Could the solution to treating menopause symptoms be found in our guts?

An innovative Cork start-up aims to provide a holistic approach to supporting women through menopause.

The start-up, HerNutrea, was developed by nutritional scientist Anna Santos, and is based out of University College Cork.

It aims to help women better manage their perimenopause and menopausal symptoms through a personalised nutrition plan, which is based on a detailed analysis of their microbiome.

“A microbiome is unique to each person and depends on nutrition and lifestyle,” Anna explains.

“Microbiome testing gives us insights into a person’s gut health and their overall wellbeing by measuring things like microbial diversity, which is the variety of bacteria in the gut; dominant bacterial types in the gut, inflammatory potential, bacteria linked to weight management, the gut immune function, and the gut-skin connection.”

Women will be able to collect the microbiome sample at home and then send the sample for laboratory analysis.

“The sample is sent to a specialised lab where advanced sequencing technologies, such as 16S rRNA sequencing, are used to identify and quantify the microbial species present in the gut,” says Anna.

She then works with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interpret the data and identify key elements such as the presence of certain bacteria and the overall microbial balance.

These different elements can be linked to various issues or symptoms, explains Anna.

“Gastro inflammation may lead to symptoms like joint pain or fatigue, which is common in menopausal women. For weight management, we evaluate the gut bacteria that are linked to metabolic and weight regulation, so we know which bacteria affect the way they are.

“We will measure the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria - the gut immune axis - that will explore the connection between gut and immune function, and we can also analyse how gut health can impact skin conditions like dry skin.”

With all of this data from the microbiome and personal details, Anna then creates a personalised weekly nutrition plan, which will contain three meals per day and one snack.

“The plan will cover each woman’s nutritional needs, their calorie requirements, protein, vitamin, and mineral needs. We’ve made sure the plans avoid complex recipes; each meal will be easy to prepare and take minimal time in the kitchen.”

The microbiome testing and nutritional plan are a large part of helping women to better manage their menopause symptoms, but it is not the only factor.

“We’re also creating a community where women can talk to each other, exchange tips and advice.

“With HerNutrea, we want to take a holistic approach, which will include recommendations on stress management and lifestyle factors including sleep and exercise.”

Anna is also planning to enhance the HerNutrea offering with a symptom tracker, which will allow women to track their menopausal symptoms and identify any changes.

For now though, Anna will concentrate on the initial microbiome testing and nutrition plans.

The service is currently available in Ireland, with a view to launching it in Anna’s native Poland at a later date.

The current cost of the at-home microbiome testing kit and the analysis cost is €219, a one-off payment. The nutritional plan has a separate monthly subscription price of €9.99 per month and users can purchase the plan even if they haven’t done the microbiome testing.

Earlier this year, Anna won the Local Enterprise Office Best Business Plan 2025.

Speaking about Anna’s win and her business, Seán O’Sullivan, Local Enterprise Office Cork, said: “Anna’s business is exactly the type of start-up we aim to support and help grow. HerNutrea addresses a hugely important need in women’s health, and Anna has developed a clear, actionable plan to build a thriving, profitable business.

“It’s a great example of smart, socially minded entrepreneurship.”

Anna says the award gave her confidence in her business, and also the motivation to work harder.

She also took part in IGNITE, a start-up support programme in UCC, which provides workshops, advice and support to young businesses like HerNutrea.

“The IGNITE programme helped me think about my business in a different way and I learned how to structure it. The guidelines I learned in IGNITE have got me to where I am today.”

Her Nutrea is designed to provide a natural, science-backed solution to support women experiencing menopause symptoms.

Anna says the nutritional approach can be used either as an alternative to HRT for those seeking a non-hormonal approach, or it can be used as a complementary solution alongside HRT to enhance overall wellbeing.

“Every woman’s menopausal journey is unique to them. With HerNutrea we are focusing on that uniqueness and delivering a personalised solution,” says Anna.

“How each woman manages their menopause symptoms ultimately depends on the individual woman and should involve discussing various approaches with her doctor to determine the best solution for them.”