A long history of disregarding women’s midlife experiences is still prevalent today; 66% report being told perimenopause symptoms are “just a part of getting older”¹

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Women seeking treatment for perimenopause symptoms often navigate a system that has historically struggled to properly assess and address female health. This is a systemic problem that dates back to the dawn of medicine, when confusion and a lack of research about hormonal health led to women instead being referred to as “evil,” “hysterical,” or “crazy” and dismissed entirely for their health concerns. Confronting and ending the generational stigma around women’s healthcare is the motivation behind the new “Make Dismissal History” campaign from Flo Health, the #1 women’s health app worldwide.²

This initiative was inspired by data and insights of 1,493 U.S.-based Flo users who self-reported being perimenopausal, and were surveyed about their real life experiences bringing up perimenopause symptoms and concerns with medical professionals, friends and family. Through this research, Flo learned that over half (53%) of perimenopausal women felt that their symptoms were dismissed or not taken seriously, and nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of those who felt their perimenopause symptoms were once dismissed delayed seeking medical care. The data shows that this cycle not only gaslights women’s health concerns, it causes them to put off getting the medical support they need.

To shed light on how women’s midlife health concerns have been treated throughout history, Flo has partnered with women’s health historian Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women. “When I began researching Unwell Women, I was shocked at how women’s accounts of their own symptoms had been minimised and misrepresented throughout history. Before evidence-based knowledge about life stages like perimenopause existed, women’s symptoms were explained away through assumptions and stereotypes about the female body and mind. Women in mid-life weren’t trusted as reliable narrators of their own experiences; and they didn’t have access to accurate information about what was happening in their own bodies like they do today with platforms like Flo.”

One of the best ways for women to feel empowered to advocate for their health concerns and not accept being brushed off, is to come into an appointment equipped with information both about their symptom history and about what they might be experiencing. For the next month, the entire Flo for Perimenopause suite of features – Peri Score, Peri Symptom Tracker, and Menopause Timeline and Relief Options – will be free and removed from paywall for all Flo users.

“For generations, women have been taught to stay quiet about their bodies. And when they finally do speak up, too many of them are dismissed by medicine. I see this all the time in my practice,” said Dr. Sameena Rahman, Flo Health medical advisor. “Women come in not feeling like themselves, and instead of thoughtful investigative work, they are told ‘Welcome to midlife; this is just part of getting older’ instead of asking why they feel this way. But symptoms deserve investigation, not dismissal.”

Flo is bringing these painful, historical examples of dismissal out of the history books and on to display for NYC pedestrians passing through SoHo (Bowery and Broome Street), the West Village (54 Little West 12th Street), and Williamsburg (96 N. 10th Street) to observe. Bold, eye-catching posters will illustrate a timeline of how women’s hormonal health has been miscategorized throughout the eras to ignore and dismiss what was really going on in women’s bodies. From an Athenian woman in 400 B.C. told her wandering womb made her “too emotional’, to a 1955 “hysterical” housewife – women of today will see themselves in this powerful creative evoking mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women’s health issues throughout history.

This campaign builds on Flo Health’s previous initiatives to empower women to become better advocates for their health, particularly around perimenopause. “While we can’t change history, we can work to create a future where women feel more informed and prepared to advocate for themselves in medical settings,” said Rina Hahn, newly-appointed Chief Marketing Officer for Flo. “During this campaign we’re making some of our most informative perimenopause tools like getting your Perimenopause Score and Peri Symptom Checker free and accessible for everyone, so we can directly support the many women in perimenopause who are telling us that better understanding their symptoms would help them self-advocate. With this knowledge at their fingertips, they are less likely to accept age-old health dismissals they shouldn’t have to put up with any longer.”

Key Stats³:

• Over half (53%) of perimenopausal women felt that their symptoms were dismissed or not taken seriously.
• Nearly half (49%) of perimenopausal women* have never talked to a healthcare professional about their symptoms.
• Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of those who felt their perimenopause symptoms were once dismissed delayed seeking medical care.
• 69% say they have learned more about perimenopause from social media than from a registered healthcare professional.
• 66% of those who felt their perimenopause symptoms were dismissed were told, “It’s just part of getting older.”
• Nearly half (47%) don’t feel they get the support they need from a healthcare professional for their perimenopause symptoms.
• 43% said before getting adequate support for their perimenopausal symptoms, they had to see two or more healthcare professionals.
• 63% said understanding their symptoms (e.g., how severe they are, what they might mean) would help them better advocate for themselves at the doctor’s office.

About Flo Health
Flo Health is the #1 Health and Fitness app worldwide and the #1 OB-GYN-recommended platform for period and cycle tracking. In 2024, Flo became the first European femtech unicorn following an investment from General Atlantic and now supports 80 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide. Powered by a network of over 100+ medical experts, Flo guides women through every stage of their health journey – from menstruation to conception, pregnancy, and menopause – offering curated cycle and ovulation tracking, personalized health insights, daily educational content, and a private community for users to share questions or concerns. Through its Pass it on Project, Flo has donated 28M Flo Premium subscriptions to improve health literacy to women in need, aiming to reach up to one billion. A leader in privacy and security, Flo Health’s Anonymous Mode feature was recognized as one of TIME’s Best Inventions 2023 and also named a finalist for Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards as part of the company’s commitment to privacy.

For more information, please visit https://flo.health.

PR contacts 
Samantha Wannemacher
Flo Health
s_wannemacher@flo.health 

Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis
flo@ssmandl.com

¹ Based on a consumer survey with 1493 US-based women who self-reported being perimenopausal and reported experiencing symptoms commonly associated with perimenopause.
² Sensor Tower, July 2026, iOS and Android, by downloads
³ Based on a consumer survey with 1493 US-based women who self-reported being perimenopausal and reported experiencing symptoms commonly associated with perimenopause.

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SOURCE Flo Health Inc.