August Newsletter
Wise words, inspiring founders and a team we're proud of.
This month I've been thinking about what it means to build something that really matters. Partly because of the app, partly because of the conversations I've been having with some incredible founders, and partly because of Dolly Parton.
Dolly left us last week.
The world lost someone truly extraordinary. A voice that went so far beyond music. A philanthropist, a campaigner, a woman who gave quietly and loved loudly. She always believed in herself, lived authentically and never seemed to waste a moment worrying about what anyone else thought. Many of us are only now learning about her struggles with endometriosis, a partial hysterectomy, and losing the ability to choose her own path to motherhood. She carried all of that with humility, grace, humour and a generosity of spirit that touched millions.
As she once said: "Find out who you are and do it on purpose."
She had so many wise words, and her songs had so much impact. As it happens, my morning alarm has been set to play “9 to 5” for the past few years. On the rare occasions when perimenopause actually lets me sleep until 6.30 am, waking up to Dolly always makes me smile. And it still will.
🌸 R.I.P Dolly 🌸
Best wishes,
Jo
P.S. Don’t forget to read on for everything else that's been happening this month.
MENOVIDA NEWS
Meet the team behind MenoVida.
Too often you visit a website and have to dig around just to find an email address. No names, no faces, no sign of any humans behind it at all.
We're building differently. If we're asking women to trust us with their health data, you deserve to know exactly who is making the decisions, coming up with the ideas, conducting the research and turning it all into something real.
Behind MenoVida is a team who don't just build for this moment in women's lives. Many of us are living it. We've sat in a GP's office feeling unheard. We've googled symptoms at 2am wondering what was happening to our bodies. That's exactly why we're building something different.
Over on our social channels, you'll find us introducing the people behind the app. Real people. Real care in every detail. You can meet the team on Instagram or LinkedIn
Founders we’ve been talking to.
One of the unexpected joys of building MenoVida has been the conversations it opens up. This month we've met two founders doing something genuinely different in women's health, both tackling subjects that have been dismissed or ignored for far too long.
Kelly Newton - Nixi Body
Kelly is the founder and CEO of Nixi Body, award-winning leakproof underwear helping women move confidently through menstruation, motherhood and menopause. Kelly designed her first pair after struggling with bladder leaks on the hockey pitch and almost giving up sport altogether. That personal frustration became a product, and a business, built by women who know exactly what you're going through.
What we didn't expect was to discover that Kelly's son Mackie is the founder of Frank's Pants, a UK-based men's leakproof underwear brand with an equally personal story behind it. It started with his grandad John, a man whose confidence quietly slipped away during prostate cancer, as the products available felt bulky, medical and nothing like him. Mackie set out to create something that fitted seamlessly into an active, modern life instead.
Kelly and Mackie, each driven by a problem that affects millions, determined to do something about it, are championing sustainability and reimagining underwear for everyone.
To find out more, visit Nixi Body and Frank's Pants
Alexander Perry - Alexander Clementine
What started as a sustainability project became something far more personal for Alexander, founder of Alexander Clementine. His seaweed-based underwear began as an environmental mission, but women kept coming forward to share how the fabric was supporting them through menopause. Then his mum Alison was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it became the only thing she could wear comfortably during recovery.
That was when everything started to change. Alexander pivoted the entire brand to focus on women's health, since the most important work often comes from the most personal places.
To find out more, visit Alexander Clementine
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Menopause and diabetes: what to know
If you're managing diabetes, perimenopause can make it harder. Falling oestrogen levels can increase insulin resistance, making blood sugar levels less predictable. Some menopause symptoms, like hot sweats, can also be mistaken for a hypo.
Diabetes UK recommends checking blood sugar more often during this time, and speaking to your GP or diabetes team about whether treatment adjustments or HRT could help.
A small win for NHS staff
An NHS charity has been awarded nearly £50,000 to set up a doctor-led menopause clinic for its own staff, offering general information sessions, group consultations and one-to-one appointments with specialist doctors.
It's a small story, but it matters. When the people who care for us are supported, too, everyone benefits.
NHS cervical screening self-test kits
The NHS has begun offering self-testing HPV kits to nearly four million women in England who haven't attended cervical screening following previous invitations, starting with those aged between 30 and 65.
The kit uses a simple swab that women can do themselves at home, then post back to the NHS for free HPV testing. If high-risk HPV is found, women will be invited in for a follow-up cervical screening appointment with a clinician.
This is not a replacement for attending cervical screening. The NHS is clear that a clinician-led appointment remains the best way to help prevent cervical cancer. But for women who haven't yet accepted the invitation, this is a more accessible first step.
If you receive an invitation, please do take it up.
Thank you for being part of the MenoVida community. Every month, we're reminded of how much this matters and how many of you are showing up for each other and for this mission.
Until next month,
Best wishes from
Team MenoVida 🌸
