Partería Montuna (Mountain Midwifery)Because our healer’s journey started at these elements' interconnection.
Accompaniment
Preventive Natural Gynecology
Comprehensive education/ care for all sexual and reproductive health/ pregnancy experiences and outcomes
Preservation of traditional cultural healing practices in PR
Collective Healing
Partera, DEM
Multilingual We are your Partera Comunitaria (Community Midwife, DEM) providing accompaniment, coaching, education, and care services during any journey, stage, experience, or outcome of your sexual and reproductive health life. These expand from sexuality, puberty, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth-postpartum, gender affirmative therapy, abortion, perinatal loss, and menopause, to end of life. We believe that we are your companions and partners in preventive healthcare and education as you are the primary voice, with the right and power to make decisions about your own body, and we are here to listen and guide you through that process and those decisions.
11/14/2025
Meet our community collaborators- folks we love-social Friday!
Birth, postpartum , and bereavement Doula , and Perinatal Educator through CAPPA.
We love the work she is doing around grief and, and that connects so close to our heart, because our communities need it so much. She is so passionate and the sweetest care there is.
Owner of bitty bitty bump bump
Photo taken from her website
Check our website for more collaborators montuna.org/nosotres
11/12/2025
💊 Missed Period Pills: Reclaiming Body Autonomy
A recent Ms. Magazine piece sheds light on Missed Period Pills — a safe, discreet option using the same medication (misoprostol, sometimes with mifepristone) that’s used for abortion care.
These pills are taken when a period is late, without confirming pregnancy, allowing people to manage their reproductive health privately and early. Advocates explain that this method reframes abortion as part of normal menstrual health — not something that requires shame, surveillance, or external approval. The article highlights how missed period pills expand choice, privacy, and bodily autonomy, especially in restrictive environments.
To us, this is what reproductive justice really means: informed choice, privacy, and respect for the many ways people care for themselves. Missed Period Pills don’t just expand access — they expand autonomy, dignity, and trust. 🌿
Article Five Things to Know About Missed Period Pills by
Kuddos to for this study, they've always been a step forward with abortion care
Image of an orange pill box labeled Mifeprex
11/11/2025
FDA Removal of the Black Box: Back to the Women’s Health Initiative Days?
The FDA’s decision to remove the black box warning from estrogen products is a warning in itself — that progress without process can send women’s health right back to the confusion and misinformation of the early 2000s.
Yes, removing the black box on vaginal estrogen was overdue. It was outdated and fear-inducing, discouraging many from safe and effective treatment. But as Dr Gunter points out in her podcast, the way it happened — suddenly, broadly, and without transparent scientific review — is a step backward for public trust. Instead of careful analysis, the FDA’s announcement became a stage for RFK Jr. and Dr. Makary to spread false claims about menopause hormone therapy (MHT): that it prevents Alzheimer’s, adds ten years to women’s lives, and even saves marriages. None of that is supported by credible evidence (because they are not funding the studies either).
Adding to the unease, Dr. Jackson — the former CEO of the menopause telemedicine company Evernow, now at HHS — stated, “Menopause is a cascade of disease and aging.” As Gunter notes, and we 200% agree, it’s hard not to wonder whether calling menopause a disease and implying everyone needs hormone therapy might also be good for business.
This convergence of politics, profit, and pseudoscience eerily mirrors the fallout of the Women’s Health Initiative: when poor communication and power-driven narratives distorted real science for decades. Gunter warns that today’s rhetoric risks doing the same, turning women’s health into a marketing opportunity rather than a medical field grounded in truth.
Removing an outdated warning isn’t a victory if it’s replaced by worse science. Without integrity and transparency, even good reforms become regressions — and women/people deserve better than another cycle of confusion dressed up as progress.
Are you following the Vajenda Podcast? You should! Dr Gunter is THA Dr we must be listening to !
11/07/2025
Meet our Community Collaborators-people we just love-Social Friday!
Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, Lactation Consultant and Childbirth Educator. Education and support around nutrition, movement, and physical well-being.
We love her because we couldn't imagine teaching with other people alongside, she is creating postpartum healing spaces for the community, and she is committed to our immigrant communities and needs.
Owner of La Luz Maternal @ (Check her beautiful retreats!)
Photo taken from her website
Check more of our collaborators at montuna.org/nosotres
11/05/2025
💊 Misoprostol-Only Abortions: What You Should Know
A new Cosmopolitan article highlights the growing importance of misoprostol-only abortion care — a safe, effective method recognized by the World Health Organization. As legal attacks on mifepristone continue, misoprostol alone has become a crucial option for people needing access to abortion.
When used correctly, it’s about 80–95% effective, and the experience is similar to a miscarriage, with cramping, bleeding, and rest needed afterward. Providers and reproductive justice advocates emphasize that accurate information, emotional support, and follow-up care are what make self-managed or clinic-based misoprostol abortions safe and empowering.
