seeing in women entering menopause.
(15:19) What may really be happening behind the 3 a.m. wake-up.
(23:05) Why women with sleep apnea often do not look like the sleep apnea patient you are picturing.
(46:28) Why your own melatonin production can take a major hit by midlife.
(51:14) The problem with taking high-dose melatonin right before bed.
(1:03:43) What to ask when you know your sleep is not normal but no one has investigated it.
Website:
21: 5 Fertility Biohacks That Actually Work After 35 From a Women's Hormone Expert
Episode 21
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 45:19
If you have ever been told, "Well, you are over 35," as if that is the end of the fertility conversation, I need you to hear this episode. Of course age matters. I am not arguing with biology. But there is another piece of fertility that I pay very close attention to, and it can tell us so much more about what is actually happening with your ovaries than the number on your birthday cake.
I have lived this myself. I had PCOS, was told when I was younger that having children could be very difficult for me, conceived my first daughter at 37, and had my second two months after turning 44. None of that happened because I found some magic fertility trick at the last minute. There were very specific things I had been doing for years to support my hormones, my ovaries, and my fertility, and in this episode I am walking you through the five biohacks I believe made the biggest difference.
So whether you are trying to conceive right now, getting ready for IVF, coming back from a loss, or sitting there thinking, "I definitely want kids someday, just not yet," this conversation is for you. We are getting into the things I wish more women were told to think about before fertility becomes urgent, including a few that probably are not even on your radar yet.
What's Discussed:
(2:26) Why your chronological age is not the only age that matters for fertility.
(5:17) My own fertility story and what I had been doing long before I was ready to conceive.
(11:15) Why fertility is much more than simply whether or not you ovulate.
(17:26) The difference between taking a prenatal and actually preparing your ovaries for conception.
(27:55) The fertility biohack most women would never think to put on their preconception list.
(31:08) Why some of the "healthy" habits women are following may actually work against fertility.
(35:08) The overlooked nighttime factor that can change what happens hormonally in your next cycle.
If becoming a mom is something you want now or someday, I do not want you waiting until you are actively trying to start thinking about your fertility. There is so much more to this conversation than age, and that is exactly what we are getting into in this episode.
20: The Science Behind Your Libido + Why It Changes Across Your Cycle and Perimenopause
Episode 20
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 • Duration 42:11
In your 40s, libido can start feeling completely unfamiliar. One week you cannot keep your hands off your partner. The next, they initiate and you would genuinely rather finish your to-do list. And suddenly your brain goes there: Am I not attracted to them anymore? Is something wrong with our relationship? Why do I feel so different?
This is where understanding female biology can save us from making a hormonal shift mean something it may not mean at all. Desire changes across the menstrual cycle, and the way it shows up can change again during perimenopause. Sometimes it is spontaneous. Sometimes your body needs touch, connection, foreplay, emotional safety, or simply enough space to get out of your head and back into your body.
In this solo episode of The Ovary Club, I am breaking down what happens to female desire across your cycle and through perimenopause, what your libido can reveal about your overall health, and the unexpected ways to support it in midlife. And no, this is not another conversation telling you to put on some lingerie and "get in the mood." We are going much deeper than that.
What's Discussed:
(02:51) Why your sex drive is not supposed to feel the same throughout the month. (05:36) Spontaneous vs. responsive desire and why confusing the two can create unnecessary relationship worry. (08:50) Why lubrication naturally changes across the cycle. (13:14) What libido can reveal about your overall health. (17:35) What desire may look like during each phase of your cycle. (28:29) Unexpected ways to support libido and sexual response. (42:32) The everyday habits that can quietly shut desire down.
Thank you to our sponsor:
Veracity: Veracity's Metabolism Ignite is a great alternative to GLP-1s. Code INTHEFLO20 gets you 20% off: https://tinyurl.com/2pxh4j5r
19: The Cortisol Loop Hijacking Your Hormones with Dr. Taz Bhatia
Episode 19
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 • Duration 55:31
Stress is often presented to women as a vague explanation for symptoms no one has investigated deeply enough. You are exhausted, anxious, unable to sleep, gaining weight, or noticing that your cycle has changed, and the conversation ends with advice to relax. But what if stress is not the end of the explanation? What if it is the beginning of a physiological loop affecting nearly every system involved?
