News
Beyond ‘bikini medicine’: Can femtech help reframe the narrative around women’s health?
From stigma and siloed systems to underinvestment and red tape, women face numerous barriers when it comes to accessing better care, but femtech founders and policy experts say digital innovation could offer a path forward.
In a new report, a panel of global experts from the fields of health, femtech and law have called for digital innovation, life-course care, and the breaking down of outdated silos in medicine to address global gender health gaps.
The group of experts, led by Kate Lancaster, CEO of The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, also agree that women’s health should be seen not as a subset of reproductive care, but as the broader ‘health of women’.
A significant number of chronic health conditions, including neurological disorders such as migraine and autoimmune diseases, are known to affect women more than men.
Yet globally, women continue to face disproportionately high rates of underdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and poorer outcomes.
In the UK, which continues to have the widest gender health inequalities in the G20, women spend an average of nine years in poor health, 25 per cent more of their lives than men.
The panel discussion has informed a three-series report, FemHealth Focus, commissioned by UK law firm Mills & Reeve, highlighting the role of technology and innovation in driving change, and the role that public healthcare systems like the NHS can play in supporting women’s health innovators.
In the second part of the report, published recently, experts highlighted that fragmented commissioning structures, siloed services, and the way women’s health is conceptualised are all obstacles to a more ‘joined-up’ approach that could help to deliver improved outcomes for women.
The global female healthtech market is growing at an annual rate of 16 per cent, and experts agree that digital technologies and AI have a ‘central role’ to play in ‘boosting efficiency’.
Yet healthtech companies struggle to scale due to stigma, underfunding, and the weight of ‘NHS bureaucracy’.
One panellist said it had taken “blood, sweat and tears” to secure a deal with a single NHS Trust. The challenge was not a ‘lack of willingness’, but the ‘weight of bureaucracy and segregated budgets’, they added.
Many early-stage companies enter the market targeting consumers directly, with the hope of securing a future partnership within the NHS, but this often raises concerns about ‘equity and access’.
To address this, the panel called for stronger engagement in women’s health from corporates and insurers, with insurance still a relatively underdeveloped market in femtech.
Some panellists reported ‘growing interest’ in the corporate market, where employers are increasingly aware of the need to address women’s health as part of their recruitment and retention strategies.
At the same time, they say, greater health literacy and education are needed to break down barriers, particularly for startups seeking investment.
Some founders on the panel reported difficulty securing investment due to investor discomfort with women’s health-related topics.
Businesses in this sector are also disproportionately impacted by additional challenges, such as censorship on social platforms and bias in accessing financial services.
CensHERship, a campaign group working to end online censorship of women’s health content, found that many femtech companies not only faced barriers on social media and e-commerce platforms but had been refused bank accounts or were subjected to higher fees by banks and insurance providers, according to the report.
“There remains a stigma attached to women’s health that not only impacts investment opportunities but also leads to a deprioritisation in health budgets and services, and in education,” the report states.
NHS reform – an opportunity for the UK to lead the way in women’s health
The report comes at a pivotal moment for women’s health around the world, and just weeks after the UK Health Secretary unveiled his 10-Year Plan to reform the NHS, introducing shifts from hospital to community, sickness to prevention and analogue to digital.
However, despite promises that the strategy will play a fundamental role in delivering the government’s commitment to women’s health, “never again being ignored”, the plan has been accused of “falling short” for women.
RCOG president Professor Ranee Thakar, said in a statement: “While the plan lays strong foundations, it falls short in pledging to eliminate the gender health gap that is costing women years of life and good health…
“[The] plan must mark a move away from treating women’s health as a collection of niche issues towards offering women excellent, joined-up care across their life course, with investment in the women’s health workforce, Femtech and research.”
The 10-year Women’s Health Strategy, published in 2022, set out a six-point plan which promised to address these inequalities, including expanding women’s health hubs.
