100 Trailblazing Leaders in Menopause
List compiled by Marija Butkovic and Anja Streicher
For the third year in a row, we are shining a spotlight on trailblazing leaders who are revolutionizing the menopause space.
In response and for the third year in a row, we set out to celebrate leaders and innovators shaping the present and future of perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, longevity and everything in between. We invited our community to nominate founders, scientists, researchers, innovators, and advocates—and were thrilled to receive more than 150 submissions in less than two months! This also means that our list this year consists of 100 leaders in this space, not 50 as in previous years.
Creation of this list was generously supported by funding from Bayer, Progyny, Inc., Bonafide Health and Science&Humans! This list was part of our work at the Menopause 2.0 conference; check it out here.
Why are we doing this?
Because it’s time we talk about these numbers and do something about them:
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, with a global average of around 51 years.
Perimenopause usually begins in the mid-40s and lasts around 4–8 years, though symptoms can start in the late 30s and continue for a decade.
By 2050, about 1.2 billion women worldwide will be aged 60+, meaning many will spend one-third of their lives post-menopause.
75–85% of women experience menopausal symptoms during the transition.
Studies show that over 80% of perimenopausal women report symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, or sleep disruption.
Researchers increasingly suggest symptom-based diagnosis, rather than relying solely on menstrual cycle changes; hormone-related physiological changes can begin more than 10 years before the final menstrual period.
A 2026 survey found 62% of people under 40 have little or no knowledge of menopause or perimenopause.
Menopause-related career interruptions and reduced earnings are estimated to cost over $15 billion annually in lost income and retirement savings in some analyses.
Postmenopausal women face 2–3x higher risk of osteoporosis due to declining estrogen levels.
One of the biggest shifts in 2025 was cultural - menopause is increasingly being reframed from a taboo topic to a mainstream health conversation, appearing in workplace policy, consumer products, and digital health platforms.
List criteria
The key criteria this year were focused on several areas, such as funding raised, major breakthroughs and milestones achieved for the company, key partnerships announcements, significant traction and other similar achievements that made the progress of the company notable in the last 12 months, since the last time we published our annual list, which means a great proportion of our list consists of founders, entrepreneurs and CEOs of women’s health companies. Some of the founders have been in the industry for a long time; some for shorter periods; some initially focused on other areas of women’s health before expanding into (peri)menopause; and others have been focused solely on building solutions for women in midlife. We wanted to highlight them all.
We also tried to include as many people from key industry organisations that are flying the flag for the (peri)menopause movement, menopause policymakers, leaders and chairs of the key industry organisations focusing on perimenopause and menopause, podcast hosts, (peri)menopause community builders, esearchers, healthcare providers, advocates, and innovators who are challenging outdated norms, creating groundbreaking products and services, and empowering women to take control of their health and wellbeing during midlife and beyond.
Our goal with this list is twofold: to recognize and celebrate the pioneers pushing boundaries in perimenopause and menopause care, and to raise awareness of the urgent need for more attention, resources, and innovation in this sector. By showcasing their work, we hope to inspire further investment, spark conversations, and accelerate progress in this area of healthcare. Menopause is not a niche topic; it’s a global health imperative. It’s time we treated it like one.
Make sure to follow our channels below to be among the first to hear our news and updates, and to find out more about nominations for other categories and lists we plan to publish this year!
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Disclaimers:
*This year’s list features innovators, founders, scientists, researchers, advocates, doctors and clinicians who made their mark in the perimenopause and menopause space. Check out our 2025 list and our 2024 list. For the longer list of 200 trailblazing leaders in the women’s health space, check out our 2025 list here.
**The list has been arranged alphabetically, not by rank. We made sure to include LinkedIn profile links for everyone on this list so that readers can get full insight into their titles and credentials.
***There are many more leaders who should be on this list and we’d like to encourage everyone to continue adding to it by posting in the comments. Also, if you think we have missed someone or wish to suggest a correction, please drop us an email at hello@womenofwearables.com.