In a time when access is being politicized, education truly becomes harm reduction — and knowing your options can save lives. 💛
From article Your Complete Guide to Misoprostol-Only Abortions
Image: White pill on top of pink cube
11/02/2025
🍞Casa Mujer Montuna in the Diaspora | Saturday Evenings 🍞
(Spanish below)
Our mother always says, “Donde come una, comen dos.”
Where one person eats, two can eat as well.
At Casa Mujer Montuna, a community project of Montuna, we are opening our doors on Saturday evenings to share a meal with pregnant folks who’ve lost SNAP benefits after the recent federal cuts.
Because this fascist government keeps trying to dismantle the very people who hold the world together — those of us living, loving, and surviving at the margins.
But we refuse to disappear.
We will continue proving that together, we are stronger, more beautiful, and more abundant than ever.
If you or someone you know is pregnant, has lost food assistance, and could use nourishment — please send them our way.
Pregnancy requires nutrition, care, and emotional support — and we have that for our community. And when we lack, we will find a way. We are breaking bread
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🍞 Casa Mujer Montuna en la Diáspora | Sábados por la Tarde 🍞
Mami siempre dice:
“Donde come una, comen dos.”
Donde hay comida para una, hay pan para dos. 🍞
En Casa Mujer Montuna, un proyecto comunitario de Montuna, abrimos nuestras puertas los sábados por la tarde para compartir una comida con personas embarazadas que han perdido sus beneficios de SNAP tras los recientes recortes federales.
Porque este gobierno fascista sigue intentando desmantelar a las mismas personas que sostienen el mundo — a quienes vivimos, amamos y sobrevivimos en los márgenes.
Pero nos negamos a desaparecer.
Seguiremos demostrando que juntas somos más fuertes, más belles y más abundantes que nunca. 🍞
Si tú o alguien que conoces está embarazada, ha perdido asistencia alimentaria y necesita alimento o acompañamiento, envíenles hacia nosotras.
El embarazo requiere nutrición, cuidado y apoyo emocional — y eso lo tenemos pa'largo para nuestra comunidad.
Y cuando nos falte algo, encontraremos la manera. 💛
¡Estamos partiendo el pan! 🍞
NOTE: We are awaiting on the ruling of Judge Talwani to see how this will continue be an issue. If you want to donate money, don't send to us, send to Greater Chicago Food Depository near you.
10/31/2025
Meet our Community Collaborators-people we just love-Social Friday!
Doctor of East Asian Medicine. Acupuncture, herbal medicine, body work, food therapy, and lifestyle recommendations to address a wide variety of health issues, and treats children, youth, adults, elderly, and pregnant people.
We love her because she is a social justice warrior that intersects justice to her healing work, she was crucial friend in our migration new-to-Chicago journey, and she cooks amazingly ❤ (great acupuncturist check her out!)
Find out more about our collaborators in montuna.org/nosotres
10/26/2025
✨Meet the face behind Montuna✨
¡Hola! I’m Jacoba (elle)—born in the mountains of Borikén (Puerto Rico) where we walk barefoot in the rain, sip café with neighbors at 3pm, and grow what we eat.
Those roots still guide me as I paddle rivers, talk to dogs, and tend gardens in Skokie, IL—my home in the diaspora.
I’ve spent 20+ years walking with communities as a:
✨Partera (Direct-Entry Midwife)
✨Sexual Health Educator & Coach
✨Integrative Health & Herbal Practitioner
✨Full-Spectrum + End-of-Life Doula
✨Somatic & Energy Worker
But before any title, I am a Santigüadora & Yerbetera—because my Abuela said so.
My work blends ancestral healing + evidence-based care to honor body autonomy, story, and culture.
I support people through:
🌿 Fertility & womb care
🤰 Birth & postpartum
💔 Abortion, miscarriage & loss
🔥 Sexual pleasure & trauma healing
🌙 Menopause & life transitions
I serve North Chicago + Northern Illinois, offer virtual care year-round, and hold in-person sessions in Puerto Rico in winter/spring.
My mission?
Decolonize health. Restore ancestral wisdom. Center the Global Majority.
This path hasn’t been easy—I stepped away from birth work to heal my own fertility grief. I learned that healing isn’t going back…it’s becoming.
I don’t lead or follow—
I walk beside you. In care, in companionship, in power. 💛
Let’s journey together.
CPM, LMT, SpBCPE, SpBAP. Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), Spinning Babies Certified Parent Educator and Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner. Yoni Steam Facilitator, craniosacral therapist, and dedicated keeper of traditional cuarentena—postpartum care rooted in birth rituals and holistic healing.
Owner of Partería 7 Generaciones Midwifery
New Director of Birth Center of Chicago !!!!
We love her because she is a badass that loves uplifting our immigrant communities, she loves hiking to find Spirit, clear our minds, and find healing and joy, just like us (and why we love hiking with her) ❤
Trans men & nonbinary people with ovaries can also experience menopause — naturally, after surgery, or even while on testosterone.
Here’s what you should know
🔥 Symptoms can show up differently
Hot flashes, mood changes, low libido, vaginal dryness…
Testosterone can mask or mimic some symptoms, making it hard to tell what’s menopause vs hormones.
