Winona, MD-Led Platform

Winona is a telehealth company focused exclusively on menopause care through physician-prescribed bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Founded with the mission of making HRT as accessible and friction-free as possible for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, Winona built its model around a core observation: the combination of insurance complexity, limited clinician training in menopause medicine, and the stigma that has historically surrounded HRT has left millions of women either undertreated or forced to navigate expensive in-person specialty care. Winona's response is a direct-to-patient platform that removes the appointment scheduling, insurance navigation, and in-person visit requirements that create friction in conventional care. Winona's clinical model is primarily asynchronous. Unlike platforms that require a video visit before prescribing, Winona allows licensed physicians to review a patient's detailed health intake and propose a treatment plan without a synchronous appointment, similar to the approach used by first-generation telehealth platforms in the dermatology and hair loss categories. This frictionless pathway is a significant convenience advantage for patients who already have a clear picture of their symptoms and want to start treatment quickly. For patients who have questions or concerns, secure messaging with a physician is included in the medication cost. The platform prescribes bioidentical hormones — compounds that are molecularly identical to the hormones produced by the human body — including estradiol in cream, gel, patch, and oral forms, and micronized progesterone. Winona does not prescribe conjugated equine estrogens or other synthetic hormone preparations. The company works with licensed compounding pharmacies to prepare customized formulations when commercially available products do not match the prescribed dose. Winona does not accept insurance, which is the model's primary limitation. For patients with strong PPO coverage that includes telehealth and endocrinology or gynecology benefits, an insurance-first platform like Midi Health or Gennev will typically produce lower total out-of-pocket costs. For patients without coverage or who find insurance navigation more burdensome than the medication cost itself, Winona's all-in pricing (starting at $39/month for single-hormone therapy) is straightforward and competitive. The platform operates in approximately 34 states as of 2025 and has expressed plans to continue expanding its state licensure footprint. in menopause medicine, and the stigma that has historically surrounded HRT has left millions of women either undertreated or forced to navigate expensive in-person specialty care. Winona's response is a direct-to-patient platform that removes the appointment scheduling, insurance navigation, and in-person visit requirements that create friction in conventional care. Winona's clinical model is primarily asynchronous. Unlike platforms that require a video visit before prescribing, Winona allows licensed physicians to review a patient's detailed health intake and propose a treatment plan without a synchronous appointment, similar to the approach used by first-generation telehealth platforms in the dermatology and hair loss categories. This frictionless pathway is a significant convenience advantage for patients who already have a clear picture of their symptoms and want to start treatment quickly. For patients who have questions or concerns, secure messaging with a physician is included in the medication cost. The platform prescribes bioidentical hormones — compounds that are molecularly identical to the hormones produced by the human body — including estradiol in cream, gel, patch, and oral forms, and micronized progesterone. Winona does not prescribe conjugated equine estrogens or other synthetic hormone preparations. The company works with licensed compounding pharmacies to prepare customized formulations when commercially available products do not match the prescribed dose. Winona does not accept insurance, which is the model's primary limitation. For patients with strong PPO coverage that includes telehealth and endocrinology or gynecology benefits, an insurance-first platform like Midi Health or Gennev will typically produce lower total out-of-pocket costs. For patients without coverage or who find insurance navigation more burdensome than the medication cost itself, Winona's all-in pricing (starting at $39/month for single-hormone therapy) is straightforward and competitive. The platform operates in approximately 34 states as of 2025 and has expressed plans to continue expanding its state licensure footprint.