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The femtech companies taking on Big Tech over digital censorship
Campaigners say more femtech companies are taking a stand against major tech platforms such as Meta, Google, Amazon and LinkedIn, over digital censorship.
In March, six leading startups in the femtech space filed formal complaints with the European Commission over systemic bias and discrimination in content moderation by major online platforms.
Led by advocacy campaign CensHERship and blended-finance investment portfolio The Case For Her, the start-ups are invoking the Digital Services Act (DSA) to expose how platforms disproportionately restrict, shadow ban and remove health-related content aimed at women.
Now CensHERship has told Femtech World that since taking action, a number of other companies have come forward to file complaints related to similar challenges.
“The more we uncover about online censorship, the more we see how it disproportionately impacts FemTech businesses,” say co-founders, Anna O’Sullivan and Clio Wood.
“This issue extends far beyond the six complaints we’ve submitted. We’ve been contacted by a number of other businesses facing the same challenges, many of whom would now also like to file complaints. This is in addition to the 100+ businesses, charities, and creators we’ve engaged with in our research over the past year. It’s clear that the censorship and restrictions being faced are not isolated ‘mistakes’ but part of a broader, systemic issue that needs real attention and reform.”
Evidence collected by CensHERship has found multiple cases of medically accurate, expert-led content related to women’s health—including menopause, libido and reproductive health—being blocked, taken down and/or labeled as ‘political’ or ‘adult content’.
A 2025 report by Center for Intimacy Justice into the suppression of content on sexual and reproductive health for women and people of diverse genders, found that 84 per cent of businesses had ads rejected on Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and 64 per cent had product listings removed on Amazon, while 66 per cent of respondents had ads rejected on Google.
In a separate survey of 95 brands, creators, medical professionals, charities, consumers and professionals, carried out by CensHERship, 95 per cent of respondents reported at least one issue with the censorship of women’s health and/or sexual wellbeing content online, with 17% reporting up to 10. These were reported on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, X, LinkedIn and Google.
Among tose impacted are at-home fertility kits from Bea Fertility, vaginal health brand Aquafit Intimate, online sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing platform Geen, sexual health and wellbeing platform HANX, breastfeeding support app Lactapp, and gynaecological health platform Daye.
Bea Fertility ploughed months of work into becoming a Prime-rated seller on Amazon for its at-home fertility kit, building a bank of verified and positive customer reviews, and creating what’s known as ‘A+ content’ for its storefront.
But the Amazon reviews team rejected the page, taking issue with the use of the word ‘vagina’ and ‘vaginal canal’ within the description (there was no issue with the use of the word ‘semen’).
The company replaced the word ‘vagina’ with ‘birth canal’, despite feeling this was ‘insensitive’ and ‘crass’ given it is a fertility product, before pulling its products from Amazon at the end of January 2025.
Aquafit Intimate has faced wrongful restrictions on LinkedIn for a post related to World Menopause Day. Despite LinkedIn apologising for mistakenly identifying the content as nudity, a repost was again restricted and further posts about Endometriosis, Postpartum Recovery, and Vaginal Dysbiosis removed as “illegal products and services.”
“This creates financial barriers, restricts market access, and ultimately limits consumer access to science-based health information,” says CensHERship.
“There’s a clear link between this systemic digital suppression and the hindrance of progress in women’s healthcare.”
CensHERship co-founders, Anna O’Sullivan and Clio Wood.
“Vague and inconsistent explanations”
As well as content restriction, and removals which don’t appear to be in line with terms and conditions, brands say they have received ‘vague and inconsistent’ explanations for content takedowns, with little opportunity to appeal.
Daye, which has developed a HPV-screening tampon for detecting high-risk HPV infections, says an ad featuring a pregnant woman and referencing the word ‘vaginal’ was incorrectly flagged and removed under Google’s Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity policy. The company says this classification is both “inaccurate and discriminatory”.
“Daye has repeatedly reached out to both Meta and Google regarding misapplied content policies, seeking a proper resolution,” Valentina Milanova, founder & CEO of leading gynaecological health company and virtual women’s health clinic Daye, told Femtech World.
“The responses received have been generic, insufficient and lacking valid justification. These interactions reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of women’s and assigned female at birth health issues, evidenced by the inaccurate classification of relevant content.
“Throughout 2024 alone, Daye filed dozens of appeals but didn’t receive any meaningful explanations or corrective measures. This underscores the systemic failure of these platforms’ appeals processes and human review mechanisms.”