In this episode of The Ovary Club, I sit down with Dr. Taz Bhatia to examine what happens when a healthy stress response stops resolving and cortisol begins running the show. We trace the progression from feeling constantly activated to disrupted sleep, unstable blood sugar, low progesterone, sluggish thyroid function, inflammation, burnout, and chronic disease. We also explore why ignoring your intuition can become a stress input of its own, what cortisol testing can and cannot reveal, and how to build a recovery plan without overwhelming an already overwhelmed body.
Dr. Taz Bhatia is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author of Super Woman Rx and The Hormone Shift, and founder of hol+. Her clinical approach combines Western medicine with Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, nutrition, emotional health, and nervous-system regulation to identify the individual drivers keeping each patient stuck.
(01:54) What separates ordinary stress from the cortisol loop and why the body can become unable to switch it off.
(08:41) How cortisol dysfunction progresses from constant activation to reversed rhythms, daytime exhaustion, insomnia, and hormone disruption.
(15:30) The hidden cortisol inputs women may overlook, including the physiological cost of repeatedly ignoring their intuition.
(19:20) Why chronic stress affects women differently and how cortisol can drive androgens, blood sugar instability, weight gain, PMOS, and difficult perimenopause symptoms.
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(36:24) The blue and red framework, and why noticing what feels good is a skill.
(47:07) Why going from a busy day straight into intimacy is like going zero to 60.
(52:13) The biggest misconception about how women try to "fix" their nervous system.
(1:00:32) The four erotic seasons of a woman's life.
(1:08:49) How your monthly cycle gives you a preview of every erotic season.
(1:15:14) Where to start if you feel disconnected and your desire is low.
Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living (supplement): Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
Slow Down Hormonal Aging Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c
Erotic Seasons available for pre-order now & a Free Gift: Download an exclusive additional chapter from Erotic Seasons entitled "The Body and the Belly" at www.kimberlyannjohnson.com/erotic-seasons-book/
(1:03:35) Why male fertility needs to be part of the preconception conversation.
(1:09:47) What to start doing now if you want to try to conceive within the next year.
(1:16:28) Can you really improve egg quality in 90 days?
Thank You to our Sponsors: FLO Living: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
Slow Down Hormonal Aging
Want to be more proactive about your hormones as you get older? Start with Alisa's Slow Down Hormonal Aging resource and learn what you can begin paying attention to now: alisavitti.kit.com/77c59f219c
Boost Your Fertility
Trying to conceive now or in the future? Get Alisa's guide including the exact supplement protocol she used to conceive at 36 and 43, plus her essential fertility biohacks: https://alisavitti.kit.com/a2b80c30b0
(31:31) Why fiber becomes especially important for digestion, gut health, and estrogen metabolism in menopause.
(41:02) Why HRT can be helpful without replacing the nutrition and lifestyle foundations your body still needs.
(47:51) How to eat for your hormones without turning food into restriction, perfectionism, or another source of stress.
Free Guide:
The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what is normal and when to expect the shift.
If you are doing all the "right" things and still waking up exhausted, this conversation will give you a very different way to look at what might be going on.
Thank You to Our Sponsors:
FLOLiving: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90 Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: https://alisavitti.kit.com/e9c34804dc
The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: alisavitti.kit.com/
(32:36) How cortisol interferes with progesterone, thyroid function, insulin, testosterone, ovulation, and the wider hormonal axis.
(35:55) The tests and personal data that may help reveal cortisol dysregulation when a standard laboratory panel appears normal.
(39:54) How Dr. Taz sequences recovery and the practical routines that help women begin breaking the loop without adding more pressure.
FLO Living supplements: Get 25% off with the code podcast25 at floliving.com
Free Guide:
The 90-Day Reset Roadmap: Most women quit fixing their hormones right before it actually works, because nobody told them what to expect. Your body works in cycles, not days, so real change shows up over about three of them. I mapped it out month by month in a guide called the 90-Day Reset Roadmap, so you know exactly what's normal, and when to expect the shift. Get it for free here: alisavitti.kit.com/
