By Elizabeth Osayande

Health educator and medical doctor, Dr. Adefunke Arowolo, has raised concerns over the growing impact of Nigeria’s harsh economic climate on women’s hormonal health, warning that stress, poor diet, and lack of self-care are fuelling a silent crisis among women.

Speaking during the signing of a partnership with Ralphones Pharmaceutical for Empill Woman, a supplement targeted at hormonal balance, Dr. Arowolo said many women are unknowingly living with hormonal imbalances that affect their overall well-being.

“Women are going through a lot. Many are carrying the burdens of both male and female in their homes. And with the current economic situation in the country, there’s a lot of stress, poor diet, and neglect of self-care. This is a very important conversation because a lot of women don’t even know they have a hormonal imbalance,” she said.

According to her, the partnership will serve as an advocacy platform to educate women on what is normal and what is not in their hormonal health.

Arowolo’s sentiments were echoed by Kemi Adeyeye, founder of Boluke Pharmacy, who was also at the ceremony. “Women like to multitask, and this may not be a good thing in the wider view of things. Essentially, if you go to the psychiatric hospital, the majority of patients are women, and you know that most of these problems are hormonal,” Adeyeye stressed.

On his part, the CEO and founder of Ralphones Pharmaceutical, Gregory Onuwabhagbe, described hormonal health issues as “the foundation of many of the problems women face today in Nigeria.”

“It is for this reason that we are partnering with a strong voice in the healthcare industry to encourage women to step forward and talk about hormonal imbalances,” Onuwabhagbe said.

He explained that Empill Woman has recorded positive feedback from users. “Before we launch any product, we make sure it has a real impact. We tested Empill Woman on a group of women before release, and many reported that issues like missed periods improved within 30 days. Over the last two years, the majority of feedback has been excellent,” he said.

Onuwabhagbe noted that the supplement contains maximum-strength evening primrose oil, gamma-linolenic acid, vitamin E, omega-6, and soya isoflavones, which are backed by clinical trials for their role in reducing the risk of breast cancer in women.

Beyond hormonal balance, he added, “the product also supports relief from PMS symptoms, improved skin and hair, stronger nails, better weight stability, and emotional regulation.”

At the ceremony, which also had Mrs. Rahamon Amidu Oyewole, founder of Goodall Pharmacy, represented by Omowunmi Oguntimehin, the partners concluded that they hope the initiative will empower more women to understand their bodies, seek help early, and take charge of their hormonal health.