Women's health: taking agency over historically taboo topics
An interview with the revolutionary Dr. Somi Javaid, founder & Lead Chief Medical Officer of HerMD
When I moved from Boston to Los Angeles, one of the most surprising changes was my annual checkup experience at my general physician’s office. During my time on the east coast, most aspects of my healthcare visits had been largely positive, so I (somewhat naively) thought nothing would change in a new location - especially since the healthcare system is so highly ranked. In LA, however, I’ve found that the experience has felt quite broken end-to-end leaving me frustrated and confused and sometimes even struggling to understand what on earth I paid for when a medical bill arrives in my mailbox.
The older I get, the more I’ve come to value the gift of health, so my desire to protect it and be increasingly curious about the topic grows each day. Eating healthy, exercising in a balanced way, and getting enough sleep are clear cornerstones of wellbeing, but health is far more multifaceted than just those common truths. I’ve personally found it difficult to advance the most basic of conversations with my doctor because it never feels like there’s enough time during an appointment.
Based on anecdotes shared by my doctor friends, I understand that this perspective is common on both sides of the exam table. GPs are often required to see 5-6 patients an hour and barely have time to eat or take a bathroom break. The experience has emphasized efficiency, and I believe this is having an acute impact on women in particular.
As I was preparing for today’s newsletter, the more I read and listened, the more I walked away with the impression that having an incredibly positive healthcare experience is the rare exception and not the norm. Now, let’s incorporate the complex layer of female health and all its facets - hormonal changes, sexual health, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, etc. As women, there is so much to learn and understand about our bodies and I would imagine that most of us feel completely unqualified to even scratch the surface. Couple this with the fact that the vast majority of physicians in the US have no more than 30 minutes of training on women’s sexual health and menopause during their entire career. Countless women don’t feel heard or understood and struggle to receive the right level of care for their individual needs.
Women’s health needs a major overhaul and fortunately there are some highly talented doctors and business people in the market who are working to make that happen. Today, I feel excited and fortunate to introduce you to HerMD and share with you an interview a conversation with Dr. Somi Javaid, MD, FACOG, one of its brilliant co-founders.
Dr. Javaid was motivated to start HerMD after her mother experienced a serious health condition that wasn’t being treated effectively, in part due to underlying gender bias. At the time, Dr. Javaid was still in medical school, but knew immediately that her career objective would be revolutionizing and personalizing women’s healthcare. Today, HerMD has 5 brick & mortar locations and serves 6 states through virtual care in a way that offers extended appointment lengths and uniquely deep expertise in women’s sexual health and menopause. HerMD supplements their services with a highly-curated medical aesthetics practice as well.
As the practice has expanded, Dr. Javaid has hosted and participated in multiple panels, events, and TEDTalks alongside other women and men progressing the standard of female care. Here you can find her on a panel discussing Menopause, Sex, & the Market with Naomi Watts, founder & CCO of Stripes, Jo LaMarca Mathisen, former Today Show Producer, and Alisa Volkman, co-founder & CEO of The Swell. Here’s another panel sponsored by HerMD that dives into the mind-body connection when it comes to women’s sexual health; this panel features Carine Carmy, founder of Origin, which is focused on pelvic floor physical therapy. Carine was motivated to create the company after struggling for years to find a successful treatment for painful sex. I highly recommend you take some time out of your day to watch these clips - they’re hugely informative.
So now let’s jump into my interview with Dr. Javaid.
Me: What are the best, most up-to-date resources where women (and men) can go to learn about female sexual health and menopause in a way that will give them confidence to understand what’s happening with their bodies and advocate for their needs when speaking to physicians and specialists?
Dr. Javaid: There is a lot of noise on the internet about all facets of women’s healthcare, including menopause and sexual health. Some of these resources are great, while others spread misinformation. I recommend finding resources, providers, and educators who have received an education from The Menopause Society and The International Society for The Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH). These societies were founded to provide educational support and opportunities for communication among scholars, researchers, and practitioners about menopause, women's sexual function, and sexual experience.
Me: The statistics indicate that women are seeing 5 - 7 doctors before finding one with the right expertise and bedside manner to address their specific sexual health and menopausal conditions. If we don’t live within reasonable proximity of a HerMD location, how can we break that cycle and not be on the wrong side of a statistic?
Dr. Javaid: Unfortunately, healthcare professionals have not had adequate training in sexual health and menopause care. At HerMD, 100% of our healthcare professionals are trained in sexual health and menopause care, which ensures all HerMD patients receive the most effective, evidence-based, and up-to-date treatment options that optimize their unique health outcomes. It is our mission to bring exceptional care to patients across the US. If you do not have a HerMD nearby, I recommend seeking care from a healthcare professional who is certified by The Menopause Society and The International Society for The Study of Women’s Sexual Health. By navigating to each of these respective organizations’ websites, you can search for certified practitioners within your geographic location. For ease of reference, the ‘Find a Provider or Practitioner’ function, enlisted within each organization’s website, can be found below:
I also recommend arriving to your appointment prepared and prioritizing your healthcare concerns to share with your practitioner. How are you feeling from head to toe? How is your mental health? Your sexual health? Are you experiencing pain or discomfort? Come with questions and give your healthcare team as much information about your personal health history and family medical history as possible. This will help you make informed decisions about your healthcare concerns.
