The Cardiff-based health entrepreneur behind femcare brand, Kind Organic, has launched a website that promises to help women through the menopause.
[aoa id=”1″]Health & Her® is the brainchild of Kate Bache and her business partner Gervase Fay, which was born out of frustration at a gap in the UK market for female health and the menopause in particular.[/aoa]
The e-commerce site will offer free expert advice, not just from gynaecologists and GPs, but also psychologists, career coaches and make-up artists. It will also feature a menopause symptom tool and tracker, the first of its kind in the UK, and will recommend advice and products specific to an individual’s symptoms.
A qualified chemist, Kate previously founded femcare brand, Kind Organic, which is sold in major stores including Boots and Ocado. Kate has since stepped away from Kind Organic to develop Health & Her.
Kate Bache said: “Health & Her® addresses a real gap in the market within the UK. Women make up 51% of the population and the menopause is something they will all go through at some point. There are over 30 recognised symptoms of the menopause and every woman experiences an average of eight of these at varying degrees.
“Our site is designed to address these unique requirements. Our aim is to create a single-stop resource where they can obtain advice and treatment that moves away from a ‘catch all’ approach, instead offering individualised solutions tailored to each woman. Our experts cover everything from the physical symptoms of the menopause, and how best to tackle them, to help understanding and addressing the psychological and social changes that the menopause can bring.
“They offer guidance on menopause treatments and coping strategies, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and changes to nutrition, as well as relationship and career advice. Even style and beauty tips are covered, such as the clothes and make-up best suited to hot flushes.”
A recent survey commissioned by Health & Her® has highlighted the extent of the far-reaching effects that the menopause can have on women.
The study of 1,000 menopausal women across the UK found that over half of respondents reported that the menopause had altered their mood, while a fifth said their mental health had been affected. 36% revealed that the menopause had impacted their libido and sex life, with a quarter stating that their relationships with their partners had changed as a result of the menopause.
Despite the clear impact of the menopause on women going through it, GPs receive little or no training on the menopause during their seven years of university to become a doctor. At the same time, there are just 150 specialist menopause trained doctors in the whole of the UK – equating to less than 0.5% for a problem that affects half of the population.
Health and Her® aims to address the need for better support and solutions for menopausal women, featuring a wide range of natural products for the menopause market, including sleeping aids, herbal remedies and supplements.
The company is consistently listening to women going through the menopause to innovate and bring new solutions in an area which is very underdeveloped.
Kate and her team have plans for further growth and are seeking funding to develop new innovative tools and products to support women going through the menopause. Already backed by Inspire Wales, as well as a number of prominent Angel investors, Health and Her® hopes to raise £250k to support this growth and help market the site across the UK.
