Women's Health | Mount Sinai Today

MyPath: A New Approach to Improve Women’s Health Through Midlife and Beyond

May 28, 2026 | Featured, Women's Health, Your Health

Women’s health is complex—and it doesn’t often fit neatly into one appointment or one specialty. Many women experience distinct symptoms across life stages. They may wonder what’s going on, or where to turn next. Add the demands of work, family, and everyday life, and women may feel stretched thin and unheard.

“At the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, we offer a unique approach to women’s health called MyPath where care is organized around personalized pathways–integrated, coordinated, and holistic care designed to support your whole body and your whole life. Everything you need is here—guided, connected, and focused on you,” says Anna M. Barbieri, MD, Clinical Strategy Lead at the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness.

“Our care pathways address transitions such as emotional health, sleep, energy, gynecologic health, and other layers of health that cannot be addressed in a single visit,” she adds.

“MyPath supports women through life’s transitions with clarity and empathy,” says Joanne L. Stone, MD, physician-scientist and Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“Each pathway brings together the right specialists at the right time, so your care feels intentional—not overwhelming,” she adds.

The first pathway focuses on one of the most important chapters of women’s health: the midlife transition, featuring perimenopause and menopause.

MyPath Balance 40+: Support for the Midlife Years

Midlife can bring hormonal shifts, sleep disruption, weight gain, stress, and new health concerns. MyPath Balance 40+ is a six-month, personalized care experience created to help women age 40 and over feel stronger, healthier, and more in control of their well-being.

Patients will receive coordinated support for:

Hormonal and metabolic health, including weight management
Heart and bone health
Sleep, mood, and stress
Pelvic and sexual health
Nutrition, movement, and overall vitality

“Your care unfolds step by step—starting with a comprehensive evaluation, followed by personalized treatment and ongoing support. So you always know what’s happening and why,” says Francesco Callipari, MD, Medical Director at the new Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, and Assistant Clinical Professor and Vice Chair of Operations, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

“This approach is different because it’s not rushed, not fragmented, and because it’s designed around how women actually live,” he adds.

Looking Ahead

Additional MyPath programs will include MyPath Moms, MyPath Surgical Recovery, MyPath Healthspan, and MyPath Vitality 60+, each supporting women through different life stages.

Learn more about MyPath Balance 40+

Learn more about the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Expert Advice for Navigating Menopause: A Q&A With Candice Fraser, MD

May 14, 2026 | Women's Health, Your Health

Candice Fraser, MD, MBA

If you have ever searched a menopause question online and came away more confused than when you started, you are not alone. The good news: Menopause is a natural stage of life, and the way it is understood and treated is evolving quickly. Awareness is growing, care is advancing, and more resources are available to support women through midlife than ever before.

Few clinicians are better positioned to cut through the noise than Candice Fraser, MD, MBA, a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner and board certified obstetrician/gynecologist at the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, and Assistant Professor in the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

In this Q&A, Dr. Fraser shares how menopause care has advanced in recent years, and why expert guidance matters —especially when so much inaccurate information exists online.

What are the biggest gaps in menopause care today?

One ongoing issue is clinician education. Many doctors were once trained to avoid hormone therapy due to safety concerns from older studies, and not all training has caught up with newer evidence. Research is another gap. We still need better data on how treatments address the full range of symptoms. And with so much information online, patient education remains critical to help women sort fact from fiction.

Has menopause care improved in recent years?

Yes, there’s been real momentum. More clinicians are pursuing specialized training, and medical programs are beginning to include menopause-focused education. Health systems are also expanding services. For example, Mount Sinai Health System recently opened the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, reflecting a broader shift toward comprehensive, whole-person care. New treatment options are also emerging, including non-hormonal medications for symptoms like hot flashes.

What do many women not realize about perimenopause?

Perimenopause can affect the entire body, not just cause hot flashes. Symptoms may include brain fog, mood changes, joint pain, and urinary issues. Another common misconception is that hormone therapy is a cure-all; in reality, many symptoms have multiple causes. The good news is that lifestyle habits—like regular exercise, a balanced diet, good sleep, and stress management—can have a powerful impact.

