Fantastic article. I love the way you think! I am 53 and post menopausal and I can’t believe how bumbling in the dark this whole experience has been.
Including the gynecologist who prescribed the exact wrong thing for my needs. So frustrating.
I recently started a short video series called “Aging with Attitude.” I’m having a lot of fun with it - sharing things I have figured out that help me with all the menopausal issues.
Thank you for figuring out what a need this is & doing something proactive about it!!
I'm 68. Newly divorced, disabled and I have taken time to build a stable care team. I'm impatient at times but know how important it is for us to be heard
Yes Andrea! Longevity isn’t just about lifespan. it’s about care span. And most tech isn’t built for the woman managing her meds, her care team, and her own life post-divorce at 68. The future of health isn’t youth-obsessed biohacking. It’s designing for real longevity.
You're absolutely right. The absence of a dashboard for the midlife female recalibration isn’t just a tech gap, it’s a signal blind spot. We’ve built a trillion-dollar data industry that can spot a skipped heartbeat but somehow misses the seismic shift that is perimenopause.
But here’s the other wrinkle: even if the tech could catch it… should it?
There’s something eerie about wiring our most intimate transitions -- those hot flash messengers, the midnight adrenaline spikes -- into platforms that monetize prediction and surveillance. We’re not just asking tech to listen. We’re feeding it our inner shifts in exchange for… a chart?
At what point do we stop optimizing and start listening? Not to the algorithm, but to ourselves.
Because maybe the real dashboard was never missing. It was internal, all along.
I agree. Midlife isn’t a data problem. It’s a listening one. We’re pouring capital into longevity tech, but the real care delivery solutions women need in midlife still struggle to get funded. So many are turning to Reddit just to make sense of their biology. thats a massive blind spot.
I am a woman living with heart disease and am now an advocate with WomenHeart. I have learned a lot about the "men are the default" philosophy and as you likely know, it is everywhere, in every specialty. Indeed, one of the issues we push for is raising awareness of and fostering research in women's health (including heart) throughout the medical school curriculum. You wouldn't think we'd have to do that at this point. But here we are. (We won't even get into the health inequity problem.) In some ways, tho, keeping period tracking off the grid, is probably the safe thing to do, since abortion and contraception can be used against you.
So I’ve only just started reading… And where you say that med tech is shaped only for the aging man.
And I’m not sure if you have this later in the article I’ll read it… But here’s the first thing that popped into my mind
Med tech is focusing on the aging man for a very sinister reason: while they may be using the tech, the person who’s going to take that information, make the health changes, track them, prepare, healthy meals, make sure there’s supplements, make sure that there’s doctor appointments in the calendar, getting the medication… That’s the woman
And that’s precisely why we don’t have any med tech specifically for us.
Because even in our elderly age, we are expected to be caretakers of the men
Which means there is no space for us… We don’t deserve space to have our own trackers, manage our own nutrition, our health and well-being.
It’s basically the patriarchy saying fuck you in menopause, you will support and take care of men until you’re dying breath. And we’ll make sure of it because we will not give you the tools and resources to manage your aging.
"We are building longevity dashboards. AI health coaches. Wearables that promise to optimize your aging process. But the defaults are still male. The baselines are still male. And menopause? Still missing." > And missing the connection between late stage perimenopause, hormones, neurodiverse and BURNOUT which has someone supposedly in the prime of my life at 48 able to work about an hour a day...but no one is talking abou this...well I will be starting later this week on my YT and as often as my energy allows...sigh.
I've soooo missed you and all the gang of powerhouse women friends I have made. Just trying to listen so I can stick around without another long absence...but these hormones (or lack of them) are making recovery trickey. So much love!
This is all so true IMO. I’m 50+ went through menopause & multiple traumas simultaneously, suffer from panic attacks, tremors, night sweats, etc & not once has my Apple Watch flagged my irregularities.
Somehow apple thinks a 117 resting heart rate is the same as a 59 resting heart rate. It’s absurd. I’ve even fallen down hard, enough to break my finger(it’s literally still broken & in pain as I type this), & my apple watch never even registered my fall. The whole thing is just so horrible, the way tech preys upon women.
As usual, an excellent and insightful post. A big consideration for women’s health tech is that menstrual cycle data can be used to prosecute women for abortions. I am not excusing our exclusion, but it’s something I would raise if I was advising a client designing a wearable/app which would include the U.S. market.
Completely agree. This comes up more and more in investor due diligence. We’re not just dealing with data privacy. We are dealing with a trust crisis. And that’s a risk every serious investor should be paying attention to and asking the harder questions about.
Hi! I am a wellness/ self care/ clean girl aesthetic /nutrition blog! I focus on topics like anti inflammation diets/recipes, wellness trends (what’s worth it & what’s not), and more!
Would love if you could check it out :) I fell in love with wellness as a functional passion when I got awful stomach ulcers. Now, finding a way to stay regulated, feeling good, and improving my health. Thank you guys! Reply back if you’re similar & I’d love to read your blog!
