Flo Health introduces perimenopause tools following a survey that reveals 66% of women felt better equipped for puberty.

      **TL;DR** Flo Health, the largest women’s health app globally with 80 million monthly active users, is set to introduce a new range of perimenopause tools for premium members in May 2026. A Wakefield Research survey indicates that 66% of American women aged 38-50 feel more prepared for puberty than for perimenopause. The features offered include a Symptom Checker, Perimenopause Score, Menopause Timeline, and Relief Options. Flo’s approach is supported by research conducted alongside Mayo Clinic and a study published in Nature. The company became Europe’s first femtech unicorn in 2024 following a $200 million Series C investment from General Atlantic.

      Two-thirds of American women aged 38 to 50 report feeling better equipped to handle puberty than perimenopause. This statistic, derived from a nationwide survey commissioned by Flo Health and conducted by Wakefield Research, highlights a gap in public health messaging: many women face one of the most significant hormonal transitions of their lives with less reliable information than they received during adolescence.

      Flo Health, which has evolved from a period-tracking app into the largest women’s health platform worldwide with 80 million monthly active users, aims to address this issue with a new set of perimenopause tools launching this month for its premium users. These features include a symptom checker, a perimenopause severity score, a menopause timeline tracker, and a medically verified guide to relief options, representing the most substantial product expansion since the company's unicorn status was achieved in 2024.

      **The knowledge gap**

      The magnitude of the challenge Flo is addressing is clear. Over one billion women worldwide will go through perimenopause or menopause, yet a recent study by Flo found that one in three American women aged 35 and older remain unsure if they are experiencing perimenopause. This lack of clarity reflects an ongoing gender gap in health data that femtech companies are striving to bridge. The situation is further complicated by an information landscape that has shifted from silence to overload: healthcare professionals now advise patients to be skeptical of the unverified advice inundating social media and wellness platforms as menopause discussions gain more visibility.

      The repercussions of this confusion are evident, based on self-reported data. In Flo’s survey, 52% of women in relationships indicated that perimenopause had an impact on their romantic relationships, while 48% reported it had affected their ability to exercise. These findings illustrate a population navigating a significant medical transition with insufficient resources, which is why Flo views perimenopause not just as an added feature, but as a market.

      **What the tools do**

      The new suite consists of four products, all accessible to Flo Premium users. The Perimenopause Symptom Checker allows users to assess their symptoms against recognized perimenopause indicators. The Perimenopause Score is described by Flo as the first scientifically validated digital assessment tool specifically targeted at perimenopause, providing a severity rating and tracking changes over time. The Menopause Timeline estimates a user’s position within the broader hormonal transition. Lastly, Relief Options offers a medically validated comparison of various treatments, from medications to lifestyle adjustments, tailored to specific symptoms.

      The tools are developed with insights from Flo’s network of over 100 medical professionals. Anna Klepchukova, Flo’s chief medical officer, characterized the launch as a response to an information crisis rather than merely a gap in features. She emphasized that the challenge is not a lack of content on perimenopause, but rather the difficulty in differentiating verified medical guidance from the plethora of conflicting narratives in the discourse surrounding the subject.

      **The research behind it**

      Flo has been preparing for this launch for more than a year. The science team published a study in the journal npj Women’s Health, part of the Nature portfolio, finding that perimenopause symptoms can begin sooner than previously thought, complicating the vague timelines many women receive from their healthcare providers. In another initiative, a collaboration with Mayo Clinic resulted in what both organizations described as the first global digital study on perimenopause awareness, based on data from over 17,000 Flo users across 158 countries.

      The Mayo Clinic study revealed significant geographical disparities in perimenopause knowledge, with higher awareness in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia compared to lower levels in Nigeria, France, and parts of Latin America. Overall, the findings indicated that knowledge levels were low everywhere. The symptoms most frequently reported weren't the hot flashes commonly associated with perimenopause, but rather fatigue, mental exhaustion, and irritability, highlighting a disconnect between expectations and realities that may delay recognition of the transition.

      **The business case**

      Flo is not the first app to address perimenopause; for instance, Clue, a Berlin-based cycle tracker, introduced a perimenopause mode in 2023. However, Flo’s large user base offers it a unique advantage. The app has amassed over 420 million downloads and became the first European femtech unicorn in July 2024