The Menopause Playbook: Preparing for Midlife Health

Listen On Apple Podcasts  Listen On Spotify  Watch on YouTube 

In This Episode

Rebecca Booth

MD, FACOG

Rebecca is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, entrepreneur and author who has been practicing medicine for over 35 years. She is also the author of The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle…At Any Age.
 
 

See Rebecca's full bio

Sally Mueller

Co-Founder & CEO, Womaness

Sally Mueller is the co-founder and CEO of Womaness, a brand that is changing the conversation around women’s healthy aging through innovative products that offer solutions from head to toe (and everything in between).
 
 
 

See Sally's full bio

Jaleigh White, CPA, CPWA®​

Director of Baird Family Wealth, Baird

Jaleigh is an expert within Baird’s Private Wealth Management business. She’s made it her life’s mission to ensure multigenerational families can access the resources they need to navigate major life transitions.
 

See Jaleigh's full bio

Moderator:

Angela Pittman Taylor

Director of Corporate Communications, Baird

Since joining Baird in 1998 as an intern, Angela has held various roles in our PR and corporate communications teams. Today, she leads Baird’s PR team and Chicago-based brand strategy and also advises on Baird’s inclusion & diversity initiatives.

Connect with Angela

Transcript

• Meet Dr. Rebecca Booth, OB-GYN

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Welcome to Invested. We're hosting a five-episode miniseries on the Sandwich Generation. Jaleigh, how are you doing today?

  Jaleigh White: Great, Angela. So excited about our conversation today. Good to see you.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Good to see you, too, and I am excited as well. Our conversation today is about health and wellness planning in that critical midlife period and I can't wait to get into it. We have two fabulous guests joining us today, so Jaleigh, I'll turn it over to you to introduce them.

  Jaleigh White: Thank you. I'm very excited to have just such experts with us today, both from talking about their personal stories and journey and how they help so many women. So, we're going to start with Becca Booth, who is an OB-GYN. For 35 years, she was at Women's First of Louisville, one of the largest OB-GYN facilities in Kentucky, serving women for so many years. She's an expert at hormonal wellness.

  I've got to tell you, Becca, your first book, The Venus Week, I've shared with so many people. From my daughters to girlfriends along stages, it was such a help to all of us. I know you've appeared in a number of different leading women's magazines, and I'll say, brought the conversation into the mainstream of our conversation that has been so helpful. So, welcome. We're thrilled to have you today.

  Dr. Becca Booth: Well, it's great to be here. And yeah, the book was a gift to be able to do, but like anything you do, there's always those that came first. So, I was able to kind of float on the backs of many other pioneering women to try to help spread the messaging. So, thanks, Jaleigh.

• Introducing Sally Mueller, Womaness

  Jaleigh White: Well, and you're sitting right beside another woman who's helping spread both the conversation and information and provide us with real tools and resources we can use, and that's Sally Mueller, co-founder of Womeness. She's all about changing the conversation around women's health and aging and [she’s] an expert in the retail business with 20-plus years at Target. So, an expert in fashion, beauty, lifestyle and how would we all can start helping each other – talking about this more and sharing information. I think back to my mom's generation, it was just a taboo subject that no one talked about.

  Sally Mueller: Thank you. It's so great to be here.

  Jaleigh White: Yeah, it is changing. I mean, thank goodness, it is well overdue. So I'd like for both of you to first start talking and sharing with us a little bit about what makes for you personally, the work that you do, rewarding.

  How did you get on this journey and what makes it rewarding for you?

  Sally, let's start with you.

  Sally Mueller: Well, it's all about helping women and my career, as you said, started in retail and I spent a lot of time in fashion. Womaness came about because of my own personal journey, which I know we're going to touch on, but it’s so rewarding to have a company with such a great mission. Our mission is to educate, to inspire women and provide products that are innovative, clinically proven and really a total solution to healthy aging and menopause. So, it goes without saying it's very rewarding to help women and get such great response from our customers and women at large. I also think it's been rewarding to see how we're creating a new category in retail.

  A lot of retailers are now deciding to really go after women's health. They're realizing the buying power of midlife and older women. We've been really largely ignored – not just from product, but also from marketing. So, it's really exciting to be educating retailers and seeing them act on this opportunity.

