Canvas8 reports are available to Canvas8 subscribers. What follows is an adaptation of the research; the full report can be accessed via the View Report link.
Abstract
The silence around menopause is breaking. For decades, American women were expected to get through it without a word. Now podcasts, magazine covers, a bill in Congress and a wave of new brands are talking about it out loud. But for a woman awake at 3 a.m., drenched and searching her phone for answers, there's still very little she can trust: mostly unproven supplements, forums and miracle cures. The care hasn't caught up with the conversation. "There are 55 million women in menopause and only 1,100 menopause-trained doctors to support them," says Monica Molenaar of Alloy, "so you do the math."
The research, co-authored with M.E. Knox of Pallas Reports, draws on interviews with Monica Molenaar, co-CEO and co-founder of menopause brand Alloy, and Natalie Fretwell, CEO of sexual wellness brand Tabu.
The findings
Women are left to figure it out alone. 32% of women going through menopause felt they didn't have enough information before their symptoms started, and only 57% always felt supported by their doctor. 34% of women with symptoms were undiagnosed, and 20% waited more than a year for a diagnosis. The gap has costs beyond health: menopause symptoms cost US businesses $1.8 billion a year in lost productivity.
Michelle Obama talked openly about her symptoms on her podcast with gynecologist Dr. Sharon Malone, and Oprah Winfrey launched a menopause guide. Molenaar points to a 2023 New York Times Magazine cover story, "Women Have Been Misled About Menopause," as the watershed: "from that moment on, other media outlets began to take notice." In December 2023, the Menopause Research and Equity Act was introduced in Congress. The global menopause market was worth $16.93 billion in 2023.
Alloy was founded after its co-founders heard Malone on Obama's podcast, and she is now its chief medical advisor. It offers online consultations and prescriptions delivered to the door, alongside skincare like its M4 estriol face cream. Gennev offers online guidance from medical practitioners, covered by insurers like Aetna. Tech is moving in too. Amira's $899 Terra bracelet predicts hot flashes and cools a connected sleeping pad, and its AI health coach answers questions around the clock.
80% of working women consider menopause too personal to discuss, and 32% fear being seen as old. "Calling me 'post-menopausal' at 65 years old is like calling you 'post-pubescent'," one of Tabu's advisors told Fretwell. "Menopause is something that I went through, but it doesn't define me." Many are finding support in each other. Retreats like Indagare's Wise Women program offer "the chance to bond with other women facing the same issues."
What this means for brands
- With so few specialists, a brand is often a woman's first point of care, and trust goes to the ones that lead with doctors and data.
- Menopause hits at the height of women's careers, and the productivity cost is measurable, which makes workplace benefits a practical way to reach women with support.
- Women want to talk about it with each other, without a label stamped on the packaging, which makes community the place to start.
Canvas8 is a behavioural insights agency whose reports are used by brands and agencies worldwide. This page highlights key findings from the report; the full version is available to Canvas8 members.
Alice Sweitzer with M.E. Knox
