Women's Health in Trump 2.0: 3 Startups on What's to Come

Hey all,

We’re about to state something you already know:

Here in the U.S., women’s access to health care — including abortion and reproductive services — are under attack. This depends, in large part, on the state you live in, which impacts everything from how likely you are to have a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery to your risk factors of dying from preventable causes, like substance use and certain cancers.

Blue state or red state, though, this is a subject that has very real ramifications all of us, regardless of where we call home. The annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, held last month in San Francisco, went into this in depth, bringing together women founders in women’s healthcare to share their perspectives — and their game plans. This included three (!) of JBC’s own brand partners: Samantha Miller from Cadence OTC, Joanna Strober from Midi Health, and Jessica Schaefer from Lushi.

We’re grateful to our friends at Inc. for their coverage of this conversation, the takeaways from which you can read below.

1. Committing More Support for Private Solutions

Samantha Miller, the co-founder and CEO of the Oakland, Calif.-based company — which provides over-the-counter emergency contraceptives and has been developing over-the-counter birth control pills — definitely has her finger on the pulse of the issues impacting women’s health today.

There’s a lot of discouragement about supporting women’s health right now, she explained, but Cadence isn’t just talking the talk. They’re aiming to make reproductive healthcare easy to access for everyone. One way to do that? Support private solutions, at least while the political funding landscape might be shaky. It’s all about creating that space for innovation, regardless of the circumstances.

2. Looking to Unconventional Partners

Joanna Strober, the brilliant co-founder and CEO of Midi Health, has long been focused on supporting women going through perimenopause and menopause — a topic that’s definitely overdue for the spotlight. Women are looking for answers, and many have been left feeling frustrated and unheard for far too long.

For their part, Midi Health is looking at unconventional avenues for support, even connecting with RFK Jr.’s MAHA Alliance to emphasize preventive care. “Hopefully, we will see an openness to try different things,” Joanna said last month. The end goal, after all, is to ensure that real, holistic care is available for all.

3. Holding Politicians to Their Promises

Last but certainly not least is Jessica Schaefer, the founder and CEO of Lushi, which focuses on IVF and concierge services to help demystify the fertility journey and make it more accessible. When it comes to fertility care, Jessica is profoundly aware of the impact that political shifts can have on patients. “I don’t think that it should fall on women to bear the physical, financial, and emotional burden of addressing a slowing U.S. growth rate,” she said.

Jessica is all about accountability and is ready to hold politicians to their promises—especially when it comes to making fertility treatments more affordable. With all the complexities at play, could the current White House administration navigate the regulatory maze? It would be in all of our best interest to hope so.

Something to think about until next week!

See also: ‘We Are Unintended Collateral Damage’ — on how women founders are taking on Trump’s tariffs.

xx,

Jenny & Melissa