Valentina Milanova, Daye
Significant revenue losses
Some businesses report losing significant revenue due to blocked ads and suspensions, making it harder to compete and secure investment.
In the Center For Intimacy Justice report, survey respondents estimated annual revenue losses ranging from $10,000 to $1 million per company on Amazon alone, with Meta’s content restrictions causing potentially up to $5 million per entity in losses annually.
Female-focused condom brand, HANX, has had ads for its doctor-approved libido supplement for women, which is sold in major UK pharmacy retailers including Boots, rejected or heavily penalised. Its organic posts have also been repeatedly flagged as adult content, including a static post spotlighting the World Health Organisation’s report into decline of condom usage and rising STIs.
In December 2024, HANX’s Meta account was suspended for six-days, blocking its ability to reach followers and customers. It was only reinstated after a co-founder secured support from a senior Meta employee via a personal connection.
Speaking to Femtech World, HANX co-founder Dr Sarah Welsh, says: “Despite following Meta’s guidelines, HANX has faced repeated censorship – our educational posts flagged, our ads rejected, and even our entire account suspended without warning. At one point, our ad account was suspended entirely during a peak sales period, cutting off a vital revenue stream.
Meta’s own ad policy states that adverts can “promote sexual and reproductive health or wellness, as long as the focus is on health and not sexual pleasure or enhancement, and they target people aged 18 or older. This includes ads for: Birth control products, including condoms.”
However, despite being a common symptom of menopause, low libido in women is not considered to be a health condition under Meta’s guidelines. Meanwhile, male-focused erectile dysfunction ads are consistently approved.
“Meta’s restrictions have forced us to spend countless hours reworking content, appealing unfair rejections, and navigating unclear policies – only to see misleading health products and male-focused ads thrive,” continues Dr Welsh.
“This double standard doesn’t just hurt our business; it stops people from accessing safe, medically-backed information about their own health. Censorship like this isn’t just frustrating – it’s actively harming innovation in women’s health.”
“The silencing of women’s health must end”
With the support of CensHERship and The Case For Her, the startups are now urging the European Commission to investigate platform policies and hold tech giants accountable for applying content moderation rules fairly and transparently.
They are also calling on digital platforms to implement clear, non-discriminatory advertising guidelines that protect conversations about women’s health, and ensure there are accessible and effective appeal mechanisms.
Cristina Ljungberg, co-founder and partner at The Case for Her, commented: “When femtech companies and nonprofits providing critical health information are suppressed by Big Tech, they struggle to reach the people who need them most. This isn’t just about lost revenue—it’s about blocking access to essential care. The silencing of women’s health must end.”
Femtech World has contacted Meta, Amazon, LinkedIn and Google for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
A market analysis made by Moore Financial Consulting estimates the global market for Zero Candida Technologies, Inc. will reach over USD 2 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.25 per cent globally and 3.9 per cent in North America and 4.2 per cent in Europe.
The analysis emphasis that up to 75 per cent of women will have at least one vaginal yeast infection in their life.
Moreover, recurrent VVC (Vulvovaginal Candidiasis) affects nearly 8 per cent of women globally (for women above the ages of 15-60).
According to the data, 100 per cent of women with Recurrent VVC will purchase a combination of over-the-counter and prescription antifungal treatments, usually with the common use of oral agents.
Compared to women with non-recurrent VCC, 55.2 per cent will purchase prescription antifungal treatment, 37 per cent over-the-counter antifungal, 5.6 per cent will purchase a combination of both treatments, and the rest will not purchase any treatment.
Eli Ben Haroosh, founder & CEO, Zero Candida Technologies, said: “Moore’s market analysis matches our estimations, Zero Candida is a groundbreaking and game-changing company in the world of women’s medicine, and we look forward to be one of the leading companies offering AI-driven, tampon-like device, helping women suffering from VVC .
Zero Candida announced recently that its shares are now successfully listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE).
This listing marks a significant milestone for the Company as it expands its global presence, now cross-listed on both the TSX Venture Exchange and the FSE, providing increased visibility and access to a broader pool of international investors.
Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a 59 per cent higher risk of ischaemic stroke in the first year after diagnosis, research suggests.
Researchers also said survivors who develop sudden stroke symptoms, including one-sided weakness, facial drooping, speech difficulties or vision loss, should seek immediate medical attention.
The multicentre study analysed National Health Insurance Service data from 107,606 women who underwent surgery for newly diagnosed breast cancer and compared them with 322,818 age-matched women with no history of cancer.
