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US start-up launches virtual health services for college women
Women will have access to a care team of gynaecologists, psychiatrists, family medical practitioners, therapists and nurses
A US digital healthcare company supporting young women has announced the rollout of its virtual services on campuses across New York, California, Ohio and North Carolina.
Caraway will provide virtual access to mental, physical and reproductive care services for four million college women, representing 25 per cent of college women in the US.
The company provides on-demand access to online healthcare services in an effort to help college women get the care they need.
“Caraway is taking action to address the needs of college women+”, said Caraway CEO and co-founder, Lori Evans Bernstein.
“Our trusted and experienced care team provides 24/7 access to care that is tailored to and prioritises the needs and concerns of Gen Z women.
“At a time when colleges are acutely aware of the need to improve student life because of the growing mental health epidemic and increasing barriers to reproductive care, Caraway offers a solution which provides personalised healthcare services, support and guidance for women+ to gain independence and agency in their healthcare decisions.”
With the intensifying demand for healthcare services from the US’s population of approximately 15 million college women, the company began offering its services in New York in early September with a fast-follow in California.
Now, this month, the firm extends its offerings in Ohio and North Carolina.
Caraway currently has members on 34 college campuses and universities and has recruited an initial cohort of campus advisors, student interns representing a diverse and entrepreneurial group of women spreading awareness among their peers.
The company aims to provide care for people of all gender identities and expressions and design services around all women and individuals assigned female at birth.
Camden Robertson, 19, a Caraway campus advisor at Pace University, said: “Women have consistently been left behind in the health space, especially women of color, women with low incomes, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“We cannot be active in building a better world if we do not first have access to what keeps our minds and bodies healthy.”
The start-up wants to offer patients better collaboration with their doctors as well as access to care through its app, allowing users to contact nurse practitioners, get referrals to in-person care and order home tests for UTIs and STIs.
“We learned almost immediately that our clinical model is spot on and members love it,” said chief health officer, Dr Cheryl Baggeroer.
“Our first appointment was a distillation of the care, support and education that is fundamental to the needs of college women+ – a prescription for affordable contraception, help with navigating insurance roadblocks, and care for mental health.
“For many of our members this is their first time accessing healthcare independently which creates a great deal of anxiety.
“We are hearing responses like, ‘I wish I had this the second I turned 18!,’ ‘You actually explained to me why this is happening,” and ‘I have never experienced a more thorough doctor encounter before.”
Founder, Evans Bernstein, added: “The mission and vision of Caraway are especially important in these turbulent times when a woman’s right to make their own healthcare decisions is being challenged.
“We are dedicated to working alongside college communities so that every young woman feels safer, healthier and has the care, information and support they need and deserve.”
Caraway plans to expand further throughout the US. Its services are available via the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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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