Menopause is a natural part of life, yet it remains a challenging topic in many workplaces. Many women face symptoms that can impact their work experience and performance, but few organizations have policies or resources in place to support them. How can employers create a more understanding and supportive environment? What steps can be taken to normalize and address the needs of women going through this stage? As part of this interview series, we are interviewing CarolAnn Tutera.

CarolAnn Tutera, the President and CEO of SottoPelle®/Tutera Medical, is the first woman entrepreneur and original industry leader in the field of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy(BHRT) using natural bioidentical hormone pellets.

She co-founded the company over 30 years ago with her late husband, Dr. Gino Tutera, developing a multi-patented individualized dosing site for hormone optimization, setting the industry gold standard for pellet therapy across America.

CarolAnn has expanded SottoPelle® — which trains and educates medical providers in the best practices in natural hormonal balance, with innovative protocols in disease prevention and age-management medicine — to include Tutera Medical® and the Caitera™ line of health, beauty and wellness products while continuing to pave the future as the solo female entrepreneur of a male-dominated industry.

SottoPelle: https://www.sottopelletherapy.com/

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?

I am the first woman and industry pioneer in bioidentical hormone pellet therapy and the reason it is practiced across America today. In 1993, my late husband Dr. Gino Tutera and I developed a multi-patented individualized dosing site for hormone optimization using bioidentical hormone pellets. Slipped under the skin, pellet therapy provides round the clock sustained hormone release for optimal hormone balance. Unlike synthetic pharmaceutical hormones that often carry adverse side effects, bioidentical ones match the hormones the body makes naturally. Now, 30 years later, my company remains the industry leader for pellet therapy practices nationwide.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to your particular career path?

I was always a trailblazer. My father was my idol growing up who shaped my entrepreneurial journey. I saw him open many clothing stores as a child and knew I had that entrepreneurial tendency. I have been in the male medical world and have been the leader in the hormone replacement therapy space since 1993.

What inspired you to focus on the issue of menopause in the workplace, and why do you believe it’s an important topic for modern organizations?

I focus on ALL aspects of menopause, perimenopause, postmenopause and andropause because pellet therapy is designed to sustain human health at all ages. My husband’s groundbreaking research showed how hormones are the control panel of the body and brain, including every organ, gland, tissue and function. Scientific research shows that these hormone levels start plummeting in both men and women around age 35. By their 40s and 50s, they’ve lost most of their estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. People today are working well past their 60s and even into their 70s. Hormonal balance is therefore the key to sustaining good health so people can perform their best in the workplace, both physically and mentally.

What are some of the most common symptoms or challenges women experience during menopause that can affect their work life? How can these be better understood by employers?

Understanding women’s need to maintain proper balance of all three hormone levels as they age, not just during their childbearing years, will enhance their health and, in turn, their workplace productivity and performance. If all hormones aren’t functioning in proper balance, there will be debilitating physical and mental symptoms that can impact job performance, one’s marriage, relationships and overall quality of life.

My company the first to show how hormones impact the brain and mental health because they regulate all of the body’s neurotransmitters. If employers understood the critical role hormones play in human health and the medical industry approved of hormone testing and balancing at all ages, our society would be healthier, happier and more productive.

Many workplaces have policies for maternity leave or illness but lack support for menopause. What are some specific policies or practices that could help address this gap?

Many companies now allow for more personal time for menopausal women. However, if we could get more approval for natural bioidentical hormone therapy and understand how it can alleviate many of the symptoms of perimenopause, menopause and andropause (it’s not just about women!), we could enable workers to lead happier and healthier lives. There would be less absenteeism and more productive workplaces. It’s not just about giving people more time off to recover from their symptoms. That’s a band-aid. I believe it’s about preventing these symptoms in the first place through hormonal balance and the use of safe natural bioidentical pellet therapy. My company is a 30-year testament to the science, proving that it works to help people enjoy better quality of life and age gracefully.

In your opinion, what are the biggest misconceptions or stigmas surrounding menopause, and how can workplace leaders work to dispel these among staff?

Our entire healthcare and medical industry, as well as businesses, misunderstand the critical role hormones play in human health, vitality and well-being in men and women of all ages. My mission for the past 30 years has been to eradicate all the mythology around menopause, andropause and aging. Some employers fail to realize the enormous impact in can have on sleep, energy, mental performance, concentration and the ability to focus. Menopause is not just about hot flashes and mood swings. Andropause isn’t just about irritability, depression or erectile dysfunction. It’s about how hormonal imbalances impact the brain, cognitive function and mental health.