  Jaleigh White: I agree. As you said, this is personal for you. Tell us a little bit about that doctor's visit that really changed your life.

  Sally Mueller: Yeah, so I knew I was in menopause, but I didn't realize menopause was more than hot flashes. I was experiencing sleep issues, low libido, change in skin and I really thought it was stress. I was traveling with my job all over the world and was gone a lot and not sleeping well, which was kind of the underlying issue. But it affected me holistically. And I finally found myself at a doctor's appointment at Mayo Clinic and the doctor there was very educated about menopause. Which Becca, as you know, it's very rare that doctors are comfortable and educated in menopause because it's an elective in med school. That's what I've been told by the Mayo doctors, and she educated me about menopause. She said, “Sally, I see patients all day long with libido issues and sleep issues and we're going to get this fixed” and she educated me about hormone therapy. But at the end of the appointment, she gave me a list of products to check out on Amazon and that's when I literally gasped. I said, “I'm not buying any of these products.” They were not modern. They were not innovative. And I could tell and trusted that she had curated the best assortment of products, but it was just symbolic of the fact that this category was not touched – It was some of these old legacy brands. And I had just come off of creating a skincare brand that was all about clean formulations. It was for Millennials and I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is such a great opportunity. Someone's going to go after that space and it should be me.” I'm in midlife, I'm experiencing this after creating so many brands for women.

  So that was really my personal experience of just being shocked at the level of products, over the counter products, that were available to women and this is like, you know, six or seven years ago.

• What are the challenges facing today’s OB-GYN and specialty practices?

  Jaleigh White: It truly is amazing. Becca, we expect OB-GYNs to be the experts in every aspect of menopause because all women experience it. But tell us about your journey as a physician and what passion you have around helping us all through that as we age change and what you find rewarding about the work you get to do.

  Dr. Becca Booth: The reasons are multiple, but a lot of it has to do with the model of medical education, which is really an apprenticeship.

  Traditionally, doctors have been taught by men to men, until very recently. When it comes to understanding the intricacies of the feminine hormonal milieu, if you will, it takes a lot of metaphors. And it was my challenge in the small office that we have, with a small amount of time that we have per patient, to try to deliver understanding. Which is still the most valuable message we could deliver and hopefully today will help with giving women the empowerment to make their own choices. Which they can't do well or even manage. Everything from menopause, perimenopause and even beyond, fertility, the biological clock and PMS and relationships. Even health issues that relate as well. We could go on and on, as you know, but it's the metaphor that became my favorite tool. Once I honed a few metaphors and then was able to put some down in print, I realized that that was a great inspiration to me. To be able to deliver understanding as best I can and if I see a light goes on, like I'm sure that many students do with a teacher. Then I know that gift has been passed and that's really driven me and drives me now on this evolution of the second part of my career.

  Jaleigh White: You've helped so many of us start to talk about it more and understand what's really happening in our bodies. Help us know we're not crazy, or alone. I just wonder how the generation before us made it through, almost in silence and certainly without the products, Sally, that you're helping to develop. We just feel so fortunate to be in this age, where it is starting to happen more.

  Is it starting to be more of a specialty practice among OB-GYNs or in physicians? Or is it still rare to find someone who really has deep expertise?

  Dr. Becca Booth: We're starting to see a specialty, but I will say that one of the problems that we have with the specialties or the siloing, as I call it, of areas of women's health is that women sometimes have trouble deciding whether they are menopausal or perimenopausal or premenopausal. So then they get more confused. Part of my messaging and it's true with the Venus Week, is that the metaphor is something that can help women understand that there's a transition.

  The greatest rule for women and we know this to be true in life in general, is change. If we don't understand the changes, the passages that we're to go through, then it just makes a silo down. So perhaps the richest gift any clinician provider can give a patient is time and that's a reciprocal thing.

  One of the problems with American healthcare is that we have an insurance-based model for most of us – and that limits the economics. So, many of my patients would say, “I want at my annual appointment, for you to solve this problem, this problem, this problem and this problem,” and that’s really not practical.

  So, what happens is, I say, “I'm going to start you with some information, but I need you to come back.” Some can afford to come back and some cannot, both from a time standpoint and from an economic with regard to co pays and such. So that's the biggest blockade – the economics after understanding.

