How Tech can Give you Menopause Support

Menopause is a life stage that many people with uteruses go through in their lives, and it brings many challenges with it. From hormonal imbalances to the ever-dreaded hot flashes, understanding and managing the effects of menopause is key to a great quality of life. Several innovative startups have turned to technology to help this demographic conquer these new challenges and better understand what their bodies are doing.

Lisa Health

Lisa Health was founded to help its users find the resources that they need for their menopause journey. The founder was forced to dig through Google and Facebook, along with talking to her doctor, to hunt down the information she needed to make sense of the mental and physical symptoms of menopause. This platform centralizes up-to-date resources and provides a personalized experience through over 100 challenges to better prepare users for menopause. All of the information is backed by scientific research and experts in the field. Lisa Health also has a community component, allowing for peer-to-peer connections for additional support.

The primary role of this platform is to provide a self-management experience for individuals currently or soon to be going through menopause. Users are able to learn more about why they’re feeling different symptoms, and how to address them so that they can feel happy and comfortable.

Elektra Health

Elektra Health is another information-heavy perimenopause and menopause healthcare platform that also offers telemedicine. People going through menopause may not have access to specialists in their region, as there are limited doctors who focus on this life stage. Elektra Health has board-certified doctors that are available through online visits, so geography is not a barrier to getting the menopause care required.

The doctor works with users to create an integrated care plan that is customized to their lives and symptoms, including lifestyle changes and supplements that will make the menopause journey easier.

This platform has a substantial amount of educational resources on menopause, including a 101 course, workshops, and events. All content is heavily curated and evidence-based. It also includes a peer support community to connect people going through the same struggles that they are.

By offering a comprehensive experience for the menopause journey, Elektra Health users won’t miss out on the resources that can make things better. Whether it’s a new concerning symptom or frustrations on life changes, they get the support needed.

Gennev

Gennev is a company with a primary focus on one particularly vexing menopause issue – vaginal dryness. It has several products and services available to empower people to tackle this problem without stigma. The primary products are types of lubricants developed specifically for menopause and are made available through the platform’s online marketplace.

Telehealth visits are also available at Gennev, and all of the doctors and dietitians users connect with are both specialized in menopause and are going through it themselves. This unique team makes them well-suited for addressing menopause concerns with authority and lived experience, which can make a big difference in managing and improving symptoms.

Services that are available during these appointments include an annual menopause checkup, prescription medication such as hormone replacement therapy and birth control, menopause appropriate supplements, and lifestyle changes that can alleviate symptoms.

Grace Wristband

Hot flashes are uncomfortable, unpredictable, and frustrating to deal with as people go through other hormonal changes. There are a few wearables that use technology to get ahead of this symptom and make it less disruptive to everyday life.

Grace Wristband is a fashionable wearable device that delivers a cooling sensation to counteract hot flashes. It has several sensors throughout the bracelet that collect data on this symptom, and attempt to predict them before they even occur.

Since it looks like a typical fashion bracelet, it won’t stand out in any way. People wearing the jewelry can avoid any uncomfortable questions and simply enjoy the cooling sensation. The cooling happens automatically, so it’s truly a set it and forget it solution for hot flashes.

This wearable is currently under development, so it’s not yet available commercially. The data that is collected will be invaluable at better understanding the conditions that lead to hot flashes, and how to better manage this symptom so it’s not as disruptive as it currently is for many people.

Embr Wave

Embr Wave is a wearable device that is broader in the scope that it addresses, as it’s not solely designed for menopause. Instead, users can press a button to heat up or cool down this bracelet. It adds more versatility in personal climate control, although it lacks the automatic functionality and data collection capabilities that the Grace Wristband has available. It is currently available commercially.

XRHealth

XRHealth is a virtual reality exercise technology that is not solely focused on menopause, but it does offer a particularly interesting product for helping those going through this life stage. This company combines specially designed VR environments with cognitive behavioral therapy to manage different types of symptoms.

For menopause, XRHealth has a service called Luna, which is designed to reduce both hot flashes and night sweats. The company sends a VR headset to users’ homes to allow them to connect with virtual therapists. Each environment guides users through the exercises and other activities, with AI-powered technology creating a personalized experience. The combination of VR, AI, and telemedicine for symptom management presents many exciting opportunities for a range of conditions. It also shows how VR environments can have a concrete impact on physical health.

Menopause can result in many symptoms and life changes, but these technology-centric companies make a real difference in management and care. Stigma still surrounds many aspects of menopause, but as more startups explore ways to help in this market, quality of life improvements become more available for millions of people around the world.