“Zencape Health will play a critical role in bridging the gap for people suffering from chronic health issues and drastically improve the journey of care.”

Can you tell me how you came up with the idea for Zencape Health? Why a pelvic pain platform?

My own pelvic pain journey started with hours in the nurse’s office as a kid in school because of debilitating period pain. I saw dozens of doctors over the years, was put on birth control at 13 and tried different hormonal options for over a decade. Well into adulthood, I was still missing out on work because of my pain or worse - pretending that I wasn’t doubled over in pain while at work. 

Every time I would see a doctor, I was given the same three options: painkillers, birth control, or tough it out. I didn’t even know there were other options to try. I had never considered starting something to solve an intense problem that I was struggling with so often.

[Before starting Zencape], I went on a trip to Spain, as a kind of an extended sabbatical, and missed out on most of it because of my pain. I was in a room doubled over while the rest of the group went out and actually saw things. That was a moment for me, where I was like, this is actually preventing me from living the life that I want to live. I knew I had to roll up my sleeves and do something about it. 

I started Zencape Health to create a world where all people have access to quality & compassionate care for their chronic pelvic pain. [We’re] on a mission to create a universe of products that make it easier than ever to access personalized care, tailored to you. Our [vision] is to build the most inclusive, affirming, and comprehensive health care platform for people with chronic pelvic conditions.

Can you share a little bit about the process of someone finding out about Zencape and what they will experience? How does their journey of relieving pelvic pain change after finding your platform?

It takes 10 years on average for someone with pelvic pain to reach a diagnosis or get access to adequate care. So the path is usually super lengthy and there's often a lot of medical trauma in that journey. So creating space for both the medical side of things, and the emotional side was really important to me. To start, appointments are never just 15 minutes—our team actually takes the time to listen to the long history that you've had and understand your specific needs going forward.

Once you get to Zencape Health, you'll be supported by a collaborative care team to address the full range of your symptoms. Your care team is anchored around a pelvic pain specialist, who's been fellowship-trained in complex pelvic conditions, and an integrative medicine specialist, who's been fellowship-trained to incorporate both traditional & alternative evidenced-based treatments for pain and overall health.

You'll also have a dedicated care coordinator to help you manage your care, sharing the administrative and emotional burden you've been shouldering solo for so long. We may add additional specialists depending on your case. Your care team will work together to create a care plan that is completely unique to you—helping you understand the underlying drivers of your pain and the best treatments for you—whether those are surgical, hormonal, nutritional, pharmaceutical, musculoskeletal or more. Plus, they will be there with you every step of the way to help you implement your plan and adjust it based on what's working.

What can Zencape Health do for someone who may be experiencing pelvic pain and they're not sure what the cause is?

First, someone can see an expert within days versus waiting months for an appointment. More importantly, they are seeing a physician that has specifically trained in chronic pelvic conditions. They understand the nuances of the experience. Everything from having time to discuss the long medical histories of our patients to knowing the latest & greatest options available to patients for symptom management.

We hear from many of our patients that conducting these visits via telehealth is particularly comforting. Knowing that they don’t have to get undressed or sit on a cold table. It really means the care is on your own terms, which is empowering for many of our patients.

We start every visit by understanding every patient’s unique set of goals. What does better quality of life mean to them? Pain reduction is an obvious goal for us, and we also put it in context of the whole person and their unique goals. Their goals can range from less pain with sex to fertility to not having to miss out on travel because of pain.

How have people responded so far to the idea of having issues like endometriosis and fibroids centered in their care journey?

We believe that better care is delivered through expert physicians, compassionate providers, and a comprehensive approach. The experience of feeling alone and questioning “Why am I the only one?“ is sometimes just as painful as the actual symptoms themselves. Of course we know that our patients aren’t the only ones - in fact there are tens of millions of others in the journey with them - but it can be hard to access that truth with the systemic shame built into pain experienced by underserved groups. 

We are starting to see a shift from suffering in silence to speaking out about your pain. Social media has allowed people to share their journey, offer support and encourage patient advocacy. Our purpose is to be a validating and supportive voice for anyone experiencing a chronic pelvic condition. We pair patients with trained gynecologists, integrative physicians, and care coordinators to provide comprehensive & personalized care that treats a patient’s full range of symptoms.

Is the platform mostly aimed toward women? Can men experience pelvic pain?

Our platform as it stands today is targeted to folks with specific conditions such as endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, fibroids and PCOS with appreciation that the way our patients identify is a spectrum.

In talking with physicians since starting the company, we actually learned along the way that there’s a big proportion of cis-men with chronic pelvic pain that significantly impairs their quality of life. They aren’t in our initial target market but we absolutely believe anyone can struggle with chronic pelvic pain and our vision is to have an offering for everyone.

What does the ideal community look like Zencape Health? Who are you hoping to reach?

At Zencape Health, our goal is to build an inclusive and supportive community that empowers people with pelvic pain and the medical experts in this field, regardless of race or gender identity or income. For Zencape Health, there is no “ideal” community. We’re simply on a mission to serve and help those who suffer from pelvic health conditions.

Many of the patients we serve have historically been overlooked & dismissed by our healthcare systems. These conditions & women’s health as a whole is also severely under-researched and the dollars spent toward improving our understanding of these diseases is embarrassingly low.

Beyond our product development goals, Zencape Health exists to raise the standard of care for women, trans & non-binary folks, people of color, and other communities healthcare hasn’t historically centered.

What does the future look like for people who have period pain and other pelvic pain issues?

At the moment, there are huge gaps in medical care, resources, and treatments for people dealing with pelvic health conditions- it’s why Zencape Health exists. We’re excited to lead cutting edge research in this space, design better ways to deliver transformative care, and build groundbreaking technology in this space.

However, we’re optimistic about the future for people with pelvic health conditions. As we talk to more patients and physicians, we feel that Zencape Health will play a critical role in bridging the gap for people suffering from chronic health issues and drastically improve the journey of care.

We’re just beginning to disrupt this industry by looking at pelvic pain with a whole body approach and a tech-enabled lens to ensure that folks are receiving the care that is custom-tailored to their conditions, needs and lifestyle.

And lastly, one of our Womanly staple questions, what's your favorite self-care practice?

As a founder and someone personally affected by pelvic pain, it can be hard to justify self-care in a ‘work twice as hard, get half as much,’ male-dominated environment where I’m often asked - “Is this really a problem?”

I’ve found that that’s also exactly why it’s absolutely critical to make time for self-care and create safe, soft spaces to recharge my battery and connect to my why.

My favorite self-care practice is a bubble bath with candles, wine, and music - the best kind of indulgence.