As women entering perimenopause or menopause, we shouldn’t have to suffer through the process – we should be empowered by it.
And that’s exactly what one menopause pioneer is doing.
Recently, FemmePharma sat down with founder Denise Pines to discuss how she’s working to empower women through the menopause transition. She also discussed what we can do as a society to bring more awareness to this stage of life.
Herbal products for menopausal relief
Through Denise’s company, Tea Botanics, she offers all-natural, science-based solutions for common menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and brain fog. According to the Tea Botanics website, these products “address the cause of menopause and not just the symptoms”. They regulate the interaction of hormones in our bodies that cause the symptoms of menopause.
Ingredients in these products include the following:
Echinacea: Helps to improve how our bodies absorb nutrients and release toxins.
GABA: Regulates our internal temperature and helps us maintain a sense of calm, balance, and mental clarity.
Black cohosh: Used in Eastern herbal medicine for thousands of years, black cohosh helps balance hormones and improve sleep.
Wild yams: A plant steroid, wild yam root can be produced to mimic estrogen, progesterone, and DHEA. These ingredients collectively alleviate discomfort for various menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
These herbal supplements may be beneficial to you if you’re looking for menopause relief outside of traditional western medicine (such as hormone replacement therapy). Or in combination with it – a practice known as integrative medicine. Herbal supplements may also be helpful for those who are in treatment for ovarian or breast cancer and need all-natural, non-estrogen solutions for their symptoms.
Menopause transition education and care gaps within the medical community
Another key way we can empower women through menopause is to address the gaps in menopause education and medical care.
As a general population, most of us have been taught very little about menopause. As it turns out, the medical community doesn’t know much more than we do.
Typically, general practitioners — and even ObGyn providers — receive very little training in this area during medical school. So when women come to them with the symptoms of menopause, they may not immediately recognize menopause or perimenopause as the cause. Perhaps misdiagnosing heart palpitations as cardiovascular, or anxiety as mental illness, for example.
It’s time to encourage the academic community to provide more training around menopause. Additionally, the medical community needs to invest more time taking courses and seminars on the topic. In doing so, they will be more equipped to identify the symptoms and help women through the process.
Menopause and investment in women-led startups
One would think that with half the world’s population experiencing menopause, it would no longer be considered a niche market. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
With the investment community being led primarily by men, it’s often difficult for women’s health start-ups to receive the investment funding they need to build a thriving business. This is partly due to gender bias – where we’re not valuing women’s perspectives in the same way we value men’s – and partly due to a lack of awareness. Men don’t see the issue – either because the women in their lives don’t talk about it, or they don’t know women who are currently going through it. Which brings us to our next point…
Engaging men in the menopause conversation
As women, we can take the lead on the menopause conversation by discussing it with the men in our lives – whether that’s our partner, brother, father, or even coworker. By actively discussing what we’re going through and normalizing it as the common phase of life that it is, we can bring awareness to the topic. Through conversation, we can encourage healthy dialogue, push for systemic change, and advocate for women’s health initiatives.
The menopause transition can seem scary, but it can actually be quite liberating. And by promoting education and spreading awareness, we can encourage society to support us through it as we manage our symptoms and thrive in the latter third of our lives.
Explore More Articles On Women’s Health
What is Cervical Cancer?
Abnormal Bleeding