Women’s health hubs were intended to address fragmented systems and siloed services by bringing together primary care, diagnostics and specialist consultations under one roof, and were seen as ‘key areas’ for digital transformation, presenting a “major opportunity” for tech innovators.
But their impact has been limited so far, with only 14 of 42 Integrated Care Boards currently offering all core services.
The prospect of NHS reform could present a major opportunity for the UK to address gaps in care – and position itself as a world-leader in women’s health – by adopting solutions that address their unique needs.
“What we need is government-backed sustainable funding, so companies can really grow,” Gayle Curry, partner at Mills & Reeve, commented.
“At the same time, we need cross-sector collaboration to deliver joined-up and accessible services.
“There is a place for the NHS, there is a place for the private sector, and there’s a place for innovation. What we need to do is work together to be able to offer that.”
‘Thoughtful’ innovation based on the needs of ‘real women’
As a GP specialising in women’s health for over 20 years, Dr Nikki Kanani has witnessed the challenges preventing women from accessing better healthcare first hand, and is now designing solutions to deliver back into the system, as co-founder of Aneira Health.
Aneira combines virtual and in-person support with AI and clinical expertise to offer personalised, tech-enabled plans for women throughout their lifespan.
“[Women] are often treated in silos, and dismissed and deprioritised,” Dr Kanani told Femtech World.
“If a woman has to keep explaining her story and moving around the system to find the next bit of her care, that system has failed her.”
While the NHS has typically been “risk-averse” when it comes to partnering with innovators in the femtech sector, the 10-Year plan could well see more public-private collaboration, which Dr Kanani says would be a “huge opportunity” to build ethical, evidence-based tools based on the needs of real women.
“We’ve got this boom in femtech, with hundreds of different point solutions, but without integration regulation… none of those will deliver their promises,” she said.
“There is a nod in the 10-year plan to public private partnerships, and if we can use those to build ethical evidence-based tools rooted in women’s real needs, that’s a huge opportunity to stop forcing women to fit into system that wasn’t designed for them, but instead build a system that is designed around women’s bodies, experiences and lives.”
But while advanced technology can play an important part in bridging some of these gaps, inequalities won’t be addressed by innovation alone; it will take ‘system-wide’ change.
“Digital can be empowering, but only when it’s inclusive and thoughtful,” Dr Kanani says.
“We’ve noticed that as we’ve built our organisation that there needs to be a power shift, from the centre to power-sharing with communities, so women are co-designers of care.
“Health equity for women, particularly those from minoritised, marginalised and underserved communities, won’t be achieved through strategy alone. We need a really deep, system-wide culture shift.”
The latest FemHealth report is both a call to action and a blueprint for change.
Many solutions which could help address the gender health gap already exist, but to see real results, developers and policymakers must reimagine how care is designed in line with women’s real needs.
As Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador for England, Chair Wellbeing of Women, and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College London, who contributed to the report, puts it: “Women make up 51 per cent of the UK population, undertake 68 per cent of all unpaid caring roles in society and are responsible for 80 per cent of all household health decisions.
“Optimising their health is far from being a niche concern; it is a national imperative.”
Congress is being urged to invest US$20bn over 10 years to close the women’s health gap.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Women’s Health Research and the Women First Research Coalition have unveiled the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap.
The framework calls for a coordinated national effort to improve women’s health research, care and outcomes.
It says women make up more than half of the US population, but their health needs across conditions and life stages have been understudied and underserved for decades.
Kathryn Schubert, president and chief executive of the Society for Women’s Health Research, said: “The women’s health gap has persisted for far too long.
“This strategy offers Congress a road map to improve health outcomes, drive innovation, and build a healthier future for women, families, and communities.”
The strategy notes that Congress required women to be included in National Institutes of Health-funded clinical research through the NIH Revitalization Act in 1993.
However, it says major gaps remain in women’s health research, clinical care and how evidence is put into practice.