Can you highlight a lesser-known symptom and how to manage it?

Pain during sex is common but often under-discussed, and it’s very treatable. A health care provider can help identify the cause. Simple options like lubricants or vaginal moisturizers may be enough. If not, low-dose vaginal estrogen is a safe and effective choice for many women. Other treatments, such as pelvic floor therapy, can also provide relief when appropriate.

Why is there a gap between perceived and actual symptoms?

Awareness is still catching up. Many women, and some clinicians, don’t yet recognize how wide-ranging menopause symptoms can be. At the same time, the flood of online information can create confusion. Encouragingly, as education improves, more women are getting clearer, more reliable guidance.

What’s the key takeaway for women?

Every menopause journey is unique, but no one has to navigate it alone. With better-informed clinicians, growing research, and more dedicated care centers, women have more support and options than ever before. Partnering with a trusted health care provider can help you find the right approach for your needs. Overall, the outlook for menopause care is brighter than ever. With continued progress in education, research, and specialized services, women can approach this transition feeling informed, supported, and empowered.

If menopause symptoms are getting in the way of your work, your sleep, or your life, expert help is close to home. Dr. Fraser and the team at the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai offer personalized menopause and midlife care, designed around the whole you.

To schedule an appointment, call 212-731-3609 or visit mountsinai.org/locations/rowan-womens-center.

Learn more about the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Ask the Expert: A Conversation With Anna Barbieri, MD, Clinical Strategy Leader for the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Updated on May 6, 2026 | Featured, Women's Health, Your Health

Anna Barbieri, MD

The new Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness exists to move women’s health care from fragmented encounters to coordinated, whole-person care.

“We know every woman’s health journey is different,” says Anna Barbieri, MD, Clinical Strategy Leader at the Center. “But too often, the experience feels the same with rushed appointments, disconnected specialists, and the burden of coordinating it all yourself. The Rowan Women’s Health Center was created to change that.”

In this Q&A, Dr. Barbieri explains how the Center was created to move women’s health care from fragmented encounters to coordinated, whole-person care by bringing the right experts together, listening deeply, and creating a streamlined plan that supports the whole woman at every stage of life.

In simple terms, what problem is the Center designed to solve?

Fragmentation. Women are often left piecing together care. They have to retell their story, juggle opinions, and try to connect the dots on their own. We bring that care together. Our teams communicate, share a plan, and coordinate the care so patients don’t have to.

How will a patient’s experience feel different?

You won’t feel rushed or dismissed. We take the time to understand what’s happening in your body and your life. Then we build a clear, personalized plan that makes sense across specialties. Care here is holistic, integrated, proactive, and intentional. We are not taking a symptom-by-symptom approach.

Women often manage separate appointments for hormones, sleep, mental health, and more. How do you simplify that?

Those issues are connected, so that’s where we start. Our guided clinical pathways bring the right experts together under one roof, and the care including appointments is coordinated by a dedicated navigator—essentially a care guide that helps organize the journey through the health care system. There’s a shared plan and clear next steps aimed at eliminating any gaps.

Many women say they don’t feel heard. How is this different?

Being heard isn’t optional. It’s essential to good medicine. We’ve built our model around longer visits, deeper listening, and a culture that takes women’s concerns seriously.

What does coordinated care actually look like from the patient’s perspective?

Seamless. There’s a clear entry point, a thoughtful assessment, and a plan that unfolds over time. Specialists communicate directly with each other, so patients aren’t stuck playing messenger. The personal navigator is the glue making sure all details are taken care of efficiently.

What about major transitions like perimenopause or postpartum recovery?

These aren’t one-visit issues. We support women over time through education, evidence-based treatments, and adjusting care as needs evolve. The goal is thoughtful help with symptoms and long-term health, not crisis-driven visits. It’s impossible to cover all aspects of these transitions such as emotional health, sleep, energy, and gynecologic health in a single 15-minute time slot. That is why we designed our care pathways to unfold in a way that addresses these and other layers of health. For example, we know that women can struggle with sleep problems, and adequate sleep is critical for women’s health and plays a vital role in regulating various functions of your body.

