Femtech World explores the latest business developments in the world of women’s health.

NHS platform Evaro partners with period tracking app Clue in UK-first integration

Evaro, the NHS-licensed embedded healthcare platform, has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the period tracking app Clue.

The partnership will provide seamless access to NHS-funded contraception directly through Clue’s app.

This marks the first time a major cycle-tracking platform has integrated prescription healthcare services in the UK, creating a critical solution as the country grapples with an emergency contraception crisis.

2023 data shows the UK had the highest global search volume for emergency contraception and nearly half of UK women face contraception access barriers, with one in 20 patients having to wait at least four weeks to see a GP.

The partnership launches as women’s health takes center stage in the government’s NHS modernisation agenda, with digital medicine transformation identified as a key priority.

The integration brings together Clue’s UK user base with Evaro’s healthcare delivery platform.

Users can transition directly from tracking their cycle in Clue to ordering contraception through Evaro’s embedded pharmacy infrastructure – accessing free NHS-funded contraception with free delivery nationwide.

The service demonstrates how asynchronous healthcare – where consultations happen online at the patient’s convenience rather than requiring real-time appointments – can solve the UK’s healthcare accessibility challenge.

The partnership pioneers embedded healthcare – where consumer brands become healthcare access points by integrating Evaro’s full-stack solution with a single line of code.

The service is available immediately to Clue users in the UK.

US$5m to transform and scale menopause education and training worldwide

A US$5m grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, led by philanthropist and New York Mets Owner Alex Cohen, will support the digital-innovation phase of the Menopause Society’s NextGen Now initiative.

The grant will create a comprehensive digital ecosystem to leverage cutting-edge digital technologies, ensuring seamless access and consistent updates of educational content.

The initiative supports comprehensive training programmes for current and next generation healthcare professionals to improve the care of midlife women.

Through the NextGen Now initiative, The Menopause Society has said it is committed to reaching 25,000 healthcare professionals within the next three years and ultimately improving the lives of millions of women navigating the complexities of menopause.

The donation will further support The Menopause Society’s vision for a digital strategy for NextGen Now, through an integrated digital-learning platform, advanced virtual- and augmented-reality modules, and a dynamic mobile app.

NextGen Now is a multiphase initiative spanning several years and many projects and programmes.

To continue its success, additional support is still needed. This includes funding for research and data collection.

Progyny expands to include pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause

Women’s health company Progyny has launched its pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause programmes for global employers, available starting January 1, 2026.

The company says that the offerings complement the availability of the company’s existing and marketing-leading global fertility and family building offering, providing multi-national employers with a continuum of integrated services.

The platform is purpose-built for global markets, supporting members in their country-specific environment, helping them with expert support through stages of pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, and midlife to optimise health, productivity, and retention.

Employees uniquely have access to personalised consultations and guided programmes with Global Care Advocates, with maternal health, menopause, and mental health expertise; a curated knowledge centre for evidence-based education on symptoms and more; a country-specific navigator support for local care, regulations, policies, and protections; and, a GDPR-compliant platform.

FDA approves first medical device for women with Asherman Syndrome

Uterine health company Womed has announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved the PreMarket Approval (PMA) application of the Womed Leaf for adult women undergoing hysteroscopic surgery for symptomatic moderate to severe intrauterine adhesions, also referred to as Asherman syndrome.

Womed Leaf is the first medical device to be approved for sale in the United States for that indication.

“This is the first FDA approved barrier for these patients and marks a significant improvement for their ultimate desired outcome.”

Intrauterine Adhesions (IUAs), which refer to the pathological binding of the uterine walls, are caused by scarring of the uterus after procedures such as dilation and curettage or fibroid removal, and can occur in 20 per cent to 45 per cent of those procedures.

IUAs are a major cause of infertility, recurrent miscarriages and pain. IUA treatment is plagued with a very high recurrence rate, leaving women unsure and very anxious about their chance to conceive.

