There are few things more infuriating than knowing, deep in your bones, that something is wrong with your body, only to have a medical professional look you in the eye and tell you it's all in your head.

That was my reality in my early 40s.

I was at a regular check-up with my gynecologist—a woman I had trusted for years. I came to her with a list of symptoms that were derailing my life: a brain fog so thick I felt like I was wading through mud, a level of fatigue that coffee couldn't touch, and a bizarre, new kind of insomnia that had me wide awake at 3 AM every single night.

I was a startup founder. I was used to stress. This was different. This was physiological.

Her response was immediate and dismissive. I was "too young" for it to be perimenopause. She told me the best course of action was to simply stay on my hormonal contraception (the mini-pill) "until menopause."

I pushed back. By then, I had already spent countless late nights doing my own research. I had read books by experts like Sheila de Liz. I had scoured Google and was beginning to find actual medical studies. I knew, with growing certainty, that the synthetic progestin in my mini-pill was not the same as the body-identical progesterone my body was so clearly missing. I tried to explain this.

She told me I was wrong.

I felt invisible. But I was also angry. And I decided in that moment that I was not leaving without a fight. I stopped asking and started demanding. I told her I wanted a prescription for Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Reluctantly, she wrote a prescription for estrogen gel. But as she handed it to me, she looked at me and said, "This won't help you."

I have never forgotten those words. The sheer dismissal. The lack of curiosity. The refusal to even consider that I might be right about my own body.

I took the prescription. I walked out of her office. And I never went back.

That was the moment I truly became the CEO of my own health. I started the estrogen gel immediately, and my next action was to find a new doctor.

This is my most important piece of advice: If your doctor is not helpful, not listening, or not up-to-date on the current science, find a new one. You are not obligated to stay with a provider who dismisses your legitimate concerns.

I found a new doctor—one who specialized in menopause. I walked into her office and told her the whole story. She listened. She validated my research. She agreed with my assessment. We made a plan together. I stopped the mini-pill for good and got a prescription for body-identical progesterone to go with my estrogen gel.

Now, at 43, I have been on HRT for almost a year. It was a long, frustrating battle to get here, and it took time to find the right dosage. But it was the first and most critical step in getting my life back. That prescription my first doctor told me "wouldn't help" was the key that unlocked everything.

You are the only person who lives in your body. You are its foremost expert. If you feel like something is wrong, do the research, trust your gut, and demand the care you deserve. And if your doctor won't listen? Find one who will.

All the best,

Sonja Rincón

Founder & CEO, Menotracker