Inspiring Women: Svetlana Kazantseva

I’m thrilled to introduce Svetlana Kazenteneva—a wonderful woman I met last fall when she visited Boulder for a cozy little meetup. We instantly connected over warm drinks, delicious cookies, and heartfelt conversations about motherhood, hormones, and (of course) all things women’s health. Since then, I've been cheering on her journey, and I’m so excited to see Strawberry Health come to life.

Strawberry Health is a smart and supportive way to explore your hormone health—without needing to step foot in a clinic. Because hormone health isn’t just about perimenopause or menopause—it affects every stage of a woman’s life.

I can’t wait to share our conversation and her story with you because it is full of inspiration and motivation and a perfect reflection of her wonderful personality. So let's dive right in.

What’s one thing you wish every woman knew about her hormones?

I wish every woman knew that there are many strategies to address the symptoms of hormone imbalances, and anti-depressants and birth control pills (commonly used by healthcare providers) are actually the last, not the first strategy to try.

What inspired you to start a company focused on women's hormonal health?

As a woman, daughter and a mom to a girl, I felt deeply frustrated that women’s health is often overlooked, women lack support and information to live their best, happiest lives.

I initially entered the field of women’s health by launching a sustainable period care brand PlumThyme, to bring healthier reusable period products to women and the planet. Through that work, I found my true passion, to empower women with knowledge and data about their hormones.

Was there a personal experience or gap in care that pushed you to take this step?

I personally experienced an infertility journey in my late 20s, that was partially due to my lack of knowledge about hormonal health. As I was going through that difficult time in my life, my concerns were dismissed by my healthcare provider, due to “young age”.

Later on, I was interviewing women about their perimenopause experience, and was shocked to learn that very few of them knew anything about that transitional period of their lives and how much hormones are affecting their symptoms. I decided to dedicate my work to hormonal health, as it feels both personal and impactful to me.

What problem are you solving for women, and why is it so important now?

We help women understand their hormonal health through their own data. For some of them, it’s the clarity about family planning. For others – the way to see how their hormones may be affecting their symptoms, and the sense of self-advocacy and validation. In both scenarios, I feel proud that Strawberry Health created something that empowers women to feel in control of their health.

What is the biggest misconceptions that people often have about hormonal health, and hormone testing?

We advocate for understanding your hormones and gathering your baseline data as early as mid-20s.

What kind of science or evidence is your product based on?

Our at-home test kit collects blood samples, which are then processed by CLIA and CAP-accredited laboratories trusted by healthcare professionals nationwide. Our tests meet the rigorous standards required for clinical accuracy.

Do you work with medical or scientific advisors to guide your product development?

Absolutely. Our medical board includes physicians from Stanford Health and the insights we provide are developed in collaboration with board-certified OBGYNs trained in hormones.

How do you ensure your solutions are tailored specifically for women—beyond just saying so?

Our entire leadership and medical teams are women, who understand the problem and our customers. We believe that a company addressing women’s health gaps should be run by women, who have their own lived experiences and are able to advocate for the best interests of their customers.

What have you learned from listening to women in your community?

Our community taught us that for women, having the sense of advocacy over their own health choices is empowering and sometimes life-changing. It’s incredibly touching to hear how our members, who have been misdiagnosed or dismissed by their providers for years, are able to finally get their concerns addressed, after joining Strawberry Health and receiving their unique hormone data.

Hormonal health can be overwhelming—how do you keep it simple, empowering, and actionable?

That’s a great question! Our work certainly involves hormonal health education, through social media channels, email newsletters and in-person conversations. We try to keep the information simple, relatable and bite-sized, to slowly but steadily create awareness around the importance of hormonal health.

What’s one myth about hormones you wish every woman knew the truth about?

That menopause is the only significant hormonal change in a woman’s life. Our hormones influence many systems in our body, including brain function, metabolism and cardiovascular health throughout our lifetime.

What has been the most challenging part of building a company in the women’s health space?

Honestly, raising funds is the hardest part if you choose to go that way. Women’s health is still considered a niche market by investors, and they are both actively interested to learn what’s happening and why so much attention is going towards hormonal health these days, and risk-averse to actually invest in the companies solving problems in that space.

What has surprised you most on this journey?

How much support we receive from our community of women – we are all truly united in understanding how much the ability to be in control of our own health is important for us.

What trends are you seeing in women’s health that excite you?

More attention to hormonal health, perimenopause and menopause. Even on Linkedin, a purely professional platform in the past, we see hormones actively discussed and the engagement in such conversations is incredibly high.

What role do you think technology (like wearables or apps) will play in supporting hormonal health?

Wearable devices like Oura ring and Whoop are already changing the game in women’s health, providing women with a non-invasive way to continuously collect their health data. I believe, the technology and AI will truly help us understand our bodies, make health and lifestyle decisions and facilitate more productive conversations with our healthcare providers, when those are really needed.

How do you take care of your own hormonal health?

I test my hormones with Strawberry Health every 6 months – to build my baseline and to notice any trends. For example, I discovered that adding vitamin D to my diet has positively affected my AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone) levels and fertility.

A huge thank you to Svetlana for sharing her story, her mission, and the incredible work her team is doing to make hormone testing more accessible, relatable, and actionable for women everywhere. I hope this interview was a powerful reminder for you of how important it is to tune into our hormones at every stage of life.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed, confused, or simply curious about your hormonal health, this is your sign to take the first step. Head over to Strawberry Health and try their at-home hormone test. It’s time to get the data, the clarity, and the confidence you deserve. 💪✨