• Where can you go for important and accurate information about women’s health?

  Jaleigh White: You mentioned information. It's so hard in this world of social media to know where to go for accurate information. Sally, I remember the first time I ordered something from your website, I got information back. First of all, a great note from you that was personal and welcoming, but also, you're really trying to inform us and be that source of truth and information.

  Where can women really go if they want to do their own research? To Becca's point, it's hard in our current healthcare environment to get the time you need. So where do we go for information?

  Sally Mueller: Well, I hope they go to womaness.com because we've invested in a lot of educational content. We work with the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Ekta Kapoor. I know Becca just mentioned menopausesociety.org. That's also a really good resource for information. I know the Mayo Clinic has pretty extensive content around menopause on their site. So, I would choose those vetted platforms for information. I think there's a lot of social media out there and there's a lot of doctors in the space providing educational content and, I think each woman's experience is unique. So their content might be right on point, but you have to take it upon yourself to try different things.

  Sometimes even running some of the ideas past friends and colleagues that have experienced what you're experiencing is another good way to test out if the idea is going to work or not.

  Jaleigh White: I was thinking even in the last 15-20 years, there was quite a bit of estrogen hormone therapy fear that was out there.

  What have we learned and where does the U.S. fit in when you look at the global landscape of how we're dealing with some of the issues of aging?

  Dr. Becca Booth: Those are all great questions, but I'll start with the fear factor because, when you don't understand something, how can you be comfortable with it?

  What's happened is there's been an absence of that information – the practical information for both men and women.

  If you look in ancient history, one of the most valuable, sort of facts, is our secrets that help women avoid unwanted pregnancy. There's been a lot of fear through the years and centuries about contraception and even the act of having sex. In fact, so much so that until very recently, you chose a life either in a convent or to have multiple children as a woman. There wasn't any other choice and that wasn't very long ago.

  The same thing with hormones. When I was in training, uh, that hormone therapy was extremely popular for menopausal symptoms.

  There was a big movement that all women should be on hormone therapy. So when complications and risks were made clear through standard medicine, the pendulum swung the other way.

  Then it gradually normalized and in the 80s and 90s, we were prescribing hormone therapy for those women that wanted to accept the risks that were known at that time. Until 2002, when the Women's Health Initiative came out and that study was interestingly motivated by the possibility that heart health might be something we should think about with hormone therapy for women.

  In 2002, almost every baby Boomer who was coming into menopause felt that it was a crime or a sin to even consider the word estrogen. In the U.S. that word became so vilified that it was almost the same as Eve and the apple.

  To your question about global, other places in the world were far more accepting.

  I found when I speak, for example, in the United Kingdom and in other places in Europe – there's much less fear about the word estrogen. One could argue that we've got the forefront here with cutting edge science in the U.S. But on the other hand, again, that causes the pendulum to go back and forth, which adds to confusion.

  All of this is a long-winded way of saying that if you don't have understanding, you can't make your own decision. So it goes back to that same theme of delivering the information in an understandable way.

• How can we set realistic expectations for “aging well” as we grow older?

  Jaleigh White: Yep. Thank you. You're right. And the responsibility we have to become informed ourselves, but leaning on professionals like you, to really help start us on that journey is just so helpful.

  So, our podcast series is all about the sandwich generation. Which we've all been there or are there. It’s the busiest part of our lives, where we're taking care of children and parents and our own careers. Then we start to go through all these changes inside our own bodies at that time where we really have the least amount of time to take care of ourselves.

  When we talk about aging well, what are the things we really should be focused on and doing, in our 40s and 50s, to make sure that we're setting ourselves up for good aging? For long, successful, productive lives inside these bodies that we reside in – especially at the time where we don't have any time to do that or prioritize it.

  So, I’d love both of your thoughts. What does aging well really look like?

  Sally Mueller: Well, I was going to say what Becca reminded all of us – how important education is.

  We all have to become informed and that's the first step. We say this all the time to our community. You have to become informed and then you will feel more empowered to make a decision. I think there's a lot of other practical things that women are starting to do, it’s nutrition levels, protein intake, weight bearing exercise, all of that is so important to start even in your 30s.

