When Rekha S (name changed), 48, stepped into the life management programme run by The 8th Element, a Chennai-based nutrition, lifestyle and sustainable weight-loss consulting firm, she thought she was signing up simply to lose 10 kilos. But what she found beneath the surface was deeper – a way to battle fatigue, mood swings, a cascade of night sweats, and a sense of disconnection from her own body and identity, symptoms that affect up to 80% of over 47 million women like Rekha who enter menopause each year globally, with the worldwide population of menopausal and postmenopausal women projected to reach 1.2 billion by 2030.
Over six months, through the programme that involves nutrition, strength training, sleep and mindset work, Rekha lost eight kilos and, more importantly, regained her confidence, clarity and vitality. For long, menopause in India was whispered about, neglected, or medicalised without nuance. Today, that phase of life is being reframed as an inflection point, full of possibilities. With rising life-expectancy, expanding middle classes, and increasing wellness awareness, India’s midlife women are becoming a strategic demographic. Offerings include coaching and digital tools, specialised products and workplace support, all emerging as a serious growth driver in the market.
Structural change
India is currently home to over 150 million women in menopause, a number expected to reach 400 million in five years. Midlife changes like hot flashes, bone-density issues, sleep disruption and hormonal mood shifts are forcing women to ask questions online or seek solutions. In India, this awakening comes at a time when digital penetration is high, wellness startups are flourishing and women’s health is being reframed by entrepreneurs, coaches and brands alike.
Kamayani Annie Kanwar, a functional medicine practitioner and founder of Functional Medicine International (FMI), an online institute offering accredited education, diagnostic training and practitioner-grade products to medical professionals, believes menopause is finally shedding its stigma in India. “For too long, women were told to ‘just deal with it.’ Today, they’re demanding evidence, solutions, and respect. Menopause is not the end of vitality, when approached holistically and respectfully, it becomes an inflection point to reclaim strength, energy and mental clarity,” says Kanwar.
“I was shocked at the silence surrounding what turned out to be perimenopause in my personal journey. Despite my proactive approach to health, doctors offered only pills for anxiety and insomnia, never once mentioning the word ‘menopause’,” says TV host and anchor Mini Mathur, talking about her personal journey a few years ago, when she began experiencing symptoms like brain fog, anxiety, night sweats, and unexplained fatigue. Today, as the founder of Pauseitive, a community platform for health, nurturing women over 35, their health and their mindsets, Mathur is instrumental in starting a national conversation, not just for urban women, but also for those in smaller towns with limited access to health information.
At the helm
One of the most visible entry points into this market is coaching. Women are sharing stories on Instagram reels and YouTube, joining virtual support groups, or consulting menopause specific apps, that discuss various aspects of menopause, including symptoms, humour, and self-care tips.
Instead of traditional medical systems, many women are turning instead to coaches specialising in midlife and menopause transitions. They bring a holistic lens: exercise, nutrition, mindset, sleep, stress regulation. The appeal is beyond ‘treat the symptom to ‘transform the life phase’. That’s because coaches, typically female, often midlife themselves, function as guides, advocates and community builders.
Take for example Chennai-based Srividya Gowri, the founder & CEO of The 8th Element. It was her own perimenopause journey that inspired her to train further in sleep, stress and recovery coaching. “Women want to reconnect with their bodies, feel strong again, and thrive through midlife, not just survive it. Supplements help, but real change comes from consistent habits, strength training, sleep, nutrition, stress regulation,” she explains. Similarly, Mathur turned her personal struggle into the creation of Pauseitive, and since July this year, she has built an organic following of more than 35,000 women on Instagram alone.
“I’m just focusing on Instagram and will extend to YouTube, do more webinars and I’m already doing a lot of corporate talks. But more than just a social media movement, Pauseitive is a call to action. I have collaborated with certified doctors, hosted educational sessions, and steered clear of brand deals or quick-fix products, refusing to profit from women’s vulnerabilities. It’s a platform where I bring all the doctors who have studied menopause medicine and are not just jumping on the menopause ‘gold rush’,” Mathur tells FE.
Product landscape
Parallel to coaching, the product landscape is accelerating: From sleep gummies to pain management kits, the retail cart is full of solutions to address hormonal shift, bone and cardiovascular metabolism, skin dryness, sleep disruption, hot flashes, changing body composition. “India is five years behind global menopause conversations. But the shift has begun. Women are Googling their symptoms, joining online support groups, and choosing natural, clinically tested solutions over hormonal therapies,” says Tamanna Singha, who co-founded Menoveda along with Gautam Singh in 2022. The Ayurveda-inspired midlife wellness company offers plant-based, hormone-free solutions across six core pillars: emotional balance, dermal health, bone and joint strength, gut health, libido and sleep.
Similarly, entrepreneur and founder Shaili Chopra started Gytree in 2023 as a platform to address perimenopause and menopause issues, even as midlife became a natural extension of her women-centric community platform, SheThePeople. Gytree combines AI-driven support, human coaching, and scientifically formulated products to guide women through a life stage that can last over a decade. The offerings range from a protein blend tailored for menopausal women, to supplements for hot flashes, vaginal health, and hormonal balance.
“Gytree is scaling rapidly, reporting 20% month-on-month growth and 45% user retention,” says Chopra, who also runs the Fabulous Over 40 Summit, a national roadshow sparking open conversations on women’s midlife health.
“Menopause isn’t a disease. It’s a life phase that needs consistent support. We are building a business with requirements right now and in the future. Women in our community have told us they needed real solutions, not just talk. Gytree was born from that demand to address the emotional and mental impact, often misdiagnosed as depression. When hormones shift, women lose confidence, intimacy, and feel invisible. We want to fix the root cause, not just medicate the symptoms,” she explains.
“We have recently launched Gytree’s Vagina Vitamin, a product to help women manage vaginal dryness, pH balance and mood in a single 100% natural capsule,” says Chopra. Gytree is funded and backed by the likes of Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath. “Many women enter this phase with nutrient deficiencies, toxin buildup, and overlooked metabolic shifts. But functional medicine addresses these root causes,” explains Kanwar of FMI. FMI’s offers supplements such as Biopause AM/PM and Flashes No More, which are aimed at easing hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia.
“In my clinical observations, the supplements made with clean, practitioner-grade ingredients have led to dramatic improvements in mood stability, sleep and anxiety management among my patients. When supported by a nutrient-dense diet, hydration and stress regulation, they work synergistically to restore quality of life,” she adds.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. While the author has incorporated expert medical guidance while producing the story and ensured full authentic information is provided to the reader, you should always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.