Beware the Celebrity Endorsement in Healthcare

What Makes LifeMD’s Evidence-Based Women’s Health Program Different

The menopause market is booming. With an estimated market worth nearly $18 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $27 billion by 2030, brands are rushing to serve the millions of women entering this life stage. Many come with recognizable faces attached—Stripes by Naomi Watts, State Of by Stacy London, and Wile cofounded by Judy Greer have helped bring menopause into mainstream conversation.

This visibility matters. When influential figures speak openly about their experiences, it helps dismantle stigma and normalize discussions about this natural transition. But as the menopause space becomes increasingly crowded with celebrity-endorsed products, a critical question emerges: what should women actually look for when seeking menopause treatment?

The Problem with Marketing-Driven Menopause Care

Gynecologist Dr. Jen Gunter, author of “The Menopause Manifesto,” notes that menopause is complicated, and the desire to simplify it may be part of the appeal of celebrity advocates. She warns about medical advice from people without proper training or who have conflicts of interest. “It comes down to, ‘Who is the expert?’”

Dr. Mary Claire Haver, an OB-GYN and author of “The New Menopause,” identifies four red flags consumers should watch for in menopause products: claims with no supporting medical evidence, lack of peer review on scientific data, manipulation of emotions, and celebrity endorsements. That final point is particularly telling—celebrity backing itself can be a warning sign rather than a seal of approval.

There’s little data to support the efficacy of many natural supplements or beauty products widely promoted online and on television, according to doctors. Many lack safety studies altogether. As Memorial Sloan Kettering gynecologic medical oncologist Andrea Tufano-Sugarman puts it: “You can’t lifestyle your way out of these symptoms.”

The market has already seen casualties. State Of shut down in 2023. Pause Well-Aging closed in 2024. Stripes was sold at auction for $500,000 in 2023 after struggling financially. These failures suggest that celebrity association alone doesn’t translate to sustainable, effective menopause solutions.

What Clinical Credentials Actually Mean

The Menopause Society (formerly the North American Menopause Society) developed a competency examination to set essential standards for healthcare professionals treating menopausal women. Those who pass this rigorous exam earn the credential Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, or MSCP. This certification, which must be renewed every three years, demonstrates specialized expertise in menopause management.

As Dr. Rebecca Levy-Gantt, an OBGYN and MSCP, explains: “If you want the best, most up-to-date evidence on menopause symptoms and treatment, you have to go to a MSCP.” While all general OB-GYNs receive some menopause education, MSCPs have undergone additional training and testing. “In the last 20 years, menopause treatment has changed drastically, and MSCPs are up to date on what’s acceptable and safe.”

The distinction matters because menopause affects multiple body systems. Up to a third of a woman’s life is spent postmenopausal, impacting cardiovascular health, cancer risk, endocrinology, bone density, cognitive function, and more. Yet 20 percent of primary care, family medicine, and OB-GYN medical trainees say they have never attended a menopause lecture in residency.

Evidence-Based Hormone Therapy vs. Unproven Claims

The backbone of effective menopause care for many women is hormone replacement therapy. According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, systemic estrogen therapy (with or without progestin) is the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats. It also addresses vaginal dryness and protects against bone loss.

But hormone therapy requires careful, individualized management based on each woman’s medical history, symptoms, and risk factors. This isn’t something that can be effectively delivered through a one-size-fits-all supplement or beauty product, regardless of which celebrity endorses it. MSCP-certified providers stay updated with the most recent advancements and research, ensuring patients receive the most effective and evidence-based treatment options.

LifeMD’s Clinical Methodology: Starting with the Foundation

LifeMD’s approach to women’s health reflects a distinctly clinical rather than celebrity-driven philosophy. The platform’s methodology originated from a foundation in bone health and osteoporosis prevention—a medical rather than marketing-oriented entry point into menopause care.

The company acquired a practice founded by an orthopedic surgeon who recognized that many surgeries could be prevented through earlier intervention. Rather than treating fractures after they occur, the focus shifted to reversing bone loss and preventing osteoporosis through evidence-based hormone therapy and comprehensive treatment protocols.

This clinical foundation shapes how LifeMD approaches menopause as a whole. Rather than treating hot flashes and night sweats as isolated complaints requiring quick fixes, the platform addresses menopause through a structural lens—understanding that declining estrogen affects bone density, cardiovascular health, metabolic function, and multiple interconnected body systems.

