Jenna Perkins, RN, WHNP-BC, is more than just a healthcare provider; she’s a trailblazer in women’s health, particularly for women of color navigating the complexities of perimenopause and menopause.
Through her practice, DiscovHER Health, Jenna is making a significant impact by providing personalized, compassionate care and being a visible advocate for Black women’s health. Her work is a testament to the power of representation, education, and patient-centered care in transforming women’s health.
A Passion Born from Personal Experience
Jenna’s journey into women’s health began long before she officially launched DiscovHER Health in 2022. Raised in Detroit and inspired by her grandmother, a folk healer, Jenna knew from a young age that she wanted to be a healer.
“My grandmother was a folk healer and a reverend,” Jenna recalls fondly. “She worked with herbs, and people in our community came to her for counseling, so I always saw her doing that type of work.”
This formative experience, along with a traumatic first gynecological exam as a teenager, profoundly influenced her commitment to ensuring that other women wouldn’t have to endure similar feelings of shame and discomfort.
“I remember leaving that first visit and thinking if I can stop other women from feeling this – the shame and the guilt of these visits, then that is what I want to do,” Jenna recalls.
This conviction led her to the University of Pennsylvania, where she specialized in women’s health and gender-related studies. There, she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. It was during her time at UPenn that the idea for DiscovHER Health first took root.
“During undergrad, while studying nursing, I was always the go-to for my sorority sisters’ most intimate health questions,” Jenna says. “Then, one night, it all just clicked— the name ‘DiscovHER’ came to me in a dream. The next day, I wrote down everything I envisioned for this practice, focusing on healthcare, education, and resources for women. I didn’t revisit those notes for years, but that moment was the seed for what would eventually become DiscovHER.”
Laying the Groundwork for a Dream Deferred
Although Jenna had the blueprint for her future enterprise, she wouldn’t realize her vision for more than a decade.
After completing her master’s in nursing, Jenna joined George Washington University’s Medical Faculty Associates (MFA), where she spent nearly a decade honing her skills.
“I was looking for a job in DC and really wanted to be in a place where I could care for the people who needed it most,” Jenna recalls.
She quickly became a specialist in urology, focusing on the complex needs of women with conditions like overactive bladder, pelvic pain, and urogynecological issues.
Reflecting on her decision to focus on urology, Jenna shares, “I wanted to care for the women that no one else seemed to want to care for. I remember this elderly Black patient whose family was considering putting her in a facility simply because they were overwhelmed by her incontinence. It broke my heart because she was so mentally sharp, but her condition was just too much for them to handle. That’s when I knew—these were the women I needed to help.”
At MFA, Jenna was in a unique position. She bridged the gap between gynecology and urology, addressing not just physical ailments like UTIs and incontinence but also the painful, often overlooked issues of sexual health, hot flashes, and weight gain. Her time there allowed her to develop a rare and highly specialized skill set, making her an expert in complex, intertwined health issues that her colleagues had neither the expertise nor the desire to manage.
“I thank God that I chose urology because I was seeing the people that nobody else wanted to see. It allowed me to become that bridge between the vagina and the bladder,” Jenna explains.
This unique combination of care areas allowed her to build a strong patient roster quickly and helped her develop deep expertise in managing these interconnected issues.
“The more I worked in this space, the more I realized how essential it was to address these conditions together,” she says.
This insight serves as the foundation for the specialized care she offers today at her practice.
The Birth of DiscovHER Health: A Vision Realized
Ultimately, Jenna realized that the limitations of the traditional healthcare system were hindering her ability to provide the deep, personalized care she envisioned for her patients.
“To operate in the traditional healthcare system, we do ourselves a disservice as providers because you have to see so many clients, and you can’t really dig deep in the way that you need to,” she explains.
Valentine’s Day 2022 marked the official launch of DiscovHER Health, a practice that embodies Jenna’s vision of holistic, patient-centered care. She ensures that every patient feels heard and empowered to make informed decisions about their health.
“Consent is only consent if it can be withdrawn,” Jenna emphasizes. “Creating a true sense of autonomy and shared decision-making drives my practice.”
Through her practice, Jenna provides a range of services that focus on the whole woman, particularly in the context of perimenopause and menopause. These services include hormone therapy, pelvic pain management, and support for metabolic health. Jenna’s approach is built around the patient’s journey, starting with hormone management and moving through stages that address pelvic health, weight management, and aesthetics.
“Our patient journey includes hormonal health as a foundation,” Jenna explains. “We start with managing perimenopause and menopause symptoms, then move into pain management, and finally, we focus on metabolic health and aesthetics, like skin rejuvenation.”
Jenna’s practice is particularly attuned to the needs of women of color, who often face additional barriers to accessing care. She’s seen firsthand how mistrust of the healthcare system can impact her patients’ willingness to pursue hormone therapy, a critical component of managing menopause symptoms.
“There’s just this historic level of healthy mistrust that is warranted among Black women specifically,” Jenna notes. “With my Black patients, when it comes to hormone management, there’s a lot more convincing that has to be done.”
Beyond her clinical practice, Jenna is deeply committed to community outreach, particularly in Black communities. She regularly participates in events and speaks at seminars, aiming to educate and empower women about their health. For Jenna, being visible and accessible to other women of color is crucial.
“I think just by virtue of me being a young Black woman in this space, it’s important that other Black women see me doing this work,” she says.
This visibility not only encourages other women to seek the care they need but also helps to break down the barriers of mistrust and misinformation.
Empathy, Education, and Expertise for Empowered Patient Care
Jenna’s work is not just professional; it’s deeply personal. As a 34-year-old mother of two young children, she’s experienced the challenges of balancing postpartum recovery with the onset of perimenopause.
“I talk a lot with my clients about that transition out of postpartum into perimenopause because it’s hard to know when you cross that line,” she says.
Her own struggles with postpartum weight gain and hormonal changes have made her even more empathetic toward her patients. Jenna’s openness about her experiences helps to create a space where women feel safe discussing their own challenges.
Looking to the future, Jenna is committed to expanding DiscovHER Health and continuing her work in the community. She’s particularly focused on increasing access to care for women of color and educating them about the importance of hormone health.
“Healthcare, education, and resources,” Jenna emphasizes. “Because the better educated a client is, the better they can make a decision about their care.”
Jenna’s vision for a different type of care is clear, and she’s determined to make it a reality, one patient at a time.
To set up a consultation with Jenna or learn more about her work, visit www.discovherhealth.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and TikTok @discovherhealth.
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