News
Flo Health adopts Databricks to boost AI-powered menstrual cycle tracking
Femtech company Flo Health has adopted Databricks’ data intelligence platform to strengthen its analytics and AI capabilities, aiming to deliver more personalised menstrual cycle predictions.
The period tracking app replaced fragmented systems and legacy infrastructure that had previously limited its ability to scale and deliver cohesive, AI-powered user experiences.
The move has helped Flo improve data management, strengthen governance, and enhance the delivery of personalised health insights to users worldwide, according to Databricks.
“Our previous systems couldn’t handle the scale and complexity of our data,” said Roman Bugaev, chief technology officer at Flo Health. “Databricks’ Data Intelligence Platform provided the centralised data and AI platform we needed to innovate much faster and create a purpose-driven data strategy with data democratisation at its core.”
Since implementing the platform, Flo Health reports a 45 per cent increase in internal monthly active users and a 57 per cent rise in weekly active users.
The team is using Databricks to fine-tune large language models for ‘Ask Flo’, the app’s generative AI-powered health assistant, using Mosaic AI—Databricks’ domain-specific AI agent solution.
To meet compliance requirements, including those related to data privacy, Flo Health uses Unity Catalog—an open governance solution for data and AI—to enforce access controls across data workflows. This supports features such as the app’s ‘anonymous mode’, which safeguards sensitive customer data.
Databricks is now used by 46 per cent of Flo Health employees each month—including engineers, data scientists and business analysts—to support informed decision-making.
The team is also piloting AI/BI Genie, a Databricks feature that allows business teams to interact with data using natural language—for example, asking “What were our active users last month?” and receiving instant answers.
Flo has also integrated Databricks Assistant, a conversational AI tool, to help streamline structured query language (SQL) query debugging. As part of a broader initiative called ‘Copilot’, this assistant is enabling product managers and analysts to work more confidently with SQL.
“Ensuring that our employees are data-driven and can interact with data in natural language is paramount to us offering the best possible service to our customers,” said Bugaev. “The Databricks Data Intelligence Platform offers the privacy, scalability, security, and ease of use to help us make a positive impact on women’s healthcare, and I’m excited by where the partnership can go next.”
Nico Gaviola, vice president of emerging enterprise and digital natives at Databricks, said: “Digital natives like Flo Health are looking for smarter, faster, more reliable ways to translate vast amounts of data, safely and securely, to aid innovation on a global scale. Flo Health and Databricks share a commitment to using data and AI for societal benefit, so we’re thrilled the team has found so much value in Databricks’ Data Intelligence Platform to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
The partnership comes as Flo Health faces a trial in the US over allegations that it shared users’ sensitive health data with firms, including Meta, between 2017 and 2019.
The Femtech World Awards is proud to reveal the shortlist for Research Project of the Year as part of the third annual global celebration of innovation, impact and leadership across women’s health.
From fertility science and perimenopause research to regional ecosystem analysis, the shortlisted projects reflect the breadth and growing influence of femtech research worldwide.
The category is sponsored by OncoGenomX, with the winner to be selected by a representative from the organisation.
OncoGenomX is dedicated to offering solutions and providing comprehensive support services that empower Drug Developers, Clinical Researchers, Oncologists,NextGenSeq Diagnostics Laboratories, NextGenSeq Service Organisations, Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics Companies to achieve their ambitious goals
The shortlisted entries for Research Project of the Year are:
Women’s health remains significantly underserved in South-East Asia, with persistent gaps in access, awareness, and quality of care carrying substantial social and economic costs.
This report examines the femtech landscape in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, highlighting market trends, emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, and the evolving support ecosystem.
It identifies key challenges facing femtech founders, including limited access to finance, low awareness and persistent stigma, marketing constraints linked to content moderation, and gaps in tailored ecosystem support.
Led by Stephanie Willson, MD, of the IVI RMA Global Research Alliance, the study explored whether embryos that show certain chromosome abnormalities during genetic testing may still have the potential to result in a healthy pregnancy and live birth.