And it’s more than a dashboard we need… If you take a look at medical school, there is nothing about menopausal management
For example, menopause actually may be more of a thyroid problem… Many of the symptoms overlap. And a lot of women get relief by taking high doses of iodine.
And the blood pressure that’s rising, that’s because you’re aldosterone is rising. Why? Because your estrogen is rapidly disappearing. And you need estradiol bioidentical hormone therapy to carry you through.
Oh, and you’re inability to manage stress and losing your resilience? That’s because cortisol is up. And when cortisol is up, it need to come down… It consumes progesterone. And if your progesterone is deficient of which many women are starting in perimenopause, you will constantly be in flight and fright mode because there’s not enough progesterone on board to bring your cortisol down.
And we haven’t even touched the subject of DHEA ans pregnalone, which are both mother hormones, required to support estradiol, estriol, and progesterone. Along with the testosterone that we need.
So I agree, dashboards are needed, it’s what’s being tracked and what data that’s being fed into it, along with therapeutic solutions. And as long as the medical school industry brushes, us aside, leaving us to have to find our own solutions, it’s still gonna be very hard for us to chase overall wellness and Health as we age
I wonder how many later-in-life divorces can be attributed to menopause. When women aren’t feeling “right” and go to their trusted doctor, only to be told “it’s all in your head”, “you’re getting older/reached ‘that’ age”, “it’s just the way it is. Get used to it” and summarily dismissed, to me, it’s a clear case of medical malpractice. Then the woman feels she’s loosing it, the man is pissed because “she’s changed” and it all goes to hell from there.
Fantastic article. I love the way you think! I am 53 and post menopausal and I can’t believe how bumbling in the dark this whole experience has been.
Including the gynecologist who prescribed the exact wrong thing for my needs. So frustrating.
I recently started a short video series called “Aging with Attitude.” I’m having a lot of fun with it - sharing things I have figured out that help me with all the menopausal issues.
Thank you for figuring out what a need this is & doing something proactive about it!!
I look forward to reading more from you !!!
thank you so much Jodi. Looking forward to your video series too!
I'm 68. Newly divorced, disabled and I have taken time to build a stable care team. I'm impatient at times but know how important it is for us to be heard
Yes Andrea! Longevity isn’t just about lifespan. it’s about care span. And most tech isn’t built for the woman managing her meds, her care team, and her own life post-divorce at 68. The future of health isn’t youth-obsessed biohacking. It’s designing for real longevity.
Well, once you've reached 40, most women have come to the same realization that we don't matter.
But here’s the twist: we are the growth market. The data gap is their blind spot but I think it’s our power play.
So sad and true. I am 53 and realizing I DO matter. So I am finally making space for myself.
You're absolutely right. The absence of a dashboard for the midlife female recalibration isn’t just a tech gap, it’s a signal blind spot. We’ve built a trillion-dollar data industry that can spot a skipped heartbeat but somehow misses the seismic shift that is perimenopause.
But here’s the other wrinkle: even if the tech could catch it… should it?
There’s something eerie about wiring our most intimate transitions -- those hot flash messengers, the midnight adrenaline spikes -- into platforms that monetize prediction and surveillance. We’re not just asking tech to listen. We’re feeding it our inner shifts in exchange for… a chart?
At what point do we stop optimizing and start listening? Not to the algorithm, but to ourselves.
Because maybe the real dashboard was never missing. It was internal, all along.
I agree. Midlife isn’t a data problem. It’s a listening one. We’re pouring capital into longevity tech, but the real care delivery solutions women need in midlife still struggle to get funded. So many are turning to Reddit just to make sense of their biology. thats a massive blind spot.
I am a woman living with heart disease and am now an advocate with WomenHeart. I have learned a lot about the "men are the default" philosophy and as you likely know, it is everywhere, in every specialty. Indeed, one of the issues we push for is raising awareness of and fostering research in women's health (including heart) throughout the medical school curriculum. You wouldn't think we'd have to do that at this point. But here we are. (We won't even get into the health inequity problem.) In some ways, tho, keeping period tracking off the grid, is probably the safe thing to do, since abortion and contraception can be used against you.
Exactly. We're still having to prove that women’s hearts, cycles, and symptoms matter. You shouldn’t need an advocacy badge just to be believed.
Haha.. This is brilliant. Sometimes the most strategic move is placing the right book in the right room. Thank you for doing that.
Awesome! 👏🏾
So I’ve only just started reading… And where you say that med tech is shaped only for the aging man.
And I’m not sure if you have this later in the article I’ll read it… But here’s the first thing that popped into my mind
Med tech is focusing on the aging man for a very sinister reason: while they may be using the tech, the person who’s going to take that information, make the health changes, track them, prepare, healthy meals, make sure there’s supplements, make sure that there’s doctor appointments in the calendar, getting the medication… That’s the woman
And that’s precisely why we don’t have any med tech specifically for us.