  And it's never too early to start these good practices. So I think women are really starting to realize that they need to invest time and, in some cases, money, into hiring a personal trainer or attending a Pilates class or whatever it may be. I just think a lot of it is in your 30s, really starting some good practices.

  Dr. Becca Booth: Now, I have to add to what Sally was alluding to earlier, when she was struggling with her own journey and feeling as though there was really nothing – that there was so much blank space there for her to use as aids. Again, going back to understanding being the first step, but also awareness with regard to the sandwich generation and the age we're talking about.

  It's relevant that this is the first time in global history that women are actually living more years without ovarian function than with ovarian function. Now if you think about it, it's kind of staggering, but women really only have ovarian function from ages 12 to about 52. That's 40 years. And half of those 40 years, the ovarian function is in decline. So, think about that now that women are easily living to age 90. That means they only have ovarian function for 40 years and again, half of those years in decline. Just think about that from a man's perspective. What if you told a man, “Okay, you're going to go through puberty, but you've only got 40 years. You better start optimizing yourself early.”

  Again, not to make light of it or make it all about gender, but it is again – to that point of understanding – that we are in the sandwich generation, markedly impacted by the way our metabolism, our mood, our aesthetic and our sleep, as Sally said earlier, is all affected by the ovarian retirement plan, as I call it. And I have to say, having been through the sandwich generation phase, it is so difficult and the most difficult thing for my patients through these years that I've been taking care of them. Especially with regard to adding elder care, because there are so many mysteries there with, when is this going to get easier? How is this going to be economically? A lot of times with raising children, you sort of know there's an end in sight, or a level of maturity. But when it comes to elder care, it's easy to get in a rabbit hole and you just have to go back to that same old metaphor that we all have seen on the plane – you’ve got to put the oxygen on yourself first.

   

• How are institutions investing in women’s health and their women workforce?

  Angela Pittman Taylor: It's interesting that you talk through the things we can do for ourselves, you know, the steps that we can take for ourselves. I'm curious if you have, opinions about systemic and institutional things that need to happen to support women a little bit more during these phases of life, that could help us help ourselves. If there are things that you would offer from that perspective.

  Dr. Becca Booth: Oh, sure. That's a great question, Angela and to Jaleigh’s point earlier – things are changing.

  The best example I can give you is one that my daughter has allowed me to share with others. It’s that institutions, including hers, are now paying for fertility options, such as egg freezing. And we may say, “well, that's not every institution,” and we know that, but there's a movement and it's really catching on. And it will catch on fast now that the Millennials are not taking lightly to the lack of information.

  The Gen Xers have said, “this is not my menopause,” and I was relieved by that because we baby Boomers, Jaleigh knows, were encased in fear since 2002. So I'm happy to see the Gen Xers change over that dynamic.

  The Millennials in the meantime are saying, “hey, we want even more than that and whatever you tell us, it's going to spread like wildfire,” and behind them, we know are the Gen Zers in the office. So, information will spread and that will pressure dynamics to change in the institutions that you're referring to.

  But again, getting back to my daughter. I'm so happy to go through that process for her and it's sort of like investing with your team, Jaleigh. You got to start early with the understanding. So understanding your biologic clock and your ovarian retirement plan really needs to happen in the 20s so that when you get to the sandwich time, you're more prepared to put the oxygen mask on.

  Jaleigh White: Yeah, I remember the first time – and it was a lot at your encouragement, Becca – you've got to do strength training. You've got to, you know, you're not doing enough. And the first time I went on, I hired a personal trainer, I actually blocked it on my calendar. And then I was like, oh my God, this is being selfish or what will anyone think? It wasn't even during work hours.

  Sally Mueller: Yeah, I know. We have so many preconceived issues. Especially, as you said Becca, the Boomer generation, you know, we see it too. Our Gen X customers are so much more open to talking about menopause and Boomers are still a little quiet about it. I think women in are still to this day, so guilt ridden. Like we can't use an hour of our day to work out but we have to.

  I think a lot of companies too are investing in resources. I've been speaking at a lot of women's groups within companies. Obviously, this is a great example, but several law firms and retailers have invited me to speak just to educate their female teams about aging well and menopause. And I am so thrilled that so many young women come to these events – It's not just the women in menopause. So, I think a lot of companies are starting to realize that they have to educate their workforce. I think it's going to change in the next several years as companies have focused on fertility options and maternity leaves and that kind of thing. What are they doing for their menopausal workforce?

