About The Meno Choice

The Meno Choice is a guide for women in perimenopause, menopause and the years after. We help you make one of the biggest health decisions of midlife: whether to treat your symptoms with hormones, without them, or with a mix of both.

Why this site exists

Most of what you find online picks a side before you've even asked the question. Telehealth clinics sell hormones. Supplement sites sell everything except hormones. Meanwhile you're the one awake at 3 a.m., trying to figure out what's actually right for you.

We cover both paths honestly. When hormone therapy makes sense, we explain how to get it, what it costs and what to ask. When you'd rather go without, or can't take hormones, we explain the non-hormonal options and what they can and can't do.

Who writes here

I'm Claire Hollis, and I write every guide on this site. I'm 52 and live in Columbus, Ohio. For 17 years I managed employee health benefits for a manufacturer, which means I spent a lot of my life reading insurance plans, explaining coverage denials and figuring out what things really cost.

At 46 I started waking up at 3 a.m. soaked in sweat. Then came the anxiety, the short fuse and a tiredness no coffee could fix. My first doctor told me I was "too young for menopause." When I asked about hormones, the conversation lasted about four minutes.

So I went without hormones first, for about a year and a half. Some changes helped and some did nothing. At 48 I started leaking when I sneezed, the thing I was most embarrassed about and nobody talked about. At 49 I found a doctor trained in menopause, and together we decided I'd start HRT. My sleep came back first.

That same year my older sister, Ruth, finished breast cancer treatment. Hormones aren't an option for her, so I started researching the non-hormonal side for her, with the same care I used to give a benefits contract.

That's why this site covers both paths. On both sides, I kept finding websites that had already picked an answer before hearing the question.

What I'm not: I'm not a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. I won't tell you what dose to take or whether to start or stop a medication. What I can do is explain your options in plain English, check the facts and the fine print, and help you walk into your doctor's office (or an online visit) knowing what to ask.

Every article is written for one reader: a woman in her 40s, 50s or 60s who wants a straight answer, in plain English, without being talked down to.

What we cover

• Hormones or not: how to choose, symptom by symptom.
• HRT online: how online menopause clinics work, what they cost and who they're for.
• Bladder and intimate health: leaks, UTIs and the changes nobody warns you about.
• And the years after: menopause doesn't end at 55, and neither do we.

How we make money

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That's how we keep the site free. It never decides what we write: see our Affiliate Disclosure and How We Review.

Important

We're not your doctor. Nothing here replaces a conversation with a licensed clinician who knows your health history. Read our Medical Disclaimer.

Questions or corrections? Contact us.

Last updated October 16, 2026