“This is real. This is worth solving.” Victoria on how PMDD sparked a femtech revolution

I wanted to speak to Victoria Schoeffel, co-founder of Belle Health, because of her unique position as a femtech founder with a strong medical background. Instead of fluffy, exploitative pseudoscience, she's offering women reliable, scientifically-backed insights into their hormonal health.

Though we didn’t speak in person, Victoria generously shared her story and insights via email. What follows is a conversation about building a company from lived experience and the uphill battle of advocating for women’s health in a still-sceptical system.

1. You’ve mentioned that your personal experience with PMDD motivated you to establish Belle Health. Could you tell me more about that?

   
   

Honestly, I didn’t even know what PMDD was for a very long time. I was aware of a pattern — feeling a clear difference between my follicular and luteal phases. It wasn’t until med school that I had a moment of clarity: how is it possible that I don’t even have words to describe this experience?

Once I learned about PMDD, it was like a switch flipped. There was language for it. There was science. And also… there were no good tools.

I kept thinking: if I’m in medical training and I still had to self-diagnose, how much harder must it be for everyone else? That became a huge part of the fire behind Belle — I didn’t just want to build tech. I wanted to create something I wished had existed when I was struggling: something smart, evidence-based, and actually useful in the messy reality of hormonal health.

So yes — PMDD didn’t just motivate me. It shaped the entire mission.

2. Building a femtech company can’t be easy, especially in a space that’s been historically underfunded and misunderstood. What have been some of the hardest moments for you personally along the way?

   
   

Where do I start? There have definitely been hard moments.

One early challenge was just getting people to believe PMDD was a real problem worth solving. I’d walk into meetings where no one had even heard of it — and worse, some would subtly question whether I was just “exaggerating period mood swings.”

It’s hard to explain something so visceral to people who’ve never experienced it — and unfortunately, most funders still aren’t women, and many have no reference point for what hormone-driven suffering actually looks like.

The gender funding gap is real. You feel it not just in the stats, but in the tone of the room. Building a company in a space that’s been systematically overlooked means you’re constantly having to educate and convince — at the same time you’re trying to build.

On top of that, medical products are just slow. Hardware takes time. Clinical studies take even longer. And you’re always trying to balance the urgency to get something out that could help people right now with the reality that real science moves at its own pace. It’s hard to sit with that tension, but I’ve learned that impact takes patience — and I try to remind myself of that every day.

3. How has working so closely with other people experiencing PMDD shaped or changed your own relationship with the condition?

   
   

It’s honestly changed everything. Before Belle, PMDD felt like this personal defect I had to hide or just power through. But working with other people who live with it — hearing their stories, their strategies, even their darkest days — has made me feel so much less alone. There’s a kind of shorthand empathy in those conversations that’s hard to describe.

Even when I first started building Belle, I often caught myself thinking: Maybe I’m making it up. Maybe it’s not real. Maybe it doesn’t affect people that much. But seeing so many other women going through something so similar has been incredibly validating. It’s like a big, resounding “Hey — this is real. This is worth solving. Our experiences matter.”

And that’s why Belle will always be built with community in mind — not just code.

4. Outside of Belle, how do you personally care for your mental health—especially during more difficult parts of your cycle or while managing the pressure of being a founder?

   
   

I wouldn’t be honest if I said it was easy — it’s definitely a challenge. But I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic in the best sense. I genuinely love being a founder. I love being creative, building something I truly believe in, and dreaming big about making a real difference. That sense of purpose gives me energy, even on the tough days.

One thing that really grounds me is the messages we receive from our community — thousands of people sharing how Belle has helped them feel understood, supported, and seen. I actually keep a little collection of my favorite messages, and I go back to them when I’m struggling. They’re a reminder of why this matters.

I’m also incredibly lucky to not be doing this alone. Having Rafael — my co-founder and partner — by my side has been huge. Everyone has their low moments, and having someone there who says, “It’s okay, I’ll handle this today,” makes all the difference.

Rafael and Victoria, co-founders of Belle

I’m still figuring out how to better integrate my own cycle into how I plan and work. It’s tough, because the world still runs on a 24-hour schedule, and not many people are open to hearing, “Can we reschedule? I’m in my luteal phase.” But I hope we can start to model more cyclical thinking — in our company, in our culture, and in the product itself.

And when it gets hard, coming back to why we’re doing this — and knowing it’s helping others — is one of the most powerful ways I care for my mental health.

Take a look at Belle's website here.