The rise in sexual health apps

A rising trend in the wellness sphere is sexual health apps, and there are a variety of technologies aimed specifically at women. Femtech World reports on the latest advances putting pleasure back into women’s hands…

Femtech has made great strides in addressing many female health inequalities, putting women in the driving seat when it comes to matters surrounding menstruation, menopause or fertility.

And now, the focus has shifted onto something a little more wide-ranging: namely, sexual health apps.

As many as 43 per cent of women report suffering from some form of sexual dysfunction in their lifetime.

This manifests itself in such issues as low libido, low confidence, inability to reach orgasm or distressing sexual thoughts, which may in turn have a serious impact on relationships.

Traditional therapy can be expensive and, for some people, talking about such intimate matters with a stranger can be uncomfortable and daunting.

Enter the sexual health app: cost-effective, anonymous and easy to access, it has the potential to revolutionise women’s sexual health.

Blueheart

Blueheart was the brainchild of Sachin Raoul who, following a break-up, found himself in need of sexual therapy he could ill afford financially.

So he, in partnership with world-renowned therapist Dr Katherine Hertlein, set about creating an app that would offer tailored, professional advice in cases of sexual dysfunction.

The app features audio and written sessions, taken from materials designed by Dr Hertlein, focusing around thought, encompassing issues such as sexual fears and anxieties, body, which is centred around building a positive relationships with the body, and connection, which deals with how to communicate.

The app is free, after the team behind it noticed a rise in demand for sexual support over lockdown, and one of the first programmes it offered was designed for women experiencing low libido.

Sachin told Marie Claire magazine: “Today, much of the advice around sex is not necessarily the right advice. Often, support available online is overly focused on ‘wellness’, when a huge range of sexual issues can only be addressed via scientifically-backed support and therapy.

“This is where Blueheart comes in. We’re democratising access to confidential support designed by the world’s leading experts to help people regain control of their sex lives.”

Lover

Another science-backed sexual health app is Lover, created by clinical psychologist and behavioural medicine expert Dr Britney Blair and her team.

Like Blueheart, it is described as a science-based app for addressing sexual concerns, increasing pleasure and improving skills in the bedroom through a series of practical exercises, such as orgasm exercises, mindfulness and games, delivered via a mix of audio and video content.

Dr Blair said: “Therapy can change people’s lives. Sexual health is very important and I see relationships changed and lives changed through the work I do [face to face]. Now we have tech as a digital intervention.

“The grand plan is we help people to optimise their sexual life and make sure sex stays alive. Sexual disconnection is a reason couples get divorced.”

Lover has become the first sex therapy app to join the FDA’s Safer Technologies Program, allowing doctors to prescribe it as a safe, side-effect-free treatment for sexual dysfunction.

Ferly

Ferly bills itself as a sexual mindfulness app, and aims to ‘smash the taboo, the stigma and the shame around women’s health and female pleasure’.

However, in the early days, founders Billie Quinlan and Anna Hushlak found that male investors were reluctant to help them get the idea off the ground, claiming that women were a “niche market” and even recommending that the pair focus on porn to get ahead.

Despite the early stumbling blocks, Ferly was launched in 2019 to offer audio erotic stories, guided practices and personalised programmes, all of which help women explore pleasure in a mindful way and overcome any sexual issues.

The app takes users through a variety of different programmes, which address issues such as lack of body confidence, low libido and difficulty or inability to orgasm.

Billie said: “We use a mindful cognitive behavioural therapy approach. Many sexual issues are because there’s a physiological barrier. You can’t take a pharmaceutical approach… you have to take a holistic approach.”

And despite those investors’ early misgivings, it has since raised more than £1.5m in funding and attracted users from more than 50 countries.

Apps like the above prove, the industry has so much more potential – and women are more than ready to tap into it.