FULL LIST
Aimee Spector, Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing at UCL
Alicia Jackson, founder and CEO of Evernow
Alyssa Dweck, Chief Medical Officer of Bonafide Health
Amy Beckley, founder of Proov
Amy Keenan, Chief Marketing Officer at Hello Inside
Andrea Mazzocchi, co-founder and CEO of Play Health
Anél Quilliam, Podcast Host at Mad with the Menopause
Ann Marie McQueen, founder of Hotflash Inc.
Ann O’Neill, founder of Adora Digital Health
Anna Chif and Fiona Lake Waslander, co-founders of Coral
Anna Klepchukova, Chief Medical Officer at Flo Health
April Haberman, co-founder and CEO of MiDOViA
Ashlie Beiter, co-founder and VP of Marketing at Winona
Cara Kamenev, CEO and President at Stripes Beauty
Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, CEO of sōlaria biō
Charlotte Gulcimen, Global Brand & Innovation Lead - Menopause, Essity
Christine Maginnis and Donna Klassen, co-founders of Let's Talk Menopause
Colette Courtion, founder and CEO of Joylux
Davina McCall, TV presenter, author and advocate for menopause awareness
Deborah Garlick, CEO of Henpicked: Menopause In The Workplace and founder of Henpicked.net
Denise Pines, co-founder and CEO of FemAging and co-maker of The M Factor, the first-ever documentary focused on menopause
Diane Danzebrink, founder and CEO of Menopause Support, trustee of The Menopause Research and Education Fund (MREF)
Dina Turner, co-founder and CEO of Gameto
EJ Kim and Marina Pen, co-founders of NNABI
Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, co-founder and CEO at Natural Cycles
Elizabeth Gazda, CEO at Embr Labs
Emily Capodilupo, Senior Vice President of Research, Algorithms and Data at WHOOP
Gabriela Rojas Jiménez, founder and CEO of Mujeres Sin Reglas AC and SinReglas
Gervase Fernandes, co-founder and COO of Health & Her
Gloria Kolb, founder and CEO of Elidah
Halle Berry, founder of Respin Health
Heidi Davis, co-founder and CEO of Peri
Helen O'Neill, Natalie Getreu and Deirdre O'Neill, co-founders of Hertility Health
Inessa Lurye, VP of Product, Women's Health at ŌURA
Jana Rose Stewart, founder and CEO of VelaHR
Janet Choi, Chief Medical Officer at Progyny
Janet Wingfield, Menopause Lead at Peppy
Jannine Versi, CEO and co-founder of Elektra Health
Jennifer Barsky, founder and Executive Director of Menoglobal
Jessica Shepherd, OB/GYN, Menopause Expert, Chief Medical Officer at Hers, Founder of Modern Menopause, Author of Generation M
Joanna Lyall, co-founder and Head of Nutrition at The Better Menopause
Joanne Armstrong, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Women’s Health and Genomics, CVS Health
Joanna Strober, co-founder and CEO of Midi Health
Joanne Ho, founder of Menopause Asia
Joyce Harper, Professor in Reproductive Science at UCL
Juliana (Jewel) Kling, Professor of Medicine, Chair of the Division of Women’s Health Internal Medicine, Assistant Director of the Mayo Clinic Women’s Health Center
Karen Mann, Medical Director of Noom
Karla Martins, Executive Medical Director - Medical Affairs Global Strategic Brand Lead at Astellas
Kate Condliffe, CEO at Diana Health
Katy Whalen, co-founder and COO of Joi+Blokes
Kausar Tahir, CEO and Founder of MeNOW Health
Kiran Kumar, founder and CEO of Timeless Biotech
Kirsten Weber, Senior Research Data Scientist at Clue
Kristy Prouse, Chief Medical Advisor, Women’s Health, at Science&Humans
Laura Yecies, CEO of Osteoboost Health
Lesley Salem, founder and CEO of Over The Bloody Moon
