The M Factor 2: Before The Pause (Perimenopause) Screening

From the producers of the groundbreaking documentary The (M) Factor comes The (M) Factor 2: Before The Pause (Perimenopause), a powerful new film continuing the vital conversation about women’s hormones, health, and the changes that shape this stage of life.

Blending expert insights with women’s real experiences, the film looks at how perimenopause affects your heart, bone, brain, and sexual health, and the solutions helping women thrive through it. By centering these stories alongside leading experts, the film exposes a systemic blind spot and makes a powerful case for why early awareness can transform women’s health, careers, and sense of self.

* “Women” is meant to include people of all genders who are experiencing or anticipating the impact of perimenopause.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

Museum Entrance
The museum is closed to the public on Monday. The only accessible entrance is via the Alcazar Garden. If you try and enter through the back you will note that the museum is dark and inaccessible.

Parking
The closest parking is behind the Alcazar Garden, followed by the Organ Pavillion. Please review the city's new parking requirements in Balboa Park.

Seating
Seating is on a first-come first-served basis. Tickets are general admission and the room capacity is 115 seated and 35 standing. If you have ADA needs, please reach out to [email protected] to reserve a comfortable space for viewing the film.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Alyssa Yee, MD is a board-certified Urologic Surgeon and Sexual Medicine Physician who completed a clinical fellowship at San Diego Sexual Medicine in 2022 under the mentorship of Dr. Irwin Goldstein. She is a recipient of the 2021 Sexual Medicine Society of North American Foundation Research Grant for her work on Immunohistochemical Analysis in Neuroproliferative Vestibulodynia.

Her professional and research interests include sexual pain disorders, sexual dysfunction, hormones disorders and menopause treatment, reconstructive urology, and prosthetic surgery. Dr. Yee proudly draws on her background as a patient advocate for the Crime Victims Treatment Center of NY as the inspiration for pursuing a medical career and for providing compassionate care. She completed a urological surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. She is involved in several health-related non-profit organizations and sits on the medical advisory board for Tight Lipped Organization.

Helen Stearns, DNP, is a board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in peri/menopause. She began her career in sexual medicine and later worked extensively with geriatric women, where she witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of inadequate midlife care. This experience fueled her passion to provide better, earlier intervention - helping women during peri/menopause to protect their long-term health, not just symptom management.

At 43, Helen went from postpartum straight into perimenopause herself, struggling with weight gain, anxiety, and feeling scared, unsure, and not like herself. This experience guides her empathetic care for perimenopausal mothers.

Today, Helen provides expert, compassionate care that relieves symptoms now and builds long-term health, helping women feel empowered, confident, and like themselves again. She offers personalized treatment plans including hormone therapy, lifestyle support, and sexual health care. Helen is passionate about giving women the time, education, and partnership they deserve during this critical life transition - because feeling dismissed should never be part of your menopause journey.

Jandra Mueller, DPT, MS, IF earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Pacific University in 2012 and her Master’s degree in Integrative Health and Nutrition from Maryland University of Integrative Health in 2020. Dr. Mueller applies a comprehensive, holistic approach to treating pelvic health conditions throughout all phases of life, with a special interest in pelvic pain and endometriosis.

Jandra has also played a pivotal role in shaping educational initiatives, speaking at international conferences to educate healthcare professionals on the critical importance of pelvic health. She is actively involved with the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) on the Scientific Committee and as the current Education Committee Chair.

Her passion for pelvic health has expanded into her hobbies, most recently in crocheting pelvic health medical models. In her spare time she also loves reading mindless romance or fantasy novels and painting by numbers!

YOUR HOSTS

Ana Arteaga-Biggs, PsyD (she/her/ella) is a licensed clinical psychologist in San Diego. Dr. Arteaga-Biggs' areas of expertise include trauma, women's health (across the lifespan), grief/ loss, destructive mind control, couples/marital functioning, race-based traumatic stress, and chronic medical conditions. Her research includes risk, resilience and treatment among HIV positive men with histories of trauma. Dr. Arteaga-Biggs has presented at conferences and appeared on multiple podcasts discussing the emotional impacts of living with chronic medical conditions, infertility, and navigating racism and misogyny within the healthcare system. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Arteaga-Biggs provides psychological consultation to multiple organizations and serves as a transformational coach for Mobius Executive Leadership and served on the Board of Trustees for the Tariq Khamisa Foundation and KidsFirst. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her children and husband. She is a photographer, stand-up comedian and heavily involved in political activism and serving her community.

Rachel Rabinor, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author, speaker and consultant with a private practice in San Diego specializing in women’s mental health across reproductive and hormonal life transitions. Her work focuses on infertility, pregnancy and postpartum challenges, perinatal loss, and perimenopause. Rachel is certified in EMDR and perinatal mental health and brings a trauma-informed, relational approach to her work, helping clients process experiences that are frequently minimized or misunderstood. A central passion of Rachel’s work is creating community and reducing isolation. In addition to individual therapy, she facilitates women’s process groups and infertility and pregnancy loss groups for grieving parents, offering spaces for connection, shared understanding, and healing. Rachel is the author of The Postpartum Depression Journal (2022) and Pregnancy and Baby Loss Guided Journal (2024). When not working, Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, surfing, knitting, travelling, and planning her next adventure.

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Info: Doors open at 5:00pm - Food and beverages available and included with admission

Info: View panelists' bios above

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Host or Publisher Postpartum Health Alliance