As Costs Climb and Confidence Falls, 93% of Women Call for Change in How We View and Support Menopause
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 29, 2025--
Menopause is not only a medical transition, but also a personal reckoning for many women marked by shame, confusion and feeling left behind by the healthcare system. Despite growing consumer interest in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), many enter this phase of life feeling dismissed and devalued. New data released by The HRT Club, a leading pioneer of direct-to-consumer hormone replacement therapies, shows that one-third (32.8%) of American peri/menopausal women feel ugly and less valuable as they age, while another 28.9% say this was the first time they ever felt old. Women aren't just experiencing hormonal shifts, they're losing confidence in how they're seen, supported and treated. Women shouldn't have to feel less valuable during menopause, and they wouldn't, if armed with the right education, care and support.
Interest is high, but awareness is lagging
When it comes to HRT, most women are not properly informed, with over half (53.5%) saying they aren't familiar with HRT. But once educated, the majority (80.3%) express either a neutral or positive opinion. 30.9% of respondents say they would've done more research had they known what to expect, while 29.1% would've sought help sooner and 22.4% wish they had started treatment earlier. 44.6% have never spoken to a doctor about treatment options at all.
Transformative benefits of HRT
Among women who've used HRT, the benefits are clear:
These numbers suggest both therapeutic value and meaningful improvement in day-to-day life.
Cost and coverage are barriers to feeling better
Access and affordability remain persistent challenges for women seeking menopause care. Nearly 93% of women believe HRT should be more accessible and affordable, with two-thirds calling for lower prices and more than half citing the need for better insurance coverage. Among those who considered or began treatment, 60.5% said cost influenced their decision not to try HRT and 18.1% stopped using it because of the expense.
Even for those who pursued treatment, the path was not always straightforward. 45% had their insurance fully or partially deny the prescription, while nearly 60% ended up paying out of pocket. Additionally, 38.7% reported difficulty getting a prescription from their doctor and 40.5% said insurance coverage posed a significant hurdle. These numbers underscore a critical gap between consumer interest and the healthcare system's ability to meet it.
Clinical confusion continues to undermine HRT
Beyond the financial burden, cultural and medical stigmas persist. Among HRT users, 32.4% were actively discouraged from trying it by a healthcare professional. This lack of clinical support leaves many women on their own. In fact, 81.7% of HRT users had to research menopause independently and only 12.7% felt their doctor provided the information they needed. Not surprisingly, 50.8% found online information confusing and 36.5% believe misinformation shaped their perception of HRT.
'The American healthcare system puts the burden on women to educate themselves, self-advocate and often pay out-of-pocket just to feel like themselves again,' said Cyrille Labourel, CEO of The HRT Club. 'We built our model to restore confidence and eliminate barriers. No insurance, no middlemen, just access to educated providers and clinically-appropriate treatments at an affordable cost.'
The HRT Club offers a direct path to treatment
With a nationwide network of HRT-knowledgeable physicians, The HRT Club eliminates traditional barriers to care. The platform provides affordable, physician-prescribed treatments without the need for insurance, along with personalized care plans and science-backed education. Women deserve better and The HRT Club is redefining what's possible.
Learn more at https://thehrtclub.com.
Methodology
The HRT Club commissioned a nationwide survey with Propeller Insights, polling 1,000 U.S. women aged 45 to 60 in April 2025 to evaluate their knowledge, perceptions and experiences surrounding menopause, hormone replacement therapy and access to care.
About Propeller Insights
Propeller Insights is a full-service market research firm based in Los Angeles. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies to measure and analyze marketplace and consumer opinions, they work extensively across industries such as travel, brand intelligence, entertainment/media, retail and consumer packaged goods.
