By Candice Wagener | Photography by Hillary Schave
Approximately 6,000 women begin menopause each day in the U.S., according to the National Library of Medicine. And while over half the population will experience it, menopause and its predecessor, perimenopause, were somewhat taboo topics until recently.
That’s just the momentum shift Dr. Christine Kolehmainen, an internal medicine physician and women’s health educator with 15 years of experience, is looking to further.
“I see this as a really pivotal time in women’s health,” says Kolehmainen. “You can’t [be on] social media without [reading] about [menopause]. The conversation has finally opened up.”
To that end, Kolehmainen is launching the Menopause and Midlife (MA’AM) Clinic in January, a boutique, telehealth-first medical practice dedicated to evidence-based care. Beyond offering another avenue for women to access care, she wants to build relationships — since menopause isn’t a one-and- done treatment course.
“I love talking with people about their symptoms and helping them make sense of what they are experiencing. I like nerding out about menopause,” she says.
Kolehmainen will broaden her reach through community education. She’s launching a public conversation series at Grape Water, a wine bar in Middleton, called “Yes, MA’AM,” inviting women to discuss everything from hormones to libido to sleep, brain fog and “short-fuse-itis.”
“There’s excellent information [online] but there is also lots of not-so-reliable information. I’d like to find out more about what [people] want to know and what questions they have,” she explains.
She’s also developing a Wisconsin Menopause Impact Report using publicly-available data that gives a snapshot of women’s midlife health through demographic trends, health indicators and access to care metrics — like availability of certified menopause practitioners. She’s aiming to release the first edition later this year as a public resource for clinicians and women’s health advocates.
“I want to find other leaders in menopause and midlife care who want to collaborate [and] try to make the system better for all Wisconsin women,” says Kolehmainen.
What’s the most common question you get in your profession and how do you help women through it?
“‘Could this be due to perimenopause?’ The answer is often ‘yes,’ or ‘maybe.’ There’s no single test for perimenopause. The answer develops in discussions with your clinician about … your overall health and the changes you’re experiencing.”
