Hormones & menopause
Menopause specialist in Sarasota, built around you
You might still be getting periods, but something is off. Sleep is lighter, your patience is thinner, weight has shifted to your middle, and it feels harder to think clearly. You searched for a menopause specialist near me because you want real answers instead of another “everything looks normal.”
At Lesh Lifestyle in Sarasota, menopause care starts with your whole picture. Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP reads your symptoms, history, and labs together, then uses bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) and lifestyle adjustments to calm the chaos and help you feel strong in your body again.
When “normal labs” do not match how you feel
Hot flashes may be obvious. Many other menopause symptoms are not. You might notice:
- Sudden anxiety or irritability that feels unlike you
- Waking at 2–3 a.m. and not falling back asleep
- Brain fog, word-finding trouble, or slower focus at work
- Low libido or pain with sex that you did not have before
- New weight around your belly, even though your habits have not changed
Traditional visits often check a few labs, say you are “fine,” and send you home. That is why so many women spend years typing hormone doctor or menopause treatment near me into search bars. They know something is shifting. They just have not had anyone sit down and explain it.
Menopause is not one day. It is a long transition. Perimenopause can last for years before periods stop, and hormone levels can swing from high to low in a short time. That shift affects temperature control, sleep patterns, mood, brain chemistry, metabolism, and sexual function. You feel it everywhere.
Dr. Sarah’s work is to listen closely, test what needs testing, and map what is actually going on with your hormones, nervous system, and overall health. Then she builds a clear plan so your symptoms make sense again.
How BHRT supports menopause and perimenopause
When estrogen, progesterone, and sometimes testosterone fall or swing, your brain and body lose the steady signals they used to rely on. That change sits underneath many menopause complaints and can aggravate existing issues. BHRT replaces what is missing using hormones that are structurally similar to what your body makes, with the goal of restoring balance rather than pushing levels too high.
At Lesh Lifestyle, hormone replacement is never a quick prescription. Dr. Sarah uses BHRT as one tool inside a full menopause care program that can address:
- Hot flashes and night sweats that disrupt sleep
- Trouble staying asleep or waking too early
- Vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, or recurrent urinary issues
- Low libido or difficulty reaching orgasm
- Mood swings, anxiety spikes, or feeling “on edge”
- Brain fog, memory glitches, and focus changes
- Weight gain and shifts in body composition
Hormone replacement for low libido, for example, often means more than adding one hormone. Dr. Sarah may adjust estrogen and progesterone, look at testosterone, check thyroid function, review medications, and consider pelvic health support like EMSELLA or vaginal rejuvenation when needed. Libido is treated as part of your whole health.
Your plan might include:
- Bioidentical hormone therapy (creams, patches, or other forms)
- Targeted supplements and nutrition changes
- Sleep and stress strategies you can actually sustain
- Pelvic wellness treatments when appropriate
- Ongoing follow up with repeat labs and symptom tracking
Every step aims at steady, realistic improvement so your body has time to adapt.
Stages of menopause, explained
Understanding where you are in the menopause transition helps the plan make sense. Stages can include:
- Early perimenopause: cycles are still regular, but PMS feels different, sleep changes, or new anxiety appears. Hormones may spike higher and drop faster than before.
- Late perimenopause: periods come closer together or further apart. Bleeding can be heavier or lighter. Hot flashes and night sweats often begin here.
- Menopause: defined as 12 months without a period. Hot flashes, sleep issues, vaginal dryness, and low libido may continue. This is also when bone and heart health become a bigger focus.
- Postmenopause: the years after that 12-month mark. Symptoms may ease or persist. Long-term support for bone, brain, and heart health is important.
Dr. Sarah uses your cycle history, symptoms, and lab trends together to place you in the right stage and choose hormone replacement, non-hormone treatments, or a mix of both.
Sexual health and low libido in menopause
Low desire is one of the most frustrating symptoms of this phase of life. Hormones are part of it, but not the whole story. Pain with sex, dryness, pelvic floor changes, sleep loss, and stress all feed into libido.
When someone asks about hormone replacement for low libido at Lesh Lifestyle, Dr. Sarah looks at:
- Estrogen and testosterone levels
- Vaginal tissue health and pain
- Pelvic floor strength and continence issues
- Relationship factors, medications, and mental health
Treatment might include BHRT, vaginal therapies, pelvic wellness devices like EMSELLA or vaginal rejuvenation, and specific guidance on timing and arousal. Everything is discussed clearly, with clinical language and no awkwardness.
Menopause support built for real life
You are carrying a lot already. Work, family, aging parents, or all three. Any menopause treatment has to fit inside that reality or it will not last.
Lesh Lifestyle offers an Integrative Membership that gives you ongoing access to Dr. Sarah for hormone, metabolic, and overall health support at $200 per month. Higher concierge tiers exist as well, so you do not have to rebuild care each time a new symptom appears.
Whether you come in from Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, or connect from another state by telehealth, the goal is the same: clear answers, a plan you understand, and steady support as your body moves through this phase.