About The HRT Club
The HRT Club is on a mission to make hormonal treatments accessible to everyone. Since its launch in April 2024, The HRT Club has quickly become the leading doctor-recommended platform for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). With a network of over 1,300 prescribers and strategic partnerships across the healthcare industry, we are transforming how people access and afford hormonal treatments. Our members enjoy savings of up to 90% on their HRT prescriptions, ensuring that life-changing care is within reach for all who need it. For more information, visit https://thehrtclub.com.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250529594661/en/
CONTACT: Media Contact
Courtney Merolle
[email protected]
KEYWORD: NEW JERSEY UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY WOMEN CONSUMER HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL
SOURCE: The HRT Club
Copyright Business Wire 2025.
PUB: 05/29/2025 09:05 AM/DISC: 05/29/2025 09:03 AM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250529594661/en
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
31 minutes ago
Firms led by US military veterans deliver aid in Africa and Gaza, alarming humanitarian groups
ON A PLANE OVER UPPER NILE STATE, South Sudan -- Swooping low over the banks of a Nile River tributary, an aid flight run by retired American military officers released a stream of food-stuffed sacks over a town emptied by fighting in South Sudan, a country wracked by conflict. Last week's air drop was the latest in a controversial development — private contracting firms led by former U.S. intelligence officers and military veterans delivering aid to some of the world's deadliest conflict zones, in operations organized with governments that are combatants in the conflicts. The moves are roiling the global aid community, which warns of a more militarized, politicized and profit-seeking trend that could allow governments or combatants to use life-saving aid to control hungry civilian populations and advance war aims. In South Sudan and Gaza, two for-profit U.S. companies led by American national security veterans are delivering aid in operations backed by the South Sudanese and Israeli governments. The American contractors say they're putting their security, logistics and intelligence skills to work in relief operations. Fogbow, the U.S. company that carried out last week's air drops over South Sudan, says it aims to be a 'humanitarian' force. 'We've worked for careers, collectively, in conflict zones. And we know how to essentially make very difficult situations work,' said Fogbow President Michael Mulroy, a retired CIA officer and former senior defense official in the first Trump administration, speaking on the airport tarmac in Juba, South Sudan's capital. But the U.N. and many leading non-profit groups say U.S. contracting firms are stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without commitment to humanitarian principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. 'What we've learned over the years of successes and failures is there's a difference between a logistics operation and a security operation, and a humanitarian operation,' said Scott Paul, a director at Oxfam America. ''Truck and chuck' doesn't help people,' Paul said. 'It puts people at risk.' Fogbow took journalists up in a cargo plane to watch their team drop 16 tons of beans, corn and salt for South Sudan's Upper Nile state town of Nasir. Residents fled homes there after fighting erupted in March between the government and opposition groups. Mulroy acknowledged the controversy over Fogbow's aid drops, which he said were paid for by the South Sudanese government. But, he maintained: 'We don't want to replace any entity' in aid work. Fogbow was in the spotlight last year for its proposal to use barges to bring aid to Gaza, where Israeli restrictions were blocking overland deliveries. The United States focused instead on a U.S. military effort to land aid via a temporary pier. Since then, Fogbow has carried out aid drops in Sudan and South Sudan, east African nations where wars have created some of the world's gravest humanitarian crises. Fogbow says ex-humanitarian officials are also involved, including former U.N. World Food Program head David Beasley, who is a senior adviser. Operating in Gaza, meanwhile, Safe Reach Solutions, led by a former CIA officer and other retired U.S. security officers, has partnered with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed nonprofit that Israel says is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the U.N., which Israel says has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. Starting in late May, the American-led operation in Gaza has distributed food at fixed sites in southern Gaza, in line with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations. Since then, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instances, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward, and the U.S. says it's not funding it. In response to criticism over its Gaza aid deliveries, Safe Reach Solutions said it has former aid workers on its team with 'decades of experience in the world's most complex environments' who bring "expertise to the table, along with logisticians and other experts.' Last week's air drop over South Sudan went without incident, despite fighting nearby. A white cross marked the drop zone. Only a few people could be seen. Fogbow contractors