The research analysed more than 7,600 frozen embryo transfers and found that some embryos previously considered unlikely to succeed were still capable of leading to successful pregnancies, although at lower rates than embryos without abnormalities.
The findings could help fertility clinics and patients make more informed decisions during IVF treatment, particularly in cases where there are limited embryos available.
Rather than automatically discarding these embryos, the research supports a more evidence-based and personalised approach to fertility care.
For many women, perimenopause can feel confusing and unpredictable, with limited research explaining what is happening in their bodies.
Natural Cycles set out to change that by leading one of the largest studies ever conducted on menstrual and ovulatory patterns, uncovering new insights into how ovulation behaves as women approach menopause.
Conducted in collaboration with researchers from George Washington University, Seattle Clinical Research Center, Gennev and the University of California San Diego, the study analysed nearly one million menstrual cycles from more than 197,000 women aged 18–52 across more than 140 countries.
The scale of this dataset made it possible to explore menstrual patterns and ovulation in far greater detail than has traditionally been possible in women’s health research.
The Femtech World Awards celebrates the innovators, researchers and organisations driving meaningful progress in women’s health.
What happens next
Winners across all categories will be revealed during the virtual ceremony on June 19, with winners receiving a trophy and an interview with a Femtech World journalist.
Women over 40 are seeking raves for mental and physical wellbeing, with a study suggesting the benefits go beyond nightlife.
The findings challenge the idea that nightlife and electronic dance music events are mainly for younger people.
Published in Psychology of Music, the study focused on the common misconception that nightlife is only for younger audiences.
Researchers surveyed 136 female clubbers aged 40 to 65 about their experiences at electronic dance music events.
The study, carried out at the University of Leeds in England, found women reported mental and physical wellbeing benefits from attending these events.
Seeing favourite DJs was the most common motivation, but many women also described dancing as a way to relieve stress and find emotional support.
The research found that 65.9 per cent of participants described attending a rave as “spiritual”, while 62.9 per cent said it offered an escape from everyday life.
A further 58.3 per cent said they felt like a different version of themselves in a club environment.
Nine in ten participants said they felt at home at electronic dance music events, with many pointing to a shared passion for music and the sense of community around it.
The study also suggested physical fitness played a role, with some women saying they had made clubbing part of their regular exercise routine.
However, the findings also highlighted challenges for older women in nightlife spaces.
One fifth of participants said they felt visibly out of place because of their age.
Nearly half reported unwanted physical contact, leading some to seek out different venues or attend only with friends.
Osteoporosis may raise the risk of death in postmenopausal women by up to 47 per cent, a new study suggests.
The findings point to an inverse relationship between femoral bone mineral density and mortality risk, especially within certain ranges.
Femoral bone mineral density is the amount of mineral in the thigh bone, which is often measured to assess bone strength and osteoporosis risk.
Dr Monica Christmas is associate medical director for The Menopause Society.
She said: “Osteoporosis often remains a silent threat after menopause, despite its profound effect on women’s lives—from loss of height, poor balance, and reduced mobility to disfigurement, pain, and even premature death.
“Early screening and preventive measures, including a calcium-rich diet (preferably from food sources), regular weight-bearing exercise, and hormone therapy when appropriate, can significantly improve bone health and reduce risks not only of fractures but also cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and dementia.
“It’s time we bring this conversation to the forefront.”
In the study involving nearly 3,000 postmenopausal women, bone mineral density at four femoral sites was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, a scan commonly used to measure bone strength and fracture risk.
The analysis found that mortality risk was significantly higher when femoral bone mineral density reached the osteoporotic threshold or when osteoporotic fractures were present.
After full adjustment, osteoporosis was associated with a 47 per cent increased risk of mortality.
A stronger inverse association between increased bone mineral density and mortality risk was seen within specific ranges, suggesting bone mineral density could serve as a prognostic marker of wider health.
The relationship appeared especially notable within the range of 0.46 to 0.71 g/cm² for total femur bone mineral density.
Previous research has shown that postmenopausal women face a significantly higher risk of death within one year of hip or vertebral fractures.
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