  Dr. Becca Booth: It's so true, Sally, what you're saying about the hormonal changes and what I often will share with my patients is that Mother Nature really has a design on us. That's not just true of us, it's also true of men and collectively as humans.

  Our reproductive initiatives are very manipulated, including our aesthetic, which can affect our health. It's not just about being skin deep, as I often say. But it's also about mood and understanding and forgiving each other. That's why I always say, “Forgive yourself first” and then go forward with, again, trying to understand. But if you try to deny that there's some kind of a force, then you're going to feel even more lost. What's better is to be able to negotiate with it and then you can say, “Okay, I get this. I'm in this terrible mood because my hormones just plummeted,” or “I'm actually having a great hair day because my hormones are sky high because it's my fertile week. So I better be careful – I've got rose colored glasses on this week. I maybe need to try clothes on in a different time of the month, so that I'm not saying, why did I think this looks so good on me?” So it's all about that again, understanding and then forgiving yourself and going forward with initiatives to offset it.

  Jaleigh White: Yeah, I see in technology, some tools that are out there to allow you really track. We learn so much about it in your book, Becca, in the Venus Week and now there's some tools that can help you track where you are in that cycle. Which is helpful in relationships.

  At Baird, one of the things we're really focusing on is the connection between people's financial, mental and physical health and how they're all tied together. That it's not enough for us to put together this great plan for you and say, “yes, you're going to have enough money to retire and travel and do all the things you want,” but you haven't invested in your physical health. So, you're going to get there with enough money, but not the body you need to do those things. So how can we help bring that into the conversation for people in their 30s, 40s and 50s – how are you investing in your wellness for the goals you have for later parts of your life? We can help you get the financial resources, but you need to make other investments in yourself to have those goals become a reality.

  Dr. Becca Booth: And part of that is realizing how much longer we're living. Women have commented that they didn't expect to live as long as they are. So it goes back to planning. I always say, “You've got to pay attention to your skeleton.” You can have your joints replaced, but when it comes to bone density, you can't have your entire skeleton replaced. So, you've got to know how to start on that again back in the 20s and 30s to monitor that so that when you're 90, you can still get around.

  Sally Mueller: They need to teach all of us and even high school, about all the different life stages, right? And what you can expect and, how do you become more educated and prepared?

  Jaleigh White: You know, Sally, that's a great idea, because do you remember when they started on different health issues, like, Smokey the Bear? They started with grade school kids and those kids then went home and put pressure on their parents who were smoking. If you start to teach high schoolers, maybe they will help their mothers and encourage them to take better care of themselves after learning what was coming for their own wellbeing as well.

  Becca, back to what you're talking about, about the changes in our health system in general. One of the things we want to emphasis is the legacy impact that women have. Something you and I were talking about was how women are really kind of the keeper of their family health history and that relationship with their OB-GYN. Can you talk a little bit more about what our role is as women in our expanded families of, what history exists in our families and how that might help inform others in the future.

• Women’s legacy role and responsibilities in overseeing family health and family history

  Dr. Becca Booth: Well, if we think about the model of Dr. Marcus Welby, MD – some of you may remember that picture – the doctor who took care of us from birth to grave. We know in the U.S. and in most parts of the developed world, that model doesn't exist anymore.

  What we found in OB-GYN is that we are left with an important legacy to be able to take care of the mothers, daughters, sisters and even their male relatives – the brothers and the sons – because we ask questions generationally. Even from the time we deliver a baby and look at genetics in the mom that might pass on to the baby, to the time where I'm worried about breast cancer risk or ovarian cancer risk and talking about hereditary cancer syndromes. What we're finding is that OB-GYNs are starting to carry that legacy responsibility. And I see that as dovetailing some of the work you're doing, Jaleigh, with your clients too. It’s looking not just at that client, but their future and their future’s future.

  So, I've encouraged my partners and my associates to be very open minded about the responsibility. And to dive in because I don't know that there's going to be another field of medicine, as we get more siloed, that can take on this generational responsibility to educate about the importance of family history – now that the genetic age is upon us.

• What trends are starting to form in the women’s health industry?

