Menopause is like the changing seasons, full of magic and possibility.
What will it bring?
How can we shape it?
Welcome! I’m Heidi.
Growing up on an apple farm in Maine, I have always loved the changing seasons. I love the sweet fragrance of apple blossoms in spring, the tall grass waving under heavily laden trees in summer, the amazing aroma of freshly picked apples piled high in the shed in autumn, and the silence of new snow covering bare trees in winter. Each season has its essential purpose and its unique beauty.
My journey in healthcare…
I was an impressionable 26-year-old when my mother’s struggle with breast cancer opened my eyes to the challenges that women face in accessing respectful care from medical providers who understand that “healing” takes many forms but should always include making sure that women feel heard and supported.
Initially, my fascination with women’s health focused on pregnancy, birth, and parenting. In 1990, I co-founded one of the first postpartum doula programs in the San Francisco Bay Area called “The Fourth Trimester.”
During my own pregnancies, I loved being cared for by midwives who spent so much time with my partner and me, sharing their wisdom and helping us to feel nurtured and prepared for the big transition to parenthood. This was my introduction to what Health Care can truly be.
I attended the Yale School of Nursing, received my MSN with a specialty in Nurse-Midwifery, and have spent the past 20 years working in many different settings (hospitals, private practice, Planned Parenthood, and community health centers on the East and West Coasts), providing prenatal, birth, postpartum and gynecologic care to women of all ages, many ethnicities, and in multiple languages. It has been an amazing privilege to work with so many inspiring women, each one navigating different challenges and finding her own path.
More about me: I’m a skeptic from rugged Maine who fell in love with spirited California.
The Maine gal in me needs to see the evidence, and I don’t like to spend money needlessly (especially on tons of expensive lab tests and supplements).
But California stole my heart with its wild beauty, adventurous people, and new perspectives on health and lifestyle. So, like any good Gemini, I combine Maine and California in my practice and my bicoastal adventures, including spending time with my two amazing adult daughters in Brooklyn and San Diego. They inspire me to keep learning and working to improve the quality of care that women receive.
My happy place: water… floating in water, preferably a cool lake in Maine or a hot spring in California. It’s where I do my most creative thinking and my deepest breathing. When I’m not learning more ways to care for women, I can be found exploring California with my filmmaker husband, tending flowers, herbs, and veggies in the garden, sweating through Pilates, rolling bocce balls on a local league, and trying to flex my right brain with creative projects including blending herbal concoctions for my family and friends.
My Approach
Women make up over half the population and we may spend half our lives in menopause. This critical time deserves attention and expertise!
Now, in my own “Second Spring,” I find older women are particularly fascinating. We are accomplished, wise (each in our own way), and juggling many balls in the air with careers, partners, children, parents, friends, and community. We’ve been through some challenging times and have battle scars to show for it (some on our bodies and some in our hearts). We experience many physical changes, but lots of us have felt invisible, with little information about what is happening or what might be helpful. We may “power through” just fine (because we are awesome!), but we know there must be a better way. We want to prioritize our health, but sometimes don’t even know where to start.
Most medical practitioners will tell you they had very little (if any!) training in menopause. If we attended a lecture, it was likely a free lunchtime lecture sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. That is not enough!
I have been on a quest to gain expertise in menopause management and became a Certified Menopause Practitioner by NAMS (National Association of Menopause Society, recently rebranded as “The Menopause Society”). However, after many years of working in the medical field, I also recognize that conventional medicine has limitations in terms of getting to the root cause of chronic conditions, and many women would like to integrate other treatment modalities into their care. I completed the Women’s Integrative & Functional Medicine Professional Training Program with Aviva Romm, a renowned midwife, herbalist, and Yale-trained Family Practice MD, specializing in functional and integrative medicine. This training allows me to offer a unique combination of conventional, integrative, and functional medicine approaches so that you can choose the best options for you to thrive during this next chapter of your life.
My Passion:
Infusing “Care” back into Healthcare.
I am committed to
Listening deeply with non-judgmental curiosity
Blending conventional medicine with women’s wisdom, artfully and seamlessly
Focusing on evidence-based information and treatment
Thinking creatively WITH YOU to craft a treatment plan you are confident in
I believe that in menopause, we have the chance to become who we were meant to be!
The changing hormones of menopause don’t have to throw you for a loop. Together we can create a plan that helps to address your current symptoms, supports your body to meet new challenges, and inspires you to feel more vibrant than you have in years!
My Credentials
Education
Yale School of Nursing, Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Experience
Clinician providing OB/Gyn Services
Yale New Haven Hospital (St. Raphael campus), New Haven, CT
Women’s Health Center, PC, Shelton, CT
Planned Parenthood, Hartford, CT
Director of OB/Gyn
Cornell Scott - Hill Health Center, New Haven, CT State of Connecticut Infant Mortality Review Board
Clinician & Perinatal Manager
OLE Health, Napa CA
Honors
California Women’s Health Leadership Program
Licenses, Certifications & Trainings
California Licensed Nurse-Midwife: #235757
Maine Licensed Nurse-Midwife: #222012
Certified Menopause Practitioner (The Menopause Society, formerly NAMS)
Integrative and Functional Medicine for Women’s Health (Aviva Romm, MD, Women’s Integrative Medicine Institute)
Prescribing Menopausal Therapy with Confidence (Heather Hirsch, MD)
Memberships
American College of Nurse-Midwives
California Nurse-Midwives Association
The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS)
The Institute for Functional Medicine
