THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT FROM OUR SUMMER CROWNED MOTHERHOOD EDITION
In a world where conversations about women’s vaginal health are often whispered rather than openly discussed, two Canadian Black women physicians are working to change that narrative.
Dr. Duate Adegbite and Dr. Nena Watson are friends and co-founders of Imana Health.
Founded in 2022, Imana Health is a Toronto-based, Black and female-owned wellness company born from years of serving women in clinical settings and recognizing the gaps in women’s healthcare.
Their flagship product, Muna, is Canada’s first evidence-based, single-strain oral probiotic combined with Vitamin D, specifically formulated to help prevent recurrent yeast infections and support vaginal health.
In this conversation with RoyalTee Magazine, Adegbite and Watson share how a friendship and shared passion for women’s health evolved into a growing wellness brand, breaking generational stigmas surrounding reproductive health, and the legacy they hope to leave for future generations.
How did the friendship between the two of you evolve into a shared mission and eventually Imana Health?
Danayi: We began as colleagues in the same clinic and we shared an observation of, are clients having challenges with managing their vaginal health. And we noticed we were having similar discussions with you as a physician, and with me as a sexual health counselor. And as a result, we realized that we…you often found that, you would recommend a probiotic or realize that a probiotic would help but didn’t have a probiotic to recommend. And so, we discussed our experiences with clients and realized that there was a gap that needed to be filled.
Duate: Yes, exactly. We were working together at the same sexual health clinic, and we actually had the idea, based on our experience there of starting our own sexual health clinic for women in underserved areas, by the same name. We started working on our business plan, but realized the funding needed for that was just so much. So, we pivoted and decided to create a probiotic based on the number of patients I was seeing in that clinic. We worked together on who were asking for probiotic options for yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. And we ended up developing our Muna probiotic for recurrent yeast infections. It was kind of out of the long-term goal of having our own sexual health clinic in an underserviced area.
How does Imana Health differ from other mainstream wellness brands?
Danayi: We use a single strain for our vaginal probiotic, or our oral probiotic for vaginal health. Whereas, with other mainstream brands, their probiotics are either not necessarily geared towards vaginal health specifically or they may use a combination of probiotic strains.
Duate: We kind of compare it like a physician. I would not prescribe a number of different things for one condition. We wanted to have one strain with really good evidence…and if you have any issues, you know what you’re reacting to. I think another thing that differentiates us is that this is a brand is created by all healthcare professionals. Dr. Nena and I are two Black family doctors. Danayi is a health promotion specialist and previous sexual health counselor. So, we are all Black women working in healthcare and not just consultants in a wellness brand. We are our brand.
Our full exclusive interview with Imana Health founders is in our Crowned Motherhood edition!
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