08/15/2026
I launched the Shoup web app, and landed in the ER.
The same day I launched the Shoup web app, Fri. July 24th, I had what I now know was my second gallstone passing (only the second passing was actually a lodged stone in my main duct) in less than two weeks.
By Monday, I was in the Emergency Room.
In triage, I told them I’d had major pain under my breastbone and it was not getting better, and that I was still feeling sweaty and clammy. I heard him say my temp was 97‑something° and I asked, "Then why am I sweating?"
He finished examining me and said, "We’ll get you into a room, but first an EKG since you said you’ve had pain in your chest area."
I froze.
I hadn’t said chest pain. When did he hear that? That’s a pretty big one to mistake hearing.
In a split second, a wave of reality came over me. Women can feel heart attacks as indigestion or heartburn...heartburn…acid…that’s why he said EKG, I told him I had experienced excruciating pain in my breastbone area.
I’m thinking, "What if this is my heart? Did I just have a heart attack and push through it? What will I tell my kids? Is my heart damaged? Is my life about to change? Am I okay?"
I asked my dad multiple times on the way to the ER if he thought they'd believe something was wrong with me.
You know, this thing called perimenopause/menopause, it isn’t just "hot flashes and mood swings." Both gallstone attacks were within one hour after taking my nightly progesterone. Weird right? It turns out, no.
"Before age 40, women are diagnosed with gallstones almost three times more often than men are (pregnancy, for example, increases the risk), but by age 60, their risk is just slightly greater. Estrogen therapy increases the risk, especially when taken as a pill rather than a patch." says Dr. Mallika Marshall, MD, Harvard Health Publishing.
Furthermore, according to American Heart Association, "Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S., women often chalk up the symptoms to less life-threatening conditions such as acid reflux, the flu or normal aging."
It’s gallstones, heart health, our body's reaction to hormone replacement therapy for some, and in general, this whole ass new normal.
Too many of us describe exactly what we feel and still don't understand what's happening. Maybe we question if we're too young to connect how we're feeling to something like perimenopause, maybe we're experiencing medical menopause after basically being told nothing about what to expect next, maybe we've been half‑heard, invalidated, and gaslit for years. For all of these one thing is true, we don’t yet have a system that was built for midlife women’s health as one whole conversation.
That’s why I built Shoup. So you don’t have to wander that in‑between alone. It’s a way to find menopause‑informed and midlife‑informed care who see the whole picture, not just one number on a screen.
Here's what you'll find on Shoup:
Explore: find and connect with menopause-informed providers and other Shoupers near you
Care network: vetted providers across disciplines, from nurse practitioners to pelvic floor therapists to life coaches
Community: The Wall and The Fire Pit, where Shoupers share stories, ask questions, and talk it out
Burning Question of the Day: we highlight the community's most-asked question so our Care Network can offer insight
Real-time openings & ISO (in search of) postings: see actual appointment availability, no more months-long wait
Resources: guides, answers, and expert posts sharing expertise straight from our vetted care network
News: the research and updates that actually matter, in one place
Events: real-life gatherings, not just another feed to scroll
Showups: in-person gatherings, because Shoup is built for showing up, not just showing interest
One thing is for sure, if something feels off, or not normal, in your body, you are allowed to take it seriously.
And, one last thing...
I'm still building this and inviting providers and Shoupers in, so if it's a little bare or something's glitchy, that's just Shoup balancing its hormones. Grace, please.
👉 Shoupers, go find your care and community.
👉 Care providers, illuminate yourselves.
Shoup is on a mission to create a world where those navigating peri/menopause live fully resourced, fully supported, and fully alive.
www.Shouphub.com