Womed Leaf is intended to reduce the reoccurrence and severity of post-surgical adhesion formation inside the uterus. It consists of a soft thin film made from Womed’s innovative polymer, which is inserted like an IUD at the end of an adhesiolysis procedure.

It expands within the cavity, preventing contact between the uterine walls, and is then naturally and painlessly discharged.

The pivotal PREG2 randomised clinical study that enrolled 160 patients with severe or moderate IUA demonstrated that Womed Leaf significantly reduced the severity of intrauterine adhesion after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis compared with no prevention method and that Womed Leaf has an acceptable safety profile.

Prototype production begins on AI-enabled device for Vulvo-Vaginal Candidiasis

Femtech medical device company Zero Candida Technologies has commenced prototype production of ZC-001.

ZC-001 the first AI-enabled therapeutic device integrating blue light therapy, targeted drug delivery, and wireless diagnostics for the personalised treatment of Vulvo-Vaginal Candidiasis (VVC).

The company has initiated production of 50 prototype units, with completion expected by Q1 2026.

The ZC-001 device is designed to offer meaningful advantages for both physicians and patients by providing personalised, at-home treatment with real-time data transmission, reducing the need for frequent doctor visits while enabling individualised care protocols.

“Every design decision was made with patient comfort and usability in mind,” said Dr Asher Holzer, CTO  of Zero Candida.

“It’s the foundation for our next phase of validation and defines the technical standards for how ZC-001 will be built and tested.”

Women across the UK are routinely delaying treatment for perimenopause and menopause symptoms – often due to a lack of knowledge, poor health literacy, and uncertainty about where to seek help, new research has revealed.

The findings from a survey of 2,000 UK women highlight a significant gap in menopause care and education, with nearly half (46 per cent) of women admitting they knew little about menopause or perimenopause until experiencing symptoms themselves.

The research was conducted by Menopause Care, a menopause clinic founded by hormone specialist and menopause expert Dr Naomi Potter.

Potter said:  “Far too many women are navigating perimenopause and menopause without the knowledge, support or care they deserve.

“This research highlights just how vital it is that we not only improve education and open up the conversation, but also ensure better access to specialist support and a more compassionate, individualised approach from healthcare professionals.”

Symptoms are often unexpected and misunderstood.

For 39 per cent of women, perimenopause began earlier than they anticipated, while 10 per cent reported never learning about menopause at all – including common symptoms, timing, and treatment options.

These knowledge gaps are major contributing factors to delays in care, the report found.

Half of women (50 per cent) have never seen a doctor about menopause-related symptoms, and 45 per cent confess to putting off a GP visit related to their perimenopause or menopause symptoms for as long as they could.

At the same time, only 54 per cent of women feel confident they know what Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is and how it works – a figure that drops to 45 per cent among those aged 35 to 44.

When women do seek medical help, their experiences often fall short.

Among those aged 35 to 44, the most common initial advice given by GPs is a lifestyle change.

One in five (22 per cent) report their GP didn’t suggest any treatment at all during the initial appointment, and another one in five (20 per cent) say their symptoms weren’t diagnosed correctly on the first visit.

At the same time, according to the updated guidance from NICE, HRT should be offered as the first treatment option to ease menopause symptoms.

Overall, only 56 per cent of women felt supported and understood during their first GP appointment related to perimenopause or menopause.

Specialist care is, unfortunately, still rare: just 7 per cent of women see a menopause specialist as their first point of contact.

However, this is improving among younger women – 14 per cent of those aged 35 to 44 first consulted a specialist, compared to only 3 per cent of women aged 65 and over.

On average, women see 1.83 healthcare professionals before receiving treatment they are satisfied with; for 20 per cent this takes two different providers, and for 9 per cent, three or more.

There is also a clear preference among women regarding the type of care they want.

A third (33 per cent) say it’s important their GP has lived experience of menopause.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) worry their doctor won’t be able to help, and 39 per cent say they would only feel comfortable speaking with a female GP about their symptoms.

Potter said: “Every woman’s experience of menopause is different – and they all deserve to be equipped with the right information and options to confidently manage this stage of life.”