Perimenopause Telehealth Boom Accelerates After FDA Removes Hormone Therapy Warnings
The removal of black box warnings and shift in medical consensus has triggered a surge in demand for hormone therapy, particularly through telehealth startups.
What happened
In late 2024, the FDA removed black box warnings from hormone therapy medications, a change announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a press conference. Alicia Jackson, director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and founder of telehealth company Evernow, stated the change could add years of healthy life for women. Web traffic to four major perimenopause telehealth startups—Midi, Winona, Alloy, and Evernow—increased 490 percent from 2023 to 2026, according to SimilarWeb analysis, reflecting what SimilarWeb characterized as an "organic demand surge."
Context
Hormone therapy had been out of favor since a 2002 study led both patients and doctors to overestimate cancer risks, leaving potentially millions of menopausal people undertreated for mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats. The policy shift follows broader acceptance of telehealth since the pandemic and growing comfort with compounded medications, which are cheaper alternatives to brand-name drugs. The case of Lisa Schrenk, an IT specialist who contemplated suicide while experiencing severe mood issues during perimenopause and found relief through hormone therapy obtained via telehealth, illustrates the personal stakes. The surge represents convergence of medical consensus change, regulatory action, and technological infrastructure enabling faster access to treatment.