  Jaleigh White: I think that's fascinating how the role of your specialty has evolved because now we run to convenient care for most of the things we used to run to our primary cares for. So that gets siloed all over the place without anyone that really knows the whole history of what's happened in our family. So, kudos to you for helping the other physicians that you work with understand that they might be it, that can carry that knowledge through to the generations.

  Let's talk about the future. What's out there that's exciting for you, as far as, how we're evolving with solutions and resources that might be out there? One of the things you both clearly mentioned is in the workforce that companies are starting to lean into the conversation – Sally, the work that you're doing in educating them and Becca, you talked about fringe benefits that the companies are starting to offer that are helpful.

  What do you see as future trends or things that are out there that are going to be helpful for women as they go through this aging process?

  Dr. Becca Booth: You're summarizing it, but I do think for the first time that employers are seeing opportunities to help women navigate their health challenges, as a possible recruitment tool – and that's really exciting.

  We know there's a lot of data out there. That when you get women in high places – like on boards – that all of a sudden the performance of the board, no matter what the industry, improves. And so how are you going to do that? I'll have a patient who will say, “Well, I'm going to go on hormone therapy until I retire” and then I'll say, “What if you get recruited to a non-profit and you're chair and you're at the board meeting? I mean, you might need some help.” And I want to be able to help you through that passage too. Don't think that your life has ended just when your professional life does. My point is that I do think institutions are becoming more aware of how they can attract women throughout their entire life. From the earliest worries about the biological clock to the later worries with coping with aging and how that affects the aesthetic, their acceptance with regards to their appearance and so on. When it comes to economic effects, in other words, recruitment and workforce, you're going to see a big impact. And I'm feeling excited about that in the future.

  Sally Mueller: Well and even for retention. They've invested in these amazing employees, and I've seen it in retail. It's such a young environment and then when they hit like 52, it's kind of expected that they make a decision to opt out and that's not right. We have so much wisdom to share and I think as we extend our lives, we're staying more relevant longer in terms of like technology and trends and how to do our job. So, I agree I think it’s really interesting.

  I also think and you touched on it Becca, but the Millennials and Gen Z are going to demand better solutions overall. Whether it's better, better medical care, better products, better services, all of it. And most importantly, it's going to be just an open conversation and not shoved under the rug. It's changing already – thank God. I think in the last three years, it's changed dramatically, but I think as that generation starts to age into menopause, they're going to be even more vocal about changes. So I think it's a generational shift that's happening.

  I also think and this might be controversial, but men are starting to really understand it as well. I know a lot of men that are very excited about learning more so they can support their significant other or whoever is female in their life.

  Dr. Becca Booth: I couldn't agree more with that, Sally. In fact, I have to say that some of the best reviews of the Venus Week, when I wrote it, were by men. They would say, “This explains a lot. I'm so grateful to have this understanding.” It helps all of us. And getting back to that point about, fair warning, this next week is not going to be so good for me – for those who are still in that ovulatory manipulative phase of their life. If you know the recipe, if you know what's going on behind the scenes with Mother Nature's design for you, then you can channel what you want and that really is the beauty of menopause. I mean, once the ovaries retire, we get to take back our aesthetic. We get to take back to some degree our brain. We get to take back a large part of our physiology as far as reproduction goes and if we understand it, we can optimize it. Again, Sally, you said it so well, we've got so many more years to be relevant. So, that's changing everything.

  I will have to say that in the field I'm in, I'm blessed because there is a shortage. Retirement is a little bit overrated, which is why I use the term, evolving, rather than retiring. But I am moving out of the clinical practice setting, even though I loved it dearly because I need more time to speak to the broader audience. This is what institutions will begin to recognize and value and therefore support information sharing.

  Sally Mueller: That's exciting.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: I know that research around just women's health in general and you both touched on it, but I wonder if there's anything more that you want to share around what you're seeing in terms of trends.

  Do you see people going deeper into, more research, more funding and more around women's health?

  Dr. Becca Booth: Well, I want Sally to speak too about, I think she's witnessed firsthand that her fundraising has been very successful. That would bode for some energy in that space, which is let's face it, global economic forces right? That speaks volumes.

  But there are two things I will say that excite me about where the energy may be going economically, which will lead to more initiatives like the one we're starting here or you're starting at Baird.

