Four femtech start-ups tackling endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and often infertility.

It affects an estimated ten per cent of women globally – that’s 190 million. However, at present, there is no known cure for it and treatment is limited.

More and more start-ups devote their work to reproductive health, but gynaecology and conditions like endometriosis are hardly explored. Here we look at five start-ups shining a light on one of the most common gynaecological disorder.

Hera Biotech

Hera Biotech is the developer behind the world’s first non-surgical test for definitive diagnosis and staging of endometriosis.

MetriDx uses micro-fluidic analysis of single cells obtained from the patient’s endometrium to diagnose and stage endometriosis.

The US company has announced the first patient enrolled in the trail evaluating MetriDx and is currently raising a Series-A round to expand its clinical trials and commercialise the test.

Syrona Health

SORA, the virtual assistant developed by the UK company Syrona Health, helps women track their symptoms and learn more about their menstrual cycle.

The app provides free support for chronic gynaecological health conditions including endometriosis and PCOS, and recommends relevant products for patients such as home testing kits for fertility, PCOS, cervical cancer screening or CBT consultations.

SORA is also offered to employers to support employees who may be experiencing challenges with pregnancy, endometriosis, fertility, menopause, cancer or other reproductive health concerns.

Phendo App

Phendo is a free research app that helps women track, manage, and understand endometriosis and self-management strategies.

Besides helping create data for researchers, users are also able to reflect on their records and better advocate for their issues at the doctor’s office.

The project, which has over 15,000 users contributing their data, allow women access their data and contact the researchers at any time.

The data collected is stored on HIPAA-certified servers and has already enabled researchers to put together new scientific papers.

Gynica

In recent years, the medical cannabis sector has been growing immensely, bringing new solutions to address various medical problems.

The Israeli start-up Gynica is developing cannabinoid-based therapeutic solutions to treat chronic menstrual pain and painful intercourse, some of the most common symptoms of endometriosis.

The company’s research team have been studying the health benefits of cannabis and its effects on the female reproductive system, with the hope to bring relief and comfort to women worldwide.

To find out more about endometriosis, visit the World Endometriosis Society.