How do you make sure care is truly personalized?

It starts with listening, but it’s also grounded in data and shared decision-making. Every treatment has its intended benefits and trade-offs. We consider a woman’s symptoms, risks, goals, and preferences and build a plan together. What’s right for one patient may not be right for another.

Who might be part of a woman’s care team?

Depending on her needs, that could include gynecology, cardiology, endocrinology, behavioral health, nutrition, pelvic floor therapy, and more. The difference is that everyone works within a shared model, with shared goals.

What excites you most about the future of women’s health care?

We’re moving from reactive, episodic care to integrated, lifelong care. That means connecting hormonal health in young adulthood to midlife and beyond, integrating emotional and cognitive health, and blending medical treatments with lifestyle strategies. We’re also bringing research directly into clinical care so knowledge advances faster.

Learn more about the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Watch the new HERology podcast

Stories of Philanthropy: Read more about the vision of Carolyn Rowan

Your Spring Reset

Updated on May 6, 2026 | Women's Health, Your Health

A picture of a mother and daughter walking along the Manhattan waterfront

Spring presents itself as an effortless season of renewal. The light lingers a little longer each evening, the air softens, and the world begins to stir back to life.

But for many women, the shift into spring is rarely as seamless as it appears, according to experts at the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Mount Sinai.

As daylight increases in the spring, the body also begins recalibrating its internal clock. Light exposure influences the hypothalamus, the brain’s master regulator of circadian rhythm, which in turn affects hormones such as cortisol and melatonin, as well as serotonin activity. The body responds to more light by shifting when it wants to wake, sleep, move, and eat.

That recalibration is an opportunity. Spring is one of the best, natural moments in the year to reset health habits. The biology is already leaning in that direction. The question is whether you lean with it, according to these experts.

Here is how to do that well.

Embrace the Light

Morning light is one of the strongest signals for resetting circadian rhythm. Even 10 to 15 minutes outdoors within the first hour of waking can improve sleep timing, stabilize mood, and regulate cortisol patterns.

Protect Your Sleep

Better light exposure during the day is only half of the equation. Sleep quality depends equally on what happens after dark. Consistent sleep and wake times, a calming evening routine, and reduced screen exposure in the hour before bed all support healthy circadian rhythm. Aim for seven to eight hours each night and keep sleep and wake times consistent. For women in perimenopause and beyond, when declining estrogen and progesterone can make sleep more fragile and more fragmented, these habits are foundational.

Nourish Your Body

Spring is a good moment to audit what you are eating, not to restrict, but to recalibrate toward foods that support your physiology. Nutrient-dense whole foods, adequate calcium, vitamin D3, and consistent hydration support bone density, metabolic health, and hormonal function across every decade of a woman’s life.

Move With Intention

Longer days and warmer temperatures make movement more accessible, and the research on what kind of movement matters most for women is increasingly clear. Strength training protects muscle and bone mass. Low-intensity aerobic movement supports cortisol regulation and cardiovascular health. Women across all age groups benefit from both, and the return on investment only increases over time.

Self-Care is Preventive Care

For women 40 and older, a spring reset is also a reasonable prompt to make sure certain health conversations have happened recently. Consider whether you are current on a bone density screening, a sleep evaluation, a mental health check-in, a cardiovascular risk assessment, and a real conversation about hormone literacy, meaning a genuine understanding of where your hormones are and what they are doing.

At the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, we think about women’s health across the lifespan and across every transition. This spring, use the season for what it is genuinely good for: a biologically supported moment to reassess, reset, and invest in yourself.

Learn more about the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Watch the new HERology podcast

Stories of Philanthropy: Read more about the vision of Carolyn Rowan

A New Model for Women’s Health Care Takes Shape on Manhattan’s Upper East Side

Updated on May 28, 2026 | Featured, Women's Health

An image shows the lobby of the new Rowan Women's Health Center and Joanne Stone, MD, Francesco Callipari, MD, and Anna Barbieri, MD

Standing in the lobby of the new Rowan Women’s Health Center are, from left, Joanne Stone, MD, MS, Francesco Callipari, MD, and Anna Barbieri, MD.

