About Us...and You

The description I was given of perimenopause listed it as a time of confusion and chaos and I started laughing. I imagined a chorus of baffled ovaries bumping into each other.

There are approximately 1 billion perimenopausal women in the world today, yet despite the alleged chaos and confusion we’re able to manage our homes, businesses and a country here and there.

Perimenopause refers to when a woman's body gradually produces less estrogen, possibly leading to hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, joint pain and other symptoms—and this can begin in our 30s and extend into our 60s. Or a woman may have no symptoms at all.

Menopause occurs when a woman hasn't had a menstrual cycle for 12 months, although this time period (pun intended) is based on an average sampling of women. (One woman went two years without a period, then began a cycle again.)

The average age for menopause in the US, UK and Brazil is 51. In South Africa and China the average age is 48. In India the average age is 44, although that is rising.

Early menopause is menopause before the age of 45 (in the US and the UK).

Women in their 20s and 30s may go through Premature Menopause due to a serious illness or treatment for a serious illness.

And what happens when we go to the doctor? We’re asked the date of our last period. Have we missed any periods? Hot flashes started? When? How many? Night sweats? Unexplainable rage at the woman blocking the potato chip aisle? (Just me?)

I would stare blankly at the nurse and try to guess some dates. Someone needed to make an app for this!

Easy to Use

I have a family and a job and a cat that thinks she’s a dog and wakes me at 3 a.m. to play fetch. I don’t want an app that requires a technical manual to use it. I don't want cutesy graphics. And I definitely don't want an app that makes sounds when I'm entering info while waiting for my kid during music lessons.

I developed an efficient app for myself and my friends to use—and then asked them how I could make it better. My goal is to make perimenopause easier for my younger sister as well my other ‘sisters’—my friends from school, church, work, the gym—and you.

The Hot Flash Sisters app also offers a positive community of women—a sisterhood—where we can talk to each other about the changes we’re going through, ask questions, or discuss books or hobbies or relationships—or anything else that catches our imagination.

We are not paused.
We are impassioned.
We are sisters—Hot Flash Sisters.