Protecting your heart and bones for decades.
Menopause changes more than your periods. Cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density and weight all shift in this decade. As a full primary-care practice, we track and treat all of it in the same place as your menopause care.
- Same clinicians every visit
- Bridgewater, Nutley & telehealth statewide
- Just about every insurance, including Medicaid
What changes after menopause
Estrogen quietly protects bones, blood vessels and metabolism. As it falls, a few things change that you can't feel but can measure, and act on.
Bones
Bone loss is fastest in the few years around your final period. Over time that raises the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Cholesterol
LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, tends to rise during the menopause transition, even if your diet hasn't changed.
Blood pressure
Often creeps up in the years after menopause, adding to heart and stroke risk. Blood pressure care
Weight & blood sugar
Fat shifts toward the abdomen, which raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes care
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. The menopause transition is one of the best times to check your numbers and make changes that pay off for decades.
What we check, and when
Because we're your primary-care practice, these checks happen alongside your menopause visits instead of being left for someone else to remember.
- Cholesterol panel: at least every few years, more often if it's rising or you're on treatment. Cholesterol care
- Blood pressure: at every visit, with a home monitor plan if it's creeping up
- Blood sugar (A1C): especially if weight is rising or diabetes runs in your family
- Bone density (DEXA) scan: for all women at 65, and earlier if you have risk factors such as early menopause, low body weight, smoking or a family history of hip fracture
- Thyroid: when fatigue, weight gain or mood changes suggest it. Thyroid care
- Vitamin D: when bone health is a concern
If menopause came early
Menopause before 45, whether natural or after surgery or cancer treatment, raises long-term risks for bones and heart. Hormone therapy until around the usual age of menopause is generally recommended for these women unless there's a reason to avoid it. Hormone therapy
Know your numbers, then do something about them.
Most new patients are seen within a week, in person in Bridgewater or Nutley, or by video anywhere in New Jersey.
Treatments that protect you long term
What you need depends on your numbers and your history. These are the tools we use most.
Strength & weight-bearing exercise
The single best habit for bones, muscle, weight, blood sugar and mood. We help you start safely, whatever your fitness level.
Hormone therapy
FDA-approved to help prevent osteoporosis, and it lowers fracture risk while you take it. It also eases the hot flashes and sleep problems that make healthy habits harder.
Osteoporosis medicines
If a scan shows osteoporosis or high fracture risk, medicines such as bisphosphonates rebuild protection. We explain the options and monitor you.
Cholesterol & blood pressure treatment
Lifestyle first, and medicine when your numbers or overall risk call for it, managed here rather than handed off.
Medical weight management
Nutrition support and, when appropriate, GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, in person or by telehealth. Weight management
Calcium & vitamin D
From food first, with supplements only if your diet or blood levels fall short. More isn't better.
Weight after menopause
Many women gain weight in midlife without changing how they eat, and more of it settles around the middle. It isn't about willpower. Falling estrogen moves fat to the abdomen, muscle loss lowers the calories you burn at rest, and poor sleep drives appetite.
Hormone therapy doesn't cause weight gain. What works is a plan that treats the causes together: strength training, enough protein, better sleep, a check of thyroid and blood sugar, and medical weight-loss treatment when lifestyle changes aren't enough.
Why women choose MyPremierMD
- One practice for everything. Menopause, heart, bones, weight, thyroid and diabetes, with no gaps between specialists.
- The same clinicians every visit. Kayla Yanga, NP, in Nutley and Jackie Bruno, NP, in Bridgewater.
- Just about every insurance, including Medicaid, for visits, labs and screening.
- More than 20 years of experience. Our medical director, David Boguslavsky, MD, founded the practice in 2006.
Heart and bone health questions
Does menopause raise the risk of heart disease?
Yes. After menopause, LDL cholesterol tends to rise, blood pressure often climbs, and fat shifts toward the abdomen, all of which raise heart risk. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, and the menopause transition is a good time to check your numbers and act on them.
When should I have a bone density test?
Screening is recommended for all women at 65, and earlier for postmenopausal women with risk factors such as early menopause, low body weight, smoking, a family history of hip fracture, or long-term steroid use. We order the scan and go over the results with you.
Does hormone therapy protect bones?
Yes. Hormone therapy is FDA-approved to help prevent osteoporosis and lowers the risk of fractures while you take it. For women who already have osteoporosis, other medicines are often a better fit, and we discuss them with you.
Why am I gaining weight around my middle?
As estrogen falls, the body stores more fat around the abdomen. Muscle loss with age slows metabolism, and poor sleep raises appetite. Strength training, enough protein, better sleep and, when needed, medical weight-loss treatment all help.
Does early menopause change my risks?
Yes. Menopause before 45, whether natural or after surgery, raises long-term risks for bones and heart. Hormone therapy until around the usual age of menopause is generally recommended for these women unless there's a reason to avoid it.
Do I need a separate cardiologist or endocrinologist?
Usually not. As your primary-care practice we manage cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid and bone health ourselves, and refer you to a specialist when you need one.
- El Khoudary SR, et al. Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation 2020;142(25):e506–e532.
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: Recommendation Statement. JAMA 2025.
- The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause 2022;29(7):767–794.
Contact MyPremierMD Today
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