  The first is apps, so applications. I noticed when I was speaking to groups about the book and about the female physiology, that the young people who were using menstrual books and flow apps, like Flow, that monitor the various cycles – those young women, because of their understanding from utilization of the application, got the messaging a lot quicker. So there's a technology arm to this. So that's one – women's intricacies are very application ready, if I might say so. Even the old-fashioned basal body temperature chart, right? That's so much easier if you can wake up in the morning and take your digital and then put it on your phone or even hook up a thermometer to your phone or watch.

  Number two is that genetic medicine is here. And as Jaleigh pointed out earlier was, I told her that I really see OB-GYN and women care, as holding the torch of the responsibility to spread the understanding about why genetic data is important. There's a lot of biotech money in the world ready to launch and it can't be successful without understanding. So, who's going to deliver that messaging? And I think, again, when it comes to the little room where one of us is saying we need this test, we'll help you interpret it. That OB-GYNs will be the front line and it could be other, because direct to consumer is very helpful as long as the information is there. But those are two big economic forces, tech and then biotech, meaning genetics.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: And Sally, what would you add to that equation? Because there's a ton of R& D that you've been doing with your work. What are you seeing that you'd add to that?

  Sally Mueller: Yeah, I mean there’s a lot of interest from investors in investing in this space. Women's health, I think, is the hot category and I think aging in particular is the hot category within women's health, along with longevity. Which we really see longevity being part of healthy aging and I don't even separate it. You've got to be focused on longevity, as we said, in your 30s and 40sand really prepare for those outer years of your life. It all ties together. But I do know from working with the Mayo Clinic, they have told me time and time again, there's just such little investment in women's health research. They're making a huge effort to invest more in women's health because as Dr. Fabian told me, “We are not little men.” I mean, Becca, you can speak about this, but you know, the way we experience heart disease and all sorts of diseases are very different in a women's body than a men's body.

  Dr. Becca Booth: Yeah and it's all coming to light nowadays and to your point, the dollars will follow that and the support and research will follow the dollars. It's hard to move away from economics, but there is also room for private investment and we are seeing that increase. Women are out there in the workforce and have resources and want to share those resources.

  Sally Mueller: Yeah, there's been so many female entrepreneurs that have decided to really embrace women's health and menopause. I know the medical community, many of them are opening their own businesses and practices and it's been exciting to be a part of it. And I think investors, venture capital, is starting to invest more and more in this category.

  As Becca said, we've been really grateful for our investors and we haven't had any issues raising money because I think everyone realizes that the market potential is huge.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Very encouraging.

  Jaleigh White: We appreciate the work that you both are doing to help us with information and resources and education. And we just thank you for being with us today. It was informative and, you know, 20 years ago, 10 years ago maybe, I could never have imagined a financial services firm having a discussion about this topic that is so important to so many of our clients. That we're having those conversations with clients about their total wellness of financial, mental, physical health and how they all must fit together for the ultimate outcome. To prioritize what they need as we all age. To be able to be there for the people that we love and to live life to the fullest for as long as we can, which is getting longer and longer.

• Where to find our guests

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Thank you for joining us. Now, as we close here, Becca, where can our listeners find or connect with you online if they want to learn more?

  Dr. Becca Booth: I'm still emeritus at Women First in Louisville, but [also], veneffect.com. “Veneffect” is sort of a condensation of the Venus Effect. My sister, Cecil, who runs it with me and I call this sort of, the messaging behind the Venus Week. So veneffect.com.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Wonderful. And Sally, how about you? If people want to learn more about you or more about woman ness, where can they find, where they can find you?

  Sally Mueller: Womaness.com, easy enough to remember. And then @mywomaness is our Instagram and Facebook handle. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and even LinkedIn. We publish a lot of information on LinkedIn.

  Angela Pittman Taylor: Wonderful. Well, thank you so much, both of you, for being here.

The information offered is for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as information or advice sufficient on which to make a financial decision. Baird is not a legal or tax services provider and you are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of the appropriate professional advisors before taking any action. 

All investments have some level of risk and this should not be considered a recommendation of any products or services discussed today. The opinions are those of the guest and not necessarily those of Baird.

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member SIPC. All rights reserved.