Jenn Emberly’s OB-GYN guided her through pregnancy and childbirth. Now, 20 years later, she’s leading her through menopause.

“Having someone who has known me and known my journey is very helpful,” said Emberly, a Fairfax resident. “She was really holistically looking at all my care as well, and then shepherding me through that journey.”

That approach is what the doctor, Lizellen La Follette, is trying to achieve in the new women’s clinic she has opened in partnership with MarinHealth. The practice — the Women’s Lifelong Health and Wellness Clinic in Greenbrae — focuses on providing long-term, comprehensive and connected healthcare to women of all ages.

La Follette said there are key issues that affect women’s health over time, including decreases in bone density, ovarian health and heart disease. Understanding the specific physiology of women and how their hormonal and metabolic changes impact these health risks throughout their lives is vital to providing comprehensive care, she said.

The clinic will act as the center point for the care while coordinating with specialists like cardiologists and endocrinologists at MarinHealth. The clinic also offers care for sexual and vaginal health, sleep and mental health.

La Follette said she aims to address a historic gap in women’s health care. For years, misinformation and lack of research about menopause had led to many women feeling lost or ignored in their search for adequate care, she said.

Emberly has experienced this firsthand.

“When I was younger it was just sort of, oh, you have a headache, you have cramps, just go lie down. It just almost felt a little bit dismissive,” she said. “So having sort of that understanding now means that I can seek out help and I know why and how it’s happening.”

La Follette is not alone in prioritizing menopause and hormone-centered care. In the last several years, a new wave of doctors in the U.S. has been expanding its menopause training and care opportunities.

“There is no field of menopause. This is unfortunately a time in a woman’s life that is not a focus of medical school education,” said Dr. Leah Millheiser, a Sutter Health gynecologist. “Until the last 10 years.”

Dr. Elmira Manoucheri, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael, said she realized that after years in the field she had a significant gap in her training and sought out menopause-specific education. Once she started, the lack of research was “eye-opening,” Manoucheri said.

She said many women have “suffered in silence for years” because of inadequate information.

“I’ve often times said we don’t have a shortage of menopausal women, we have historically had a shortage of menopause-trained providers,” she said.

One study in particular had a long-term impact on adequate menopause care, according to Manoucheri, Millheiser and La Follette.

In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative released a study that correlated hormone replacement therapy — the leading treatment for peri- and postmenopausal symptoms — with increased risks for breast cancer, heart disease and stroke, asserting that the risks were greater than benefits.

Repeated research following this study challenged its findings, but the impact of the study led to a decline in the popularity of hormone replacement and lasting fears about the treatment.

“The WHI scared everyone and now that pendulum has been swinging the other way,” said Manoucheri.

“We understand WHI was flawed,” La Follette said. “We are still offering hormones and choices for women as they go forward with the idea that you are shoulder to shoulder with me and I will educate you to the best of my ability and we’ll make decisions based on that information.”

MarinHealth’s new clinic is open and accepting patients. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health say they are also working to expand their menopause and hormonal care in Marin. Sutter Health recently launched a “virtual menopause program,” which allows women to access online programming and educational materials.

The nonprofit health group has a women’s clinic in Santa Rosa and is expanding into Petaluma. It also plans to bring more menopause care to Novato, according to Dr. Nicole Kwon, an obstetrician-gynecologist with Sutter Health in Santa Rosa.

Kaiser Permanente in San Rafael offers a two-hour webinar in which patients can speak to a menopause-certified provider. The webinars typically have up to 500 patients. The medical network also offers smaller question-and-answer sessions.

Emberly said she’s looking forward to continuing to see a provider who will prioritize her long-term health goals during and after menopause.

“I want to be as healthy as I can moving into the future. I want to live a long and active life,” she said. “I definitely feel like Dr. La Follette is going to help in that goal.”