Smashing The Taboo
One of my favorite aspects of writing Holos is the opportunity to meet some amazing people who are at the forefront of women’s health. One of these people is Alessandra Henderson, the founder of Elektra Health, a company working to ensure all women have access to the information and support they need to successfully navigate menopause.
Women’s healthcare is definitely having a moment in the spotlight, and I wanted to get and share an insider’s perspective. To that end, in today’s post, I spoke with Alessandra about women’s health, how telehealth is revolutionizing access to care, and how each of us can help “smash menopause taboo.”
Let’s dive in…
Karyn: What is your background and what prompted you to start Elektra Health?
Alessandra: My background is in consumer technology. In 2010 I joined Artsy as the 6th employee and fell in love with the startup culture and building teams, culture, product. After business school I continued to work in the startup space and founded Elektra Health after a personal hormonal health journey of my own.
Due to my illness, I had to freeze my eggs. Unfortunately, this process negatively impacted my eyesight which was my first glimpse of the role hormones play in health. This insight led to an interest in menopause when I realized the impact of hormones on every aspect of women’s health and how little the average woman knew about the role of hormones.
Karyn: How would you describe Elektra Health and the services you offer? Are these services complementary to other health care someone might receive?
Alessandra: Elektra Health is a digital health platform that provides 3 services to members of our community: education, care, and community. Our primary offering is an Elektra membership which combines all of these in one platform. Members are paired with an Elektra guide, like a menopause doula (for example a registered nurse or a health care professional licensed to work 1:1 with women), to build a personalized health care plan. Over time women can engage with the content on our platform as well as the community of other women on the platform. We can also deliver telemedicine in 3 states for existing members.
Our goal is to make our members feel educated, supported, and empowered. We use a HIPAA compliant platform to learn about our members' symptoms and goals. This is followed by an optional 30-minute visit or members can do it all by text. We like to start with someone’s top symptoms and goals and make lifestyle and supplement recommendations, suggest specific educational materials, and be a sounding board for medications.
A lot of the questions we get are around helping members prepare for a doctor’s visit and helping them make informed decisions. Our care plans can be shared with a member’s primary care provider or OBGYN, and we are always happy to collaborate with their care team.
Karyn: What gets you excited about telehealth?
Alessandra: There is a lot to be excited about regarding digital health. The first generation of digital health was about creating online access to doctors in real time. Generation 2.0 is about building a relationship over time, which is the underlying premise of Elektra. The healthcare system hasn’t yet caught up with this version, but the power of technology is that it can create more frequent, bite-sized engagements between doctor and patient.
Karyn: “Let’s smash the menopause taboo” is Elektra’s motto…what does this mean to you and what will success look like? What is Elektra doing to smash the taboo?
Alessandra: “Let’s smash the menopause taboo” has been our mission statement since the beginning. In 2020 we did a mission, vision, values exercise and explored other mission statements but ended up back with the original. Our vision is every woman leads a bold and fearless menopause journey and beyond. We believe in a future where women’s health, if built and prioritized with the right resources in place, can provide families, women, employers, and more, the opportunity to help women thrive at work and in their personal lives.
This happens in 3 ways. One, if every woman feels they have the education and knowledge to make the right decisions for themselves; two, they have access to experts in an affordable and truly accessible manner; and three, there is a community of people where menopause is not embarrassing or shameful, but rather commonplace and as celebrated as saying, “I’m pregnant.”
Unfortunately, menopause is not celebrated because it can be challenging and/or signals the end of fertility. But, if we can position it differently and highlight some of the positives while treating the more challenging pieces (culture, spiritual, physical) we will have achieved our mission.
We also believe in the power of research to smash the taboo. We recently published the Menopause in the Workforce Survey as well as a piece of research with the North American Menopause Society in Menopause, The Journal. Our workplace report surveyed over 2,000 female professionals which reported two-thirds of women are impacted by menopause symptoms in the workplace. We are also committed to elevating women’s wildly diverse experiences with menopause by sharing their stories. As my grandmother would say, “if you whisper you shame it, if you shout it you conquer it.”
Karyn: What evidence do you see that the narrative around menopause is shifting? What do you think are the 1 -2 biggest obstacles to shifting the narrative?
Alessandra: There is a real cultural zeitgeist around menopause right now. A lot of public figures in all types of roles are standing up to share their experiences. For example, Michelle Obama in her new book, Naomi Watts, and Stacy London. In addition, there are more media mentions and where historically you could not have put menopause on the cover or next to a beauty brand, you can now. And there is a bill on the floor of Congress to direct more money to fund menopause research.
In terms of obstacles, it often comes down to money and data. Menopause is essentially a new category, and it takes money to fund a new drug and to build new services. Both private and public funding is needed as well as getting insurance companies to share information on the impact of menopause on claims.
Karyn: How does changing the narrative around menopause impact the overall state of health care for women?
Alessandra: Providing support to women during menopause has positive long-term outcomes for heart, brain, and bone health. This in turn should reduce other health care costs and help women live longer, healthier lives.
Unfortunately, right now a lot of amazing products and services are out-of-pocket costs for women and therefore not available to everyone. Having said this, we are starting to see more employers and health plans (like Massachusetts General and Emblem Health) raise their hands to say providing support is the right thing to do and there is a meaningful return on investment by doing so.
Karyn: How can individuals or companies be a part of this movement?
Alessandra: I always encourage people to be curious and to not shy away from the word “menopause.” Start asking questions about your symptoms, talk to other females in your family about their menopause experience, or have a conversation with another person about your experience. By engaging in any of these actions you are smashing the taboo around menopause by bringing up a topic which has been cloaked in shame and stigma.
In addition, we are working with employers to bring menopause benefits into the workplace. So, for those wanting to take bolder action, introducing Elektra to your HR department would be a great step.
Karyn: Any words of advice for women going through perimenopause and menopause?
Alessandra: There are things you can do! You do not have to suffer in silence and don’t take no for an answer. You do not have to feel alone on this journey through menopause. If someone tells you there is nothing to do, please try and find a different practitioner, visit Elektra or the North American Menopause Society’s website, or talk to a friend who can support you.
Parting Thought
Going through perimenopause and menopause can be lonely, frustrating, and confusing which is why I am thankful that platforms like Elektra exist. If you feel like you could use more support and would like to give Elektra Health a try, you can use the code “HOLOS25” to receive 25% off an annual membership. You can sign up here.
To be continued…