The plan proposes US$7bn for research and innovation, including expanded federal investment in women’s health research across the NIH, VA, DoD and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
It would also establish a Women’s Health Research Interdisciplinary Fund at the NIH and create a national network of Women’s Health Centers of Excellence.
The centres would aim to accelerate the translation of research into clinical care and serve as training sites for researchers and clinicians.
A further US$1bn would be used for regulatory coordination and modernisation, including cross-agency collaboration and work to address sex differences in drug and treatment approvals.
Sex differences are biological differences between females and males that can affect disease risk, symptoms, treatment response and side-effects.
The funding would also support updated NIH tracking systems for women’s health research investment and publication standards on how sex as a biological variable is considered in research.
The strategy calls for US$4bn for data and evidence infrastructure, including a public-private partnership focused on women’s midlife health data.
It would also convene a public workshop to review existing women’s health research datasets and develop common data elements to fill gaps and make datasets more widely available.
Another US$7bn would go towards strengthening the clinical and research workforce.
This would include career pathways, loan repayment programmes, a women’s health clinical workforce loan repayment programme modelled on the National Health Service Corps and interdisciplinary training.
The workforce measures would include particular emphasis on rural and underserved areas.
The final US$1bn would support public awareness and education campaigns to improve health literacy, preventive care and participation in women’s health research.
Health literacy means a person’s ability to find, understand and use health information to make decisions about care.
The campaigns would use digital and traditional media developed in consultation with patient advocacy organisations and relevant medical societies.
Sandra E Brooks, chief executive of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said: “Closing the women’s health gap requires not only funding research, but also investment in the people who conduct that research and those who translate research findings and discoveries into better patient care.
“Strengthening the women’s health research and clinical workforce is critical to accelerating the innovation needed to improve health outcomes for women.”
The strategy says women have higher annual out-of-pocket healthcare costs than men and live 25 per cent of their lives in poorer health.
Supporters say this strengthens the economic and public health case for long-term congressional investment.
The framework has been endorsed by organisations across women’s health, ageing, heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, reproductive medicine and neurological conditions, including the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic, the National MS Society and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.
Stardust shared sensitive period tracking data with third-party analytics firms, according to new privacy research from Mozilla.
The findings expose a privacy divide in femtech, where users often trust apps with highly sensitive reproductive health information.
The research was carried out by Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included team, which tested several period tracking apps.
It found that Stardust, a period tracker used by millions, shared users’ reproductive health data with analytics companies, a practice the research said contrasted with its privacy-first marketing.
Analytics companies collect and examine information about how people use digital products, often to help businesses understand user behaviour or improve marketing.
The findings raise questions about whether privacy promises made by health apps match what happens to users’ data.
According to research reported by TechCrunch, one other period tracking app tested by Mozilla received what researchers called a “squeaky clean” rating, suggesting similar services can operate without sharing sensitive health data in the same way.
Period tracking apps have come under greater scrutiny in the US since the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, which removed federal constitutional protection for abortion.
Some users and privacy advocates have warned that menstrual and reproductive health data could potentially be sought in legal cases.
The research also points to a broader regulatory problem for consumer health apps.
In the US, many health apps are not covered by HIPAA, the health privacy law that applies to medical providers and some healthcare organisations.
That means some consumer apps may be able to collect, share or monetise sensitive health data under rules that differ from traditional healthcare privacy protections.
The femtech market, estimated in the report at US$50bn, has grown quickly, but privacy regulation has not always kept pace with app development.
Stardust had not publicly responded to Mozilla’s findings at the time of the original report, and its privacy policy remained live on its website.
The issue is particularly sensitive for period tracking because the data can reveal patterns around fertility, pregnancy, contraception and reproductive health.
Mozilla’s wider Privacy Not Included initiative has examined consumer technology products for privacy and security concerns since launching in 2017, including connected devices, children’s toys and health apps.
The findings come as US lawmakers continue to debate stronger federal privacy rules for sensitive health information collected by consumer apps.