Estrogen plays a crucial role in preserving bone mass by signaling cells in bones to stop breaking down. On average, women lose 25 percent of their bone mass from the time of menopause to age 60, largely due to estrogen loss. This bone health component is often overlooked in consumer-facing menopause products, which tend to focus on immediately disruptive symptoms while neglecting equally important but less visible changes occurring throughout the body.

Methodology Over Marketing

Evidence-based menopause care includes several essential components that distinguish it from celebrity-driven alternatives:

Licensed medical providers with specialized training. LifeMD connects patients with U.S. state-licensed providers through its 50-state affiliated medical group. These aren’t contractors moonlighting across multiple platforms but dedicated healthcare professionals who provide continuity of care.

Comprehensive health assessment. Effective hormone therapy requires understanding each woman’s complete medical history, including cardiovascular risk factors, family cancer history, bone density status, and symptom severity. This level of assessment can’t be replicated through a quick online questionnaire designed to sell products.

Ongoing monitoring and adjustment. Because everyone metabolizes medications differently, hormone therapy requires regular check-ins and dose adjustments. LifeMD’s subscription model includes monthly touchpoints with care teams, allowing providers to fine-tune treatment for optimal results.

Holistic treatment perspective. Rather than approaching menopause as a collection of isolated symptoms requiring separate fixes, clinical care recognizes the interconnected nature of hormonal changes. The bone health methodology that informs LifeMD’s approach addresses not just the symptoms women want cured but the underlying structural changes that will affect long-term health.

The Longevity Mindset in Menopause Care

Perhaps the most significant difference between clinical and celebrity-driven approaches lies in timeframe. Products marketed for immediate symptom relief focus on acute discomfort—hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood changes. But menopause isn’t just about getting through a difficult period. It’s the beginning of a phase that can last 30 or more years.

Clinical menopause care incorporates a longevity mindset from the start. It asks not just “how can we stop these hot flashes?” but “how can we optimize health for the next three decades?” Research shows that hormone therapy started within 10 years of menopause onset in women under 60 may help lower cardiovascular disease risk. Women who use hormone therapy also have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Systemic estrogen therapy protects against accelerated bone loss, helping prevent osteoporosis and reduce fracture risk later in life.

These long-term health considerations don’t make compelling marketing copy the way promises of immediate relief do. They require conversations between patients and knowledgeable providers who can evaluate individual risk factors and design treatment plans that balance symptom management with preventive care.

Pharmaceuticals, Partnerships, and Patient Care

LifeMD’s partnerships reflect a clinical rather than lifestyle approach to menopause care. The platform works directly with pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly—the manufacturers of FDA-approved medications rather than the marketers of unregulated supplements.

This distinction matters in a space increasingly populated by brands selling proprietary supplements with limited or no clinical validation. The gold standard for treating moderate to severe menopausal symptoms remains FDA-approved hormone therapy prescribed and monitored by qualified healthcare providers.

The telehealth model LifeMD employs makes this level of care accessible without requiring women to navigate long wait times for scarce menopause specialists. With 75 million menopausal individuals but only approximately 4,100 certified menopause providers in the United States, access remains a significant barrier. Virtual care can help bridge this gap when it’s built on a foundation of medical expertise rather than celebrity endorsement.

Making the Clinical Choice

Celebrity founders and spokespeople serve a valuable purpose in raising awareness about menopause and reducing stigma. But awareness isn’t the same as care. Products sold on the strength of a celebrity name rather than clinical evidence may leave women spending money on ineffective solutions while delaying access to treatments that could genuinely help.

LifeMD’s women’s health program represents a different philosophy—one that starts with clinical methodology, emphasizes evidence-based treatment, and recognizes menopause as a complex hormonal transition affecting multiple body systems. This approach may not have the immediate appeal of a familiar face promising quick fixes, but it offers something more valuable: legitimate medical care designed for both immediate symptom relief and long-term health optimization.

For women navigating the crowded menopause marketplace, the message is clear: clinical credentials should outweigh celebrity endorsements. Women deserve menopause care built on clinical foundations—care that addresses the full complexity of hormonal changes, incorporates long-term health planning, and provides access to qualified providers who stay current with evolving research.

The celebrity menopause brands have done valuable work in breaking silence and creating conversation. But when it comes to actual treatment decisions, prioritize providers whose expertise comes from rigorous training and evidence-based practice. That’s the foundation LifeMD built its women’s health program on—not celebrity backing, but clinical methodology. Not marketing promises, but medical evidence. Not quick fixes, but comprehensive care designed for both immediate relief and long-term health.