RESEARCH-BACKED | EXPERT-DRIVEN | COMMUNITY-CENTERED

For too long, menopause has been whispered about, minimized, or simply endured. It was under-researched and many women felt their experience was invisible. The treatment was siloed versus integrated. It’s time for that to change.

Women deserve honest, up-to-date, research-backed information — not just about hot flashes, but about the full story of menopause’s impact on their brains, bones, organs, sexual lives, mental health, cognitive care, pelvic floor, nutrition, sleep, identity and sense of purpose, relationships — all of it. Because a woman in menopause is a full woman and her full life is impacted.

The Menopause Care Collective was built on the idea that talking about menopause is a matter of public health. And that every woman deserves access to what can add quality to her life, if not actual years.

We know that women in menopause are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. — and that menopause may increase a woman’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Menopause is also associated with an increase in autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, and sleep apnea (source: Yale School of Medicine).

Women deserve to know important facts like these, as well as what can make these years enjoyable and fulfilling — lube? Ending an unhealthy relationship? More boundaries? Hormone therapy? Pelvic floor work? A change in diet? Therapy? An anti-depressant? A passion project? Grieving something, then moving on? Better sleep? Embracing IDGAF? Reaching out for community, for support?

Whether you're in early perimenopause or years post-menopause, we would love to learn your story, your challenges, your wishes, and for you to join us at an upcoming event, because this is what people who come to our events say:

“I learned a lot and felt so much less alone.”

“Utterly delightful.”

“I think our group could have gone out and flipped some cars afterwards.”

Did you know?

MENOPAUSE ISN’T JUST ABOUT OUR PERIODS ENDING.

Technically, menopause is the point when you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period, marking the end of ovarian function and a significant decline in estrogen production. The average age that this occurs is 52.

But that’s the textbook definition.

The lived experience is much broader.

The transition to menopause—called perimenopause—can begin years before your final period and may last four to eight years, sometimes longer. Hormonal changes can show up in ways that have very little to do with periods.

We now know that estrogen receptors exist throughout a woman’s body — not just in the “bikini zone.” So when estrogen starts to sputter out, the whole body is impacted, most importantly, the brain.

Maybe you can’t sleep. Maybe you suddenly can’t remember certain words. Maybe your mood has changed. But we know that’s not where it ends. Our skin is impacted. Our hair is falling out. Our libido drops. We’re exhausted, anxious, overheated, achy, and can develop things like “frozen shoulder” to the point where we ask ourselves: “What is going on with me?”

It can feel disorienting, unwanted, de-feminizing, annoying, or even life-threatening. Or, for some, it can feel liberating, a chance to shake things up and make bold new decisions.

Either way, it’s a time of significant transition.

And you’re not alone.

Women make up roughly half the population. Every woman who lives long enough will experience menopause. Six thousand women are reaching that milestone each day. During the menopause transition:

85% of women experience hot flashes.

60% of women report experiencing brain fog or mental fatigue.

50%+ report getting fewer than seven hours of sleep a night.

30% experience a decline in sexual desire, with symptoms often peaking during perimenopause and early postmenopause.

20% experience mood changes or depressive symptoms during perimenopause and the years immediately following menopause.

And the list goes on. Only 10–15% report few or no symptoms beyond menstrual changes.

As you can see, there is no “one” menopause experience.

Some women have severe symptoms. Some have very few. Most are somewhere in between. All deserve information in the most streamlined way possible because we’ve waited long enough, we’re tired, and — no matter how we start the menopause experience — I think it’s fair to say we’d like it to end with thriving. And the good news is, research suggests that, statistically, women are at their happiest in the post-menopausal years.

We invite you to join us for events along the way, or create one of your own.

Welcome to the White Pants Club. 🤍

There is a whole community supporting women who’ve graduated to the White Pants Club. This is your invitation to join us for an upcoming conversation where you can get answers to your menopause questions from an interdisciplinary team of experts. And, for as serious as the topic is, we also keep things light, refreshing and fun!