Mercer Island resident Stacey Ulacia and Californian Melissa Oliveira have teamed up to help enhance women’s health during perimenopause and menopause through their start-up HotPause Health.
Their online platform is dedicated to providing guidance for women with its four core values: empowerment, connection, humor and urgent change.
“We both come from healthcare communication backgrounds, but what we quickly realized was the importance around putting out trusted, credible and evidence-based content into this space,” said Ulacia, who previously worked at Susan G. Komen, Seattle Children’s Hospital and SpoonfulOne, a Menlo Park start-up focused on reducing pediatric food allergies in children.
Ulacia met Palo Alto’s Oliveira when they worked at SpoonfulOne, which was acquired by Nestle Health Science. There was more to come for the duo after they exited that company.
“After the acquisition, we really just looked at each other and said, ‘What do we want to do next?’ Ulacia said. “We really quickly realized we only wanted to work with amazing people and that we wanted to continue in the healthcare space working towards a mission of good and education and empowerment.”
HotPause Health features a 15-person medical advisory board that spans the medical spectrum of OBGYNs, dermatologists, mental health experts, acupuncturists and sleep medicine experts to comprehensively address menopause. Each board member is medically credentialed and they review and edit all of the content that appears on the company’s website, which also features education and resources and the nation’s largest menopause-specific provider portal, according to Ulacia.
“There’s lots of factors that come into play and we wanted to make sure we had medical experts backing us on that front,” she said.
They launched HotPause Health in August and have immense plans on the horizon when they host an educational women’s health and wellness event from 6-9 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue (1110 NE 6th St.).
The gathering will feature renowned Bellingham urologist Dr. Kelly Casperson delivering the keynote address and participating in a women’s health Q&A; and a film screening of the “The M Factor” — “Shredding the Silence on Menopause.” For ticket information, visit: https://hotpausehealth.com/the-m-factor-screening/
Two of myriad companies sending representatives to the event are Gennev, which connects women to telemedicine providers, and Midovia, which trains employers on menopause. HotPause Health has invited Sen. Patty Murray to the event and Ulacia mentioned Murray’s Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act that she’s placed on the legislative floor.
“I think bringing all of these female experts together in our community will only help continue to drive education and awareness and hopefully get women connected so that they’re set up for success in their health,” Ulacia said.
Ulacia added that Islanders have been supportive of HotPause Health and a plethora of local women are planning to attend the company’s initial in-person event.
Oliveira delved into the importance of HotPause Health: “HotPause Health is building a movement to transform how society supports women through perimenopause and menopause. Every vetted resource, piece of expert-reviewed research, access to quality care, and community connection empowers women to manage their health with knowledge and confidence.”
Since sending HotPause Health into the world, Ulacia said they’ve received great feedback and support from women who have visited the site.
“We’re pairing the education with the solution and I think women have found that really helpful,” she added.
Visit HotPause Health at https://hotpausehealth.com/
