How a 7.30am Facebook message became the foundation of something much bigger
When values align, things move fast.
The story of how MenoVida and Perimenopause Hub found each other, and what it means for the women at the heart of everything we’re building.
MenoVida, the female-founded health tech start-up on a mission to help women in perimenopause and beyond connect the dots and tell their story, is thrilled to share its collaboration with Perimenopause Hub, the UK’s largest peri/menopause online community, known fondly by its members as PeriHub. This is not a bolt-on endorsement. It is a collaboration that started long before this announcement, built on shared values, a shared understanding of the problem, and a shared belief that the best way to support women is to go where they already are.
Emily Barclay founded Perimenopause Hub in 2019, building it from the ground up into a community that now numbers over 165,000 members. More than 50 vetted experts support the community across topics ranging from mental health and nutrition to medical care and alternative therapies, with around 1,000 new members joining every month. Emily had always believed in the power of tracking symptoms and had long wanted an app for her community. But unable to find one that truly suited the needs of the women she was supporting, she focused on what she did best: creating a space where no woman has to navigate perimenopause feeling lost and alone.
From the very beginning, I had a clear strategic instinct: rather than build a community from scratch, MenoVida would grow by supporting the communities already out there. I began reaching out to menopause support communities, but as a commercial business, even a purpose-led one, not every door opened. I kept going. Then one morning in March 2025, while doing market research, I came across Perimenopause Hub. I sent Emily a Facebook message at 7.30am. She replied within 20 minutes and we were on a call by 4pm that same day. When values and mission truly align, collaboration does not need convincing.
Pretty much every day we get people joining and saying “thank goodness I found you, I no longer feel alone.”
Emily Barclay - Founder, Perimenopause Hub and MenoVida Founding Ambassador
Jo Jones, therapist and perimenopause coach (HushTherapy — The TheraCoach®), then also joined the conversation and brought her deep expertise in applied neuroscience and psychology, to address the mental and emotional angle of perimenopause, having supported thousands of women through this transition. Together, they were part of a wider group that helped shape the MenoVida prototype, which included a GP from the Health Advisory Board, members of the Ambassador Programme, and real potential users, bringing clinical insight, lived experience, and genuine women’s voices into the process from day one. Emily and Jo Jones are now Founding Ambassadors for MenoVida and will continue to guide what gets built as the product develops.
“Menopause is not just a physical biological transition. It is neurological and deeply emotional too. When women have a safe space to reflect, track and understand what is happening to them, it helps reduce anxiety, restore agency, build confidence, and remind them they are not alone”.
Jo Jones - Therapist and Perimenopause Coach (The TheraCoach®) and MenoVida Founding Ambassador
The problem MenoVida is being built to solve is well documented but still largely unmet. 13 million women in the UK are navigating perimenopause and menopause, yet symptoms are too often dismissed and GP appointments too short to tell the full story. According to the British Menopause Society’s Menopause Practice Standards, more than *75 per cent of women will experience menopausal symptoms, with one in four describing them as severe and debilitating. Many do not have the words to describe what is happening to them, let alone the data to back it up.
*Source: British Menopause Society Menopause Practice Standards (2022),
“One of our founding beliefs is that you go to where the women already are.
There are incredible communities out there, showing up for each other every single day. And while women have been finding their way to MenoVida, working alongside communities like PeriHub means we can reach and support so many more women, so much faster.”
Jo Mavridis - Founder, MenoVida
MenoVida is being developed to change that. The iOS and Android app will give women a way to track their symptoms, spot patterns and understand what is actually affecting their quality of life, whether that is HRT, medications, supplements or lifestyle changes. Because it really is trial and error, and what works is different for every woman. The personalised GP report is being developed in close collaboration with practising GPs to ensure it aligns with existing NHS processes and provides clinicians with the clear, actionable information they need to provide the support women deserve.
MenoVida is being built by women, for women. Privacy and data security are at the heart of its development, and every woman’s health data will be protected. Alongside the Health Advisory Board, MenoVida’s 22 ambassadors and access to over 300,000 women across community groups mean that real women’s voices are shaping every stage of the build.
As a first step, PeriHub members and MenoVida’s existing community are being given first access to join the waitlist. It is the next stage of a collaboration that has been quietly building something meaningful since that first conversation back in March.
This is just the start. Stand by, because there’s more to come.
Join the waitlist
Perimenopause Hub members can sign up for early access via the Perimenopause Hub Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/perimenohub
Members of the MenoVida Changemaker community can join via the MenoVida Changemakers Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/1208648417894479
Women already on MenoVida’s research list will receive a direct invitation to take part in the next stage of development.
About Perimenopause Hub
Founded by Emily Barclay in 2019, Perimenopause Hub, known fondly by its members as PeriHub, is the UK’s largest online community for women navigating perimenopause and menopause, with over 165,000 members and growing. Built on the belief that no woman should navigate this journey feeling lost and alone, PeriHub provides a safe and supportive space for open conversations, shared experiences and expert guidance. A panel of more than 50 vetted experts spanning mental health, nutrition, medical care, movement, lifestyle and alternative therapies are on hand to help, and the community is supported by The Vault, a curated collection of expert resources both free and paid. Emily and the PeriHub experts are also the authors of “The Aargh to Zen of Perimenopause”, a 48-chapter guide covering pretty much everything a perimenopausal woman might want to know. Jo Jones joined PeriHub in 2024, bringing specialist therapy and perimenopause coaching expertise to the community. Learn more at www.perimenopausehub.com
About Jo Mavridis
Jo is the founder of MenoVida. Her hormonal journey through the three P's — Puberty, Pregnancy and Perimenopause — is the reason this exists. After 20 years in tech and one too many 10-minute GP appointments trying to recall months of symptoms from memory, she decided to build the tool she wished had always existed.
Find out more about Jo here.
