A Personal Trainer’s Journey to Find the Right Hormone Therapy Regimen & Reclaim Movement in Menopause

As a personal trainer, Jenny Skoog has been helping women feel at home in their bodies for over twenty years. Somewhere along the way, she realized she wasn’t feeling at home in hers.

We talked to Jenny about her trial-and-error journey to find the right menopause provider—and the right hormone therapy regimen—and how her experience has impacted the way she trains women.

How her work helped her realize she was in menopause

I’ve been a personal trainer since 2005, and I’ve picked up certifications along the way to support my clients. Birth doula training, pre- and postnatal, childbirth education, you name it. I’ve always worked with menopausal women, but at one point, several of my clients were going through it at the same time and I started noticing patterns.

I signed up for a menopause coaching program called Girls Gone Strong, and while I was going through it and learning about the symptoms, I was like, “Wait a minute. I have that, I have that, too!” Joint pain, weight gain, fatigue…I had a bunch of them. As a trainer, I had been used to working out five or six days a week, but I no longer had it in me. I was exhausted.

On her journey to find the right provider

One of my clients recommended her menopause specialist. I went to her, and she put me on a once-weekly patch. My experience in the beginning was bumpy. I couldn’t find the right dosage, and once I had established care, my doctor left the practice.

I started seeing a new gynecologist and told her what was going on. I had questions because I felt like my patch was giving me a rash, and I was experiencing side effects, but they just kept upping my dose. Then I found Elektra.

On finally finding the right fit

Somebody told me about Elektra Health, and I made an appointment because they took my insurance. I was actually able to get an appointment the next day with Dr. Laurel Edmundson. When I logged on, she wasn’t in a hurry. She spent a lot of time listening to me, troubleshooting with me, and really getting deep into my symptoms. I finally felt heard and understood. I had found my person.

Dr. Edmundson prescribed the right dose and formulation of hormone therapy for me. Instead of doing weekly patches, I’m now doing twice-weekly patches at a lower dose. I realized I was taking way too much progesterone, so she re-prescribed that. We also talked at length about testosterone and whether it’s a good fit or not, and what it can and can’t do.

It was really a conversation. There was no pushing anything—it was just a conversation. I feel so much better now.

Since getting the proper dose of hormone therapy, I’m also back up to three or four days a week of strength training in the gym. I lift heavy as much as I can, and I’ve taken up running again because my joint pain has subsided.

On how menopause has impacted her career

In terms of training my clients, that has really changed. Several of my clients have had breast cancer and some aren’t eligible for hormone therapy. Helping them manage their symptoms is really at the forefront for me, and exercise is one of the best ways to do that.

I work in a male-dominated industry. There’s a general sense of suck it up-ness—“no pain no gain.” I’ve never really subscribed to that, but I think it’s important to have the fitness industry clued in here. We need more education for trainers on menopause.

A lot of women say to me “I’m gaining weight in the middle, what’s that about?” Now I can explain why that happens. You can’t crunch your way to a flat stomach—I’m proof—but you can talk to your doctor about options when it comes to hormones. At the same time, I tell women that they’re allowed to take up space. That our bodies are allowed to change.