Menopause has never been simple.

Estrogen plays a larger role in women’s physiology than it gets credit for, and menopause education pays the price.

My Story

My name is Juliet Handelman, and I am a rising senior at River Hill High School in Clarksville, Maryland. Through my school’s Independent Research G/T Program, I am studying women’s approach to symptom ambiguity amidst menopause and thyroid disease. I was motivated to research this by my passions for medicine, women’s health, and education.

Thyroid disease is only one complication of menopause, but understanding it is one degree closer to preparedness. With this website, I hope to leave women of any age feeling more confident in the menopause transition than how they arrived.

  • "When you already have mental health issues, the first conclusion many doctors make is that it is your mental health. They don't look at the bigger picture."

    — Survey Respondent, 2026

  • "Do not accept short answers from your physician. Be your own advocate to better understand your physical and mental health."

    — Survey Respondent, 2026

  • "Going through it I cannot believe how no one prepared me for this. It is awful."

    — Survey Respondent, 2026

  • "It took 4-5 visits with different MDs to finally get one to hear me and be open to treating me."

    — Survey Respondent, 2026

  • "All of my menopause knowledge comes from my mom. I wish I would learn more about it in school and other relevant changes of my body, but that just never happens."

    — Survey Respondent, 2026

Preparedness is both a process and destination:

→

01
Education

→

02
Collaboration

03
Application

Women deserve to understand what their body experiences during menopause.

This begins with an understanding of estrogen.

Introduction