When the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness opens in May, Mount Sinai plans to do more than unveil a new facility. The objective is to revolutionize how women experience care—especially during the often-overlooked stages of midlife and menopause.

Located at East 99th Street and Madison Avenue, the Rowan Women’s Health Center will unite specialists across disciplines—gynecology, cardiology, endocrinology, behavioral health, nutrition, orthopedics, pelvic floor therapy, and more—under one roof. The goal is to replace the fragmented, difficult-to-navigate appointment landscape many women face with a seamless, integrated experience that guides each patient through coordinated, evidence-based care tailored to her as a whole person.

“Our patients won’t have to explain their story again and again,” said Anna Barbieri, MD, one of the Center’s founding leaders. “Every provider they meet is part of a connected team that already knows them, their goals, and their plan.”

Closing Gaps in Care

The Rowan Women’s Health Center was conceived to address a long-standing gap in women’s healthcare. For many women—particularly during perimenopause, menopause, and later life—care is often fragmented, scattered across multiple specialties with little coordination. Even as research advances, these logistical struggles create a barrier to integrated care for hormonal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and emotional well-being.

“Women deserve care that reflects the full complexity of their lives and bodies,” said Joanne Stone, MD, MS, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai. “At the Center, we’re redefining what comprehensive care looks like—bringing together the best of medical science and integrative wellness in one coordinated experience.”

Guided, Integrated Care

At the heart of the Center’s approach is MyPath, a series of guided care experiences that organize services around specific areas of women’s health, such as hormonal and cardiometabolic wellness, postpartum recovery, and surgical transitions.

Rather than navigating multiple referrals and follow-up calls, patients will work with care teams who coordinate across specialties. A woman managing menopause symptoms, for example, will also be able to address her heart, metabolic, bone health, and mental health, while someone recovering postpartum will be referred to pelvic floor therapy, nutrition counseling, and emotional wellness support—all within a single, connected environment.

“It’s a new level of care coordination that truly puts women at the center,” Dr. Barbieri said.

An image of a doctor with a female patient.

The Center will unite specialists across disciplines, with the goal of replacing the fragmented, difficult-to-navigate appointment landscape many women face with a seamless, integrated experience that guides each patient through coordinated, evidence-based care tailored to her as a whole person.

Educating and Empowering Women

Studies show that many women enter perimenopause or menopause without the information or guidance they need. Nationally, only about half seek medical support, and many describe the experience as confusing or stigmatized.

The Rowan Women’s Health Center plans to address that gap through both care and education. Public programs, expert talks, and a new podcast, HERology hosted by the Center’s co-leaders, will explore topics ranging from hormonal and sexual health to mental well-being, bone strength, and longevity.

“Knowledge is empowering,” said Leslee Shaw, PhD, Director of the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a leading expert in women’s cardiovascular health. “By sharing insights from science and clinical experience, we will help women feel informed, confident, and in control of their health choices.”

A Model for the Future

As the first center of its kind located in New York City, the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at the Mount Sinai Health System will become a model for how women’s health is delivered nationwide. Its multidisciplinary structure, guided care pathways, and strong emphasis on education and prevention reflect a growing movement to view women’s health as lifelong, interconnected, and central to innovation in medicine.

“Women’s health is entering a new era,” said Dr. Barbieri. “The Center is part of a larger shift to elevate the standard of care—to treat women not as an afterthought in medicine, but as the foundation of health innovation.”

Learn more about the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women’s Health and Wellness

Watch the new HERology podcast

Stories of Philanthropy: Read more about the vision of Carolyn Rowan

How Much Do You Know About Breast Cancer? Take the Quiz

Updated on Oct 20, 2025 | Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women's Health, Your Health

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, yet there are many misconceptions about the disease. Improving your knowledge is one way you can fight it.

Can you separate myth from fact? Take the quiz below, then click “Done” to see your score and correct answers.

The following quiz is based on Seven Common Misconceptions About Breast Cancer published in Mount Sinai Today.

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