Your Health. Your Future. THE NEXT CHAPTER
Partnering in Menopause & Hormone Health
Dr. Sherrod Hamlin, DO
Signs & Symptoms: It is NOT just Hot Flashes.
The Body: "What is happening?"
- Weight gain around the midsection
- Dry, itchy, or thinning skin
- Unusual Joint pain and stiffness
- Muscle loss despite exercise (sarcopenia)
- Exercise intolerance (feeling hit by a truck after every workout)
- Daily fatigue or needing to nap
- Frozen shoulder
- Plantar fasciitis
- Unusual injuries from routine movement
- Bloating and slowed digestion
- Breast tenderness or swelling
- Thinning hair on the scalp
- Unwanted facial hair
- Brittle or peeling nails
- Dry eyes or changes in vision
- Irregular periods (shorter or longer cycles)
- Excessively heavy periods
- Vaginal dryness or discomfort
- Low libido or loss of desire
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Recurrent UTIs or phantom bladder infections
The Brain: "Where are my words?"
- Brain fog
- Memory retrieval issues
- Word-finding difficulties
- Loss of focus or difficulty concentrating
- Executive dysfunction
- Proprioception issues (bumping into things)
- Choice paralysis over simple decisions
The Mood: "Nothing has changed. Why do I feel overwhelmed?"
- New-onset anxiety or panic
- Irritability or white-hot rage
- Depression or low mood
- Emotional withdrawal and introversion
- Feeling overwhelmed by routine tasks
- Heightened startle reflex
- Apathy or loss of joy
- Sudden loss of self-confidence
The Weird Ones: "What IS that? That's never happened before."
- Burning mouth or tongue
- Itchy ears (deep in the canal)
- Formication (sensation of insects crawling on the skin)
- Electric shock sensations under the skin
- Heart palpitations
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Changes in body odor or scent
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- New-onset allergies or histamine intolerance
Sound familiar?
If you are nodding your head to any of the above, you are not crazy, and you are not alone.
You are likely navigating perimenopause or menopause.
Let's talk.
Where Do You Want to Be in a Year?
Your Clinical Health Review & Goals: 90 Minutes with Dr. Hamlin
A Safe Space to Be Heard
For many women, the path to this office has been marked by frustration. If your concerns have been minimized by the standard medical model, understand that your symptoms are not psychosomatic; they are physiological markers of a system in transition.
This first visit is a 90-minute conversation with a physician who is also navigating this chapter of life. Think of it as a chat with a trusted friend who not only gets it, but also happens to have a medical degree and 25 years of pattern-recognition experience. We will take the time to discuss your history, your concerns, and your goals.
Data Meets Intuition
I don't guess; I investigate. Using your detailed medical history and comprehensive laboratory results, we will establish your personal baseline. Together, we identify the specific metrics, from sleep quality and brain fog to metabolic health, that will track your progress over the next year.
Whether your goal is conservative management or aggressive physiological optimization, we construct the evidence-based protocol that allows you to define your own next chapter.
Your First Year: The Roadmap
Why a Year?
True hormonal health is not a quick fix; it is a recalibration. Depending on your history, where you are in your cycle, or whether your periods have stopped entirely, your body requires a thoughtful approach. We often need to start low and go slow. Hormones are powerful messengers, and rushing the process can lead to a bumpy ride. By committing to a year, we will ensure your transition is smooth, safe, and sustainable.
The Milestone Schedule
Your membership includes a structured rhythm of care to ensure we are hitting your goals.
All follow-up visits offer a Telehealth option to respect your busy schedule.
1) 15 Minute Prospective Patient Chat: (Complimentary)
2) 90 Minute In-Person Clinical Review & Goal Setting: as described above.
3) 30-Day Check-In:
We discuss your initial response to treatment.
Are you sleeping better? Is the brain fog lifting?
This is our first opportunity to make micro-adjustments to your protocol based on real-time feedback.