The process
What to expect from menopause care with Dr. Sarah
- It starts with a focused discovery call with Dr. Sarah. You will talk about your main concerns, what has already been tried, and whether a menopause program at Lesh Lifestyle is the right fit. There is no pressure to sign up on that call. The goal is clarity. Most people describe feeling relieved after this first conversation. Someone finally connects their hot flashes, heavy or erratic periods, mood shifts, and sleep problems instead of treating each one in isolation.
- Reviews your full history and any prior labs you bring
- Asks specific questions about periods, pregnancies, birth control, and surgeries
- Screens for other conditions that can mimic menopause, such as thyroid issues
- Standard blood tests for estradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH, and testosterone
- Thyroid, iron, vitamin D, and metabolic markers
- Other labs when she suspects an overlapping issue
- Whether BHRT is a good fit for you right now
- Which hormones, in what form and at what dose, to start with
- How to introduce lifestyle shifts in a way that works with your real life
- Hormone specialist care is not one and done. Follow-up visits review how you are sleeping, how your mood feels, any changes in bleeding patterns, and how your body is responding. Labs are repeated at set intervals to confirm that treatment is doing what it should. Adjustments are made carefully: small shifts in dose, timing, or delivery method rather than large swings. The aim is steady progress, predictable cycles if you still have them, and symptoms that fade instead of crash.
Why Lesh Lifestyle
Why choose Lesh Lifestyle for menopause care
Many people find Lesh Lifestyle after years of feeling dismissed. That experience shapes how care works here.
Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP is a board-certified emergency physician with 12 years in practice and 25 years of Navy service. She is Konenki-vetted for menopause care and has completed dedicated training with menopause specialist Dr. Heather Hirsch. That depth means she is comfortable handling both straightforward and complex hormone cases while always watching your overall safety.
She personally takes every discovery call. She is the one reading your labs. She is the one adjusting your medication. This is not a large group clinic where you see a different person every visit.
As a concierge-style practice in downtown Sarasota, appointments are longer, the pace is unhurried, and follow up is built in. You are not rushed through a checklist. You sit in a calm room, talk through what has been happening in your body and your life, and leave with a plan that finally connects the dots.
If you live outside Sarasota, telehealth menopause care is available in 10 states, including Florida, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania, when it is appropriate for your needs.
Start with a conversation.
Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP personally takes every discovery call. Share what has been going on and hear how she would investigate it, with no pressure to decide on the spot.
FAQ
Menopause care FAQs
A menopause specialist focuses on how hormone changes affect your whole body and daily life. Dr. Sarah Secor-Jones, DO, FACEP looks at your cycles, sleep, mood, sexual health, and long-term risks together, then builds a hormone and lifestyle plan around that. A regular visit often does not go that deep.
Perimenopause often starts in the early to mid-40s, but some women notice changes in their late 30s. Irregular cycles, new PMS patterns, sleep changes, and mood shifts can all be early signs. If you live in or near Sarasota and are unsure, a discovery call with Dr. Sarah can help sort it out.
Yes, hormone swings during perimenopause can trigger nausea, dizziness, and feeling “off balance” for some women. These symptoms can also come from other causes, so Dr. Sarah checks your full history, medications, and labs before tying them only to hormones. Treatment is guided by the full picture.
You do not need specific tests before your first visit. If you have recent labs, bring them. Dr. Sarah will decide which perimenopause tests make sense based on your symptoms and cycle pattern. Testing is ordered as part of your program with Lesh Lifestyle, rather than as a separate service.
BHRT can be safe and effective for many women when prescribed and monitored by a trained physician. Dr. Sarah reviews your personal and family history, including breast cancer, blood clots, and heart disease, before recommending hormone therapy. She uses the lowest effective doses and follows current clinical guidelines for safety.
Hormone therapy can help many women with low libido, especially when estrogen or testosterone levels are low. At Lesh Lifestyle in Sarasota, Dr. Sarah also looks at pain with sex, pelvic floor issues, medications, and stress, then combines BHRT with other treatments when needed. The aim is a more comfortable, enjoyable sex life.
Most women notice some changes in sleep, hot flashes, or mood within several weeks of starting a plan. Weight, body composition, and deeper fatigue usually shift more slowly over a few months. Dr. Sarah sets a clear follow-up schedule so you know when to expect check-ins and adjustments.
Lesh Lifestyle offers both. Menopause and perimenopause care is available in person in Sarasota and by telehealth in 10 states, including Florida, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and others. Some exams or procedures still require in-person visits, which Dr. Sarah will explain during your discovery call.
Yes, menopause support is usually part of a broader integrative plan. Hormones connect to weight, sleep, mood, and long-term health. The Integrative Membership at $200 per month and other concierge tiers allow Dr. Sarah to manage your hormones, metabolism, and overall health together rather than in separate visits.
You start with a discovery call. From Sarasota or nearby areas like Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton, you can book through Practice Better for a time that fits your schedule. Dr. Sarah will listen, explain how care works at Lesh Lifestyle, and help you decide if this is the right place for your menopause care. When you are ready to stop guessing at what your hormones are doing, real menopause support is here. Start with a conversation so you can understand your options clearly.