“It all started because I was trying to solve my perimenopause problems,” says Joanna Strober. “I was in my mid 40s and my life was spiraling because of hot flashes and night sweats, but I was also feeling depressed, anxious and angry all the time. And I was going through marriage therapy to talk about my not wanting to have sex.” She saw a number of doctors, but none mentioned perimenopause, and instead prescribed her everything from weight loss medications to SSRIs and sleeping pills. It wasn’t until she finally found a hormone specialist who prescribed hormone therapy that her symptoms began to resolve, and Strober knew she couldn’t be alone. So she founded and became CEO of Midi Health, now the largest virtual health platform for women in midlife. Midi serves women in perimenopause and menopause, taking advantage of growing acceptance of telehealth and virtual visits to provide any woman in the U.S. access to specialized medical professionals, as well as peers who experienced mid-life health changes, all covered by insurance.
What started as a pilot project with 150 women to learn what they needed most has grown into a burgeoning health care company that helps around 13,000 women each week. This year, Midi signed agreements with three major hospital systems to provide specialty care for women who need more advanced or focused treatments for their health issues. And Strober is planning to launch longevity visits for younger women who are interested in learning more about ways they can improve their sleep, diet, and bone health to live longer lives. “I think we can be taking care of millions of women a year,” says Strober. “There are 57 million women in this country who need care and we can fill the gap for when they don’t need in-person care. And eventually, we’ll include men too.”