In a Flash: Innovative Ways to Manage Menopause Symptoms

Menopause

The burgeoning ‘FemTech’ industry is equipping women with a variety of handy gadgets and products to help ease symptoms of menopause. Photo: Anastasia Usenko/Getty Images

With a quarter of the world’s female population poised to reach menopause by 2030, a long-neglected market is finally getting the investment and innovation it deserves. Beyond the burgeoning ‘FemTech’ industry that’s equipping women with a variety of handy gadgets — portable cooling devices to informative, interactive apps — sleep brands now stock an array of temperature-regulating mattresses, pillows and bed linens, and female-led companies are producing ultra-targeted supplements and pioneering clothing lines designed with cooling fabric developed by NASA. In honour of World Menopause Month, Zoomer rounded up the best of a welcome range of products and services.

 

There’s an App for That

 

Launched in July 2022 in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, the new Midday app, US$80 for a one-year subscription, provides “end-to-end management of your menopause journey.” From data-driven, expert advice and specialist support to the latest news, science and products, as well as interactive symptom trackers and hot flash logs (to identify triggers), it’s also Fitbit compatible, to chart sleep and activity. You can also check out an array of similar apps at various price points, including free:  Stella, Olivia, Alva, Caria, and Femilog

 

Chill Out

 

Placed on the back of the neck where the brain senses and regulates body temperature, the Menopod, no-drip, instant ice pack, $150, cools to 5 C within seconds to relieve hot flashes. Purse size and USB chargeable.

 

Cold Clock

 

Offering “discreet relief in a sleek design,” the watch-like Embr Wave 2, (US$300, black or rose gold) manages hot flashes, cold flashes and night sweats at the touch of a button. You simply press a button to deliver precisely calibrated so-called Thermal Waves that instantly cool and warm the body as needed, with pulses of icy coolness or heat, that recalibrate body temperature. You can also keep an eye out for the Grace Bracelet, currently in development, which detects hot flushes before you have one; it works by activating a cooling patch on your wrist to reverse its effects.​

 

Passed Out Cold

 

Menopause
Photo: PM Images/Getty Images

 

Stay cool and ease night sweats with Hush bed linens. The Canadian brand’s Iced 2.0 Bamboo Cooling Sheets, 4-piece set, $169, are lightweight and moisture-wicking, staying dry while drawing heat from the body. They also offer an Iced 2.0 Cooling Blanket, $360. Complete your heat-resistant bedding set with Arctic Cooling Memory Foam Pillows by Serta, US$149. Designed with trademarked Reactex fabric that provides pressure-activated cooling in seconds as heat is pulled away from the pillow’s surface, they’re 30 times cooler than standard cushions. Serta also manufactures an Artic Mattress, US$3,000, in the same high-tech material.

 

Cool Clothes

 

Offset hot flashes, night sweats and chills with temperature-controlling clothing. A slew of brands have introduced tech fabrics that absorb hot flash heat then release it back during the chill that follows. Following two years of research, the British brand Primark launched a super affordable 14-piece line of nightwear, underwear and base layers in 2022, with T-shirts, tanks, slips and leggings designed with trademarked, cooling, anti-microbial yarn that evaporates moisture and controls temperature and odour. Soma’s Cool Nights sleepwear alleviates sleep sweats. Become does a full array of cooling, sweat evaporating “anti-flush” wear. Fifty One Apparel offers a line of night and day basics that “harness technology developed by NASA to keep astronauts comfortable inside their spacesuits.”

 

Biodynamic Woman

 

Research has shown that lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria significantly reduces menopause symptoms. A 2021 clinical study found that probiotics reduce cardiometabolic dysfunctions (such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease) in peri- and post-menopausal women while also “crucially decreasingbody mass. Your Biology supplements, $45 (when purchased in five packs), are formulated specifically for women and add glowing skin and less bloating to the roster of bio-advantages. The capsules are also glazed in a protective casing that isn’t broken down by stomach acid, which ensures that the ingredients actually make it to your gut.

 

Symptom Saboteur

 

Menopause
Photo: OKrasyuk/Getty Images

 

Even more targeted, MPowder launched in 2019 with plant-based products developed by nutritionists to combat the unique issues women face at various stages of menopause. Perio Boost, a perimenopause powder, contains soya, flaxseed, and cacao to boost energy, and magnesium to support joint health. While the Meno Boost line targets hot flashes, low energy, anxiety, brain fog, and blood pressure with a stress-reducing, hormone-balancing blend of maca and ashwagandha. 

 

VA Gym Jam

 

An Ob-Gyn designed ‘vaginal wellness’ gadget, the vFit Gold Device, US$395, from JoyLux promises that a few sessions a week with this vibrating LED light apparatus results in a stronger pelvic floor as well as increased lubrication, sensation and tightness. Complimentary products include pH-balanced Photonic Gel infused with hyaluronic acid and aloe vera, US$25, and revitalizeHER, US$49, a “deeply” hydrating and antioxidant serum rich in coconut oil and beeswax to “soothe, soften, and rejuvenate.” 

 

Saucy Supplement

 

Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP is known for its gleefully unabashed attitude towards aging and sexuality and the cheeky brand’s new libido-boosting elixir is no exception. Named after a profane, text age acronym (Down To F**K), this all-natural formula “supports healthy sexual function, vitality, and mood in women who want to shift their sex drives into gear,” US$60 for a 30-day supply of 60 caps.

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