4) 3-Month Review:
We review your first round of follow-up laboratory results.
We compare these metrics against your baseline to assess how your body metabolizes the treatment and adjust your prescriptions for optimal balance.
5) 6-Month Calibration:
By now, many patients feel a significant shift in vitality.
We reassess and ensure your treatment evolves alongside your lifestyle and health goals.
6) 12-Month Reevaluation:
We review a full year of data and symptoms.
We celebrate your progress, update your long-term screenings, and map out your strategy for the year ahead.
Portal Access & Communication
Your secure AthenaOne Patient Portal is your private, direct line to the practice, effectively eliminating phone tag and waiting on hold.
Log in 24/7 to:
- Request a medication refill
- Schedule/cancel appointments
- Review your lab results and medical records.
- Ask me medical questions about your treatment between visits.
Response Time: I give my undivided attention to the patient in front of me; I do not check messages during appointments. You can expect a thoughtful response to your portal messages within 1 to 2 business days. The portal is not monitored after hours or on weekends.
What to Expect from Me
I am your clinical lead and your advocate. I will never sell you something for personal profit. My role is to provide evidence-based expertise. I am looking at your health through a wide lens, considering your heart, bones, brain, and your overall Health Span. You are investing in a partnership where you never have to worry alone.
Getting Started with The Next Chapter
Getting Started with The Next Chapter
Step 1: The 15-Minute Prospective Patient Chat
Step 3: The 90-Minute Clinical Review & Goal Setting
Step 1: The 15-Minute Prospective Patient Chat
Healthcare is deeply personal. I offer a complimentary virtual conversation to ensure I am the right partner for your health goals before we commit to a year of working together.
If I happen to remind you of a disagreeable relative, or if you simply don’t care for my style, it is much better for both of us to know that upfront.
Healthcare is deeply personal. I offer a complimentary virtual conversation to ensure I am the right partner for your health goals before we commit to a year of working together.
If I happen to remind you of a disagreeable relative, or if you simply don’t care for my style, it is much better for both of us to know that upfront.
While we won’t discuss specific medical advice in this chat, we will cover any questions you have about the practice's framework. No pressure, just clarity.
If we both feel we would like to work together, we will proceed to the next step.
Step 2: The Onboarding Package
Step 3: The 90-Minute Clinical Review & Goal Setting
Step 1: The 15-Minute Prospective Patient Chat
After we meet, I will email you 3 things.
- Onboarding paperwork.
- Medical history forms/screeners.
- The Deposit Link.
Once I have received all three, I will review your history, adding any additional labs to the requisition as needed, and create your medical chart.
I will then email your Lab Requisition for you to print out and take with you to get baseline labs over the next few days.
Step 3: The 90-Minute Clinical Review & Goal Setting
Step 3: The 90-Minute Clinical Review & Goal Setting
Step 3: The 90-Minute Clinical Review & Goal Setting
The initial consultation is comprehensive and in person. Before your first visit, I will review your medical history and lab results in detail.
Expectations for the first visit:
- Review of History
- Routine Physical Exam
- Assessment of Goals
- Medical and Membership Plan for the year.
More than a Prescription. A Collaboration
Dr. Sherrod Hamlin, DO
I am a Board-Certified Family Physician and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). I was trained to treat the whole person, not just a list of symptoms.
After years in Family Practice and Urgent Care, I realized that midlife women were falling through the cracks of the standard medical system. Their symptoms were often dismissed as "Everything's normal." I founded The Next Chapter to provide the kind of investigative and detailed care that is impossible to deliver in a 15-minute appointment.
My philosophy is grounded in evidence-based hormone optimization and a deep respect for your lived experience. Following a sabbatical to serve as my father’s hospice caregiver, I returned to practice with a renewed focus. That experience reinforced my belief that meaningful clinical outcomes require several things: educated observation, data, the luxury of time, and, most importantly, accepting patient-reported symptoms as objective clinical truths.
Certified Menopause & Hormone Therapy Training
