Stella: Managing Menopause for Healthy Aging

更年期是衰老的自然组成部分，荷尔蒙的变化最终会导致月经停止。英国女性平均在51岁达到更年期，症状持续4 - 12年[1]。90%的女性经历过30 +[5]的症状。症状严重影响身体和心理健康，包括潮热、体重增加、关节疼痛、性欲改变、失眠、抑郁和焦虑。更年期症状使工作、社交和保持活跃变得极具挑战性，每年有1400万英国人请病假，迫使100万女性过早退休，通常是在职业生涯的高峰期。除了立即出现的症状，更年期还会对健康产生长期影响。雌激素水平下降会对骨密度和胰岛素敏感性产生负面影响，增加骨质疏松症和糖尿病的机会。由于血管收缩/扩张暂时中断器官（包括大脑）的血液供应，从而出现血管舒缩症状（潮热/心悸/血压变化），增加患心脏病和痴呆症的可能性\[13 - 16\]。三分之二的老年痴呆症患者是女性，更年期是一个重要的触发因素。鉴于英国女性的平均预期寿命为82.9岁，女性在更年期后的影响下生活了30多年。更年期是一个关键时期，适当的治疗可以从根本上改变终身健康的轨迹，增加预期寿命。虽然更年期影响20%的工作年龄人口，但目前的支持严重缺乏。只有五分之一的妇产科医生接受过更年期培训，40%的全科医生不知道有哪些选择[35]，专科诊所也很少。因此，误诊是频繁的，许多妇女是处方抗抑郁药或安眠药，而不是更年期治疗。虽然HRT可能是有效的，但它不能在所有情况下（某些癌症，血栓，高血压的历史）。英国更年期协会（British Menopause Society）认识到需要"全面、个性化的方法来评估和建议女性，特别是生活方式建议和饮食调整"，这意味着解决方案比HRT更复杂。Andrea Berchowitz和Rebecca Love博士于2019年共同创立了ViraHealth，开发Stella以彻底改变更年期护理。Stella利用最新的科学进步和专家更年期专家，通过应用程序提供个性化，全面和科学验证的治疗。女性选择自己独特的症状组合，这些症状的破坏性如何，Stella生成量身定制的治疗计划，包括与教练的实时互动。80%完成Stella计划的女性报告症状得到改善。该项目将与各种各样的女性合作，以确保Stella与所有人相关并参与其中，提高计划承诺并支持长期习惯的形成，以改善晚年的健康状况。

Menopause is a natural component of ageing, where hormonal changes eventually cause periods to stop. UK women reach menopause at age 51 on average, with symptoms lasting 4-12 years\[1\]. 90% of women experience symptoms of which there are 30+\[5\]. Symptoms dramatically impact physical and mental health, including hot flushes, weight gain, joint pain, libido changes, insomnia, depression and anxiety. Symptoms make working, socialising and remaining active extremely challenging, contributing 14mn UK sick days\[3\] and forcing 1mn women to retire prematurely annually, often at their career's peak\[4\].Additionally to immediate symptoms, menopause has long-term health implications(AppQ4). Dropping oestrogen levels negatively impact bone density and insulin sensitivity, increasing the chance of osteoporosis and diabetes\[15-16\]. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes/heart palpitations/blood pressure changes) occur due to constriction/dilation of blood vessels momentarily disrupting blood supply to organs (inc.brain), increasing the likelihood of developing heart disease and dementia\[13-16\]. Two thirds of people with Alzeihmers are women, menopause is a significant trigger\[17\].Given average life expectancy for UK women is 82.9 years\[18\], women live with the impacts post-menopause for 30+ years. Menopause is a pivotal time, where appropriate treatment can fundamentally change the trajectory of lifelong health, increasing life expectancy.Whilst menopause impacts 20% of the working-age population\[2\], current support is severely lacking. Only 1/5 OB/GYN consultants receive menopause training, 40% of GPs are unaware of options\[35\], and specialist clinics are scarce. As a result, misdiagnosis is frequent and many women are prescribed antidepressants or sleeping pills instead of menopause treatment. Whilst HRT can be effective, it cannot be prescribed in all cases (history of certain cancers, blood clots, high blood pressure\[1\]). The British Menopause Society recognises the need for a "holistic, individualised approach in assessing and advising women, with particular reference to lifestyle advice and dietary modification"\[14\], meaning the solution is more complex than HRT.Andrea Berchowitz and Dr Rebecca Love co-founded ViraHealth in 2019, developing Stella to revolutionise menopause care. Utilising the latest scientific advancements and expert menopause-specialists, Stella provides personalised, holistic and scientifically-validated treatment through the app. Women choose their unique combination of symptoms, how disruptive these symptoms are, and Stella generates a tailored treatment plan, including live interaction with coaches. 80% of women who complete their Stella plan report improved symptoms.This project will engage with a diverse range of women to ensure Stella is relevant and engaging for all, improving programme commitment and supporting long-lasting habit-formation to improve health outcomes in later-life.