Dr. Kudzai Dombo: Bringing Compassion, Clarity, and Representation to Menopause Care

When Dr. Kudzai Dombo describes her work, one phrase stands out:

“I help women navigate menopause with clarity, strength, and compassion. No woman has to do this alone.”

Her conviction comes from lived experience. Born in Michigan, raised in Zimbabwe, and trained as a board-certified OB/GYN in the U.S., Dr. Dombo has seen first-hand the gaps in women’s health – especially for Black women navigating midlife changes.

A Career Pivot Born from Burnout – and Purpose

For years, Dr. Dombo thrived in the high-intensity world of hospital-based obstetrics, working 24-hour shifts and delivering babies. But in 2022, she began to feel burned out and knew she needed to make a change.

“My love for medicine was being overshadowed by the system,” she recalls. “It all became about money and contracts, and I felt like my autonomy as a physician was slipping away.”

She started doing part-time telehealth work, prescribing hormone therapy for menopause. The response from her patients was immediate and life-changing. Women told her she was “saving their marriages” and “giving them their lives back.”

Then, at 49, her own symptoms hit.

“It wasn’t hot flashes for me – it was debilitating insomnia, crushing fatigue, and deep depression. I was going 36 hours without sleep. My social life tanked. I was just surviving so I could function at work.”

At first, cultural and societal perceptions around age and needing pharmaceutical support made her hesitant to consider hormone therapy. 

“For me, starting hormones felt like admitting I was entering a chapter I wasn’t ready for. I didn’t think my symptoms were ” bad enough.”

She tried supplements like magnesium and turmeric, as well as “moon milk” from her local farmers’ market. While her symptoms abated for a while, nothing provided lasting relief.

Dr. Dombo says it wasn’t until she felt her mental health was at stake that she considered she might need medical intervention. Finally, at her sister’s urging, she committed to trying a month of hormone therapy.

“Within four days, it was like a cloud lifted. I couldn’t believe it. I went from dark, depressive thoughts to skipping and jumping into work. It literally saved my life.”

Why Representation in Menopause Care Matters

Dr. Dombo knows that her story is shared by so many others who are unprepared to recognize and manage their symptoms when they hit menopause transition. As both a menopause-certified practitioner and an Alloy prescribing physician, she is passionate about reaching women who aren’t typically represented in menopause conversations.

“When I go to events, I look around and don’t see many people who look like me. In our Black women’s wellness support groups, we talk about everything – mental health, sexual health, sleep issues – and we do it in a space where women feel safe, understood, and not judged.”

Trust, she says, is a major barrier for many women of color considering hormone therapy because it’s not just about understanding the science – it’s about overcoming history, trust, and representation gaps.

“Many Black women carry a deep-rooted mistrust of the healthcare system, shaped by generations of medical bias, dismissal, and underrepresentation in research. Hormone therapy, in particular, still carries the shadow of the Women’s Health Initiative, which cast it in a negative light for years. For women already navigating systemic inequities, that legacy can make the idea of starting hormones feel risky, even when symptoms are severe.”

As Dr. Dombo explains, the path to acceptance often requires multiple conversations over time – not a single doctor’s visit. It means seeing providers who look like them, hearing stories from women they trust, and having the space to weigh benefits and risks without pressure. In her words, 

“Representation matters. It’s about building relationships, not rushing decisions.”

Forging a Path That’s Right for Patients

For Dr. Dombo, success is simple: more women accessing safe, personalized menopause care, on their own terms.

“Whether you want to start with moon milk and lifestyle changes or go straight to hormone therapy, I meet you where you are. The goal is to empower you with knowledge so you can make the choice that’s right for you.”

Dr. Dombo offers menopause care through two channels:

• Alloy – A telehealth company where she treats patients in multiple U.S. states. You can request her by name when you sign up and indicate that you’d like to work with a Black menopause-certified practitioner (availability depends on state licensing). 

She also co-leads Black Women’s Wellness Support Groups twice a month, open to both Alloy patients and non-patients.

• Private Practice – Menopause, Medicine, Mindset, her boutique practice and integrative health clinic, serving women who want a more personalized approach.

Follow Dr. Dombo on Instagram at @dr.kudzai for resources, live Q&A sessions, and updates on support group dates.