However, if the medical industry could overcome its confusion about hormone health and understand the differences between synthetic pharmaceutical hormones and the natural bioidentical ones that my company uses, we could eliminate so much of the general malaise that hits both sexes in mid-life. We could also reduce the soaring rates of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders that accompany menopause and andropause.

How can training and awareness programs benefit managers and colleagues in understanding and supporting women going through menopause? Can you share examples of effective approaches?

Studies dating to the 1940s show that bioidentical hormone pellet therapy is the most effective approach to maintain human health and normal brain function. It was developed in the 1930s and my company innovated the dosing system to individualize it for every patient. My company has been addressing menopause and andropause for over 30 years with 250,000 happy patients worldwide. We already have an effective approach in action. What business managers and medical providers need to do is understand that the solution already exists… if they can get over the resistance to hormones and presumption that they’re dangerous… and allow for greater access to hormonal testing and balancing.

Finally, if you want an example of an effective approach, just look at the company founder. I’m the walking living example of how pellet therapy works.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. Can you please share “5 Ways Workplaces Can be More Supportive of Women Dealing With Menopause”? If you can, kindly share a story or example for each.

1. Understand the multifaceted role that hormonal balance plays in human health and brain function.

2. Work with health insurers to encourage proper hormone testing at earlier ages (30s) as well as in older working adults beyond age 50.

3. Become educated about new protocols like bioidentical hormone pellet therapy — which is really 87 years old — and how it differs from synthetic pharmaceutical hormones and can alleviate the symptoms of menopause.

4. Understand the role that hormones serve as the control panel of the body and brain. The sex hormones aren’t just for reproduction but regulate every organ, nerve, bone, synapse, tissue and neurotransmitter of the human body.

5. At the very least, we can recognize that women’s biology often requires more downtime. While we don’t want to segregate women as special needs workers who mandate more time off from work and thereby create more gender discrimination in hiring practices, the fact is that women’s reproductive organs and biochemistry involve birthing, menses and menopausal phases. While pellet therapy could help alleviate much of the burdens during menopause, we need to celebrate women and not cast them as physical handicaps to employers.

How can businesses measure the impact of menopause-friendly policies on their workplace culture, employee satisfaction, or productivity?

Try pellet therapy for yourself and see the difference and impact on your own life! Or divide your employees into two control groups — one with pellet therapy and the other without. Compare the difference in productivity and absenteeism and workplace attitudes.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of workplace support for women’s health needs, including menopause? How can organizations lead the way in setting new standards?

My vision is to see access to hormone testing and pellet therapy for every woman AND man in the workplace! We must also stop isolating the issue as a strictly female problem and realize it’s a human health challenge that confront both men and women in the workplace. We have placed too many labels on women as problems when these issues are deeply impacting both sexes. In fact, men’s health is largely neglected in this area.

Wonderful. We are nearly done. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

I would love to meet with healthcare officials, medical authorities and other industry colleagues to show how hormonal balance through bioidentical pellet therapy can alleviate not only the workplace challenges posed by menopause but also the huge impact on our society’s mental health and cognitive function. There’s such a huge spike in dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases that could be addressed with natural hormonal balance.

Every day I see reports in major media about so-called scientific and medical experts scratching their heads wondering why all these mental and physical ailments occur around age 50, especially in women. Nobody’s connecting the dots to our hormones. A decline in estrogen, testosterone and progesterone is going to cause a decline in mental and physical function. This is common sense, not rocket science.

We need to allow more hormonal testing of all hormones at all ages and support people’s access to hormonal balance. It’s the most overlooked health issue of our time and a major reason for the decline in health and the average American life expectancy.

My husband always said that his research showed that hormonal imbalance contributes to 90 percent of depression and mental illnesses. He believe that pellet therapy could empty out most of the psychiatric and mental health facilities in this country and certainly get patients off the dangerous drugs prescribed for depression, anxiety and panic. I believe he was right.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Tune into my podcasts and view the dozens of broadcast interviews and articles in which I highlight my company’s mission and accomplishments for the past 30 years.

PODCAST: https://www.sottopelletherapy.com/featured-podcasts/

WEBSITE: https://www.sottopelletherapy.com/

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Originally published at https://medium.com on February 12, 2025.