Linda Goler Blount, President of Black Women’s Health Imperative
Lisa Mosconi, Program Director, Wellcome Leap | Director, Women’s Brain Initiative & Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Weill Cornell Medicine, Author of “The Menopause Brain”
Lisa Tarquini, founder of The Menopause Space
Loretta Dignam, founder and CEO of The Menopause Hub
Louise Newson, founder, Director and Menopause Specialist at Newson Health
Ludwig Kiesel, Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the University Hospital of Münster and General Secretary of the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS)
Mariella Frostrup, journalist, broadcaster, author, UK Government Menopause Employment Ambassador
Marina Pavlovic Rivas and Thomas Cortina, co-founders of Eli Health
Marta Bralic Kerns, founder and CEO at Pomelo Care
Mary Claire Haver, founder of The Pause Life, The Galveston Diet and Mary Claire Wellness, Board-Certified Obstetrician–Gynecologist, Certified Menopause Practitioner
Maryon Stewart, founder of Femmar
Maxime Kryvian, co-founder and CEO of mycelsius
Melissa Oliveira and Stacey Ulacia, co-founders of HotPause Health
Mia Chorney and Susan Sly, co-founders of The Pause Technologies Inc.
Michelle Jacobs and Sally Mueller, co-founders of Womaness
Mireia Roca and Cristina Martinez Jiménez, co-founders of DOMMA
Monica Molenaar, co-founder and co-CEO of Alloy Health
Nahid Zokaei, founder and CEO of Cerebella
Natalie Waltz Fretwell, founder and CEO of Tabu
Nigel Denby, founder of Harley St at Home: Menopause
Nina Kuypers, founder of Black Women in Menopause UK
Nina Reinhart, co-founder of Meno Swiss
Nirusha Kumaran, Chief Medical Officer at Founders Health and Medical Director at Menovivre Clinic
Peggy Reichelt and Monique Leonhardt, co-founders of XbyX – Women in Balance
Rebecca Love and Andrea Berchowitz, co-founders of Vira Health
Rebecca McMillan Cheshire, CEO at International Menopause Society
Rebecca Sternberg, Vered Italiano and Varda Messer, co-founders of Aquafit Intimate
Samantha (Sam) Smith, co-founder and CEO of Amissa Health
Sanjana Rao and Gayatri Muthukrishnan, co-founders of Miyara Health
Sara Moger, Chief Executive at British Menopause Society
Sara Szal, Director of Precision Medicine and Longevity at Marcus Institute of Integrative Medicine at Jefferson Health
Sharon Vibert, Founding Director of Menopause Friendly Accreditation
Sonja Rincón, CEO and Founder of Menotracker
Sophia Yen, co-founder and CEO of Pandia Health
Stacy T. Sims, Exercise Physiologist & Nutrition Scientist, Female Athlete Health and Performance Specialist, Entrepreneur, Adjunct Faculty at Stanford Lifestyle Medicine and Longevity
Stephanie Faubion, Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Penny and Bill George Director, Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health and Medical Director, The Menopause Society
Suzanne Gilberg, OB/GYN, Integrative Health Physician, Women’s Health Expert, Speaker and Advocate, Author and Founder of Menopause Bootcamp
Sylvia Kang, founder and CEO of Mira
Tamsen Fadal, Menopause Advocate, Filmmaker, Author and Podcast Host
Valerie Kirchberger, Eva-Maria Meijnen and Cornelius Remschmidt, co-founders of Evela Health
Verity Fotheringham, founder and CEO at Hysteron
Vikram Sinai Talaulikar, Associate Specialist in Reproductive Medicine at UCLH and Hon. Associate Professor in Women’s Health at UCL
Z. Colette Edwards, founder and Chief Medical Officer at Pausitive Health