Navigating Menopause With Phenology Women’s Wellness

Can you please start by introducing the brand? 

Phenology is a new women’s health brand on a mission to master and redefine menopause for all by systematically improving every aspect of the experience. Our menopause solutions are truly comprehensive – they include patent-pending daily nutritional supplement formulations with our daily gummy regimen to help relieve symptoms, rescue products like acuity mints for brain fog, specially formulated skin care, an industry leading assesment that provides a detailed roadmap of your menopause journey, one-on-one coaching, and, coming soon, at home hormone testing and tracking to help you predict when you might experience your most bothersome symptoms.

Every woman can expect to go through menopause, but many don’t recognize its symptoms. It is a complex natural transition that can show up in different ways, last for months or years, impact work, daily life, relationships, and self-esteem – it’s no surprise that women in menopause often feel isolated, stressed, and struggle to find relief. Our approach holistically addresses health and beauty symptoms that women experience with offerings that provide her with immediate relief and expertise as well as empowering her, through knowledge, to better manage her transition long-term. 

We want to help women navigate demanding personal and professional lives by providing the tools to help them anticipate, architect, and navigate menopause with grace and relief from it’s most bothersome symptoms.  Women deserve evidence-based, scientific solutions and meaningful innovation—across their lifetimes—but there was a real gap in the menopause space, and Phenology is filling that gap.

How did you come up with the brand? 

I had never in my life felt that I was held back by my biology, but sleepless nights, mood swings, and painful periods started having a real impact. I spent time on Google, I had the prototypical dismissive doctor’s appointment, and didn’t find anything that delivered what I wanted: better understanding of what the heck was happening, a level of predictability of symptoms, effective natural solutions, and a brand that felt like it spoke to someone who otherwise felt on top of her life and career. I couldn’t find support and solutions that saw me. 

As the CMO of Hologram Sciences, a company designed to create solutions for wellness issues, I started to put the pieces together. I have this problem that all women have, and I could do something about it. With the help of our incredible team of female leaders, our brilliant scientists and our Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Kourtney Sims, we created something that meets women where they are and provides naturally powerful solutions for women who are already incredibly powerful.

Many doctors recommend hormone therapy during menopause – what is Phenology’s approach to menopausal support? 

Phenology can support women who may be interested in non-prescription, alternative, or lifestyle methods for managing their perimenopause or menopause symptoms, as a complementary offering to HRT or for those where HRT is not appropriate. We know that each woman has unique needs for her health, and symptoms and we recommend that questions around HRT should be discussed working with her OB/GYN or doctor.

What are the different symptoms that come along with menopause? 

There are so many symptoms that come with menopause—at least 34—and every woman may experience a unique combination of symptoms based on many different factors, including lifestyle, nutrition, wellness, exercise, family history, stress, sleep…the list truly goes on and on. Of course, there’s the grand dame of symptoms, the hot flash and its evil cousin, the night sweat, but the list doesn’t stop there.

From the more than 25,000 women who have taken our assessment, we know that major symptoms women in all stages of menopause experience are fatigue, brain fog and mood swings. These symptoms can be extra difficult to spot because many women think that these are just part of life—but in reality, they may be exacerbated by perimenopause.

Other common symptoms include an irregular or abnormal period (in fact, this is one of the earliest indications of perimenopause), irritability, anxiety, insomnia, skin changes, thinning hair, low libido, weight changes, and joint and muscle discomfort. 

How can women find the right Phenology products for their different needs? 

Our two-minute online assessment is the place to start if you’re unsure which Phenology product is right for you. The assessment is evidence-based and can deliver an understanding of where you may be in your the menopause journey. After answering questions about your personal history, you’ll get an idea of what stage you could be in, along with which products are best for your specific symptoms—or which products are best to start taking to set yourself for success.

Can you tell us a bit about the Pulse app? 

Phenology Pulse is a holistic program designed to help you manage menopause on your own terms. Specifically to gain the personalized insights, support, and relief you need, and contribute to the advancement of menopause science and women’s health. The program provides access to our expert team of Phenology Coaches; a simple, convenient way to test your progesterone levels from home, and the Phenology app, so you can navigate your menopause journey with wisdom and grace.

Phenology Pulse helps eliminate some of the barriers to hormone testing – the cost and inconvenience of lab tests. Plus, we it provide even more information, like heart rate variability, recovery and baseline heart rate, can bring to light important information about a woman’s individual menopause transition, but women can’t avail theselves with something they don’t know about, which speaks to the larger conversation that needs to continue to happen. And with access to our coaches, who are Registered Dietitians trained in menopause-related topics, women can get direct answers via text-based chat to their wellness questions without having to comb the internet themselves.

Can you highlight a few of your star ingredients? 

Our Menopause Relief Duet is a daily gummy regimen uniquely crafted with genistein, saffron, Vitamins B6 & B12, and chamomile extract in yuzu tangerine flavor for more refreshing mornings and blackcurrant champagne for peaceful nights.*

• Genistein, an isoflavone found in red clover, fava beans and alfalfa, gently interacts with your body’s estrogen receptors to reduce the frequency and duration of hot flashes by half after 3 months.*
• Saffron, a powerful spice from the Crocus sativus flower, is clinically shown to reduce stress and anxiety to support a positive mood, and restful sleep.*
• Vitamins B6 and B12 support brain function, red blood cell development, maintenance of the nervous system, brain health and metabolism.*

Our rescue products, designed for in-the-moment relief from menopause symptoms like hot flashes and brain fog, also contain innovative ingredients.

• Cool Mist and Fresh Start, our two fast-acting cooling products, contain a long-lasting, proprietary sensory agent that freshens and cools skin on contact for up to two hours.* 
• All of our skincare, including Daily Glow Facial Cream, include a low molecular weight hyaluronic acid for deep hydration and skin plumping benefits t to smooth fine wrinkles and improve skin elasticity. 
• We also include patented skin-rejuvenating molecule BEL-EVEN® to counteract skin aging by combating stress-induced collagen loss, visibly reducing fine lines and improving skin elasticity. Placebo-controlled studies have shown visible impacts of BEL-EVEN® on reducing Crow’s feet wrinkles in as little as 4 weeks.
• Lucid Lift Clarity Mints contain a blend of caffeine and L-theanine, which work synergistically to improve mental focus and attention without the jitters usually associated with caffeine.*

Can you tell us a bit about what makes the brand sustainable? 

Our shipping packaging is 100% recyclable. 

Do you have any words or advice for anyone in menopause right now?

By some estimates, less than 1 in 4 women talk about menopause with even their best friends – let alone in the office where the effects of this hormonal shift can be profound. But these symptoms, which are a fact of life for most women, are often left untreated, causing huge impacts at home, at work and on women’s sense of self. Women need support through their individual and unique menopause journeys and deserve to feel their best every day, and that’s why we’re here.

Lastly, where can our audience find the brand? 

Find us on Tiktok at @my_phenology, on Instagram at @myphenology, in the App Store with the Phenology App and at myphenology.com. 

Words from Jess Graham, Founder Of @myphenology