Wellness
How this New York start-up is redefining perimenopause
More than one billion women around the world will have experienced perimenopause and be post-menopausal by 2025
Menopause is having its moment. High-profile investments and start-ups with celebrity names attached have brought long-overdue attention to this once-taboo area of women’s health.
However, perimenopause, the transition phase that occurs about ten years before menopause, is still not getting nowhere near enough attention – that’s according to the New York-based wellness start-up NNABI.
Launched in February 2024, NNABI is opening up the conversation about perimenopause and revolutionising the way women feel during this extraordinary time in their lives.
Here, co-founders EJ Kim and Marina Pen tell us how.
Q: Tell us briefly about the co-founders
EJ Kim: Marina and I met as colleagues at a creative agency in New York City about a decade ago.
Our professional relationship grew into a friendship, and eventually, a business partnership.
With over 40 years of combined corporate experience, our superpower is our unparalleled expertise in brand building and marketing.
Marina Pen: EJ specializes in data-driven business strategy and consumer insights, while I focus on brand planning and creative strategy.
Despite our different strengths, we share two significant commonalities: we were both born and raised outside the United States—EJ in South Korea and I in Argentina—and we have both faced hormonal issues, with EJ managing PCOS and me dealing with endometriosis.
These personal experiences have always been a central part of our conversations, leading us to support each other through our highs and lows.
Q: What inspired you to create NNABI?
Marina Pen: During one of our conversations, we discovered we were both experiencing perimenopause, a phase we had heard little about.
The lack of resources and support was shocking, and we felt compelled to do something about it.
Determined to help women thrive during perimenopause, we combined our strengths, frustrations, and passion to create NNABI, a venture dedicated to providing support, solutions, and resources for women navigating this particular stage of life.
EJ Kim: The way we have all been portrayed in the media and the current narrative is not an accurate reflection of what we are and our experiences.
We felt a strong responsibility to change this, to portray these women as bold, confident, and vibrant, and to redefine the narrative around perimenopause.
Q: What does NNABI mean?
EJ Kim: NNABI (pronounced Na-Bi) means butterfly in Korean—a symbol of love, hope, beauty, transformation, and new beginnings.
Perimenopause is a biological transformation that all women experience, a process that leads us to become who we are meant to be, which is incredibly inspiring. The name not only reflects our core audience but also embodies NNABI’s mission: to support women as they navigate the significant changes of perimenopause, transforming a potentially confusing time into a period of empowerment and renewed vitality.
Q: How would you describe NNABI in a few words?
Marina Pen: NNABI is a pioneer in perimenopausal care, empowering women with targeted, holistic, and science-backed natural solutions.
Q: What needs did you identify in perimenopause?
EJ Kim: Perimenopause can start as early as age 35, yet there’s a significant lack of awareness and support, leaving many women to navigate this phase alone.
While the growing dialogue around menopause is great, perimenopause often gets overshadowed.
Many solutions address both peri/menopause simultaneously, which doesn’t fully support women in perimenopause who are still menstruating and can get pregnant.
When women are uninformed, they are more likely to make wrong decisions.
For example, our research involving 400 women aged 35-54 in the USA revealed that only 26.5 per cent attributed their symptoms to perimenopause, with the majority blaming lifestyle factors.
This misunderstanding underscores the urgent need for education and specialised support, which is central to NNABI’s mission.
We want NNABI to be the companion that turns confusion into clarity through credible information, supportive community and natural solutions made specifically for this phase.
It’s crucial to note that addressing this gap isn’t just about women’s health. At NNABI, we strongly believe it’s about societal health as well.
According to our research, four out of 10 perimenopausal women are the primary earners in their households. Consider the cost and the impact of not taking care of these women!
Q: What makes NNABI different?
Marina Pen: Unlike other women’s health brands, NNABI focuses specifically on perimenopause.
Our products, resources, and community are designed to address the unique needs of this phase.
Our flagship products, Peri Essential 5™ and Peri Essential 5™ CBD, are doctor-formulated, award-winning herbal supplements crafted for perimenopause.
They target five key areas of health that address the foundational needs of women in perimenopause —supporting the nervous system, optimising liver and digestive function, stabilizing blood sugar, boosting immunity, and reducing inflammation.
This holistic and integrative approach makes our product the most comprehensive, providing support for 10+ symptoms.
Both formulations contain the same six medical-grade herbs and adaptogens, with Peri Essential 5™ CBD adding broad-spectrum CBD (0% THC) for extra zen effect for those needing additional support with sleep, anxiety, and mood swings.
EJ: Our supplements are expertly developed in collaboration with top health professionals, including an OBGYN, naturopathic doctor, herbalist, functional medicine doctors, and a compounding pharmacist.
These experts have combined their clinical insights and the latest research to create scientifically sound and effective formulations.
