Marla Ahlgrimm
June 23, 1955
Education: Bachelor of Science
Alma mater: University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Nationality: American
Known for: Expert in Women’s Hormonal Health
Marla Ahlgrimm (b. June 23rd, 1955) is an American entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, pharmacist and expert in women’s hormonal health. She is the author of The HRT Solution: Optimizing Your Hormone Potential which details the benefits of bioidentical hormone therapy and the book Self-Help For Premenstrual Syndrome. She is a frequent lecturer, has been featured as an expert in numerous professional journals and consumer magazines and has appeared on regional and national television and radio broadcasts.
Ahlgrimm is the co-founder of Madison Pharmacy Associates, the first pharmacy in the United States devoted to women’s health. She is also the founder of Women’s Health America and is currently the President of Cyclin Pharmaceuticals.
Career
Marla Ahlgrimm began her career at a local pharmacy in Madison, Wisconsin. During her time there, she identified symptoms that affected some of her patients severely. She identified these symptoms as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), prior to PMS being widely used as a term in the United States. Her early research was inspired by British physician Dr. Katharina Dalton who coined the term PMS during the 1950s.
Marla Ahlgrimm co-founded Madison Pharmacy Associates in 1982. Madison Pharmacy Associates was the first pharmacy in the United States specializing in women’s health. She is considered a pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual syndrome, developing many of the bioidentical hormone therapy prescription options used today for hormone imbalance. She was one of the first to identify hormone testing options to understand individual hormone levels in women allowing for customization of hormone dosing. Marla Ahlgrimm and her staff at Madison Pharmacy Associates provided care to women concerned with PMS, perimenopause, menopause, as well as specialized nutritional supplements and low dose, customized natural hormone prescription therapy. In 1997, she purchased competitor Bajamar Pharmacy, whose vice president praised Marla Ahlgrimm stating, “She’s more dedicated to women’s health than anyone else I’ve met.”
Marla Ahlgrimm is also the founder of Women’s Health America and sits on the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy Board of Visitors.
Marla Ahlgrimm, a pharmacist with over 30 years of prescription compounding experience, approaches women’s health from an experienced perspective. Ahlgrimm has performed an ample amount of research in order to study the best practices for helping women overcome health issues related to menopause and perimenopause. At a time when many women were prescribed antidepressants or tranquilizers to treat pain and discomfort, Marla Ahlgrimm presented a more viable solution that she believed could achieve better and longer-lasting results.
At Madison Pharmacy Associates, Marla Ahlgrimm offered women specialized diagnostic testing, along with customized prescriptions with bio-identical testosterone, progesterone and estrogens. This method of treatment is known as hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement therapy may be administered with vaginal creams, patches or transdermal creams, as well as capsules or tablets. As Madison Pharmacy Associates expanded their services, Marla Ahlgrimm garnered a greater understanding of women’s healthcare needs. Today, she continues to underscore the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and regular exercise. From the viewpoint of Marla Ahlgrimm, an all-inclusive approach to health and wellness is essential to maintaining positive outcomes.
Marla Ahlgrimm has worked with some of the most notable experts in the profession, consulting with leading educators, pharmacists and healthcare leaders to advance the conversation about women’s health. As a proud graduate of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, she is eager to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals in their quest for excellence. She helped to develop the Marla Ahlgrimm Scholarship fund in 1992 for University of Wisconsin pharmacy students who were studying women’s health and related fields.
Media References
In 2017, Marla Ahlgrimm was featured in the book Entrepreneurs in Pharmacy and Other Leaders by George S. Zorich. In the book, Zorich highlights entrepreneurs who have made a difference in the world of medicine. Ahlgrimm is noted in Chapter One and discusses how she made the decision — more than three decades ago — to leave her job and focus specifically on women’s health. Marla Ahlgrimm explains how she took hurtful words and turned it into a lifelong career helping women both manage their health and shatter the common (at the time) belief that all women were neurotic when dealing with “monthly” concerns. Marla Ahlgrimm almost single-handedly changed the face of women’s healthcare and her inclusion in this publication underscores her contribution to the women’s health industry.
Bibliography
- 2012, HRT Solution, Revised Edition (Avery Health Guides), Avery Trade, ISBN 158333176X
- 1999, Self-Help For Premenstrual Syndrome, Random House Publishing, ISBN 978-0-679-77800-4
- 1998, The HRT Solution: Optimizing Your Hormone Potential, Avery, ISBN 0895299488
References
- Belsky, Gary; Baie Netzer and Leah Harrison (1 June 1992). “The Five Ways Women Are Often Smarter Than Men About Money”. CNN Money. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “2001 Athena Nominees”. The Capital Times (HighBeam). 1 March 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- Lombardi, Lisa (1 May 2002). “Hooked On Happiness”. Shape Magazine (HighBeam). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- Cummings, Melanie (1 October 2000). “PMS: Women Tell Women How To Control Premenstrual Syndrom”. Herizons (HighBeam). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- Carleen Wild & Marla Ahlgrimm (2009). NBC15 Interview with Marla Ahlgrimm (News). NBC 15.
- Snyder, Karyn (10 June 1996). “Pioneer in Women’s Health Offers Rxs, OTC, Education”. Drug Topics (Business HighBeam). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “PSSSST!”. The Capital Times (HighBeam). 13 December 1996. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “Personal Case Prompts Pharmacist To Start Madison Pharmacy Associates”. Interviewing Experts. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “Madison-Based Women’s Health Company Acquires Competitor”. Wisconsin State Journal (HighBeam). 22 October 1997. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “Board of Visitors”. University of Wisconsin Madison. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- “Self-Help For Premenstrual Syndrome”. 1999. Retrieved 9 January 2013.