London, 8.11.2022: Vira Health, the company behind the Stella menopause support app, has acquired online HRT prescriber Alva for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition enables Vira Health to launch a new service Stella+, offering personalised, affordable menopause care and access to all treatment options, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – entirely online.

Stella+ is the first online menopause clinic for workplaces, offering a complete menopause care pathway for employees, including drug-based therapies and non-hormonal options via, Stella, an app to help lifestyle change, which launched last year. 

As employers look to offer better support to employees by paying for healthcare, there is increasing demand for products that allow people to manage their own health. Stella+ offers the highest quality menopause treatment options personalised to the individual’s medical history and preferences at the lowest cost. 

Menopause is complex and each woman has a unique combination, frequency and severity of symptoms. Getting the right care is difficult with brief appointment times, an uneven spread of specialists across the country and HRT shortages. This has prevented women from accessing the care and treatment they need. Data from Vira Health, gathered from over 5,000 anonymised patient consultations, has shown that less than 10% of women got the support they needed from their doctor for menopause symptoms. 40% of women said they didn’t get any help at all.

Without help, those with menopausal symptoms are struggling in the workplace. Some 44% say their ability to work has been affected, one in 10 has left a job due to symptoms and eight in 10 say their workplace has no basic support for them, according to a report by the Fawcett Society. 

Vira Health has focused on expanding in the UK market where workplaces are adapting to the changing conversation around menopause since the government’s launch of the UK Menopause Taskforce to improve menopause support and care. Employers are taking action, such as NatWest and ASOS who are providing menopause support packages for their staff.

Menopause care needs to change and fast. Vira Health’s first product, Stella offers personalised plans to support behaviour change in managing menopause symptoms. Stella’s research shows that 80 percent of women who completed their Stella plans felt better and 75 percent reported their symptoms improved.  

Dr Rebecca Love, Co-Founder, Vira Health, said:

“While menopause is increasingly in the news and workplaces are being asked to do more, there are no new products that make treatment fundamentally better. The Alva acquisition allows us to rule out alternative conditions, diagnose their stage of menopause and, when appropriate, recommend the appropriate HRT for their specific symptoms. This complements our behavioural care offer through the Stella app which gives everything needed to manage menopause so they canget on with their lives. Employers who are truly looking to support those managing menopause symptoms now have a high-quality and affordable option.”

Dr Kate Bunyan, Medical Director, Vira Health, said:

“Menopause is not a linear journey and each experience is unique. That’s why it is so important to launch an online menopause clinic that comprehensively assesses menopause symptoms and triages people to treatment that is safe, effective and right for their individual profile. We are offering convenience, choice and information about how to manage menopause and a service that can adapt to their changing needs.”

In March, Vira Health announced $12 million in funding led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from Optum Ventures and existing investors, LocalGlobe, MMC Ventures, Amino Collective, among others.

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About Vira Health 

Vira Health was founded in 2020 by Andrea Berchowitz and Dr Rebecca Love with an aim to bring to market high-quality, personalised menopause care that is accessible to all women. The company’s mission is to extend healthy life expectancy for women by reducing the prevalence of later life conditions, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia.

The first product is Stella, an app that offers a personalised plan to manage symptoms of menopause through lifestyle and behaviour change. The addition of Stella+ allows them to offer high-quality medical assessments and prescriptions where necessary.

Founding team:

●  Andrea Berchowitz was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, working in women’s health across the public and private sector, and led Middle East operations for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Watch Andrea’s TED Talk on “The Link Between Menopause and Gender Inequality At Work”, which has nearly 1.7m views.

●  Dr Rebecca Love holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Cambridge and has extensive experience in chronic diseases, as a trained behavioural epidemiologist. She has worked with the Mayor of London, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF advisory. 

About Stella and Stella+

The Stella app offers a personalised plan for specific symptoms that brings together the lifestyle change recommendations that research has shown to be most effective. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep disturbance, specific pelvic floor muscle training for bladder and sex problems and nutritionist-approved advice for weight management. 

Stella has articles, recipes, mindfulness meditations, soundscapes,  exercise classes and live Q&As with experts. There is also the ability to set habits and track progress within the app. It is now available on iOS and Android in the UK, Ireland and the US, and through benefit platforms including BenefitHub, Betterspace, Heka and YuLife.

Stella+ offers a free in-depth online assessment that provides treatment options based on an individual’s menopause symptoms, medical history and preferences. These could include HRT as well as lifestyle change advice. Online appointments with doctors can be booked to discuss options.

Stella+ offers regulated HRT delivered within three to five days. The first prescription is always for three months and there is a three-month review to see how it’s going.

Lifestyle change and HRT complement each other. The Stella app can be used at the same time as HRT or on its own if hormone treatments are not suitable.