This shows a need for digital health solutions specifically with women’s values, wellness and care priorities, and daily behaviors in mind. Fortunately, more money is being spent in the area, more businesses are being established, and women’s healthcare concerns are finally being recognized.
Another major contributor to this phenomenon was the Global COVID Pandemic and its effects on women. During the pandemic, it was discovered that women generally had less access to healthcare than men. This discovery helped accelerate the development of technologically advanced hygiene and healthcare solutions for women.
Prominent Femtech innovations driving the industry
Let’s break down some of the technological trends and innovations experts have predicted will be at the forefront in Femtech over the next few years.
Fertility solutions
One of the most prominent topics in Femtech, fertility, continues to develop. Fertility solutions are in great demand, with one in seven couples having difficulty conceiving, according to the NHS. Furthermore, clinic-based fertility treatments have been generally known to have higher barriers to access. People of all ages are constantly searching for safe, specialized, and comprehensive solutions as more women seek to have children later in life.
Recently, multiple apps that can help women facing fertility issues have been developed. These apps work by monitoring women’s reproductive cycles and notifying them when they are most receptive. The applications can also assist women in self-monitoring during the conception process.
Menopause tech
Menopause technology solves the issues associated with a special stage of women’s life span. It is estimated that by 2025, over 1 billion women will be going through menopause all over the world. Thus, this field has the potential to be one of the most popular areas in femtech.
Menopause has long been viewed as a condition to be treated rather than a period of transition in the lives of women with its own set of health issues. Unique menopausal observations and how they relate to overall health are becoming extremely relevant. Startups that can create feedback mechanisms from symptoms to how treatments will work will have a huge opportunity. They might have access to vital data that could be utilized in research as well as the development and validation of innovative treatments.
Primary and preventive women care
This subsector of Femtech raised the most in 2021 ($668 million). It encompasses solutions that target the spectrum of women’s primary care needs, such as annual wellness exams, general lab test screenings, and comprehensive screenings. Solutions in this subsector are particularly in demand in developing countries where adequate treatment and examination equipment are not readily available.
Personalized medicine
From cosmetics to birth control, women are now demanding greater personalization. Millennials and Generation Z, in particular, seek a personalized healthcare experience. At-home testing and tailored health solutions are filling in the holes left by traditional healthcare. Many organizations are jumping on the personalization bandwagon; those that find success will deliver medically applicable results that customers can implement to improve health-related decisions.
Femtech situation in Israel
The Femtech industry is booming, and investors are backing this subsector of health tech to address women’s global health challenges. According to data from Start-Up Nation Central , Femtech in Israel is gradually growing, with 107 startups providing solutions for women.
One startup has developed a multi-module integrated platform that blends AI, computer vision, and big data to increase the rates of successful IVF treatments. By eliminating an intrusive biopsy, its genetic screening tool can identify if a particular embryo is genetically compatible for implantation. This startup currently has the world’s biggest embryo archive, and the platform’s objective and autonomous technologies are awaiting FDA permission for use in the United States, where the average woman spends up to $20,000 on each attempt.
Based on its proprietary IUB (Intra-Uterine Ball) technology, another Israeli Femtech startup, produces and commercializes revolutionary 3D intrauterine devices (IUD) for women who want to conceive. The IUB, which is built with the super-elastic alloy Nitinol, is a perfect carrier for numerous medications to be delivered to the uterus to treat a range of ailments. This startup is also developing an innovative range of solutions leveraging the IUBTM frame for conditions like abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), heavy menstrual bleeding (HMS), myomas/fibroids, and infertility, in addition to their flagship model.
Another startup developed a solution that combines the benefits of a tampon with the benefits of a menstrual cup. With the use of an applicator, the substance is introduced into the vaginal canal and opens up internally. It is designed to give complete protection without escapes for 12 hours and should be used by women who are experiencing severe bleeding. This product allows the user to observe her bleeding and determine whether she is experiencing excessive bleeding. It may one day be used to diagnose disorders by studying the menstrual effluents it collects.
Future prospects for Femtech
Femtech’s progress will have a huge influence on the global well-being of women because it will make healthcare more minimally invasive, less obtrusive, practical, individualized, and inexpensive for women. To optimize the results, enterprises in this field are using technology like AI, big data, and analytics. The sector’s expansion has resulted in a boom in investment in the industry.
Despite the recent financial growth of this sector, it should be noted that the main goal of Femtech is the well-being of women around the globe. Thus, more entrepreneurs should be involved in the development and validation of the solutions coming from this sector in the coming years, especially women. For its association with femininity and female challenges, FemTech is a more level playing field for female entrepreneurs compared to other parts of the tech industry, bringing another major benefit to women besides the health-related ones.
