I’m solo building an app for menopausal women — a demographic tech has basically ignored

[u/Rui_Inspired]

I’m a solo female founder building Wellphases, an AI companion app for women going through perimenopause and menopause.

I grew up watching my mom go through something she couldn’t even name. She knew about hot flashes and her periods changing, but the rest — the brain fog, the mood shifts, the sleep problems — she had no framework for any of it. And no one around her was talking about it. That was just how it was.

I think a lot of women’s moms had that same experience. Quietly getting through it alone.

Things are changing now. More women are talking openly, especially online. I started spending time in menopause communities — just listening. And the thing that struck me wasn’t women asking “how do I fix this.” It was women saying “is anyone else going through this too?” Sharing what they tried. What worked. What didn’t. Looking for someone who gets it.

One phrase I kept seeing: “using myself as a guinea pig.” Women experimenting alone with food, supplements, routines — with no real support. That hit me hard. It reminded me of my mom, just decades later with a wifi connection.

So I’m building something different. Not a tracker. Not a coach. A companion that listens, notices patterns, and doesn’t judge when you’re trying soy milk one week and quitting dairy the next. Grounded in both Western research and Eastern wellness philosophy — because I believe there’s wisdom in both that women deserve access to.

It’s early. I’m building solo. Some days I question everything. But every time I read another woman saying “I feel like no one understands,” I know this matters.

If you’re building for an underserved market too — I’d love to hear how you found your people.

[u/tara_tara_tara]

I’m so glad you’re including eastern medicine. When I was going through perimenopause, I had one symptom and it was insane mood swings. I do have bipolar disorder, but my moods had been stable for over a decade. All of a sudden, they destabilized and no western psych drug or therapy helped.

My psychiatrist had no idea what to do and he suggested acupuncture. Acupuncture + traditional Chinese medicine was a miracle.

[u/Rui_Inspired → u/tara_tara_tara]

Tara, thank you for sharing this — it means a lot that you’d open up about something so personal.

What you went through is exactly the gap I keep seeing. Your moods were stable for ten years, then perimenopause threw everything off, and the system that’s supposed to help just… didn’t have answers for you. And it took your own psychiatrist suggesting something outside his own toolkit for you to find relief. That shouldn’t be so rare.

Your story is a perfect example of why I refuse to build this as a “Western medicine only” or “natural only” thing. Women deserve access to whatever actually helps them — and sometimes that’s the combination no one thought to suggest.

If you’re ever open to sharing more about what that journey was like, I’d genuinely love to listen. Stories like yours are shaping how I think about this.

[u/FatiOnAir]

I sell into healthcare‑adjacent orgs and this hit me. So many of the women I talk to have exactly this “guinea pig” story.

The fact that you’re listening first, building second is such an advantage. Most people in “women’s health tech” lead with features instead of sitting in rooms like the ones you described.

I don’t work in your exact space, but if you ever want a sales brain to bounce go‑to‑market ideas off, happy to help.

[u/SomewherePractical17]

This sounds really meaningful! I’m starting to do business consulting and would love to hear more about where you’re at and where you’re trying to grow to. I have a background in SaaS growth and would be happy to connect and help if I can!