Funding menopause and midlife women’s health with Maryann Selfe

The Hotflash inc Podcast menopause + midlife by Ann Marie McQueen

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Funding menopause and midlife women’s health with Maryann Selfe

Episode 193

Hotflash Inc

Jan 16, 2026

This episode of the Hotflash inc Podcast is hosted by Ann Marie McQueen, journalist and founder of the world’s only reader-supported, research-based platform covering all aspects of perimenopause, menopause, and the midlife transition.

This week’s guest is Maryann Selfe, the Zurich-based private banking expert turned women’s health investment advocate. After 25 years advising ultra-high-net-worth clients, Maryann became laser-focused on the lack of funding flowing into women’s health – and she’s doing something about it.

Maryann is the founder of Femme Health Alliance, editor of the widely-read Substack The Billion Dollar Blind Spot and author of the forthcoming book of the same name. In this conversation, she breaks down how midlife women represent an invisible economic powerhouse, how both capital markets and healthcare systems are failing to meet our needs – and how that is slowly changing.

NEW!! Fact check

In which we check up on things guests have said so you can know for sure:

JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley have implemented menopause-friendly workplace policies, including flexible work arrangements and educational resources.

A 2025 study in Nature Cardiovascular Research found that women without heart disease reduced risk with about 250 minutes of weekly moderate-to-vigorous exercise, versus 500 minutes for men, and saw a significantly greater mortality benefit even with existing heart disease.

The $10.7 billion figure in women’s health investment from 2024 includes funding for related conditions that disproportionately affect women, per SVB’s 2025 Innovation in Women’s Health Report.

The Blackstone and TPG acquisition of Hologic, a major medical tech company in women’s imaging and diagnostics, is expected to close in early 2026.

Sponsorship

No sponsor for this episode – but the podcast does take partnerships only with aligned companies. Reach out at connect@hotflashinc.com

We do not accept funding from the peptide or pharmaceutical industry.

Highlights

1:30 – Why Maryann transitioned from private banking to women’s health
3:00 – How uterine fibroids sparked her deep dive into research and frustration
6:00 – “It’s not just a gap, it’s a mispriced opportunity”
7:30 – Why so little capital flows into women’s health
9:00 – Systemic inertia in healthcare: why innovation is hard
12:30 – What she means when she says midlife women are “an invisible economy”
15:00 – Insomnia trials were done mostly on men — even though women suffer more
16:30 – The myth of the menopause workplace exodus
18:30 – A judge’s hot flash story: how symptoms derail careers
20:00 – Why smart employers must support women through menopause
23:00 – Women’s health isn’t a trend — it’s a coming wave
25:00 – Where investment is headed: diagnostics meets prevention
27:00 – New research showing women get heart benefits with less exercise
29:00 – Why this isn’t just “women’s health” — it’s precision health for all
31:00 – The missed opportunity in progesterone research
33:00 – Connecting innovators and capital through Fem Health Alliance
35:00 – The $18B Hologic deal: a signal that women’s health is infrastructure
38:00 – Why financial return and impact can (and must) coexist
41:00 – The risks of exclusion when data governance fails
43:00 – Women’s economic power is finally being seen
44:00 – Fem Health Alliance: building an ecosystem for investor action
46:00 – Why telehealth is a massive opportunity — especially in underserved areas