Esther Eisenberg, MD, MPH, is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and gynecologist whose career encompasses academic obstetrics and gynecology, clinical practice focused on infertility, polycystic ovary disease complicated menopause and reproductive disorders, and clinical research. She served on the faculty of Vanderbilt University Medical Center for more than 20 years and subsequently as a medical officer in the Fertility and Infertility (FI) Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for 15 years where she directed the Program on Reproductive Medicine/Infertility. Dr. Eisenberg served as project scientist of the Reproductive Medicine Network (RMN), a cooperative multicenter clinical trials network, for more than 10 years, providing leadership from initiation through completion of clinical trials that lead to new therapies for infertility. She was a member of the NICHD Maternal Health Coordinating Committee, Reproductive Health Group, Clinical Trials Working Group and Data and Specimen Sharing Committee.
Dr. Eisenberg’s accomplishments include organizing and directing one of the first in-vitro fertilization programs in the U.S. from 1983-1991 at Pennsylvania Hospital; authoring more than 175 publications in the area of infertility and women’s health, and co-authoring a book for women and their families, Hysterectomy: Exploring Your Options, currently in its second edition. She has been recognized as a Top Doctor and Best Doctor by her peers, and honored for exceptional leadership and outstanding service with many awards including the NICHD Outstanding Mentor Award and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s Women’s Council Distinguished Service Award. She was honored in 2024 by Albert Einstein College of Medicine with the Dominic P. Purpura Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Eisenberg obtained her undergraduate degree from CUNY at Queens College in New York, her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University Medical Center, and fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she earned a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in epidemiology and biostatistics at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Prior to joining the NICHD full-time in 2014, she was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Eisenberg is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and is Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University. Her areas of expertise include women’s health, human reproduction and treatment of infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis.
Q: What was your motivation for writing Menopause: What Your Ob-Gyn Wants You to Know?
A: My motivation was to provide women with credible information on menopause.
Q: What is perimenopause? What are the symptoms?
A: Perimenopause is the time period prior to the final menstrual period (menopause) when women experience changes to their menstrual cycle. The hallmark of perimenopause is a change in the bleeding pattern, amount, duration, frequency of menstrual bleeding. Other symptoms such as hot flashes and flushes, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness among others may also occur during this time.
Q: In the book, you talk about premature and early menopause. What are some of the causes?
A: Premature and early menopause may be caused by genetic factors.
Q: Women going through menopause may experience weight gain and sleep problems. What should they address with their doctor?
A: They should bring up symptoms that are troubling them with their doctor. Often there are treatments available.
Q: Do you recommend dietary supplementation for menopausal women? If so, which ones?
A: Eating a healthy diet is generally sufficient. If a woman wants to take a supplement, then a multivitamin and calcium is reasonable.
Q: Why is there an increase in the risk of bone loss for women during and after menopause?
A: Bone loss is inevitable as the ovary stops producing estrogen (which is one of the main hormonal changes in menopause) because estrogen prevents bone resorption by bone remodeling cells called osteoclasts.
Q: What advice do you have to prevent/lessen it?
A: Eating a healthy diet with sufficient sources of calcium, adequate vitamin D, weight bearing exercises all help to limit bone loss, and monitoring bone health with bone density tests will alert a woman’s physician to prescribe medicines that help prevent bone loss if it is occurring.
Q: What effect does menopause have on stress?
A: Menopause may affect a woman’s response and resilience to stress.
Q: What are ways to combat it?
A: Daily exercise, making sure one gets sufficient sleep, taking time for self-care, talking about stress factors with friends, family or a therapist.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: The book recently published by ACOG, Menopause: What Your OB-Gyn Wants You To Know, is a great resource for women going through menopause, and anyone who wants to know more about menopause. This book provides evidence-based and expert-vetted information about menopausal symptoms and treatment options.
