A Herslf Report
The State of Women’s Wellness
What’s actually going on with menopause, periods, intimacy, and gut health — told through the real research, not the group chat.
Why we made this
Most women find out how common their symptoms are by accident.
A group chat. A comment section. A doctor who finally says "that’s normal, actually." We wanted the real numbers in one place — organized around the four things we hear about most: getting older, getting your period, wanting intimacy, and just feeling good day to day.
Every statistic in this report is cited directly under the panel it belongs to, and again in full at the end. Most are ranges or medians reported by the original researchers, not single fixed numbers.
This is a digest of public, peer-reviewed and institutional research — not a Herslf-run clinical study — and it isn’t medical advice. If something here sounds like what you’re going through, that’s worth a real conversation with your doctor.
Chapter 01 — Rise
Menopause is not a niche issue.
It's the majority experience — and support for it still hasn't caught up.
80%
of women experience vasomotor symptoms — hot flashes and night sweats — during the menopause transition
Perimenopause can start in your late 30s or 40s, years before a period actually stops. For most women, hot flashes and night sweats are the dominant, recurring symptom of the entire transition.
Source: NIH News in Health; The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS)
The stages, in plain terms
A multi-year transition, not a single event.
Perimenopause
Hormones start fluctuating, often years before a period actually stops.
Menopause
Reached after 12 months without a period. Average age in the U.S. is 51.
Postmenopause
Symptoms can persist far longer than most people expect.
7.4yrs
median duration of frequent hot flashes/night sweats
4.5yrs
median time they continued after the final period
Source: SWAN Study — Avis et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
Beyond the symptom list
Sleep, focus, and confidence are part of this too.
The research covers hot flashes because they're easiest to measure — but what women actually describe losing first is often steadiness: a good night's sleep, a clear head at work, feeling like themselves in the mirror.
What this actually feels like
Not a symptom list. A lived week.
Written to reflect common, relatable experiences — not quotations from specific customers.
"I wake up at 3 a.m. sweating and still have to function at work tomorrow."
"I used to finish other people's sentences. Now I lose mine mid-thought."
"I'm not sad, exactly. I just don't feel like the same version of myself."
Myth
Menopause just means hot flashes.
Reality
Sleep, mood, cognition, and joint comfort shift at the same time — it's a system-wide transition, not one switch.
Where support can start
Feel Like Yourself Again
Save 40%
Related Support
Save 47%
Save 35%
Save 42%
Save 54%
Save 56%
Save 60%
Save 50%
Chapter 02 — Rhythm
PMS isn’t "just a bad mood."
For most women it shows up like clockwork — and for a smaller, clinically real group, it reshapes an entire week.
70–90%
of U.S. women of reproductive age report at least some premenstrual discomfort
PMS covers a real spectrum — from mild and manageable to a distinct, clinically diagnosed mood disorder. Both ends are common; neither is "just in your head."
Source: ACOG; StatPearls / NIH Bookshelf — Premenstrual Syndrome & Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
The cycle, phase by phase
Hormones don’t hold steady — your symptoms shouldn’t be expected to either.
Follicular
Estrogen rises. Most women report their steadiest energy here.
Ovulation
Estrogen peaks, then drops sharply.
Luteal
Progesterone rises, then falls. Most PMS symptoms build here.
Menstruation
Hormones hit their lowest point.
Source: ACOG, menstrual cycle phases overview
~9days
of lost productivity per year linked to menstrual symptoms
Source: Schoep et al., BMJ Open, 2019
The disclosure gap
Even among women who missed work or school specifically because of menstrual symptoms, only about 1 in 5 told anyone the real reason.
Source: Menstrual stigma & workplace disclosure research, BMJ Open
Before you'd guess why
Some days just feel harder — and there's a reason.
The luteal phase (the week or so before your period) is when most PMS symptoms build. It's not inconsistency — it's a predictable hormonal pattern.
What this actually feels like
Not a symptom list. A lived week.
Written to reflect common, relatable experiences — not quotations from specific customers.
"I know my period is coming because suddenly everything feels harder."
"I can plan my whole month around the week I know I won't feel like myself."
"I've cancelled plans over cramps I couldn't explain to anyone."
“Half your cycle can feel completely different from the other half. Rhythm is built around that reality, not against it.”
Myth
Every woman experiences roughly the same PMS.
Reality
It spans a real spectrum, from mild to clinically diagnosable PMDD — support shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.
Where support can start
Feel Like Yourself Again
Related Support
Save 40%
Save 60%
Save 50%
Save 54%
Save 50%
Save 60%
Chapter 03 — Blush
Desire and dryness are linked, and both go undiscussed.
The symptoms are common. The conversation about them is not.
43%
of women report a sexual dysfunction complaint — one of the most common health concerns women report, and one of the least discussed
That figure spans everything from low desire to physical discomfort. It isn’t rare or situational — it’s one of the most consistently reported findings in women's sexual health research.
Source: National Health and Social Life Survey — Laumann et al., JAMA, 1999
The intimate impact
Among women diagnosed with vaginal atrophy, the effects reach further than people expect.
Source: REVIVE-EU Survey, women diagnosed with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA/GSM) — via PMC/NIH
Why this happens
Estrogen keeps vaginal tissue thick, elastic, and naturally lubricated. As it declines — gradually through perimenopause, or sooner with hormonal birth control or postpartum changes — dryness becomes more likely well before menopause itself.
19.4%
report vaginal dryness, ages 42–53
34.0%
report vaginal dryness, ages 57–69
Source: SWAN Study, longitudinal cohort — published in Menopause (journal)
The other half of the story
Confidence and comfort move together.