said there were more newly returned townspeople on previous drops. Fogbow acknowledges glitches in mastering aid drops, including one last year in Sudan's South Kordofan region that ended up with too-thinly-wrapped grain sacks split open on the ground. After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has struggled to emerge from a civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people. Rights groups say its government is one of the world's most corrupt, and until now has invested little in quelling the dire humanitarian crisis. South Sudan said it engaged Fogbow for air drops partly because of the Trump administration's deep cuts in U.S. Agency for International Development funding. Humanitarian Minister Albino Akol Atak said the drops will expand to help people in need throughout the country. But two South Sudanese groups question the government's motives. 'We don't want to see a humanitarian space being abused by military actors ... under the cover of a food drop," said Edmund Yakani, head of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a local civil society group. Asked about suspicions the aid drops were helping South Sudan's military aims, Fogbow's Mulroy said the group has worked with the U.N. World Food Program to make sure 'this aid is going to civilians.' 'If it wasn't going to civilians, we would hope that we would get that feedback, and we would cease and desist,' Mulroy said. In a statement, WFP country director Mary-Ellen McGroarty said: 'WFP is not involved in the planning, targeting or distribution of food air-dropped' by Fogbow on behalf of South Sudan's government, citing humanitarian principles. Longtime humanitarian leaders and analysts are troubled by what they see as a teaming up of warring governments and for-profit contractors in aid distribution. When one side in a conflict decides where and how aid is handed out, and who gets it, 'it will always result in some communities getting preferential treatment,' said Jan Egeland, executive director of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Sometimes, that set-up will advance strategic aims, as with Netanyahu's plans to move Gaza's civilians south, Egeland said. The involvement of soldiers and security workers, he added, can make it too 'intimidating' for some in need to even try to get aid. Until now, Western donors always understood those risks, Egeland said. But pointing to the Trump administration's backing of the new aid system in Gaza, he asked: 'Why does the U.S. ... want to support what they have resisted with every other war zone for two generations?' Mark Millar, who has advised the U.N. and Britain on humanitarian matters in South Sudan and elsewhere, said involving private military contractors risks undermining the distinction between humanitarian assistance and armed conflict. Private military contractors 'have even less sympathy for a humanitarian perspective that complicates their business-driven model," he said. 'And once let loose, they seem to be even less accountable.' Knickmeyer reported from Washington. Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. ___
Business Wire
34 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Ververica Announces Partnership with Aiven - Empowering Leading Enterprises to Create Value from their Data in Real-Time
BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ververica, the original creators of Apache Flink® and a leader in stream processing technology, today announced a new partnership with Aiven, the AI-ready open source cloud data platform. This partnership enables Aiven to provide Ververica's Unified Streaming Data Platform to their customers, expanding access to enterprise-grade streaming data capabilities for data-driven businesses around the world. Under the partnership, Aiven customers can now unlock enterprise-grade stream processing with Ververica's powerful platform. Share Under the partnership, Aiven customers can now unlock enterprise-grade stream processing with Ververica's powerful platform — allowing them to make decisions and take actions at speed with data from any source — plus expert support from the original creators of Apache Flink. 'This partnership is about removing friction and delivering real business value,' said Vladimir Jandreski, Chief Product Officer at Ververica. 'Aiven users running Kafka can now seamlessly step into real-time stream processing with Apache Flink® through our enterprise-grade platform. And for Ververica users, Aiven simplifies operations with a proven managed service. Together, we're lowering the barrier to scalable, high-performance streaming.' "Partnering with Ververica gives our customers direct access to enterprise-grade stream processing, powered by the creators of Apache Flink," said Conor Forde, SVP Go To Market at Aiven. "Together, we're making it easier to build scalable, real-time applications with expert support and unlock more value from streaming data, faster." This marks the first step forward in further collaboration to position Aiven and Ververica in leading the way forward for empowering enterprises to create value from their data. About Ververica Ververica, the original creators of Apache Flink®, empowers businesses with high-performance data streaming and processing solutions. Streamlining operations, developer efficiency, and enabling customers to solve real-time use cases reliably and securely. Ververica's advanced Streaming Data Platform, powered by its cloud native VERA