Meet Julia Fritz: The Outdoor Adventurer & Certified Nurse Midwife Helping Women Own Their Menopause Story
Mar 12, 2026
When Elektra Clinician Julia Fritz first learned about midwifery as a teenager, she was impressed by how much the approach centered patients.
“They were empowered in a special way and had more ownership of their story,” she said.
Now, as a practicing midwife who has cared for hundreds of women over the years and opened two birth centers abroad, she is here with an important reminder: menopause is ABSOLUTELY within midwives’ scope of care.
We sat down with Julia to learn more about her compelling background and what whole-person care means to her.
What inspired you to go into midwifery?
I was fascinated by embryology. I found it absolutely incredible that two little cells became a person. I was fascinated by the pregnant people that I talked to and loved listening to the stories about their birth experiences. I found that the women who had midwives were really centered in their care. They were empowered in a special way and had more ownership of their story. That helped distinguish my path. I went on to become a direct entry midwife in New Mexico, and later moved to the Philippines where I opened two birth centers.
What led you from obstetrics to comprehensive women’s health and menopause care?
It’s interesting because midwifery includes general women’s health. But, at the clinic where I worked previously, women would come for their six week postpartum appointment, then their well-woman appointment, and then sometimes they would carry on care with us. When they entered perimenopause and began having the vasomotor symptoms, the vaginal symptoms, nobody in my practice had any familiarity with it. We just did not cover this well in our training.
In medicine in general, there’s this discrepancy between these brilliant clinicians that provide high-quality health care but lack training in menopause – and they’re caring for menopausal women! I wanted to learn more so that I could fill in some of these gaps. Going through the Menopause Society certification training, I was like “you guys, we can do this. This is within our scope. We can help these women.”
What does whole-person care mean to you?
It requires layering multiple pieces. Education is important so that women can learn about what they’re experiencing. Coaching for lifestyle support, because so much of it comes down to the basics like exercise and nutrition. And of course, menopause-informed clinical care. That’s all part of the scaffolding.
What has your experience been like working at Elektra?
One thing I really feel very strongly about is increasing access to care, and I’m very thankful that Elektra works with Medicaid and Medicare patients. I’m extremely happy to have joined this team and appreciate how much the values align with mine.
A few rapid fire questions…
What do you eat for breakfast?
I have a big smoothie in the morning and I make it an absolute meal. Spinach, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, yogurt, blueberries, mangos – the works.
What’s the last adventure you went on?
I went for a trail run this morning. I love trail running and mountain biking even more. I do one or the other everyday, it’s the best medicine, and pure joy!
