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WELCOME TO AMERICA’S HEALTH DESERTS

Women in America’s health deserts are struggling. In silence. Poise believes health shouldn’t be a silent conversation. It’s time we stop whispering. Poise is investigating innovative ways to help women in health deserts access health information.
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Poise® incontinence liners for women
"The last time I've been to the gynecologist was 14 years ago. It's been a good minute."
Stacy - Gate City, VA
Poise® incontinence liners for women
"Living in a small town there's one gynecologist to 400 women. So she wasn't giving me what I needed. I was thrown to the side, I was left out."
Tashauna - Lumberton, MS
Poise® incontinence liners for women
"It's difficult to get healthcare from here...I couldn't get in for something as simple as a UTI. You'll just have to go to the ER."
Polly - Thornton, TX

Over 1/3 of the US population lives in health deserts1

Health deserts— primarily rural areas across the U.S. with limited access to adequate healthcare—make up about 80% of the country’s counties.1 Remarkably, only about 6% of the nation’s obstetricians and gynecologists practice in rural areas.2 As a result, some women must travel hours just to see a specialist,3 causing their health to take a back seat. Imagine going years without seeing a doctor. Such delays can lead to undiagnosed conditions and untreated symptoms.

Living in health deserts impacts women during perimenopause and menopause, when they may experience symptoms about which they lack information. One of these symptoms is bladder leaks— which many women feel ashamed to talk about.

But what if bladder leaks don’t need to be hidden? What if they actually hold the missing answers?

Poise believes that, through a new collaboration with scientists, we may be able to extract dry urine from the material used in pads and test it for indicators related to perimenopause and menopause.

This is promising research that Poise hopes can eventually help women in health deserts have access to more information.

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Discover our short documentary on women in health deserts shot by Oscar and Emmy-nominated director Sara Nesson.
min

Up to 80% of menopausal women experience symptoms4

Each year, approximately 2 million women in the US enter perimenopause,5 and approximately 1.3 million women become menopausal.6 But with little to no education on what that actually means, many don’t understand their symptoms—let alone how to treat them.7 And by 2030, the anticipated number of OB/GYNs is expected to meet only half of rural areas’ demands.8 So in health deserts, where care is far away, the silence can be even louder.

25 million U.S. women experience bladder leakage but do not acknowledge the issue9

Bladder leaks are one common symptom of perimenopause and menopause. They affect more than 50% of postmenopausal women.10

But bladder leaks are stigmatized, so women often don’t discuss them. This isolation can have an even more devastating impact on women in health deserts. These women are struggling, and the silence is making it worse.

References:

  1. Nguyen, A., et al., Mapping healthcare deserts: 80% of the country lacks adequate access to healthcare. GoodRx. September, 2021.
  2. Statz, M. and K. Evers, Spatial barriers as moral failings: What rural distance can teach us about women's health and medical mistrust author names and affiliations. Health Place, 2020. 64: p. 102396.
  3. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/population-care/bringing-health-care-people-s-homes-rural-communities
  4. Shepherd, J.A., et al., Survey of patient experience and management of vasomotor symptoms due to menopause from the PatientsLikeMe community. Menopause, 2024. 31(11): p. 979-986.
  5. Wegrzynowicz, A.K., et al., Insights into Perimenopause: A Survey of Perceptions, Opinions on Treatment, and Potential Approaches. Women, 2025. 5(1): p. 4.
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507826/
  7. Atomik Research Online Survey sponsored by Poise, 1,114 women between the ages of 34-65 throughout the U.S., March 34-25, 2025.
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507826/
  9. Burke Inc. Consumer Habit and Attitudes Study sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, 5,131 U.S. females ages 20-85, 2023.
  10. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6528037/#:~:text=Urinary%20incontinence%20(UI)%20is%20an,changes%20in%20the%20human%20body