Physical symptoms make intimacy harder, but so does the silence around it. Talking about it — with a partner, a doctor, or just to yourself — is part of what closes that gap.
What this actually feels like
Not a symptom list. A lived week.
Written to reflect common, relatable experiences — not quotations from specific customers.
"I want intimacy, but my body doesn't feel like it used to."
"I've started avoiding the conversation instead of just having it."
"Nobody told me this could start well before menopause actually hits."
Myth
Vaginal dryness is only a "menopause problem."
Reality
It can start well before menopause, and it affects confidence and emotional intimacy just as much as it does the physical.
Where support can start
Feel Like Yourself Again
Related Support
Save 60%
Save 50%
Save 35%
Save 64%
Save 60%
Save 54%
Chapter 04 — Thrive
Women carry the gut-health gap.
The same digestive symptoms hit women far more often than men — and hormones are a large part of why.
2×
women are about twice as likely as men to report bloating
It isn't a perception gap — large-scale gastroenterology research consistently finds this split, and IBS with a constipation-predominant pattern (IBS-C) is reported more often among women too.
Source: Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study, Gastroenterology; American College of Gastroenterology (ACG)
Bloating, by the numbers
Same symptom, very different odds.
Women reporting bloating/distension
Men reporting bloating/distension
Source: Population-based gastrointestinal symptom prevalence research, PMC/NIH
And it compounds at midlife
A 2025 Menopause Society study surveyed nearly 600 women ages 44–73 and found digestive symptoms were the norm during this stage. This reflects that specific surveyed group — not a claim about every menopausal woman. 94% reported at least one digestive symptom.
Source: The Menopause Society, 2025 (surveyed sample of ~600 women ages 44–73)
What this actually feels like
Not a symptom list. A lived week.
Written to reflect common, relatable experiences — not quotations from specific customers.
"I can wake up comfortable and feel painfully bloated by dinner."
"I've started planning outfits around how bloated I might be that day."
"It's not just what I eat — it's like my whole system runs on its own schedule."
“Gut health isn’t separate from hormone health for women — the research says it rarely is. Thrive treats them as one system.”
Myth
Gut issues and hormones are separate problems.
Reality
94% of women surveyed at midlife reported digestive symptoms — the two systems are directly connected.
Where support can start
Feel Like Yourself Again
Save 50%
Related Support
Save 47%
Save 50%
Save 64%
Save 54%
Save 56%
Save 50%
Common questions
Before you go
Is it normal to have several symptoms overlap at once?
Yes — across every chapter here, the research shows symptoms rarely arrive one at a time. Sleep, mood, digestion, and hormone levels are all connected, so overlap is the norm, not the exception.
What's the real difference between PMS and PMDD?
PMS covers a wide range of premenstrual symptoms, most of them manageable. PMDD is a distinct, clinically diagnosed mood disorder — a smaller group (roughly 3–8%) experiences symptoms severe enough to disrupt daily functioning.
Is vaginal dryness only something that happens after menopause?
No. It becomes more common with age, but it can start well before menopause — tied to hormonal birth control, postpartum changes, stress, and other factors.
Why do women get more bloated than men?
Hormonal fluctuation is a major driver — estrogen and progesterone both affect gut motility and the gut microbiome, which is a big part of why bloating tracks so closely with the menstrual cycle and intensifies at midlife.
Should I see a doctor about any of this?
If any of these symptoms are affecting your daily life, work, relationships, or mental health, it's worth bringing up with a doctor. This report is meant to help you recognize what's common — it isn't a diagnosis, and it isn't a substitute for a real conversation with a provider.
Does this data come from a Herslf-run study?
No. Every statistic here is compiled from peer-reviewed research, NIH/PMC-indexed studies, and named medical organizations, cited to the original source. Herslf hasn't conducted its own clinical survey.
Will this report be updated as new research comes out?
That's the intent — as stronger or more recent research replaces what's cited here, we'll update the figures and sources rather than leaving outdated numbers in place.
Now that you know what's happening
Find the support built around it.
Sources & methodology
Every number, traced to where it came from.
Prioritized wherever possible: the original study, NIH/PMC-indexed research, and named professional medical organizations — not secondary aggregators. Several figures are medians, ranges, or pooled estimates reported by the original researchers, noted as such above.
- NIH News in Health — menopause & vasomotor symptoms overview
- The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS) — clinical guidance on menopause symptoms
- SWAN Study (Study of Women's Health Across the Nation) — Avis et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
- SWAN Study — longitudinal vaginal dryness prevalence, published in Menopause (journal)
- The Menopause Society, 2025 — surveyed digestive-symptom study, ~600 women ages 44–73
- ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) — menstrual cycle & PMS overviews
- StatPearls / NIH Bookshelf — Premenstrual Syndrome clinical overview
- StatPearls / NIH Bookshelf — Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder clinical overview
- Schoep et al., BMJ Open, 2019 — menstrual symptom productivity research
- Menstrual stigma & workplace disclosure research, BMJ Open
- National Health and Social Life Survey — Laumann et al., JAMA, 1999
- REVIVE-EU Survey — vulvovaginal atrophy in diagnosed European women, via PMC/NIH
- Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study, published in Gastroenterology
- American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) — IBS prevalence by sex
- Population-based gastrointestinal symptom prevalence research, PMC/NIH
Herslf exists because women’s wellness has been under-researched, under-discussed, and under-supported for long enough. Every category here — Rise, Rhythm, Blush, Thrive — is built around what the research actually shows women are living with, not around what's comfortable to talk about.