Black Girl Vitamins Built Peri Meno-Chill for the Years Before Menopause
Research shows Black women often reach menopause earlier and have hot flashes for longer, and Black Girl Vitamins now has a formula made for the years before.
By Black Beauty Founders Staff
Perimenopause supplements made for Black women are still rare, and Black Girl Vitamins just added one. Peri Meno-Chill is the Chicago-founded brand’s formula for the stage before menopause, when periods continue but sleep, mood and hot flashes start to shift. Here is what the research says about perimenopause in Black women, what is in the formula, and what to ask your doctor.
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Why Perimenopause Hits Differently
Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, when estrogen and progesterone start changing less predictably. It can begin in the late 30s or 40s and often lasts several years, and you may still have periods while hot flashes, night sweats, broken sleep, mood changes and brain fog show up. Menopause itself is reached after 12 consecutive months without a period.
For Black women, the timeline is often harder. Research from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, known as SWAN, found that Black women have hot flashes and night sweats for a median of 10.1 years, compared with 7.4 years across all women, according to a 2015 analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine. A 2023 paper in Human Reproduction found that Black women also tend to reach menopause earlier, a pattern that was easy to miss when early participants were excluded from the study.
Care has lagged behind the science. A 2022 study in the journal Menopause of women veterans found that Black women had 26 percent lower odds of being prescribed systemic hormone therapy than white women. Many women still hear that their symptoms are stress, or are offered only an antidepressant.
What Is in Peri Meno-Chill
According to the brand, Peri Meno-Chill is created specifically for perimenopause and for women who are still getting their period. The daily formula pairs ashwagandha, chaste tree berry, rhodiola and vitamin B6 for stress, mood and emotional wellbeing with five probiotic strains delivering 8 billion CFU and chicory extract for digestive support. Vitamin D rounds it out for bone and immune health, with vitamin E for antioxidant support.
It is made in the USA in an FDA-registered facility and sold as a one-time purchase or a subscription. For women already past their final period, the brand’s Meno-Chill is its menopause formula.
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A note of caution: supplements are not evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, treat or prevent any condition, and the research on herbal ingredients for perimenopause symptoms is mixed and limited. Ashwagandha and other herbs are not right for everyone, so talk to your doctor before starting a new supplement, especially if you take medication or are pregnant or nursing.
The Founders Behind the Formula
Black Girl Vitamins was co-founded in 2021 in Chicago by siblings Maxine and Nnamdi Ugwu. Maxine’s own lab work showed vitamin deficiencies despite a healthy diet, and conversations with Black women doctors confirmed that many Black women face the same gaps. The brand’s mission is to help Black women understand their specific health needs, and it works with Black doctors, including internist Dr. Standifer-Barrett and family physician Dr. C. Nicole Swiner.
The brand says it has served more than 200,000 women, and each order helps fund scholarships for Black women in healthcare. Its lineup has grown from vitamin D and hair, skin and nails support to a PCOS Relief gummy, collagen powder, creatine and now a perimenopause formula.
What to Ask Your Doctor
Perimenopause is diagnosed from your age, symptoms and cycle changes, and a single hormone blood test is not reliable during the transition. Track your cycle and your worst symptoms for a month before your visit, and ask whether you are in perimenopause, whether hormone therapy is right for you and what non-hormonal options exist. Ask to have your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and bone health checked too, since all of them can shift during this window. If your concerns are brushed aside, a second opinion from a menopause-literate or Black OB-GYN is worth it.
Our Take
Black women have been underserved in menopause research and care, and Black Girl Vitamins is building where the gap is. A supplement is not a substitute for a doctor, but a trusted brand that names perimenopause plainly, backed by physicians who look like its customers, moves the conversation forward. For the Black beauty ecosystem, it is also a reminder that beauty and health are one category, and that founders who start with real customer data and a real mission can build something that lasts.
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