Advancing Women’s Health From Puberty to Menopause
Rasha Oudeh is a serial entrepreneur working across Switzerland and Germany, a board director, and an international expansion expert with over 25 years of experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She is CEO of Global Match AG, Chairwoman of CEDEM AG, and holds an Executive MBA from Frankfurt School and the IMD Board Director Diploma
Women’s health is receiving greater international attention in 2026. For me, this shift raises an essential question: "How can we turn greater awareness into meaningful support throughout women’s lives?"
Why women’s health is receiving greater attention
For decades, discussions about women’s health have centred largely on pregnancy and reproductive care. Today, that perspective is broadening to recognise women’s changing needs from puberty to menopause and beyond.
In August 2026, WHO Europe highlighted the importance of looking beyond motherhood when addressing women’s health. Germany announced up to €10 million in women’s health research funding, while the UK government published its renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England. Initiatives such as Allianz Care’s Women’s Health Hub also reflect growing attention to women’s needs across different stages of life.
As a woman, entrepreneur, and owner of a Swiss healthcare brand, I find this evolution particularly meaningful. Throughout my career across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, I have observed women taking responsibility for their families’ health while often placing their own needs last. That observation helped shape a new direction for CEDEM AG.
A Swiss brand with a clearer focus
CEDEM AG is a privately owned Swiss nutraceutical company with a portfolio of approximately 30 products, mainly focused on women’s health and urinary health. We work with international distributors and healthcare partners to bring our products to different markets.
My journey into this industry began with a background in programming and a curiosity about how things work. I later moved into pharmaceutical business development, building relationships with companies in Germany and Italy before establishing and growing businesses of my own.
Working across different markets taught me that building a healthcare brand requires more than a good formulation. It requires understanding local needs, earning partners’ trust, and maintaining consistent standards. It also requires knowing when to change direction.
What Germany and Switzerland taught me about precision
Building businesses in Germany and Switzerland strengthened my appreciation for detail, preparation, and disciplined execution. These qualities felt familiar from programming, where one small detail can change an entire outcome.
At CEDEM, that mindset influences how we approach ingredient selection, scientific evidence, manufacturing partnerships, and responsible product communication. But precision should extend beyond the formulation itself.
If we pay so much attention to what goes into a supplement, shouldn’t we pay just as much attention to understanding the woman who will use it? For me, that question became central to CEDEM’s direction.
Why I decided to focus
My original ambition was to offer nutritional supplements for the entire family. A broad portfolio helped us gain experience, build relationships, and understand different markets.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, competition intensified. Local brands became stronger, international companies expanded, and consumers had more choices. I began questioning whether a wider portfolio was necessarily creating a stronger business.
At the same time, I saw an opportunity to connect my professional experience with my commitment to supporting women.
In 2025, I made the decision to reposition CEDEM around women’s health. Specialisation would allow us to concentrate our resources, sharpen our product selection, and give distributors and healthcare partners a clearer understanding of what the brand represents.
That decision came at a cost. We reduced our portfolio from around 100 products to about 30, removing products that were still generating sales. We declined opportunities outside our chosen focus and had difficult conversations with distributors and suppliers. We also invested in new formulations, registrations, packaging, and branding while accepting short-term trade-offs to build a more focused business.
Letting go of something you have worked hard to build is difficult, especially when it still brings in income. But keeping every product and pursuing every opportunity would have taken resources away from the direction I had chosen.
In my book, Leadership Without Sugarcoating, I write about decisions, their price, and what remains. Repositioning CEDEM brought that theme into practice. I had to accept the cost of the decision and take responsibility for making it work.
The decision also changed the questions we asked. Instead of starting with how many products we could offer, we began with which needs we could address responsibly and where our expertise could make a meaningful contribution. I wanted CEDEM to become a brand recognised for its commitment to women’s health.
From puberty to menopause: Different stages, different needs
Women’s health does not follow one standard path. Experiences differ, and nutritional needs change with age, circumstances, and individual health.
Our focus encompasses menstrual health, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), preconception, pregnancy, breastfeeding, urinary and vaginal health, and the transition through menopause.
These areas require distinct approaches. They also require listening carefully to women and recognising when nutritional support has a role alongside professional healthcare.
Within our portfolio, MYOFOL illustrates our focus on women’s reproductive nutrition, while PERALBerry forms part of our urinary health range. These products sit within a broader commitment to selecting formulations for clearly defined nutritional purposes.
Not every woman requires supplementation. Nutritional products cannot replace diagnosis or appropriate medical treatment, and evidence relating to an ingredient must be distinguished from evidence for a finished product.
For me, “From Puberty to Menopause” is the framework guiding CEDEM’s product selection, innovation, and long-term direction.
Innovation with a clear purpose
We will soon launch formulations featuring innovative ingredients sourced from Korea and Japan and selected to meet EU requirements. These launches will broaden our offering in areas including PMS, lactation, vaginal health, and menopause.
Innovation must begin with a clear purpose. Before selecting an ingredient, we need to understand the need it is intended to address, the quality of the available evidence, the studied dosage, and its suitability for the intended users.
A new ingredient alone does not make a product meaningful. Its value depends on how thoughtfully it is selected, formulated, and communicated.
Our ambition is to combine CEDEM’s Swiss identity and international experience with nutritional solutions that reflect women’s evolving needs.
A purpose that shapes the business
After more than 25 years in international business, I have learned that growth sometimes requires greater focus. As I explored in my previous Brainz Magazine article on international expansion, building a business involves choosing carefully where to commit your attention and resources.
For CEDEM, that choice is women’s health. Greater awareness creates an opportunity, but it also brings responsibility: to communicate honestly, respect scientific evidence, and understand the people behind the products.
From puberty to menopause, women deserve to have their changing health needs understood and taken seriously. That is the purpose I want CEDEM to stand for.
Discover the book
Explore Leadership Without Sugarcoating: The Decision, the Price, and What Remains through Rasha Oudeh’s book page, or order from Orell Füssli, Ex Libris, Amazon USA, or Thalia.
For speaking engagements, interviews, or enquiries, contact me here.
Read more from Rasha Oudeh
Rasha Oudeh, Entrepreneur & International Expansion Expert
Rasha Oudeh is a serial entrepreneur and international expansion expert who has built, grown, and successfully exited businesses. As CEO of Global Match AG, she supports companies with market entry, cross-border execution, strategic partnerships, and introductions to investment opportunities between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She is also Chairwoman of CEDEM AG, where she pursues her passion for women’s health and preventive healthcare. Beyond business, she leads Amali Switzerland, a nonprofit entrepreneurship initiative. She is the author of the forthcoming book Leadership Without Sugarcoating and holds an Executive MBA from Frankfurt School and the IMD Board Director Diploma.
