How can FemTech help close the gender health gap? | Oxford Protein Informatics Group

An excellent previous blog post from Sarah [1] describes the gender data gap and touches on the fact that women experience poorer healthcare outcomes. This arises from, amongst other things, the historical exclusion of women from clinical trials and this idea of the ‘male default’, where, for example, drug dosages and diagnostic thresholds are benchmarked against men, or even surgical instruments are designed to fit male hands [2]. I thought I would follow up on Sarah’s blog post and discuss how FemTech can help to close this gender health gap.

What is FemTech?

The FemTech industry has been growing for the past decade or so and encompasses the use of technology to improve women’s health. The definition of women’s health is more than reproductive health: it also includes diseases or conditions that uniquely, differently, or disproportionately affect women, such as autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis or chronic pain [3].

How can FemTech improve outcomes for women’s health?

A major aim of the FemTech industry is to close the gender data gap, and so many FemTech companies are data-driven. For example, tracking apps, medical devices and wearable tech can allow individuals to record and track their symptoms over time. Well-known examples of these are period-tracking apps such as Clue or Flo, but there are also ventures in managing menopause symptoms (Balance) and optimising sports training and nutrition around menstrual cycles (WildAI). Apps can offer solutions for how to manage different symptoms, and could allow users to better communicate any problems to healthcare providers.

Other companies are research-based, for example, Dama Health have leveraged genomic data to offer a screening process for contraception, aiming to minimise the myriad unpleasant side effects that women can experience from going on the pill, by offering options more likely to work for you based on your genetics.

A significant factor leading to poorer outcomes is late or missed diagnoses. Routine tests such as mammograms or smear tests can be uncomfortable and invasive, and so are often avoided. Last year, 40% of women did not accept NHS breast screening appointments, and a third did not come forward for cervical screening [4,5]. There are FemTech companies working to tackle this by providing alternatives. For example, Micrima are developing breast cancer detection devices that are more comfortable to use, whilst Thyia provide self-test kits for HPV.

What challenges still exist for FemTech?

Although there are hundreds of FemTech companies out there and the awareness of women’s difficulties with healthcare is certainly increasing, hurdles still persist. As you might expect, many of these companies are founded by women, yet VC funding tends to favour male-led start-ups, particularly in tech. This is exacerbated by the perception of FemTech as a relatively niche market (despite women making up half of the population) and a lack of diversity in investment communities.

Aside from funding, although FemTech may help bridge the gap for some diagnoses and for symptom management, progress is still relatively slow for diseases or conditions where medication is necessary, as there remains low recruitment of women into clinical trials [6]. Finally, given the technological nature of the field, we have to consider intersectionality and inclusion, both in terms of data bias in machine-learning applications, and the accessibility of digital health for marginalised communities.