“We have self-driving cars on the streets now—there’s no reason women should have to accept suffering as part of their health journey.”

I’m so excited to learn more about your journey and the mission of Inner Balance. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started?

I'm Sarah Daccarett, a board-certified medical doctor. Later in my career, I turned to focusing on hormone replacement therapy.  I have specialized training in anti-aging as well as hormone & peptide replacement therapy.  After delivering my son in my mid-30s, my hormone levels never really recovered to what they were pre-pregnancy. And I was not going to settle for feeling terrible. I also did not want to feel like that forever.  I had all the symptoms of low hormones, but didn’t realize it at first, because doctors have no training in medical school for it.  This is where the journey started to solve my own problem. I realized that if I am a physician and struggled to find clear answers and solutions, what are other women doing - they must be struggling. And I now know that I am not alone. This gap in knowledge and innovation inspired me to learn more and take action.

I often say that I started Inner Balance because I needed it, though the idea for Inner Balance came much later. Before Inner Balance, I treated both men and women in clinic for many years.  Working with women over the years, it became clear that there were no effective hormone therapies for perimenopausal women and the current formulations are outdated, have poor bio-availability and a lot of side-effects.  There is so much variability in how physicians do it across the country for women, but we treat men all the same.  No solution exists that can make a woman in her 30s, 40s, or even 50s feel vibrant, strong and youthful with very few side effects. This is where Oestra, our current formulation, came into being. It is innovative, modern, with superior bioavailability and fewer side effects than other formulations.  

What is the mission of Inner Balance?

The overarching mission of Inner Balance is to make it as easy as possible for women to be healthy for as long as they can, extending the years they feel incredible and have optimal health. We believe that the foundation of healthy aging lies in hormones and ensuring they are at optimal levels.

For women over the age of 30, the production of hormones drops off by 80%. We've been told that this is actually something that happens when we’re 55, or when the periods stop, or when we’re menopausal, but this is not true. Women experience a huge drop off in their hormonal support after the age of 30.

We're even seeing much younger women experience this as well, leading to many diseases. The goal is to close this gender gap and give this innovation and approach to all women over the age of 21.

There's a misconception that estrogen is the dominant hormone, but progesterone is supposed to be much higher than the others for women. When progesterone levels drop, especially in women between 25 and 35, we see a rise in conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), heavy periods, fibroids, cysts, anxiety, and depression. These conditions are overwhelmingly diagnosed in women, but many of them are actually hormonal in nature.

Do you think there are other reasons why we often don’t consider hormones when thinking about women’s health?

I think we’re conditioned—or even trained—to believe that this is just something we need to accept as part of being a woman. We even gaslight ourselves— Oh, my mom went through this, so maybe it’s just normal. Maybe I’m not eating well enough, exercising enough, or maybe it’s my kids, my job, or I’m not getting enough sleep. They blame it on all these other reasons, but it’s really nothing that they’re doing. It’s biological—this is aging. Their ovaries aren’t functioning as well as they used to when they were younger. No amount of exercise, perfect dieting, or extra sleep will change that.

There’s also this deeply ingrained idea that having a heavy period, postpartum depression, or feeling terrible after delivering a baby is just part of being a woman. But that’s not true, and it’s not something we should accept.

We have self-driving cars on the streets now—there’s no reason women should have to accept suffering as part of their health journey. We should be supporting women and offering real solutions, which is exactly what we’re doing.

Many women, myself included, feel confused about what to do. Which doctor to see, or how to even recognize a hormonal imbalance. Since starting Inner Balance, have you found that people are excited about it or apprehensive? What kind of reactions have you seen?

Women have been really excited. We’ve had clients tell us we’ve absolutely changed their lives.

The initial excitement comes from offering women a formulation that’s easy to use and effective. Instead of combining a patch, pill, and cream, they can use a small amount of cream in less than 30 seconds a day and feel significantly better.

That said, there’s still a lot of misinformation about hormones out there. Much of it is rooted in outdated beliefs, not science. Many women are confused about what to do, and doctors—who generally lack training in hormones— tell patients that hormone replacement is dangerous, that it might cause cancer, stroke, or heart disease. But we’ve known for nearly a decade that it doesn’t cause breast cancer; it actually protects against it.

Another misconception is that estrogen gets higher during perimenopause - often measuring above 1000 pg/mL.  Because of this, women are not put on estradiol treatment.  The majority of doctors do not know how to use a test called FSH, which is an indication of the brain struggling to make estradiol.  FSH is released during perimenopause to stimulate the ovaries to make estradiol.  Women that have an elevated estradiol and an elevated FSH need estradiol treatment along with progesterone.  An elevated FSH shows that her body isn’t producing enough all the time and it’s important that women work with someone who is knowledgeable or they will not get treated when they would benefit.  

Can you share more about your core products?

Traditionally, women are treated only with estrogen or testosterone, and progesterone is not offered. If they’re offered progesterone, it’s oral or topical. These have side effects or don’t work that well.

Our product raises all three hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—with one small amount of cream applied vaginally in just 30 seconds a day. This bioidentical approach mimics the body’s natural hormone metabolism, making it comprehensive and effective.

We also offer unlimited follow-ups, adjusting treatment as needed during the first 3–6 months to ensure women are optimized. This makes the process simple, effective, and supportive.

How would someone know if they need hormone replacement? What are the typical symptoms they might experience?

The most common symptoms include anxiety, depression, irritability, sleep disruption, and brain fog. Many women feel exhausted by the end of the day. They’re not even thinking about sex or have no energy for intimacy or their usual activities.

Progesterone, for example, helps women tolerate men and small children. When it drops, they start losing patience and feel like they’re becoming a different person. Despite “normal” lab test results, they know something is off.

Once they start hormone replacement therapy, they feel like themselves again. Symptoms like anxiety, depression, and irritability improve within 10–14 days, sleep gets better in a couple of weeks, and physical changes like improved skin, hair, and workout recovery follow.

Vaginal dryness, sensitivity, and sexual health issues also improve. These symptoms, along with increased vaginal and urinary infections, are often caused by hormonal decline and need to be normalized and addressed.

This is exciting work, and I’m personally thrilled to see how it continues to help women live happier lives.

Thank you, it's exciting because we can really make a difference for women. All women experience hormonal drops at some point in their lives. If they don't experience endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome everyone goes through perimenopause and menopause in their 30s, 40s, and beyond. One very exciting thing is for women struggling with endometriosis pain, our formulation works within weeks - women tell us their pain reduces in severity and disappears within 3 months.  Our approach is different from just stopping a period with hormone-suppressing birth control.  Endometriosis is a condition with excruciating pain that women have to endure even outside their normal periods. They often go through it for years before getting a diagnosis, surgery or birth control - both of which are a bandaid fix anyways.  Being able to impact the lives of women - with a natural, yet very effective approach is very rewarding. 

This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity and readability.