The research was conducted by professor Shin Dong-wook of Samsung Medical Center, professor Han Kyung-do of Soongsil University, professor Yong-Moon Mark Park of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and professor Wonyoung Jung of the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Yong-Moon Mark Park said: “The study demonstrates a time-dependent pattern in which the risk of ischaemic stroke rises sharply immediately after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment before gradually declining.
“The key finding is that we evaluated stroke risk according to different stages following diagnosis and treatment. This suggests that clinicians should consider not only how much the risk increases, but also when it is greatest.”
The study included women aged 18 or older who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer between 2010 and 2016, underwent surgery and had no previous stroke.
Each patient was matched with three women of the same birth year who did not have cancer. Participants were followed for an average of 7.2 years.
The main outcome was ischaemic stroke, also known as cerebral infarction. It occurs when a blocked blood vessel cuts off blood flow to the brain and is a leading cause of death and long-term disability.
During follow-up, ischaemic stroke occurred in 1,155 breast cancer patients, or 1.07 per cent, and 3,698 women in the control group, or 1.15 per cent.
Overall, breast cancer surgery was not linked to a significantly higher long-term risk of ischaemic stroke, and researchers recorded a slight fall in risk over time.
However, a different pattern emerged immediately after diagnosis.
Within one year of diagnosis, patients had a 59 per cent higher risk of ischaemic stroke than women without cancer.
The risk was highest during the first three months, at 2.90 times that of the control group.
It remained elevated within six months, at 2.27 times the control group’s risk, before gradually declining.
The risk was still 17 per cent higher three years after diagnosis.
Researchers said the temporary increase may be linked to cancer-related hypercoagulability, inflammatory responses to surgery and treatment, and cardiovascular stress caused by anticancer therapies.
Hypercoagulability means the blood is more likely than usual to form clots. Cardiovascular refers to the heart and blood vessels.
The increased risk was particularly pronounced among patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes or a history of current smoking.
Hypertension means high blood pressure. Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition affecting how the body controls blood sugar.
Breast cancer patients who smoked had a 2.26-fold higher risk of ischaemic stroke than comparable women without cancer.
Principal researcher professor Shin Dong-wook stressed the importance of vigilant care for patients with cardiovascular risk factors, especially during the early phase of breast cancer treatment.
Shin said: “Patients with hypertension, diabetes, or other cardiovascular risk factors, as well as those who smoke, require particularly careful management during the early phase of breast cancer treatment.
“If patients who have undergone breast cancer treatment suddenly develop weakness in one arm or leg, facial drooping, slurred or abnormal speech, or vision loss on one side, ischaemic stroke should be suspected, and they should seek immediate medical evaluation.”
Researchers said survivorship care should include strategies to monitor and manage cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk throughout treatment as advances in breast cancer care continue to improve survival.
Cerebrovascular disease refers to conditions affecting blood flow and blood vessels in the brain.
Cancer cells may hijack a fertility protein to repair damaged DNA and survive chemotherapy, research suggests.
The findings could point to a way of making existing cancer treatments more effective.
SYCP1 is a protein normally involved in producing sperm and eggs.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool found that the protein, previously thought to work only in reproduction, can be reactivated in cancer cells, where it helps tumours survive and grow.
SYCP1 usually helps chromosomes pair during meiosis, the form of cell division that produces reproductive cells.
In cancer cells, however, the protein appears to take on another role. It enters the nucleus, the cell’s control centre, binds directly to DNA and regulates genes involved in cell division and DNA repair.
DNA repair is how cells fix damage to their genetic code. In cancer, this process can help tumour cells survive treatment.
The researchers found that removing SYCP1 made cancer cells much more sensitive to chemotherapy drugs that damage DNA.
The findings suggest cancers may use SYCP1 to repair damage caused by treatment and continue growing.
Dr Urszula McClurg, lecturer in biochemistry, cell and systems biology at the University of Liverpool, said: “Our findings show that cancer cells can hijack proteins that normally exist only in reproductive tissues and give them completely new jobs.
“Understanding these unexpected functions opens up exciting opportunities to develop new treatments that make existing cancer therapies more effective.”
The work challenges the long-held belief that proteins active only in fertility have no biological relevance outside the reproductive system.
Researchers say these specialised proteins could provide new treatment targets across many types of cancer.
The study also offers a new view of how cancers evolve by repurposing developmental and reproductive processes.
The findings highlight SYCP1 as a candidate for future precision cancer therapies, which are treatments based on the specific biology of a patient’s cancer.
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