Because even in our elderly age, we are expected to be caretakers of the men
Which means there is no space for us… We don’t deserve space to have our own trackers, manage our own nutrition, our health and well-being.
It’s basically the patriarchy saying fuck you in menopause, you will support and take care of men until you’re dying breath. And we’ll make sure of it because we will not give you the tools and resources to manage your aging.
This!!! Can I like this comment a thousand times?
Absolutely!!!
Have to admit, I didn't think of this. All my menopausal palpitations, my Whoop doesn't seem to care.
Exactly my dear Lara! These devices can detect microshifts in HRV but miss the macro signal of midlife hormonal chaos.
"We are building longevity dashboards. AI health coaches. Wearables that promise to optimize your aging process. But the defaults are still male. The baselines are still male. And menopause? Still missing." > And missing the connection between late stage perimenopause, hormones, neurodiverse and BURNOUT which has someone supposedly in the prime of my life at 48 able to work about an hour a day...but no one is talking abou this...well I will be starting later this week on my YT and as often as my energy allows...sigh.
I have missed your energy. Great to have you back and to know that you are slowly getting your energy back!! Sending you a virtual hug.
I've soooo missed you and all the gang of powerhouse women friends I have made. Just trying to listen so I can stick around without another long absence...but these hormones (or lack of them) are making recovery trickey. So much love!
This is all so true IMO. I’m 50+ went through menopause & multiple traumas simultaneously, suffer from panic attacks, tremors, night sweats, etc & not once has my Apple Watch flagged my irregularities.
Somehow apple thinks a 117 resting heart rate is the same as a 59 resting heart rate. It’s absurd. I’ve even fallen down hard, enough to break my finger(it’s literally still broken & in pain as I type this), & my apple watch never even registered my fall. The whole thing is just so horrible, the way tech preys upon women.
This says everything. The device didn’t see you...because it wasn’t built to.
So informative. Thank you for your continued excellent content.
Thank you, Bonnie. Grateful to be building this conversation with people who truly see the stakes.
As usual, an excellent and insightful post. A big consideration for women’s health tech is that menstrual cycle data can be used to prosecute women for abortions. I am not excusing our exclusion, but it’s something I would raise if I was advising a client designing a wearable/app which would include the U.S. market.
Completely agree. This comes up more and more in investor due diligence. We’re not just dealing with data privacy. We are dealing with a trust crisis. And that’s a risk every serious investor should be paying attention to and asking the harder questions about.
There is a global trust crisis in many fields, especially in health care and tech. You just gave me an idea… ok to DM you, please?
Always love reading your information and input. Thanks for doing this work.
Thank you, Yvette. It’s not just work. It’s a fight to make sure our bodies aren’t left out of the future.
Hi! I am a wellness/ self care/ clean girl aesthetic /nutrition blog! I focus on topics like anti inflammation diets/recipes, wellness trends (what’s worth it & what’s not), and more!
Would love if you could check it out :) I fell in love with wellness as a functional passion when I got awful stomach ulcers. Now, finding a way to stay regulated, feeling good, and improving my health. Thank you guys! Reply back if you’re similar & I’d love to read your blog!
https://substack.com/@regulatedera?r=5juwxl&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile
And it’s more than a dashboard we need… If you take a look at medical school, there is nothing about menopausal management
For example, menopause actually may be more of a thyroid problem… Many of the symptoms overlap. And a lot of women get relief by taking high doses of iodine.
And the blood pressure that’s rising, that’s because you’re aldosterone is rising. Why? Because your estrogen is rapidly disappearing. And you need estradiol bioidentical hormone therapy to carry you through.
Oh, and you’re inability to manage stress and losing your resilience? That’s because cortisol is up. And when cortisol is up, it need to come down… It consumes progesterone. And if your progesterone is deficient of which many women are starting in perimenopause, you will constantly be in flight and fright mode because there’s not enough progesterone on board to bring your cortisol down.
And we haven’t even touched the subject of DHEA ans pregnalone, which are both mother hormones, required to support estradiol, estriol, and progesterone. Along with the testosterone that we need.
So I agree, dashboards are needed, it’s what’s being tracked and what data that’s being fed into it, along with therapeutic solutions. And as long as the medical school industry brushes, us aside, leaving us to have to find our own solutions, it’s still gonna be very hard for us to chase overall wellness and Health as we age
I could not have said this better!!
No, I can't find a seatbelt that fits!
because we are not the default...
I wonder how many later-in-life divorces can be attributed to menopause. When women aren’t feeling “right” and go to their trusted doctor, only to be told “it’s all in your head”, “you’re getting older/reached ‘that’ age”, “it’s just the way it is. Get used to it” and summarily dismissed, to me, it’s a clear case of medical malpractice. Then the woman feels she’s loosing it, the man is pissed because “she’s changed” and it all goes to hell from there.