The emotional impact is real
Menopause can trigger:
✨ Gender dysphoria
✨ Body changes that feel uncomfortable
✨ Grief or confusion about identity
( Know you’re not alone — and you deserve affirming care.)
Treatment can be very gender-affirming
Menopause care isn’t “one size fits all.”
Options can include:
✅ Staying on T
✅ Low-dose estrogen or progesterone (for bones/heart)
✅ Local vaginal estrogen (doesn’t change your whole body)
✅ Non-hormonal support (herbs, lifestyle, SSRIs)
Biggest barrier?
Lack of providers who understand trans & nonbinary menopause.
People often have to advocate for their own care. We need better training, visibility, and inclusion in research.
❗️(if you are a provider consider getting certified as a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) with The Menopause Society)❗️
Our thoughts?
Menopause in trans & nonbinary bodies is valid.
It deserves informed, compassionate, and affirming support — medically and emotionally.
Let’s normalize the conversation then!
(join our workshop in December 13 with our friend Terri Kapsalis )
Getty Images/timnewman from Healthline article " Ask the Expert: What to Know About Menopause When You’re Trans or Nonbinary"
10/18/2025
Honoring World Menopause Day with a truth we don’t talk about enough…
We're loving this article on mapping testosterone through the menstrual cycle because it reminds us:
Menopause is NOT just about estrogen.
Testosterone matters too.
It affects energy, libido, motivation, mood, muscle, and overall vitality—yet most providers never test it or even mention it for people with ovaries.
Key points from the article:
✨ Testosterone naturally rises and falls through the cycle
✨ It influences way more than “sex drive”
✨ Levels often drop in perimenopause & menopause
✨ Understanding hormones = body literacy + agency
This article made us reflect t beyond the old “estrogen loss” story and look at the whole hormonal picture.
Menopause isn’t something to survive—it’s a sacred transition that deserves education, holistic care, and respect.
On , (yes, today October 18) let’s call for:
🔥Inclusive research
🔥Hormone education beyond estrogen
🔥Culturally rooted, trauma-informed support
🔥Care that honors the WHOLE body
Menopause is powerful (and also sucks! That is true and ok!)
We deserve to be supported in every layer of it. 💛🔥
Contact us if needing support at link in our Bio
Article by Dr Jen Gunter available @ The Vajenda Substack
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Mujer Montuna was born in 2008 as my spiritual reconciliation with the mountains of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. It was created initially as a space to work, create and conspire; with and for women identified people, and people, at mountain communities of PR.
It has transformed into a Social-Agricultural-Healing Justice project that we work on a daily basis with and for the community, around herbalism, permaculture, health and popular education practices.
Mujer Montuna’s mission is to reach social justice by encouraging transformative organizing for community sustainability and autonomy via the preservation and dissemination of ancestral practices of collective healing, agriculture, and education. Our target groups are communities of color with scarce resources, with a special focus on women identified people* within rural/ marginalized areas
Mama Aicha is a sub-project of Mujer Montuna. “Mama” as we say in Puerto Rico to a woman identified person we love, or we approach with love. An independent project that offers a compassionate support to communities and its people to obtain full spectrum sexual and reproductive health education and care services. We do this with a popular education, social-healing-reproductive justice, feminist, and decolonizing framework, training and organizing Health Workers in our communities on self-managed health techniques and bringing health prevention practices to where it always ancestrally belonged; into our people's hands!
We do Reproductive/Sexual Health Education and Services: Fertility. Conception. Prenatal classes. Birth. Postpartum. Breast/Chest feeding. Womb "sobadas". Reiki. Vaginal Health/ Steam Baths. Full Spectrum Birth Worker. Abortion Companionship and training of Abortion companions. Alternative inseminations. Midwife trained. Everything in sync with what our ancestors taught us.
Together we built La Cabaña, a place where people gather, conspire ideas and dreams, take classes, heal and meet. The cabin was made with mucho love by Papi and our own hands, among the hands of my neighbors. With same love we ask people to enter through its doors.
Our Values:
Reproductive Justice because we understand people have the right of power to make decisions about their bodies, gender, sexuality, families and communities; but of those, some are most marginalized than others.
Inter-sectional Power, because we understand in this system people’s identities determine their power, as deny power to others.
Cultural Competence, because we believe People’s cultural differences should be respected, honored and manage appropriately by other people and systems.
Decolonizing, because systems are not lineal for everybody and can oppress some people, and might not determine values for others. We aim to bring health prevention practices to where it always ancestrally belonged; into our people's hands!
Popular Education because we promote conversations and organizing education in the base; BY the people, WITH the people and FOR the people.
Hope and Joy, because we know historically our communities of color have been threatened with tearing off our joy and hope, and we are here to safeguard these values.
With love, Jackie, o , La Jacoba
*Note: Trans women are women. People don’t need to have uterus nor vaginas to be part of our groups! Trans men have benefited from our workshops as well. Every diversity of body is welcome!