The American Data Privacy and Protection Act, which has been stalled in Congress since 2023, includes provisions addressing sensitive health information collected by consumer apps.
Experts have also warned that anonymised health data can sometimes be re-identified when combined with other information, such as location data.
Re-identification means linking supposedly anonymous data back to a specific person.
A 2019 study found that menstrual cycle data combined with location information could identify individual users with high accuracy.
State-level privacy laws in places such as California, Virginia and Colorado have also given consumers new rights around personal data, although enforcement can vary.
Privacy advocates say the research underlines the need for clearer data practices, stronger safeguards and greater transparency in femtech.
For users, the findings are a reminder that health apps do not automatically protect health information in the same way as healthcare providers.
The report suggests period tracker companies that put privacy first may be better placed to build trust in a market where long-term use depends on confidence.
Mozilla’s investigation suggests privacy promises in femtech do not always match practice, and that period trackers can function without sharing sensitive user data in the same way.
Juno Bio has secured US$3.8m to expand its diagnostics platform for vaginal health and reproductive care.
The funding round was led by Ada Ventures, with participation from Artesian, Entrepreneur First and Illumina Accelerator.
The women’s health startup said the seed funding will support the launch of its first CLIA-certified sequencing laboratory in Oakland, California, and a new clinical vaginal microbiome and STI test for healthcare providers.
CLIA certification refers to US laboratory standards for testing human samples used in diagnosis, prevention or treatment decisions.
Dr Leighton Turner, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Juno Bio, said: “The vaginal microbiome is still one of the least understood systems in the body at a clinical scale.
“With our lab, we’re starting to build a measurement standard that clinicians can actually use.
“We believe the level of detail from this kind of testing can meaningfully improve how vaginal healthcare is provided.”
The company is developing precision diagnostics for vaginal health, where patients can experience recurring symptoms, inconsistent diagnoses and treatments based on trial and error.
Juno Bio said bringing testing in-house gives it greater control over the process, from sample handling to results, while allowing it to refine its technology and build what it says is one of the largest datasets focused on the vaginal microbiome.
The vaginal microbiome is the community of bacteria and fungi that naturally live in the vagina. Changes in this balance can be linked to infections, symptoms and wider reproductive health issues.
Juno Bio’s newly launched clinical test examines the wider vaginal microbiome and screens for four common sexually transmitted infections, or STIs.
Rather than looking for a single cause, the test is intended to give clinicians a broader picture of what may be contributing to symptoms.
Juno Bio says this matters because multiple infections can occur at the same time and microbiome changes may be linked to fertility, menopause or recurrent infections.
Dr Anna Powell of Johns Hopkins said: “Vaginal microbiome testing has the potential to significantly reshape how we understand and manage vaginal health, particularly for patients with recurrent or unexplained symptoms.
“While the field is still evolving, advances in sequencing and data interpretation are moving us closer to a future where more personalised, microbiome-informed care can complement existing diagnostic approaches.”
Check Warner, co-founding partner at Ada Ventures, added: “Juno Bio is setting a new standard for how vaginal health is understood and managed.
“What they’ve built at this stage, with this level of capital efficiency, is exceptional.
“We’re proud to support the team as they scale their clinical infrastructure and continue leading innovation in this critically underserved category.”
Diagnosis2 weeks agoTwo “gamechanger” tests set to speed up endometriosis diagnosis on the NHS
Insight2 weeks agoWomen with PMOS should have annual NHS checks, new guidance says
Menopause5 days agoNew menopause drug approved for use by NHS in Scotland
Cancer2 weeks agoThousands of women could avoid painful cancer exam with new AI blood test
Entrepreneur2 weeks agoApplications open for the third W Accelerate with Merck KGaA and M Ventures
Fertility2 weeks agoOlder women face lower chance of fertility treatment working, even with donor eggs, study finds
Opinion2 weeks agoWe built Ema like a nurse: Here’s why that matters
News2 weeks agoExperts call for regulation of toxic period product chemicals