Peanut launches online community for women going through menopause

There are times in our life when it helps to know you’re not alone. Menopause is one of those times.

Women’s social network Peanut is launching Peanut Menopause, a digital community to help women navigate menopause, as well as perimenopause and postmenopause (the stages before and after it).

Peanut says that until now, there hasn’t been a dedicated online community dedicated to women going through the menopause. It hopes to change that with the launch of Peanut Menopause, providing a safe online space for women to meet and share information about their experiences.

Peanut founder and CEO Michelle Kennedy told Mashable there’s a real need for women navigating all stages of menopause to be heard, supported, and prepared. During the development of Peanut Menopause, Kennedy and the team spent a lot of time understanding the biggest challenges that women face.

“Ultimately, they feel lonely and totally unprepared for this life stage,” she said. “The symptoms are even being misdiagnosed by medical professions due to the lack of research and funding in women’s health.”

“These women deserve a safe space that is built for them, populated with a community who know exactly what they’re going through. Being able to ask questions and share experiences with other women gives you validation and helps you know that you’re not alone,” she added.

Peanut Menopause will launch within the Peanut app in a dedicated section. Women joining the app will go through a sign-up process which will ask your current life stage: perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause.

You’ll then join a private network of women at a similar life stage where you can chat about experiences and discover relevant Peanut content published by the app. You’ll also be able to use features like swiping to connect, chat privately, form groups, and audio rooms (similar to Clubhouse).

Kennedy hopes that Peanut Menopause will facilitate honest conversations that will work towards ending the stigma and taboo that stops people talking about the menopause.

It’s the latest move from Peanut to dissolve stigma and promote support for women’s health — in April, the company launched a glossary to replace outdated pregnancy and fertility terms.