Their critical role in product development ensures that our supplements meet high standards of efficacy and safety.
They remain an integral part of our advisory team, guiding us as we address the unique challenges of perimenopause.
Additionally, we have completed third-party testing and a physician-led open-label trial over 60 days to ensure that quality and efficacy are thoroughly verified.
This March, we were honoured with the NEXTY award in the Supplement Trailblazer category.
This award, recognizing a science-backed natural product that addresses niche, under-served needs, is a wonderful validation of our work.
It acknowledges that while our approach is innovative, it is also critically needed.
Q: How is NNABI changing the way women experience perimenopause?
EJ Kim: We are transforming the narrative of perimenopause from one of dread and confusion to one of empowerment and clarity.
We dispel myths about perimenopause, distinguish it from menopause, educate women about its science and biology, and create a supportive community.
Through the tools, solutions, and knowledge we offer, we help women recognise and manage symptoms naturally, enabling them to take control of their health and well-being.
We bring vibrant energy to this dialogue, celebrating what we call “Peri Power,” and aim to make this a modern, mainstream conversation.
Everything we do is research and data-driven, grounding us in rich insights that guide women through this transformative journey.
Q: How would you describe the impact and importance of your work?
Marina Pen: Our work is incredibly important.
Hearing from women who have benefited from our information and products drives us to keep going.
In the physician-led open-label trial we conducted, women reported tangible differences when taking our supplement.
However, we also want to emphasise that there is no quick fix or magic pill.
Our goal goes beyond alleviating symptoms; it’s about empowering a whole generation to approach perimenopause with knowledge and confidence, greatly enhancing their quality of life.
We aim to empower women to advocate for themselves, armed with knowledge that transforms their health and well-being during and beyond perimenopause.
Q: What is the best part about being an entrepreneur in this space?
Marina Pen: The most exhilarating part is seeing the real-world impact of our work—the stories from women who’ve reclaimed their vitality and joy thanks to the support they find with NNABI. It’s inspiring to connect with other trailblazers in women’s health,
further fuelling our passion to innovate and advocate for change. Being at the forefront of this transformative movement in healthcare is both a privilege and a profound responsibility.
EJ Kim: As users and the biggest fans of Peri Essential 5™ ourselves, we experience its tangible benefits first-hand.
It’s a gratifying and humbling feeling knowing that we’re not only helping ourselves but also others.
Speaking of others, we’re energised by the prospect of changing the game for the next generation of women entering this phase.
Our goal is for all women to fight and suffer less but thrive more, embodying the bold, ambitious spirit that defines them. Women are powerful, and we are committed to doing our part to support them.
To find out more about NNABI, visit nnabilife.com.
Cervical cancer elimination in the EU is becoming achievable as HPV vaccination coverage rises, a new report says.
As Europe marks European Immunisation Week 2026, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said progress in human papillomavirus vaccination is continuing across the EU and European Economic Area.
All EU and European Economic Area countries now recommend HPV vaccination for adolescent girls and boys as part of their immunisation programmes, marking a major step forward in Europe’s cancer prevention efforts.
Bruno Ciancio, head of unit, directly transmitted diseases and vaccine preventable diseases at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, said: “The elimination of cervical cancer in the EU/EEA is becoming an achievable goal, thanks to the HPV vaccination programmes.
“The progress we are seeing across Europe demonstrates what can be accomplished when countries invest consistently in effective immunisation strategies.
“We are closely monitoring this progress and actively supporting countries to accelerate uptake and move faster towards cervical cancer elimination.”
According to the report, three EU and European Economic Area countries, Iceland, Portugal and Norway, have reached the 2024 EU Council Recommendation target of 90 per cent HPV vaccination coverage among girls by the age of 15.
Fifteen years after HPV vaccination programmes were introduced in Europe, a growing body of evidence confirms the vaccine is highly effective in preventing cervical cancer.
Large-scale studies from Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, as well as other parts of the world, have shown significant reductions in HPV infections and precancerous lesions, which are abnormal cell changes that can develop into cancer if left untreated, alongside falling cervical cancer rates among vaccinated women.
Since 2020, European countries have reported a decreased incidence of cervical cancer among vaccinated women.
Studies from Sweden, Denmark and the UK show that early administration of the vaccine increases its full protective potential.
A Swedish study suggested that vaccinating girls before their 17th birthday reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 88 per cent.
An additional six-year follow-up found a sustained reduction in cervical cancer risk and a population-level decline in invasive cervical cancer incidence after HPV vaccination.
The report showed that vaccination programmes and health system design are critical factors in reaching high levels of HPV vaccination coverage.
Evidence from across Europe showed that school-based vaccination programmes are particularly effective and tend to reach higher levels of coverage among both girls and boys.
