Why Midlife Women Are Healthcare’s Super Consumers
Michelle Silva of NRC Health on the Rising Voice of Women at Midlife
Healthcare is facing a consumer evolution—driven by a demographic that has long been underserved: women at midlife. In a recent episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, Michelle Silva, M.A., Strategic Advisor of Consumer Experience at NRC Health, joined Erica Spicer Mason to spotlight a new nSight report titled The Rising Self-Advocacy of Female Healthcare Consumers at Midlife.
The conversation sheds light on a powerful, data-driven insight: midlife women are not just patients—they are super consumers, and healthcare organizations that fail to meet their expectations risk losing both trust and loyalty.
Published in Becker’s Hospital Review
Why Midlife Women Matter More Than Ever
As Silva explains, women in their midlife—typically Gen Xers and older Millennials between the ages of 45 and 55—hold immense purchasing power. They’re managing their own healthcare while also making decisions for children and aging parents. In fact, according to NRC Health data, this group often influences healthcare spending across three generations.
“They typically hold the purse strings,” Silva noted. “Their experience—good or bad—can make or break their loyalty to a health system.”
This influence isn’t just financial—it’s reputational. Midlife women are active recommenders. Their satisfaction directly affects Net Promoter Scores (NPS), online reviews, and the public perception of healthcare organizations. That makes them a strategic priority for healthcare leaders seeking to improve consumer experience, grow market share, and build trust.
The Perimenopause Care Gap
Silva’s interest in this topic is deeply personal and highly informed. With over two decades of experience in healthcare communications and a recent master’s degree in the history of medicine from Johns Hopkins, Silva brings academic rigor and emotional insight to her work. She has also experienced firsthand the gaps in care for women navigating perimenopause.
“What struck me is that perimenopause is predictable,” she says. “And yet, it’s not part of standard care. That disconnect signals a real problem—one of unmet need and eroding trust.”
NRC Health market data supports this observation. Concerns around perimenopausal wellness have increased in recent years, yet care options remain fragmented, inaccessible, or outright dismissive. The result? Many women are turning to alternative channels like femtech startups, online clinics, and retail care providers.
Trust Is the Foundation—and It’s Cracking
Silva breaks down trust into three key drivers: reliability, competence, and respect—each critical in the context of midlife women’s healthcare.
- Reliability means doing what you say you’ll do. When women who’ve had reliable maternity or primary care return to their providers seeking help for perimenopausal symptoms and get little to no support, trust fractures.
- Competence refers to perceived skill and capability. Many women feel that their clinicians lack adequate knowledge of perimenopause, which undermines confidence and sends them searching for better-informed care elsewhere.
- Respect means being seen and treated as an individual. Sadly, Silva notes, many women report feeling dismissed with vague platitudes like, “It’s just stress” or, “Your labs are normal.” This kind of minimization alienates patients and damages the patient-provider relationship.
“When a woman hears, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you,’ despite debilitating symptoms, she feels disrespected and unheard. That’s not just poor service—it’s a trust breakdown,” Silva said.
What Healthcare Systems Can Learn from Femtech
Emerging femtech and direct-to-consumer health platforms are meeting these women where traditional systems fall short. According to Silva, these companies are doing three things exceptionally well:
They listen first.
These platforms prioritize consumer input, offer choices, and tailor solutions to individual needs—turning clinical care into a personalized experience.
They provide easy, convenient access.
Evening and weekend appointments, virtual visits, and streamlined scheduling send a clear message: We’re here when you need us.
They’re proactive, not reactive.
These organizations anticipate health needs before the consumer asks for help. For predictable transitions like perimenopause, proactive outreach builds trust and loyalty.
“Knowing and anticipating is a hallmark of exceptional experience design,” Silva explained. “It shows that the system sees, understands, and cares about the person.”
A Call to Action for Health Systems
Healthcare organizations face a clear choice: ignore this powerful consumer group and risk losing relevance, or adapt to meet their needs and reap the benefits of trust, loyalty, and market leadership.
Silva emphasizes that many of the barriers to improving midlife women’s care—such as gaps in clinical guidelines, limited provider training, or regulatory constraints—are outside of an individual health system’s direct control. But that doesn’t absolve them of responsibility.
“Patients and consumers don’t see those barriers,” said Silva. “They just know when they’re not getting the care they need. That’s why it’s critical for health systems to own the experience and lead where they can.”
This means offering more than episodic, transactional care. It means creating a system that’s anticipatory, inclusive, and built on a foundation of trust.
Final Thoughts: Meet the Moment
The conversation around perimenopause is growing louder—making headlines, trending on social media, and becoming a cultural movement. From Oprah-led forums to influencer-driven health campaigns, women are speaking out and demanding better.
Healthcare systems have a unique opportunity to meet this moment. By delivering reliable, competent, and respectful care to midlife women, they can transform a long-neglected life stage into a touchpoint of loyalty and empowerment.
“This is about more than symptom relief,” Silva concluded. “It’s about showing women they are seen, understood, and supported. That’s how trust is built—and that’s how healthcare wins.”
Listen Now: Becker’s Podcast with NRC Health
“The Rising Self-Advocacy of Female Healthcare Consumers at Midlife,” featuring Michelle Silva on the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, sponsored by NRC Health.
