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Why are femtech companies embracing the wellness industry?

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Femtech wellness industry women healthcare

As the wellness industry is booming, femtech companies appear to be adopting many of its strategies, we ask why this is happening and what are the benefits

The global wellness market increased from $148.5 billion in 2017 to £275 billion in 2020 with a 22 per cent annual growth. Since then, a growing interest in nootropics, adaptogens and CBD have increased sales during the lockdown as consumers address growing mental health concerns.

While femtech industry share is also increasing, several companies are embracing a holistic and wellness approach to marketing their products or developing their range.

But why?
There are multiple benefits to introducing a wellness-inspired product or marketing. We examine some of the benefits and examples of brands that do it well.

1- Introducing the human element to healthcare

Accessing healthcare can be a lonely and confusing time especially when it comes to longer processes such as IVF or menopause treatments. Hormone tracking app, Hormona reported that 60 per cent of women felt alone in their hormonal journey including accessing care.
A lot of platforms and apps within the femtech sector have been developed with the aim of providing support and connecting women to experts or communities to address this loneliness. Sites offering women’s healthcare can often be mistaken for wellness websites with their colourful marketing and easy to understand language. The aim is to disrupt the traditional forms of healthcare by making women not only feel included in their healthcare options but empowered to take control of them.
The best femtech options are the ones that introduce the human element and offer connections that share personal experiences.

Femtech fertility start-up Aura is a great example of this. The London-based company was founded in 2020 after two of the female founders, Abi Hannah and Karen Hanson experienced the trauma of miscarriages and failed IVF cycles. The women were inspired to develop Aura, a B2C app that recognises that fertility treatment is more than just a clinical procedure. It offers an evidence-based tech companion for every stage of the IVF journey. The app, launched in October 2020, experienced more than 6k downloads in just the first six months.

Femtech wellness industry women healthcare

2 – Understanding healthcare

When it comes to reading results or health-based instructions, it can be a nightmare to understand exactly what you are seeing. This is also true of helping clinicians to understand data around women’s health conditions.
Fertility, period or menopause trackers can help by charting the daily experiences of women to create a pattern that can identify anything that might be wrong. Apps and platforms need women to be able to use the interface and input data as cleanly and effectively as possible. It means simplifying language, adding fun or engaging twists to keep users returning to the platform daily.
Results need to be easy for the average user to understand without the need for medical intervention. Women must be able to take control of their own healthcare in a way that they feel comfortable with. In recognising the data and identifying patterns, women are able to involve their clinicians earlier for extra support or faster diagnosis. Earlier diagnosis in many conditions may mean reduced symptoms, longer life expectancy and reduced costs both for the healthcare systems and also the patient.

3 – Inclusivity

Femtech companies are leading the charge in inclusive language, apps, marketing and healthcare.

There has been a huge gap in the market for products that acknowledge the fluidity of gender and the limits that ‘his or her’ tech devices can have. Companies particularly in the femtech, period care or sextech industries have already introduced gender-neutral language, non-gendered toys or even marketing that is non-gender biased.

Studies show that women make up only a quarter of tech developers in the market which may explain why female tech developers are embracing inclusivity in their companies. A glass ceiling needs to be properly smashed for everyone not just one sector.

By embracing other minority groups within the products, femtech designers are addressing needs that are generally not catered for with mainstream concepts. One example of this is FEWE’s marketing campaign around transmen who experience periods and need menstrual care products. Their slogan instantly sets the tone: ‘female-founded cycle care for every phase, for everybody.’

4 – Alternative options for healthcare

The wellness industry is aimed at finding alternative options for healthcare. The CBD industry increased dramatically during Covid lockdowns as patients searched for natural alternatives to anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications. Wellness trends such as nootropics have also increased as people search for alternative ways to tailor their healthcare to their own needs.
Traditional paths of accessing medicine will always be visiting the doctor, getting a diagnosis, receiving a prescription and accessing medication through a pharmacy. However, femtech offers alternatives to these steps such as home testing kits, prescription deliveries, alternative or natural options for medications even wellness practices such as incorporating yoga into period care.
The sector recognises that wellness and physical health are connected. There cannot be an improvement in one without the other and it provides a platform for women to access education.
Femtech wellness industry women healthcare

5 – No topic off limits

When it comes to women’s healthcare, there appears to be no topic off the table with femtech companies. Which is a good thing too given the gender pain and data gaps that exist when it comes to even common health concerns such as strokes or heart attacks.
When it comes to the more difficult topics in health, femtech does not shy away from providing alternative care. This can include abortion pre and aftercare, period blood analysing and even vaginal PH testing. They focus on making care, education and community more accessible, safe and affordable for women whereas this hasn’t always been the case.
The wellness industry also caters to difficult subjects with companies offering alternative period care or pain therapies. There is also a strong emphasis on difficult mental health subjects such as depression or anxiety. Both industries are focused on providing a service that looks at one area of healthcare in full such as fertility. This means potentially tackling subjects that aren’t always easy to talk about.
Hey Jane is a great example of wellness meets femtech company that doesn’t shy away from controversial subjects. Hey Jane was founded by Gaby Izarra and Kiki Freedman. It gives women the option to access safe, affordable and easy delivery of abortion pills. The platform offers a telemedicine text chat service where women can speak with experts about their choices before delivering the pills. It also connects women to 24-hour support if they need to speak to someone.

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Femtech World Awards 2026: Winners revealed

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We are excited to reveal the winners of the third annual Femtech World Awards.

The winners were announced at a virtual event this afternoon attended by shortlisted companies, along with sponsors and judges.

The event welcomed guests from the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

Thank you to all 174 entries, as well as the sponsors for making the event possible.

See you in 2027!