engine, revolutionizes Apache Flink®, making it easy for organizations to harness data insights at scale. With Ververica, customers can meet any business SLA, leveraging advanced data streaming and processing capabilities in real-time or on the lakehouse. Ververica enables businesses to connect, process, govern, and analyze data, across infinite use cases, with flexible deployment options, including public cloud, private cloud, or on-premise environments. Discover more at About Aiven Aiven is a global open source data platform company, helping organizations drive more value from their data. As a trusted foundation to power innovation, Aiven's comprehensive cloud data platform combines the tools to stream, manage and analyse data, simply, securely, and rapidly. Aiven is trusted by customers globally to create next-gen applications with confidence. Learn more at
Business Wire
35 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Yokogawa Collaborates with Shell on Robotics and AI Technology for Plant Maintenance
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that it has formalized a long-term agreement with Shell Global Solutions International B.V. ('Shell') to integrate and further develop technologies for utilizing robots and drones in plant monitoring and maintenance. Under the agreement, Yokogawa will add an advanced machine vision tool called Operator Round by Exception (ORE), developed by Shell, into its own OpreX™ Robot Management Core. The enhanced software service will be made available by Yokogawa to customers in the energy, chemicals, and other industries. We are excited to be working with Shell on this key technology field that promises to address the workforce challenges facing plant owners by significantly improving the efficiency of rounds in the field, while also reducing the inherent risk to operators. Share ORE is a digital solution that uses machine vision and AI analytics to enable robots to autonomously perform a number of tasks in the operator round process, such as reading gauges and checking for leaks and machinery issues. It is the result of a two-year collaborative effort within Shell, which combined machine vision strategy with deep capabilities in the field of integrity management, remote site inspection, and corrosion management. OpreX Robot Management Core is a key product in Yokogawa's robot solutions. The software helps customers maintain their facilities in a safer and more efficient manner by integrating the management of various types of robots that perform plant maintenance tasks conventionally carried out by humans. When connected to a plant's control and safety systems, the data acquired can be used to issue instructions to robots, thus enabling the first step to be taken toward autonomous plant operations. The addition of Shell's ORE technology will significantly increase the number of use cases available to customers through OpreX Robot Management Core. Moving forward, Yokogawa robotics operations will deploy at two Shell facilities as a pilot into how robotics and drones can deliver value through efficiencies in plant monitoring and maintenance. This collaboration is the first key milestone for Yokogawa working alongside Shell in the collaboration space at the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam, which was created by Shell in 2022 to provide a platform for collaboration between companies, societal organisations, governments, and universities to work on tomorrow's energy solutions. Shell and Yokogawa have also agreed to collaborate on an aligned R&D roadmap to further develop and enhance the machine vision technology, ensuring continuous innovation and improvement. This collaboration underscores both companies' commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions to the energy and industrial sectors. Masaharu Maeda, Yokogawa Electric vice president, executive officer, and head of the company's Solutions Business Division, stated, 'We are very excited to be working with Shell on this key technology field that promises to address the workforce challenges facing plant owners by significantly improving the efficiency of rounds in the field, while also reducing the inherent risk to operators. We look forward to making it available to industrial facility owners globally in the near future and contributing to safer and more efficient workplaces.' 'Shell & Yokogawa have a proud history of developing together to enable advanced automation solutions for our sites. With this agreement, we are taking our relationship to the next level. Robotics solutions combined with AI provide the potential to create a step change in productivity and safety,' said Gerben de Jong, CIO for Shell Integrated Gas, Upstream and Projects & Technology. For More Information About Yokogawa Yokogawa provides advanced solutions in the areas of measurement, control, and information to customers across a broad range of industries, including energy, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, and food. Yokogawa addresses customer issues regarding the optimization of production, assets, and the supply chain with the effective application of digital technologies, enabling the transition to autonomous operations. Founded in Tokyo in 1915, Yokogawa continues to work toward a sustainable society through its 17,000+ employees in a global network of 128 companies spanning 62 countries. For more information, visit The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.