Mental health
Poor mental health, poverty and pollution significantly raise women’s heart failure risk – study
Poor mental health, poverty and pollution can raise women’s heart failure risk, with up to one in four cases potentially preventable, a study has found.
UK Biobank data from more than 230,000 women suggest that depression, socioeconomic hardship and exposure to polluted environments are linked to a significantly higher risk of heart failure in women.
Heart failure happens when the heart becomes too weak or too stiff to pump blood effectively around the body.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and diabetes are among the better-known risk factors often targeted in public health campaigns.
Peige Song from China’s Zhejiang University and her team found that living in polluted areas, having poor mental wellbeing, facing socioeconomic deprivation and experiencing chronic inflammatory conditions such as lupus, in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, make women more prone to heart failure.
These risks, however, are often overlooked.
The researchers found that mental wellbeing, environmental exposures, socioeconomic circumstances and reproductive history together contributed almost as much risk for heart failure as all well-known risk factors combined.
The study also found that risk rises with socioeconomic hardship and chronic inflammatory conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, approaching the impact of conventional risk factors.
Song said: “[The study] is a call to redefine prevention in women’s cardiovascular health, integrating biological, psychosocial and structural determinants into a unified, equitable approach.
“One in four heart-failure cases in women could be prevented if all under-recognised risk factors were eliminated, assuming causal relationships.”
While completely eliminating all risks is not realistic, Song said “even partial reductions through better mental health services, social equity policies and environmental regulations could yield significant public health benefits”.
Catherine Pirkle, a women’s health specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the US, who was not involved in the study, said: “These calculations show convincingly that under-recognised and female-specific risk factors contribute significantly to heart failure in women, independently of the well-established ones.”
Song said: “It’s important to understand that heart health is influenced by more than just blood pressure or cholesterol.
“Factors like mental wellbeing, reproductive milestones and socioeconomic conditions all matter. Awareness and advocacy for comprehensive, gender-sensitive care are key.”
Resistance training improves hip strength, balance and flexibility during menopause and may also improve lean body mass, research suggests.
A study of 72 active women aged 46 to 57 found those who completed a 12-week supervised programme saw greater gains than those who kept to their usual exercise routines.
None of the participants were taking hormone replacement therapy.
The supervised, low-impact resistance exercise programme focused on strength at the hip and shoulder, dynamic balance and flexibility.
Participants used Pvolve equipment, including resistance bands and weights around the hips, wrists and ankles, and also lifted dumbbells of varying loads.
Women in the resistance training group showed a 19 per cent increase in hip function and lower-body strength, a 21 per cent increase in full-body flexibility and a 10 per cent increase in dynamic balance, meaning the ability to stay stable while moving.
Those in the usual activity group did not show any significant improvements.
Previous studies have assessed the decline in lower limb strength and flexibility during menopause, but this is said to be the first study to compare the effect of resistance training on muscle strength and mass before, during and after menopause.
This was done by including participants in different phases of menopause rather than following the same participants over a long timeframe.
Francis Stephens, a researcher at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK, said: “These results are important because women appear to be more susceptible to loss of leg strength as they age, particularly after menopause, which can lead to increased risk of falls and hip fractures.
“This is the first study to demonstrate that a low-impact bodyweight and resistance band exercise training programme with a focus on the lower limbs, can increase hip strength, balance, and flexibility.
“Importantly, these improvements were the same in peri- and post-menopausal females when compared to pre-menopausal females, suggesting that changes associated with menopause do not mitigate the benefits of exercise.”
Although one of the researchers sits on Pvolve’s clinical advisory board, the researchers said the company did not sponsor the study or influence its results.
Stephens added that any progressive resistance exercise training focused on lower-body strength is likely to yield the same results.
He said: “The important point is for an individual to find a type of exercise, modality, location, time of day etc., that is enjoyable, sustainable, and improves everyday life.
“The participants in the present study reported an improvement in ‘enjoyment of exercise,’ and some are still using the programme since the study finished.”
Kylie Larson, a women’s health and fitness coach and founder of Elemental Coaching, who was not involved in the study, said the results were compelling.
She said: “This is particularly exciting for those that tend to think of menopause as ‘the end’. The study proves that if you incorporate strength training you can still make improvements to your muscle mass and strength, which will also have a positive ripple effect to your ability to manage your body composition.
“In addition, staying flexible and being able to balance are both keys to a healthy and functional second half of life.”
Participants in the study did four classes a week for 30 minutes each session, but Larson said even half that amount of strength training can go a long way, particularly if you emphasise progressive overload, which means gradually increasing muscle challenge through more weight.
Larson said: “Gradually increasing the challenge is what drives real change.
“Lifting heavier over time is what builds strength, protects your bones, and keeps your body resilient through menopause and beyond.”
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