Femtech World Awards 2026 Winners

Winner:

Shortlisted:

IVI RMA x Juno Genetics

Natural Cycles

Winner:

Highly commended:

U-Ploid

Shortlisted:

Hello Inside

Winner:

WISE HF, led by Prof. Mary Ryder

Highly commended:

Cardiac College for Women

Shortlisted:

Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis

CognitiveCare

Winner:

Highly commended:

Youterus

Shortlisted:

ŌURA

Winner:

Shortlisted:

LeanShield by ParrotPal Group

Perigen

Winner:

Shortlisted:

Body Moody

Looop

Winner:

Shortlisted:

Owning Your Menopause

Womeno

Winner:

Shortlisted:

The Blue Box

Celbrea

Winner:

Shortlisted:

HealCycle

Mor

Winner:

Shortlisted:

HRC Fertility

Mira

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Wellness

Expectations about sleep affect postpartum sleep quality, study finds

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Pregnant women’s expectations about postpartum sleep may predict sleep quality after birth, outweighing prior sleep and psychiatric history, a study suggests.

The findings suggest attitudes and beliefs about sleep during pregnancy could be a modifiable risk factor for postpartum sleep concerns.

They also indicate that, among women expecting the poorest sleep, higher postpartum anxiety may further worsen sleep quality.

Sammy Dhaliwal, lead author is clinical health psychologist and research fellow in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dhaliwal said: “Most pregnant women in our sample anticipated poor postpartum sleep before it occurred, and it was striking that those expectations predicted worse sleep outcomes even after accounting for factors such as prior sleep disorders, psychiatric history, and number of previous births.

“This suggests that attitudes and beliefs about sleep during pregnancy may represent a modifiable target for early intervention before postpartum sleep problems emerge.”

Sleep disturbance affects an estimated 60 to 80 per cent of postpartum women and is linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety.

Researchers said it is often regarded as an expected part of life after childbirth rather than a health issue that may be addressed earlier.

The study enrolled 432 pregnant women at about 24 weeks of gestation, meaning around 24 weeks into pregnancy.

Participants completed measures of their expectations about postpartum sleep, current sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and mood using validated depression and anxiety scales.

Assessments were repeated at six, 12 and 24 weeks postpartum.

A subset of 49 women also wore wrist actigraphy devices at six to eight weeks postpartum.

Actigraphy uses a wearable device, similar to a watch, to estimate sleep and wake patterns based on movement.

The results showed that 70 per cent of pregnant women, or 301 of 432 participants, expected poor sleep in the postpartum period.

Researchers found that predicted sleep disruption during pregnancy was a significant predictor of postpartum sleep concerns.

Among first-time pregnant women without prior health concerns, those who expected greater sleep disturbance had significantly more disrupted sleep after birth, measured by both actigraphy and self-report.

Among women who expected the worst sleep quality, higher postpartum anxiety significantly worsened both measured sleep and self-reported sleep, independent of anxiety levels during pregnancy.

Dhaliwal said the findings point to two possible areas for intervention: addressing sleep-related beliefs during pregnancy and treating postpartum anxiety.

Dhaliwal said: “Postpartum sleep disruption is often treated only after problems develop, but our findings suggest there may be an opportunity to intervene earlier during pregnancy.

“Addressing sleep-related beliefs and postpartum anxiety during prenatal and postpartum care may help improve sleep and emotional well-being in new mothers.”

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Fertility

Weight loss jab shows early promise in improving PMOS fertility

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A weight loss jab may improve fertility outcomes in women with PMOS, early findings from an ongoing clinical trial suggest.

The proof-of-concept analysis found that injectable semaglutide may offer reproductive benefits while also addressing obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

It is the first report to examine how injectable semaglutide may improve reproductive outcomes in women with PMOS while also addressing obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

The work forms part of the ongoing RESTORE clinical trial.

Melanie Cree, professor at CU Anschutz and first author of the report, said: “Women with PMOS frequently face a frustrating choice between treatments that target reproductive symptoms and those that address metabolic health.

“Our early findings suggest injectable semaglutide may have the potential to improve both, offering a more comprehensive approach to care.

“This medication is incredibly promising when someone responds with 10 per cent weight loss.”

The trial is examining whether semaglutide can restore ovulation and improve reproductive health in adolescents and adults with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, known as PMOS.

PMOS, formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, is a hormone and metabolic condition linked to irregular periods, raised testosterone levels, infertility risk, obesity and increased cardiometabolic disease.

Cardiometabolic disease refers to conditions linked to the heart and metabolism, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Existing treatments, including metformin and hormonal contraceptives, often do not fully address reproductive and metabolic complications at the same time.

The analysis focused on participants aged 12 to 35 who lost at least 10 per cent of their body weight during treatment.

Researchers said reproductive improvements appeared earlier than expected, prompting them to report preliminary findings while the wider study continues.

Cree is also a paediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Endocrinologists are doctors who specialise in hormones and hormone-related conditions.

Cree said: “What makes this work particularly important is that it focuses specifically on women with PMOS receiving injectable semaglutide.

“Although GLP-1 medications have transformed obesity treatment, there remains a significant need for rigorous data examining how these therapies affect fertility and reproductive function in this population.”

The RESTORE study is evaluating semaglutide treatment in girls and women with PMOS and obesity.

Its broader aim is to determine whether weight loss and metabolic improvements can restore ovulation and improve reproductive outcomes.

Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary, a key part of the menstrual cycle and fertility.

The authors said the findings are from an early proof-of-concept analysis and that larger, longer-term studies will be needed to confirm whether the reproductive benefits last.

The findings suggest injectable semaglutide may become a treatment option for women with PMOS seeking improvements in both metabolic and reproductive health, if future studies confirm the results.

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