Me: I’m 35 years old, and after watching 3 of your talks, I was quite surprised to learn that women are experiencing menopause at my age. For example, Naomi Watts was only 1 year older than me when she had notable symptoms. From your perspective, when should we start conversations around menopause with our OB-GYNs?
Dr. Javaid: Perimenopause occurs in the years before menopause - when your body begins to transition to menopause. We all start perimenopause at different ages. Yes, it can start in your 30s! For some women, perimenopause can last for a few years, but for many others, it can last up to 10 years. During perimenopause, you may begin to notice menstrual cycle irregularity and other menopause-like symptoms, such as hot flashes, issues with sleep, and vaginal dryness. I recommend understanding your family history of menopause and connecting with a practitioner certified by The Menopause Society when you start noticing symptoms. You do not have to “just live with” these symptoms that can cause pain and discomfort. There are options available to treat you from head to toe.
Me: While no one can escape menopause, are there healthy, natural habits we can adopt today and maintain with consistency that may somewhat mitigate or lessen the severity of menopause symptoms in the future?
Dr. Javaid: Yes - adopting lifestyle and behavioral modifications now can set your health up for success in the present day, as well as in the future. I advise adopting healthful eating habits and incorporating weight-bearing exercises into your fitness routine. Reducing stress, optimizing sleep, and managing your mental health & well-being are also key beneficial lifestyle interventions for whole-body health in the years leading up to menopause.
Me: As women, is there anything we need to be aware of from an insurance coverage and policy standpoint when it comes to investing in our sexual and menopausal health?
Dr. Javaid: Seek care with a healthcare center / team like HerMD, offering specialist care under an insurance-based system. Your menopause care plan should be individual-specific. Do not settle for subpar care - you deserve a practitioner who will act as a partner on your menopause care journey. Finding the best care team fit for you may take some time and research.
What happens when a treatment is not covered by insurance? At HerMD, some treatment options are not currently covered by insurance. We can use FSA / HSA dollars for those cash-based services. Check in with your practitioner before your treatment to determine what services / treatments are covered, and if select ones are not, inquire about whether you can use your FSA / HSA dollars.
Why are these services not covered by insurance? Ultimately, it comes down to a need for more data - but HerMD is working on research and data to get more options covered by insurance. Just recently, in fact, some of HerMD’s research was presented at the annual meeting of The Menopause Society. A few of the innovative solutions and services that we offer were shown to improve symptomatology in various clinical settings by upwards of 90%.
Me: Are there ways in which we can be “activists” for female health so that we can drive more material change faster as it relates to greater education of physicians, more funding for research and clinical trials, etc.?
Dr. Javaid: We have seen an influx of interest in menopause care over the past few years - which is great news for ALL of us. Keep the conversation going. We need more investment funds for research and innovation in the space. Write a check to support a company offering evidence-based solutions if you can. Be a mentor to someone in the space. Share your healthcare / menopause stories. Congress will soon introduce legislation to prioritize menopause, evaluating current research and recommending new studies. This is huge for the future of menopause care! Continue to spread the word and advocate for this commitment from our government agencies to invest. We’re just getting started, and we all have a voice in the matter. As friend and fellow advocate in the space, Stacy London has said, “ Menopause is not a moment, it’s a movement”.
Me: Now switching gears a bit, I’d love to ask you some questions about your experience as a female founder and entrepreneur.
Fast forward to 5 years from now. How do you define success as it relates to your HerMD vision and what you want to achieve?
Dr. Javaid: Success is expansion. The ultimate dream is to change the status quo of menopause care - nationwide. My vision in the next five years includes over 200 HerMD centers across the US. I want patients and providers alike to continue to feel inspired by our unique model of care.
Me: Over the past 15 years, we have unfortunately seen VC funding for female-only founded startups hover around 2% without improvement. As women leaders, however, we still need to be discerning when it comes to who we are choosing to partner with in capital raises - these individuals have seats on our boards, have influence in executive decisions and strategic direction, etc. Outside of favorable investment terms, are there specific criteria you use to assess whether or not an investor is right for the HerMD brand?
Dr. Javaid: We consider several things when it comes to who we are choosing to partner with in capital raises. Some of the factors we consider are:
Alignment - are they aligned with our mission of education, advocacy, and empowerment?
Support - will they support patient care over profitability?
Value - what strategic value do they bring to the table?
Knowledge - do they have the pulse on the ever-changing femtech space?
Me: When it comes to scaling HerMD, I think about it in 2 ways. The first is by increasing the number of clinics, and the second is by expanding awareness and engagement with your brand. The latter can be much faster with more opportunities to creatively monetize at scale. How do you think about this for your business?
Dr. Javaid: When scaling HerMD, we consider physical expansion and brand awareness / engagement. Some of the ways we think about this are as follows:
Partnerships - we plan to partner with hospitals, employers with enterprise, like-minded companies / individuals who are complementary to our healthcare delivery model / education.
Events - we host free, accessible events focused on education and community in our markets. Patients are hungry for education about their bodies, sexual health, menopause, and treatment options!
For more information, be sure to visit HerMD.com and follow the brand on instagram.
Images | 1 | HerMD | 2 -3 | YouTube