Elektra Clinician Amarily Barahona on Midwifery, Menopause, and Caring for Women

Since volunteering at a hospital in high school, Amarily Barahona knew she wanted to make a difference in patients’ lives. Two advanced clinical degrees later, as a Certified Nurse Midwife and Doctor of Nursing Practice with over a decade of experience, she’s doing just that—now at Elektra.

We sat down with Amarily to learn more about her impressive background caring for women across ages and why she believes so deeply in education-focused care.

What inspired you to go into medicine?

When I was in sixth grade studying reproductive health in science, my teacher played a video of a doctor delivering a baby. While the rest of the kids were all like, “Ew, that’s so gross,” I was fascinated and wanted to know how I could do that — how I could care for women.

In high school, I pursued all types of medical classes and volunteered on the labor and delivery unit at my local county hospital. I probably wasn’t really supposed to, but since I looked older, the residents would pass me off as a nurse and walk me through the rooms. At the time, one resident said to me, “If you really want to make a difference in these patients’ lives, be a nurse.”

I became a labor and delivery nurse, but after a few years, I wanted more — to be able to care for women through other stages of life, too. I went back to school for midwifery, and it’s been an absolute joy because I get to help women with everything from preconception to birth to menopause.

Why did you decide to transition to menopause medicine?

Part of the reason is that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I want to know my own body a little bit more. I saw a lot of menopausal patients who didn’t know what was happening with their bodies or how to talk about their symptoms. And of course, people are having children later, so I was seeing patients who were pregnant or trying to get pregnant while in perimenopause, and symptom overlap can be confusing!

What do you wish more women knew about menopause?

As women, we’re always trying to take care of everyone but ourselves. I see patients who are in their 40s and 50s that are still raising children but also taking care of their parents as well. And they put themselves on the back burner. I wish that more patients would acknowledge that they are not okay, that it’s okay to talk about their symptoms, and that it’s okay to take care of themselves.

Is there anything that has surprised you while working at Elektra?

It feels like it’s often a similar story. I frequently hear “I haven’t seen a doctor in X amount of years” or “I’ve been experiencing this symptom for a long time,” because they don’t have time for themselves. But being able to provide care virtually is changing that for many patients. They’re finally able to take care of themselves because of the ease of the Elektra platform.

A few rapid-fire questions…

What’s your happy place?

On the beach, watching my kids play in the sand.

What’s something about you that might surprise people?

I was in the Color Guard in high school. I still have the flag and everything!

What’s been playing on repeat for you recently?

The new Bruno Mars album because I’m going to his concert in April.